ABSTRACT
This descriptive-correlational study was conducted to determine and analyze the extent of implementation of the Science Education Curriculum in the public Senior High Schools (SHS) in the Schools Division of Ilocos Norte, Laoag City Division and City Schools Division of Batac during the school year 2018-2019 along the intrinsic factors (professional adequacy, professional knowledge, and professional attitudes and interest) and extrinsic factors (resource adequacy, time, school ethos, and professional support). It also described the profile of the science teachers in terms of their socio-demographic characteristics (age, sec and civil status) and professional characteristics (educational attainment, position, number of years teaching of teaching science, undergraduate course, and number of science-related trainings/seminars attended) characteristics and ascertained the relationship between each of these variables and the extent of implementation of the SHS Science Education Curriculum along intrinsic factors, as well as the relationship between the extent of implementation of the curriculum along intrinsic and extrinsic factors.
One-hundred one (101) science teachers, together with their school administrators, served as respondents in the study. The teacher-respondents were randomly selected from the total population of 117 teachers teaching science in the different tracks being offered in the public SHS in the three identified divisions.
Data on the teachers’ socio-demographic and professional characteristics and extent of implementation of the SHS Science Education Curriculum along the intrinsic and extrinsic factors were gathered using the Science Curriculum Implementation Questionnaire (SCIQ), while the problems encountered related to the implementation of the curriculum were gathered using interview guide.
Data were analyzed using frequency distributions, percentages, means, standard deviations, t-test of difference between mean of two dependent samples, Pearson r, and point-biserial correlation.
Results of the study revealed that the public SHS science teachers are relatively young and majority are single, new in the teaching profession occupying Teacher I or Teacher II positions, female dominated and education graduates with some units in the master’s level. Since majority are new in the service, they have just attended 1-2 science-related trainings/seminars.
Both teachers and administrators claim that the SHS Science Education Curriculum is implemented to a high extent along the intrinsic and extrinsic factors of science curriculum implementation.
In the implementation of the curriculum, the science teachers experience varying problems, which include insufficient school resources, students’ insufficient prior knowledge, too many competencies to cover, shortage of qualified teachers, irregular supervision and monitoring, and overcrowded classrooms and large class sizes.