Bridging Policy and Practice: An In-depth Exploration of How the DepEd Child Protection Policy Influences Teacher Discipline Strategies

Abstract

This paper employed a qualitative ethnographic approach aimed at capturing the nuanced experiences of elementary and secondary school teachers in Marikina City in their natural classroom settings and sought to unravel the intricate web of relationships between policy and practice. The DepEd Child Protection Policy, a foundational document in the Philippine educational system, provides educators with direction in the teaching-learning process. It is important to pay great attention to the intricate and dynamic process of comprehending how this policy is implemented in actual classroom settings. For this reason, the study attempted to determine the significance of how the DepEd Child Protection Policy influences teacher discipline strategies by using the emic perspective of ethnographic research. The proponents arranged a focus group discussion in which thirteen teacher-informants took part. It was revealed in the study that the DepEd Child Protection Policy is essential for protecting children from abuse, but concerns about its strictness have led to a potential impact on teachers. Teachers face challenges in implementing the policy, such as fear of consequences and balancing classroom autonomy and parental involvement. Clear communication, consistent rule implementation, and strong relationships with students, parents, and guardians are crucial for creating a safe and inclusive learning environment. Lastly, it suggested expanding the study's sample size in order to get additional information from primary and secondary teachers as well as to incorporate the viewpoints of students and parents in order to validate the instructors' answers.