Northern Samar, Philippines — Teacher and parent involvement has emerged as an important component of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program, a Philippine initiative designed to help students overcome learning gaps. This finding comes from research by Justine Ann Marie D. Adora, Mercedes A. Alastoy, Alyssa G. Bacuetes, Lenylyn S. Botor, Nika M. Briones, and Rose Bee C. Capatian of the University of Eastern Philippines, Graduate Studies. The study was conducted during the 2025–2026 school year in three elementary schools in Laoang II District, Laoang, Northern Samar, and found that teachers demonstrated higher levels of involvement than parents across all areas of program implementation.
The ARAL Program was introduced as part of the Philippines’ efforts to address learning gaps that became more visible following the COVID-19 pandemic. Prolonged school closures affected students’ foundational learning, particularly literacy and numeracy. This situation prompted the Philippine government to strengthen learning recovery initiatives through Republic Act No. 12028, which institutionalized the ARAL Program and recognized parents as important partners in supporting children’s learning at home.
The ARAL approach does not rely solely on classroom instruction. Instead, it positions teachers and families as complementary partners in helping students recover lost learning. The study was guided by Joyce Epstein’s Theory of Overlapping Spheres of Influence, which emphasizes that students’ educational development can be strengthened when schools and families work collaboratively rather than independently.
The research involved nine teachers and 21 parents from three elementary schools in Laoang II District. Participants were selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using researcher-developed questionnaires that were validated by a language expert, a master teacher, and an ARAL Program coordinator. The questionnaires used a five-point scale to measure involvement across three areas: planning and collaboration, instructional delivery and strategy, and progress monitoring and feedback.
The findings showed that teachers demonstrated a very high level of involvement. In Planning and Collaboration, teachers recorded a weighted mean of 4.93, classified as Always/Highly Involved. Consultation meetings with parents and providing a clear ARAL schedule received the highest ratings, both at 5.00. Teachers also actively coordinated with regular subject teachers to identify students’ literacy and numeracy gaps and translated technical assessment terms into language that parents could easily understand.
In Instructional Delivery and Strategy, teachers recorded a weighted mean of 4.80. They provided structured small-group tutoring, explained learning materials to parents, and adjusted teaching strategies according to students’ learning pace. Meanwhile, Progress Monitoring and Feedback recorded a weighted mean of 4.84. Teachers regularly tracked student progress, provided updates to parents, and responded to questions regarding learners’ development.
Overall, teachers achieved a weighted mean of 4.86, placing their involvement in the Always/Highly Involved category. Planning and Collaboration recorded the highest score at 4.93, followed by Progress Monitoring and Feedback at 4.84 and Instructional Delivery and Strategy at 4.80.
Parent involvement was also positive, although it was lower than that of teachers. Overall, parents recorded a weighted mean of 3.81, classified as Often/Involved. In Planning and Collaboration, parents recorded 3.68. Following the ARAL schedule provided by teachers was their strongest activity, with a score of 4.29. However, sharing information about their children’s learning gaps and providing suggestions to teachers each received a relatively low score of 3.10.
In Instructional Delivery and Strategy, parent involvement reached 4.16. Ensuring that children attended ARAL activities received the highest score at 4.67. Parents also used learning materials at home and helped their children complete home-based reinforcement activities. However, practicing teaching strategies recommended by teachers received a comparatively lower score of 3.86.
Parent involvement in Progress Monitoring and Feedback recorded a weighted mean of 3.59. Parents were relatively active in receiving updates from teachers about their children’s progress, with a score of 4.29. However, asking teachers about their children’s grades received the lowest score at 2.33, making it the weakest indicator of parent involvement in the study.
The difference between teacher and parent involvement was statistically significant. An independent-samples t-test found significant differences across all three domains as well as overall involvement, with p-values below 0.05. Teachers recorded an overall mean of 4.86 compared with 3.81 for parents. In Planning and Collaboration, the t-value was 5.759 with a p-value of 0.000009. In Progress Monitoring and Feedback, the t-value reached 5.208 with a p-value of 0.000026. Overall, the t-value was 5.065 with a p-value of 0.000048.
However, the relatively lower level of parent involvement does not necessarily indicate a lack of concern for children’s education. The study identified practical barriers that may have limited their participation. The most frequently reported challenge was difficulty understanding instructional methods, reported by 42.9 percent of parents. This was followed by limited time due to work and household responsibilities at 38.1 percent, while distance from school combined with unfavorable weather conditions was reported by 9.5 percent.
Teachers also faced several challenges. Conflicting schedules between ARAL tutorials and regular teaching responsibilities, as well as high student absenteeism, were each reported by 66.7 percent of teachers. Another major challenge was the lack of specialized or localized remedial instructional materials, reported by 55.6 percent of respondents.
The findings indicate that successful learning recovery requires more structured cooperation between schools and families. Schools are encouraged to strengthen two-way communication through regular consultations, timely updates on student progress, and greater opportunities for parents to participate in learning planning and monitoring.
Schools and education authorities are also encouraged to provide more localized remedial materials, improve ARAL scheduling to reduce conflicts with regular teaching duties, and provide continuous professional development for teachers. For parents, orientation programs, practical learning guides, and workshops on ARAL teaching strategies could help increase their knowledge and confidence in supporting children at home.
Overall, the study by Adora and colleagues shows that teachers and parents play different but complementary roles in learning recovery. Teachers take primary responsibility for planning, instructional interventions, and student monitoring, while parents mainly reinforce learning at home. Strengthening communication, reducing participation barriers, and building parents’ capacity can help create more consistent school-family collaboration and provide stronger support for the success of the ARAL Program.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/eajmr.v5i8.280
Journal Link: https://journaleajmr.my.id/index.php/eajmr
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