No abstract

The present study examined the preparations made by 14 mothers to ensure that their children’s education was unhampered during the COVID-19 crisis and ready for face-to-face classes when permitted. The study used a reflexive thematic analysis of the face-to-face interviews with participants belonging to low-income families living in the central Philippines whose children used printed modules as teaching materials provided by the school. The study generated three themes: “realizing the gaps” (realizing that in-person campus-based instruction is better because distant learning is not effective); “filling in the gaps” (taking the lead in teaching the child at home and assisted by family and community members) and “getting back on track” (preparing children for face-to-face classes against the COVID-19). The study showed how Filipino parents particularly mothers kept their children in school despite pandemic-induced uncertainties, economic scarcities and social inequalities. The desire driven by the perceived benefits derived from education brought out the pathways to resourcefulness. This study draws attention to equal opportunities for learning across socio-economic statuses and a more inclusive delivery of instruction during a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

The literature has shown that storybooks are helpful resources to teach young children about significant health, safety, and nutrition issues. The current project sought to produce a storybook about COVID-19 prevention written in the mother tongue (Akeanon) for young children using the Analysis-Design-Development-Implementation-Evaluation (ADDIE) model as a guide. In general, the mother tongue-based storybook is highly accepted by evaluators as they grasped the most significant intent in producing the resource, which is to instil staying at home to break the transmission of the virus and observe hygienic practices, primarily handwashing with soap and water. Additional information on COVID-19 signs and symptoms was also recommended to maximise its effectiveness for health teaching. While health literacy materials in English are welcome in the Philippines, the results of this project confirm that mother tongue-based instructional materials for COVID-19 are highly accepted, especially when validated resources are deemed helpful to raise awareness and encourage appropriate attitude and behaviour towards its prevention.   Keywords: ADDIE Model, COVID-19 prevention, instructional material, mother tongue, storybook

This study aimed to evaluate the virtual synchronous continuing professional development (CPD) through webinars organized by a rural university in a developing country. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, the results highlighted the resourcefulness of the organizers to resolve technological and financial limitations prevalent across the preparation and implementation stages. The desire to participate in the narrative of CPD during the COVID-19 pandemic resorted to researching, testing, and utilizing free online platforms to deliver knowledge and skills to a wider audience. Screen sharing and audio-video streaming through social media were enough to facilitate the webinars. The result of the evaluation revealed that the webinars were appreciated by the participants and contributed to the increase in their knowledge of the topics presented. The CPD project also confirms the disparity in resources confronting institutions in developing countries like low internet bandwidth, outmoded internet cable wires, and unreliable supply of electricity. Management systems may be revisited to keep up with the pace in instruction and extension services in the light of changing requirements of the new normal.   Received: 23 March 2022 / Accepted: 16 June 2022 / Published: 5 July 2022