THE LUCID ADVANCEMENT: A PARADIGM SHIFT OF PARENTS TOWARDS DISTANCE LEARNING, A PHENOMENOLOGY

Background:Distance learning contributed significantly to the lived experiences of parents with children. The pandemic brought a sudden shift of school to home-based learning. Children are not yet mature enough to handle distance learning independently, while parents have to juggle workloads and family affairs, thereby experiencing challenges. Method: To better understand the lived experiences of Filipino parents regarding the sudden shift to distance learning, a qualitative phenomenological study was used. With the central question What are the common struggles and coping strategies of Philippine School Doha parents on the institutions distance learning education program?. The researchers conceived twenty-five developmental questions, which were asked to the participants during the semi-structured interviews. The collected data were transcribed and analyzed into themes. Findings: Filipino parents lived experiences towards the shift to distance learning can be divided into three main themes, namely Capability, Adaptability, and Productivity. Conclusion: A parents role and impact on childrens success in the online set-up are crucial yet required. Parents serve as a coach for their children, which lead students through their learning process. The capability to adapt by parents to the newly changed routine during a pandemic shows that many coping strategies are effectively working. Many parents have struggled but conquered hardships in terms of investments in necessary technologies and allowing time for their childrens studies. Enriching knowledge to students in distance learning has further enhanced their abilities, and some parents receive outstanding results from their children. Equally benefiting both parties increases the vote for distance learning more than face-to-face classes, which in conclusion, parents and students most likely prefer distance learning. Recommendations: The researchers recommend interviewing working or non-working parents with children attending distance learning and experiencing the new learning modality that affected their lifestyle and decisions.