CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED BY THE TEACHERS HANDLING ORAL SPEECH COMMUNICATION COURSES IN THE ERA OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC

------------------------------------------------------------ABSTRACT The fundamental reason for this survey is to point out the challenges encountered by the teachers, students, schools, and parents in facing and handling oral speech communication subjects during the pandemic. Given that, most of the medium of instruction used is distance learning. It poses issues and concerns about how our respondents dealt with the situation. A descriptive- survey research design was used to obtain themes and phenomena to the questions provided. The questionnaire includes questions that seek to gather information on their basic profile, current experiences, and behavior towards the problem. It was found out that the different problems encountered by the teachers, students, school, and parents include the validity of the issue, the lack of motivation which was a very complicated problem because it deals with emotional readiness and stability, and the difficulty in comprehending the topics of the module because lessons are not explained personally by the teachers. Therefore, oral speech communication requires an in-depth shift in lesson delivery to cater to the needs for improvement.


INTRODUCTION
The COVID-19 pandemic is unquestionably a public health concern. Globally, schools are closed. The country and the globe as a whole are confronted with new issues as a result of the unanticipated public health catastrophe. COVID-19, like so many other elements of daily life, has had a significant influence on students, instructors, and educational organizations all across the world (Mailizar, 2020).
Alternative modalities of learning delivery were designed to reach all learners, regardless of who they are or where they are located. Distance learning, blended learning, and homeschooling were among the deployed learning delivery modalities (LDMs). When the Department of Education (DepEd) performed a Learning Enrollment and Survey Form (LESF) on the first day of school, it was discovered that Modular learning, a type of distant learning that employs Self-Learning Modules (SLM), is one of the most convenient options for most Filipino students. It was also the majority of parents/guardians' preferred learning system for their children. The SLM is based on the Department of Education's most essential learning skills (MELCS) (Department of Education, 2020).
This study is centered to determine the varying situations faced by the teachers while delivering lessons through modules and monitoring the students' learning progress. Face-to-face education and even blended learning were hampered by the pandemic; nonetheless, the educational sector has to re-examine and regulate the use of technology for emergency remote instruction between students and teachers. As a result, whether the effects of emergency remote teaching are beneficial or not, educational systems throughout the world are left with no option but to grasp, experience, and embrace the vast and quick changes (Hung, et al., 2010).
As for the students, to identify the struggles and hardships faced as they were learning the Oral Communication subject through printed lessons and the absence of personal discussions by the teacher. Due to the lack of face-to-face education, students are unable to fully concentrate on their studies, and most parents, particularly in rural regions, are unable to adequately understand the modules offered to their children (Guiamalon, T., et al. 2021).
For the school concerns, it shows what the administration has faced throughout the academic year in supporting the teachers and students. And for the parents to be aware of how they supported and guided their children in learning the oral speech communication subject as the current teachers. Teachers communicate well with parents to promote a child's learning at home. They also have the essential training and skill development to do their duties successfully and efficiently. Another factor that most likely influences the effectiveness of learning activities for distance learning delivery are the presence of an intensive communication mechanism between teachers, parents or guardians, and learners. Because of ongoing communication, doubts, confusion, and uncertainties, as well as tough tasks or issues that have been assigned to be completed and solved by learners, will be properly handled (San Antonio, D., 2020). It is important to identify the problems encountered in dealing with Oral Speech Communication during the pandemic to be aware on what are the initial steps to do once the same situation and set-up happen again.
In general idea, this survey aims to identify the problems encountered in handling oral speech communication during the pandemic and how to solve and deal with such problems to continue the productivity in learning the subject.

LITERATURE REVIEW
In many nations, including other Western countries and the Asian area, modular teaching is one of the most widely used and recognized teaching and learning strategies. Almost all topics, including natural education, adopt a modular method. It takes into account the learners' unique peculiarities, which necessitates preparation for the adoption of the most appropriate teaching strategies to assist the person in growing and developing at his or her own pace (Kandarp Sejpal, 2013). The modular distant learning technique is primarily intended for educational purposes. The delivery of instructional resources to pupils is the responsibility of teachers. A module can be a single piece of subject matter content or a collection of content pieces that make up a distinct unit of subject matter or area of expertise. The objectives of a module are clearly articulated, preferably in behavioral form. Barnett et al. (2004) claimed that the curriculum is given little consideration in contemporary discussions about edification and learning in higher education, but that this may change in the context of quality assurance methods. Material on design work for edifiers organizing programs in higher edification is insubstantial. Another type of individually employed training is the usage of self-learning modules in the classroom. This is referred to as the modular method of teaching and learning. If self-learning modules are available on certain topics, they can be assigned to students as selflearning assignments. Scientific attitude refers to an individual's view on life. Attitude is a method condition or stable method set that manifests itself as a tendency to react in the same general way to each member of a class of stimuli (Knight, 2002).
Modular learning is one of the teaching methodologies in which students must study everything in the module on their own time and effort. Furthermore, He emphasized that the process is different from the traditional one, in which pupils just listen to the lecturers' notions and memorize them. He also stated that the modular method, which is student-centered, self-paced, and does not need note-taking, may be a useful option to overcome the issues presented by students in typical classroom situations. In addition, utilizing a module instead of a textbook in traditional techniques to teach the English language increased active learning and improved critical thinking as well as problem-solving skills (Gonzales, 2015).
Furthermore, standardized textbooks have their styles, and the structure of their contents, as well as the degree of coverage of subjects, can influence the teaching and learning environment. As a result, they claim that using a module provides a more adaptable learning environment for both teachers and students. Modular learning has been used for decades, but there is now a wonderful chance to combine the power of expanding technology innovation with the extraordinary learning process. Educators are prepared to contribute to the next Gutenberg or printing press moment in education, which highlights the spectacular way human thought develops a revolutionary movement, as educators and researchers in a premier online institution (Cheng and Bakar, 2017).
It was found out that the teacher's issue on technical elements was evident. Instructors have their laptops, PCs, and smartphones, as well as the technical skills to accept and use these technologies. According to the survey, 87 percent of 700,000 teachers in the Philippines have laptops or computers at home, while 13 percent have none. Only 41% of people with devices have an internet signal in their neighborhood but no connection of their own. According to prior projections by the Department of Education (DepEd),), providing teachers with their computers will cost P23 billion. The department will also need to increase teachers' technical competence to accept new technologies, such as by providing them with appropriate equipment and training (Guiamalon, T., et al. 2021).
This indicates that schools under the department of education have supplied sufficient supplemental materials for modular learning. The total assessment is 3.30, with an interpretation of "Evident." This technically means that instructors have been taught and well-oriented to be ready to accomplish their jobs and functions on modular distant learning education in the event of a pandemic. The Department of Education hoped to complete teacher preparation before the start of the 2020-2021 school year. Aside from training, there are local efforts from division offices and regional offices, where instructors are offered training activities as well (Guiamalon, T., et al. 2021).
With an interpretation of "Evident," the total grade is 3.02. This means that there are no issues with the creation and distribution of Self-Learning Modules. All essential budgets for the reproduction of SLMs have been provided by the Department of Education. According to DepEd (2020), more than 8.8 million parents chose modular learning as their preferred distance learning modality as an alternative to in-person classes this school year 2020-2021, according to partial results of the Learner Enrolment and Survey Form (LESF) distributed during the enrolment period. The SLMs and other alternative learning delivery modalities are in place to suit the needs, situations, and resources of every student, and will ensure that basic education is available despite the current COVID-19 issue, DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones said that DepEd has funding to replicate instructional modules, according to Education Undersecretary and Spokesperson Annalyn Sevilla. We have already downloaded monies totaling roughly P9 billion to division offices. Regional offices, as well as school division offices, have received directions on how to spend funding (Guiamalon, T., et al. 2021).
The entire weighted mean is 2.73, which fits the "Evident" interpretation. This implies that parents and guardians may help their children learn in a new way, although some of them are impeded by their inability to facilitate and explain the modules offered to them. Parents are instructors' partners in education since that education is no longer held in schools. In the opinion of Dr. One of the greatest obstacles faced by teachers, according to Estela Cario, head of the Department of Education's office in the Cagayan Valley area, is the distance between learners' homes and the type of road that must be traveled, some of which must cross rivers. Some learners do not have parents who can assist them in studying at home, and some parents answer SLMs for their children (Deped, 2020).
The total weighted mean value is 2.94, which is read as "Evident." This means that the schools have been provided adequate funding and resources and that they are being used properly. DepEd Order No.18, s.2020 defines the parameters that will allow the supply of learning materials in the BE-LCP implementation. It also lays out the rules for releasing, using, and liquidating support money for the printing and distribution of self-learning modules and other learning materials. Sevilla, A. Education Undersecretary and Spokesperson, promises that there will be no sharing of Self-Learning Modules (SLMs) in the school year 2020-2021, promising a 1:1 ratio.
In terms of technical factors, teachers and the school where they teach were prepared. Teachers also stated their readiness to carry out their duties and responsibilities linked to the teaching and learning process under the new standard education system. The Self-Learning Modules (SLMs) are dependable, and their manufacturing and distribution go smoothly. Teachers receive the essential training and skill development webinars to accomplish their jobs effectively. When it comes to students learning, however, there is a problem. Due to the lack of face-to-face instruction, learners are unable to fully concentrate on their studies. Parents/guardians should encourage and assist their children while they adjust to the new learning mode. However, several of them felt restricted in the modular learning session due to a lack of competence to guide and explain. The difficulties that parents have in assuming responsibilities as instructors for their children. The educational background and socioeconomic condition of parents have a significant impact on their children's ability to learn remotely and adapt to modular learning. Furthermore, the schools have adequate financial and material resources, which are effectively used to enable the vast replication of Self-Learning Modules (SLMs) (Guiamalon, T., et al. 2021).

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
1. To point out the challenges encountered by the teachers, students, schools, and parents in facing and handling oral speech communication subjects during the pandemic. 2. To find out the issues and concerns about how our respondents dealt with the situation.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This study aims to identify the following challenges encountered by the teachers handling oral speech communication courses in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is to determine the varying situations faced by the teachers while delivering lessons through modules and monitoring the learning progress of the students. A descriptive-survey research design was being utilized to document the behavior, demographics, and experiences of the respondents correlated to the questions provided. The questionnaire includes questions that seek to gather information on their basic profile, current experiences, and behavior towards the problem.

Research Design
A descriptive research design was being used to identify the following challenges encountered by the teachers handling oral speech communication courses in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive research is a type of nonexperimental study that aims to describe the features of phenomena as it occurs (Schwarzkopf, N., 2008). Descriptive research attempts to describe a population, condition, or phenomenon systematically and accurately. It can provide answers to the what, where, when, and how questions, but not the why. A descriptive research plan may employ a variety of research approaches to investigate one or more variables. In contrast to experimental research, the variables are observed rather than influenced or changed by the researcher. (McCombes, S., 2020)

Population and Sample
The participants of this study were exclusive only to English teachers. There were six respondents overall in the research. The respondents were selected English teachers from different schools with experience in teaching oral speech communication at different levels of education. Respondents were selected based on the following profile such as the educational attainment in line with the majorship in English, length of service with more than three months, and the grade and year level taught.

Research Instrument
This study utilized online communication for the collection of the data through messenger, phone calls, and video-calling. The questionnaire is an originally made tool of the researcher. It contains the demographic queries of the respondents and openended questions. Respondents belong to the age range of 20 years old to 30 years old where 2 years of teaching experience was garnered by three respondents as the longest record in all of them with five months of experience as the shortest recorded data. Respondent C was currently finishing his Master's study related to English discipline and four of them just finished their bachelor's degrees. Respondent A is a graduate of Bachelor of Arts in English. All of them were affiliated with a school with loaded units in English subjects.

What are the problems you encountered (as a teacher) in teaching Oral Communication subjects during the pandemic? Respondent A
The idea is that teaching Oral Communication is fun and easy, but during this pandemic, I have encountered a very different learning strategy wherein activities are modified and often unreliable. The problem I have encountered includes students' lack of motivation for the subject, since most of them are on a modular form of learning, some of the students submit modules very late

Respondent B
The problems that I've encountered during the pandemic through teaching oral communication subjects are students cannot do their tasks properly Respondent C Not seeing your student personally is a major problem, I mean in all subject areas this is a major problem, specifically, we are talking about oral communication, which means, we deal in different speeches on different occasions. The gestures, intonation, diction, and proper way of delivering the speech, are almost impossible for us to correct direction. Respondent D

Respondent F
One of the problems that I encountered in teaching oral communication subjects during the pandemic are the following: (a) poor internet connection; (b) cannot guarantee if the students understand the discussion for some students choose not to ask questions or speak up to their queries; (c) problem in making a follow-up to students who are inactive in social media; (d) difficulty to communicate to the learners due to their low selfmotivation and adaptation to this new normal schooling; (e) difficulty in catching up the attention and interest of the students to listen in the discussion; (f) slight difficulty in delivering the lesson, especially in doing video-recorded lessons-I find it difficult in a way that I am not used to in delivering my lesson without receiving any interaction from my students. I encountered that student will always hesitate to answer during the discussion and they tend to tell us always that their mic was broken or their internet connection was unstable. There were not many differences when it comes to teaching since everything is done online. We don't get to experience face-to-face classes. ; On the first question, I have found out that teachers encounter problems from the student such as lack of motivation as one the most prominent issue. Followed by the different problems faced by the respondents such as the modification of the learning activities, poor internet connectivity, the guarantee if the students understand the discussion for some students choose not to ask questions or speak up to their queries, prone to unreliable outputs, successive late submission, outputs that cannot be corrected immediately for personal explanations and following-up the students through social media.

What are the problems encountered by the students in learning Oral
Communication subjects during the pandemic? Respondent A The problem encountered by most of the students is an internet connection, it hinders them to attend lessons and watch discussions. In conducting activities and projects, most of it is on a recorded presentation however internet connection is very unstable Respondent B They cannot comprehend easily because the lessons and topics were not discussed and explained by the teacher Respondent C A student may have a hard time knowing what is right or wrong in their speech, I mean, it would be hard for them to correct their work. At first, how would they know if they are right, modules can only instruct them limitedly, not like when we, the instructor are the ones instructing them directly, not just virtually but physically.

Respondent D
One of the problems encountered by the students in learning oral communication subjects during the pandemic are the following: (a) poor internet connection resulting to have poor learning for they cannot properly access and cope up with the discussion; (b) inactive participation (c) queries/questions not addressed right away (d) some students have lack knowledge in using the technology-one of the main reasons why they chose not to answer the activities for they feel ashamed to admit and ask for help; this results them to receive low grade; (e) some students find it difficult to understand deeply the lesson; (f) their learning environment is not conducive to learning; (g) passive learning; since there is no physical interaction, there is a tendency that rote learning take place, meaning to say the information received by the students are easily forgotten; (h) other students are experiencing cumbersome in comprehending the content on their own, especially those who opt modular learning modality; (i) learning cannot take place for some parents Respondent E Respondent F are the ones who are answering the modules instead of the students. They became shy they didn't be able to express their ideas and opinions. Before the pandemic, most of my students go to another English academy after school. When this pandemic happened, they can only go there a few times a week or they just conduct everything online which they find boring at times. ; The second question refers to the problems encountered by the students where the difficulty of comprehending the lessons for a reason that wasn't explained by the teacher personally appears to be the problem experienced by most of the respondents. This is followed by internet connectivity, inactive participation, and technology illiteracy.

What are the problems encountered by the school in managing Oral Communication subjects during the pandemic? Respondent A
During this pandemic, our school encountered problems such as the distribution and retrieval of modules per barangay. It takes time and effort for the assigned teachers in distributing and retrieving the modules Respondent B None, since we are using modular class Respondent C The school supports us by realizing the means of delivering and making the modules, but in oral communication, modules are not enough to be the medium of instruction. This is communication, so it means there must be an interactive message between the sender and receiver. The problem is just modular or even online soft copy is not just enough to be the means of instruction. Respondent D Because the queries of the students are not addressed right away, misunderstandings occur which is why some parents directly go to the school to express how they feel; sometimes the parents are becoming irate in a way that they rant in the office without evaluating the performance of their child. Aside from that, one of the problems encountered by the school is regarding the system. Our system keeps on changing in a way that sometimes can be a burden for us teachers in doing our tasks. But we still have to follow for we believe that these changes can be beneficial to the learners. ; The third question refers to the problem encountered by the school wherein the distribution and retrieval of the modules top the most encountered problem by the respondents followed by the abrupt parent's harsh queries and the changing system of instruction.

How did you address the problem? Did it work?
Respondent A Respondent C

Respondent D
One of the problems that I encountered in teaching oral communication subjects during the pandemic are the following: (a) poor internet connection; (b) cannot guarantee if the students understand the discussion for some students choose not to ask questions or speak up to their queries; (c) problem in making a follow-up to students who are inactive in social media; (d) difficulty to communicate to the learners due to their low selfmotivation and adaptation to this new normal schooling; (e) difficulty in catching up the attention and interest of the students to listen in the discussion; (f) slight difficulty in delivering the lesson, especially in doing video-recorded lessons-I find it difficult in a way that I am not used to in delivering my lesson without receiving any interaction from my students.
To address the problem, we give them instructions on the use of messenger applications or Facebook, honestly, it is still not enough to solve the problem. I mean there are idealistically possible solutions, but realistically speaking, it is impossible to be implemented in such a situation.
Regarding the interaction problem, I see to it that I make my PowerPoint presentation way easier to understand-by not presenting too many words that can cause confusion and boredom to read. What I did also just see to it that I only put keywords and explain things vocally. I also did a question-and-answer portion which I find very effective. Also, regarding those students whom I find it hard to reach out to, I contacted their advisory teachers to ask for their help in resolving the problem. I also resolve such circumstances by updating my students regarding the outputs that they miss to comply with. ; The last question talks about the intervention made by the respondents and it shows that reaching out to students through a phone call for follow-ups and communicating with students using messenger appears to be the most applied solution for the problem encountered followed by providing comprehensive PowerPoints and knowing student's profile.

What are the problems you encountered in teaching Oral
Communication subjects during the pandemic? The problem is making a follow-up to students who are inactive on social media-1 The recurring themes emerged on the problems encountered by the teachers in teaching Oral Communication subjects during the pandemic tops the lack of motivation which was shown in the three responses, followed by the modified activities, poor internet connection, the assurance of understanding the lessons, unreliable outputs, late submissions, the personal encounter for corrections and lastly the need to communicate the students who are inactive in the medium for communication.

What are the problems encountered by the students in learning Oral
Communication subjects during the pandemic? Knowing a student's profile Most of the respondents addressed the problems by reaching out to them through phone calls as the number one solution to the said problem followed by communication through Facebook messenger, providing PowerPoints, and lastly knowing the students' profiles for background checking.

CONCLUSION
Therefore, I have narrowed down the different problems encountered by the teachers, students, school, and parents based on the responses I have collected. Some respondents answered the same problem encountered that leads to the validity of the issue. Most the teachers encountered the problem of students with lack of motivation which is indeed a very complicated problem because it deals with emotional readiness and stability. The students' side of encountering problems is the difficulty in comprehending the topics of the module because lessons are not explained personally by the teachers. It is really difficult for the students to just rely on the written information without further explanation and examples given. The most faced problem of the school is the challenging distribution and retrieval of the modules because it requires time and effort. However, with all the problems encountered, teachers were able to come up with an immediate solution for the problem which is reaching out to a student for follow-ups through phone calls and communicating with them using messenger since this is the trendy form of communication, we all have.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the data I have collected, I fully understood how struggling to teach Oral Speech communication during the pandemic using remote learning considering the medium and available resources we have. That is why I have formulated some immediate solutions to lessen the problem a bit. However, these solutions might be dependent only on those schools that offer a different form of lesson delivery. I think that it would be better to provide summarized information and content in the module which is easily constructed for the students to understand easily. It would be better also to create comprehensive PowerPoints for the students to study. We need to upload prerecorded lessons too through YouTube, Messenger and Facebook account for the students to watch. We need to be considerate also on the level of difficulty of the learning activities we are requiring them to work on, these competencies must be achievable within the time frame and most especially we have to extend the deadlines of submission for them to work on the modules.