Contextualizing Instructional Strategies of High School Teachers Based on Teachers’ Perceptions, Practices, and Challenges

Abstract

This study explored how high school teachers of Arellano University – Jose Rizal High School apply contextualized instructional strategies based on their perceptions, practices, challenges, and solutions, with a used of mixed-methods descriptive-correlational design. The data was gathered from 207 teachers through surveys and open-ended questions. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Two-Way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation using SPSS, while qualitative responses were thematically analyzed.

Findings revealed that high school teachers have a strong level of application of contextualized instructional strategies in terms of perceptions and practices, especially in connecting lessons to real-life experiences that help them make learning more meaningful and engaging. However, integrating local culture, indigenous knowledge, and community engagement remains a challenge for many teachers. The results of the Two-Way ANOVA showed no significant differences in teachers’ perceptions when grouped by educational attainment and years of service, which indicates that positive views of contextualization were shaped across teachers' demographics. In terms of a significant relationship, researchers also found a very strong positive correlation (r = 0.903, p < 0.001) between teachers’ practices and the frequency of implementation, indicating that teachers who value contextualized strategies tend to use them consistently.

High school teachers experienced challenges despite positive perceptions in the implementation, such as learner diversity, lack of training and preparation, time and workload constraints, resource limitations, and subject-specific difficulties. To address these concerns, teachers recommended the need for a stronger administrative support through professional development, provision of resources, and collaboration with colleagues that sustain the improvement of contextualized instructional strategies. Overall, the study concludes that teachers are strongly committed to contextualized instructional strategies, but they need support to sustain the implementation effectively. With that, a School Professional Development Program (SPDP) was suggested and developed for the school administrators to improve teachers' implementation of contextualized instructional strategies.