Course By Default: Lived Experiences of Beed Students

The goal of this research was to describe the lived experiences of BEEd students who enrolled in the program by default. Employing a qualitative, phenomenological approach, the study involved 8 purposively selected participants who graduated at Monkayo College of Arts, Sciences, and Technology and shared their experiences through in-depth interviews guided by the four fundamental research questions. Findings revealed that students’ enrollment in the BEEd program was influenced by peer pressure, financial constraints, parental influence, program availability, and uncertainty in career choice. Participants initially experienced emotional and motivational struggles such as low motivation, self-doubt, insecurity, and emotional exhaustion, alongside academic challenges in lesson planning, instructional material development, time management, research tasks, public speaking, and subject-related difficulties. Despite these challenges, students developed coping strategies such as seeking support from peers and family, using online resources, setting goals, accepting their situation, and maintaining positive thinking. Over time, their experiences evolved from uncertainty and reluctance to engagement, resilience, and appreciation of the teaching profession, leading to the development of resilience, patience, adaptability, teaching competence, and professional identity. The study concludes that although many BEEd students initially enter the program by circumstance, their experiences within the program can transform their perceptions and strengthen their commitment to becoming future educators.