Travails of College Teachers Handling Language Research Courses in the New Normal Setting: A Phenomenology

Abstract

This qualitative-phenomenological study explored and understand the travails of college teachers in handling language research courses in the new normal setting. The study was seen through the lens Social Career Cognitive Theory, Competence Motivational Theory, and Theory of Work Adjustment. There were (17) participants who participated in this research. Ten (10) were subjected to the in-depth interview and seven (7) participated in the focus group discussion. They were selected through purposive sampling method. A thematic analysis was utilized to extract findings from the data collected. The results uncovered the participants’ lived experiences from it (5) themes emerged: problems in communication and interaction, problems of technical readiness and connectivity, concerns on assessment of group members’ participation, avenues for self-improvement and sense of practicality. The teachers also shared their coping mechanisms in dealing with the challenges they encountered, from which four (4) themes emerged: possessing positive traits, willingness to adapt, accepting responsibility and bearing sense of accomplishment. Lastly, for the insights of the participants, four (4) themes emerged: a challenge to deal with, demand for teacher’s qualification high sense of worth and fulfillment and opportunity to improve teaching practice. The result of the study suggest that college teachers need to embody positive traits and attitude to overcome the adversities in handling language researches courses in the new normal setting.