Blended learning harder for 89% of families – SWS

MANILA, Philippines — About nine in 10 Filipino families sees “blended learning” as more difficult than the traditional face-to-face classes, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted in November last year.

The poll found 89 percent of the families with enrolled school-age children five to 20 years old saying the blended learning system is more difficult than the face-to-face learning system. This consisted of 61 percent saying it is “much more difficult now” and 28 percent saying it is “somewhat more difficult now.”

On the other hand, six percent of households said it is easier now, consisting of three percent saying it is “somewhat easier now” and another three percent saying it “is much easier now.”

The remaining five percent of families said it is “neither easier nor more difficult now.”

The nationwide survey was conducted from Nov. 21 to 25, using face-to-face interviews of 1,500 adults, 18 years old and above.

About nine out of 10 families in the Visayas (92 percent), Metro Manila (90 percent), Mindanao (88 percent), and balance Luzon (87 percent) said the current blended learning system is more difficult now compared to in-person classes.

Difficulty in the blended learning module is more common among families headed by a non-high school-graduate, the SWS said.

Those who said it is much more difficult now were higher among those whose household head has only up to some junior high school education or less (67 to 69 percent) than among those with higher educational attainment (54 to 57 percent).

Meanwhile, 45 percent of families with enrolled school-age members claimed expenses are lower in the blended learning system; 37 percent say higher, and 17 percent say neither higher or lower.

Fifty-three percent of families in the Visayas said their expenses for the blended learning system are lower now than previous expenses in the traditional face-to-face classes. This was higher compared to percentages in Mindanao (47 percent), balance Luzon (43 percent), and Metro Manila (35 percent).

On the other hand, 52 percent of families in Metro Manila said their expenses are higher now, greater compared to percentages in balance Luzon (37 percent), Mindanao (also at 37 percent), and the Visayas (28 percent).

The survey also revealed that 60 percent of families allot more time now to teach and guide children in the blended learning system than in the traditional face-to-face classes.

On the other hand, 28 percent said they give less time now, and the remaining 11 percent said the amount of time they give to assist children with their learning is neither more nor less now.

Asked who assists children in studying their lessons, a majority 57 percent said the mother of the student, followed distantly by siblings at 13 percent.

The following are other family members cited as the one who assists children in studying their lessons: father (six percent), grandparent (five percent), uncle/aunt (four percent), cousin (two percent), brother/sister-in-law (one percent), grandchildren (0.4 percent), nephew/niece (0.4 percent), and son/daughter-in-law (0.3 percent).

Meanwhile, nine percent of them said no family member assists in the children’s learning.

The blended learning system refers to the Department of Education’s current policy requiring schools to offer different learning modalities that are primarily geared towards distance or remote learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The SWS earlier reported that 87 percent of school-age Filipinos are currently enrolled in schools mostly in elementary and through modular distance learning.