Travails of Out-of-Field Teachers: A Qualitative Inquiry

Abstract

This study aimed to describe and understand the lived experiences of Out-of-Field teachers as they teach subjects outside their field of expertise. This qualitative study employed a phenomenological method where ten (10) General Education Tertiary teachers from Davao Oriental, Philippines, were taken as participants. The participants are teaching General Education subjects outside their field of expertise. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. It is found out in this study that teachers who are not experts in the subjects they are teaching experienced difficulties and challenges. As to the teachers’ experiences with Out-of-Field teaching, five (5) major themes emerged: challenging, difficulty in adjusting to the academic content of the subject, difficulty in addressing students’ queries, difficulty in establishing authority, and difficulty in employing appropriate teaching approaches. Along these problems are the ways of coping despite their occurrence, such as careful planning of the subject content, employment of varied teaching approaches and strategies, engaging with professional development, peer mentoring, and evaluation/monitoring of learners’ development. Moreover, the following are the suggestions of the participants to Out-of-Field teachers: continuing professional development, consultation to experts, hiring of qualified teachers, and assigning of relevant subjects to teachers. Furthermore, it is suggested that future researchers may also conduct a study about the underlying causes of Out-of-Field teaching and what could be the possible solutions to this problem.