Novice Teachers as Emerging Voices: Classroom Practices and Learner Engagement Strategies in the Educational Recovery

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63931/pasrj.v6i1.81

Keywords:

Educational recovery, Lived experiences, Novice teachers, Sociology of religion, Values education

Abstract

Educational recovery following large-scale disruption, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, required teachers to address challenges that extend beyond academic instruction, situated within social science and sociological perspectives on education and values. This qualitative descriptive study examined how novice teachers navigated classroom realities during this recovery period, emphasizing their lived experiences and guided by philosophical inquiry into values, spirituality, and professional growth, with particular attention to classroom management, learner engagement, instructional adjustment, and professional support. Guided by Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory, the study involved six novice teachers from public and private schools in the Philippines with three to five years of teaching experience. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews and focus group discussions and analyzed thematically.  The findings identified three interconnected areas of experience that resonate with religious education and sociology of religion: learner struggles with motivation and attention, teachers’ adaptive practices integrating emotional and spiritual dimensions, and peer collaboration as a resilient support system. Overall, the study presents novice teachers as educators who develop professional knowledge through lived experiences rather than deficiency, offering sociological and spiritual insights to strengthen school leadership, shape recovery-responsive policies, and design teacher education programs that emphasize values, reflection, and experiential learning.

Author Biographies

  • Allysha Miguella Latayan, De La Salle University – Dasmariñas, Philippines / La Salle Chanthaburi Mandapitak School, Chanthaburi, Thailand

    Allysha Miguella B. Latayan is the lead author of this study. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from De La Salle University–Dasmariñas in 2019 and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Education major in Educational Management at the same institution. She is presently an English Teacher at La Salle Chanthaburi Mandapitak School, Thailand. Her research interests include novice teachers’ professional experiences, classroom practices, and learner engagement in post‑disruption and recovery contexts. Prior to entering the teaching profession, she was a former professional dancer, an experience that continues to inform her creative, learner‑centered, and expressive approach to teaching.

  • Rowel T. San Sebastian, De La Salle University – Dasmariñas, Philippines

    Rowel T. San Sebastian, Ph.D. is a co‑author and research adviser of the study. He is a Full Professor at De La Salle University–Dasmariñas, Philippines, under the Religious Education Department, College of Education, where he teaches at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. He holds a Ph.D. in Applied Cosmic Anthropology and has research interests in religious education, theology, ethics, peace studies, and qualitative research. In his role as adviser, he provided academic supervision, theoretical guidance, and methodological support throughout the research process and the preparation of the manuscript for publication.

References

Ayton, D. (2023). Qualitative descriptive research. In Qualitative research: A practical guide for health and social care researchers and practitioners. OER Collective. https://oercollective.caul.edu.au/qualitative-research/chapter/5/

Bagarra, C. A., Bermudez, S. C., Galvez, M. E., Javier, M. Y., Rayray, P. S., & Villarama, J. (2024). Phenomenological study on the impact of resumption of in‑person classes on the learning attitudes of laboratory school learners. Zenodo. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/382826383

Baker, C. N., Peele, H., Daniels, M., Saybe, M., Whalen, K., Overstreet, S., & Orleans, T. S. (2021). The experience of COVID‑19 and its impact on teachers’ mental health, coping, and teaching. School Psychology Review, 50(4), 491–504. https://doi.org/10.1080/2372966X.2020.1855473

Bantugan, B., Navarro, E., Arcilla, E. C., Relox, M. J., & Uy, D. F. (2025). “Something happened to my students”: Filipino teachers’ perspectives on changes in students after educational disruption. International Journal of Education, Business and Social Science Research. https://ijebssr.com/ojs/ijebssr/article/view/60

Brianza, E., Schmid, M., Tondeur, J., & Petko, D. (2023). The digital silver lining of disruption: The impact on preservice teachers’ technological knowledge and beliefs. Education and Information Technologies. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10152416/

Camburn, E. M., & Han, S. W. (2015). Infrastructure for teacher reflection and instructional change. Journal of Educational Change, 16(4), 511–533. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-015-9252-6

Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.

Department of Health. (2020). Your mind matters: DOH calls for a unified response to mental health. https://doh.gov.ph

Dimaculangan, K. A., Abas, H. H., & Quinto, C. S. (2022). Narrative study of teaching strategies and challenges encountered by teachers in synchronous online classes. International Journal of Social Learning, 2(2), 201–216. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359820736

Dvir, N., & Schatz‑Oppenheimer, O. (2020). Novice teachers in a changing reality. European Journal of Teacher Education, 43(4), 639–656. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2020.1821360

Flores, M. A., Pereira, D., & Viana, I. (2024). Remote teaching in times of disruption: Teachers’ adaptation and pupil participation. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 33(1), 57–72. https://doi.org/10.1080/1475939X.2023.2270491

Fong, C. J. (2022). Academic motivation in a disrupted learning context: A conceptual review. Educational Psychology, 42(10), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2022.2026891

Iballa, S. (2021). Challenges of novice public school teachers in distance education. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4265892

Kerres, M., & Buchner, J. (2022). Education after disruption: What we have (not) learned about learning. Education Sciences, 12(5), 315. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12050315

Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice Hall.

Kolb, D. A., & Fry, R. (1975). Toward an applied theory of experiential learning. In C. Cooper (Ed.), Theories of group process (pp. 33–56). Wiley.

Macias, O. (2024). Navigating post‑disruption student behavior: Strategies for teachers and school administrators. ACSA Resource Hub. https://content.acsa.org

Marshall, D. T., Pressley, T., Neugebauer, N. M., & Shannon, D. M. (2022). Why teachers are leaving and what we can do about it. Phi Delta Kappan, 104(1), 6–11. https://kappanonline.org

Morris, T. H. (2020). Experiential learning: A systematic review and revision of Kolb’s model. Interactive Learning Environments, 28(8), 1064–1077. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2019.1570279

Reupert, A., Greenfeld, D., May, F., Berger, E., Morris, Z. A., Allen, K., Summers, D., & Wurf, G. (2022). School psychology perspectives for enhancing practice after disruption. School Psychology International, 43(3), 219–236. https://doi.org/10.1177/01430343221091953

Regoniel, P. (2023). Exploring phenomena: A brief guide to conducting descriptive qualitative research. SimplyEducate.Me. https://simplyeducate.me/descriptive-qualitative-research/

Shank, M. K. (2023). Novice teachers’ training and support needs in evidence‑based classroom management. Preventing School Failure, 67(4), 197–208. https://doi.org/10.1080/1045988X.2023.2195361

Sözen, P. H. (2018). Challenges of novice teachers. International E‑Journal of Advances in Education, 4(12), 278–282.

Varghese, A. M., & Natsuaki, M. N. (2021). Coping with educational disruption: Implementing social and emotional learning. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 8(2), 136–142. https://doi.org/10.1177/23727322211033003

Webb, A. W., & Baumgartner, J. J. (2023). So much new to learn and so much unknown: Novice teachers’ experiences during disruption. Journal of Educational Research and Practice, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.5590/jerap.2023.13.1.17

Zhai, Y., & Du, X. (2020). Addressing collegiate mental health amid disruption. Psychiatry Research, 288, 113003. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113003

Downloads

Published

2026-05-20

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 1 (2026): PASR Journal

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Allysha Miguella Latayan, Rowel T. San Sebastian (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Latayan, A. M., & San Sebastian, R. . (2026). Novice Teachers as Emerging Voices: Classroom Practices and Learner Engagement Strategies in the Educational Recovery. Philippine Association for the Sociology of Religion Journal, 6(1), 40-53. https://doi.org/10.63931/pasrj.v6i1.81