Challenges Faced by School Heads and Teachers in the Implementation of the MATATAG Curriculum and Performance of Students

AUTHOR(S)

ENARCISA C. PO

ABSTRACT

— Curriculum reform in the Philippines has long been recognized as a crucial avenue for improving the quality and relevance of education. However, the implementation of new curricula, such as the MATATAG Curriculum, has been fraught with challenges that underscore the multifaceted nature of educational reform efforts. This study delves into the complexities surrounding curriculum reform in the Philippines, highlighting the diverse dimensions of challenges encountered during the implementation of the MATATAG Curriculum. Hence, this study was formulated to determine the significant relationship between the extent of challenges faced by school heads and teachers in the implementation of MATATAG curriculum and the level of performance of Grade 7 students in quarter 2. The research surveys used to gather the data from the respondents were of two parts. Part 1 of the instrument is a survey questionnaire which describes the extent of challenges faced by the school heads in the implementation of MATATAG curriculum. Utilizing the survey questionnaire from the study of Saro et al., (2024) entitled, “A Qualitative Exploration on the Perceived Impact of the MATATAG Curriculum on Basic Education Teaching in the School Year 2024-2025 and gathering of the 2nd quarter academic performance in all learning areas of the grade 7 students, the study revealed a strong correlation between the difficulties teachers and school heads encountered in the curriculum implementation of MATATAG and the performance of Grade 7 students during Quarter 2. This indicates that the challenges in curriculum implementation have a direct impact on students’ performance. The difficulties-such as resource constraints, lack of trainings, issues with curriculum adaptation, and instructional challenges-can prevent effective teaching and learning, causing differences in students’ performance. Overcoming these issues is imperative for improving the efficiency of curriculum delivery and student learning outcomes. Keywords — Challenges Faced, School Heads, Teachers, Implementation, MATATAG Curriculum, Performance, Students