Educational Philosophies and Teaching Methods Challenges of Junior High School Teachers

This study explored the educational philosophies and teaching methods of junior high school teachers within the framework of the MATATAG Curriculum. As education reforms continue to align with global standards, it is essential for teachers to harmonize their personal philosophies with effective instructional strategies. However, they face persistent challenges such as curricular transitions, limited resources, and learner diversity. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study involved forty-one English, Mathematics, and Science teachers from a public secondary school in the Bicol Region. Data were gathered through a validated questionnaire and analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, and thematic analysis. Findings revealed that Progressivism was the most dominant educational philosophy, while collaborative learning emerged as the most commonly employed teaching method. The top challenges identified included limited learning resources (100%), behavioural issues (78%), and diverse learning styles (71%), with behavioural concerns being the most difficult to manage. To address these issues, the study introduced the Teaching Excellence through Alignment of Classroom Philosophy and Methods Assistance Program (TEACh MAP), a mentoring framework designed to support instructional coherence through structured modules, mentoring timelines, and assessment tools. The inclusion of underexplored philosophies such as Reconstructionism provided a broader conceptual base, while international literature offered comparative insights. Although the study’s single-site scope limits its generalizability, it provides a foundation for further research and application in diverse educational contexts. Overall, the study underscores the value of reflective mentoring in enhancing alignment between philosophy and practice and proposes TEACh MAP as a practical, replicable tool for improving teaching under the MATATAG Curriculum. This context-specific framework contributes a novel perspective to bridging philosophical beliefs and instructional approaches in Philippine education.