Home Life Skills of Intermediate Learners in Zambales

1President Ramon Magsaysay State University - San Marcelino Campus

This qualitative case study examined how Grade 6 learners (N=20; 10 girls, 10 boys) from a remote community in San Marcelino, Zambales, Philippines, developed and applied Home Economics–related home life skills during pandemic modular learning. Data were collected through direct household observations guided by a Department of Education (DepEd) competency-based checklist and semi-structured interviews (Filipino, translated to English for analysis). Thematic analysis revealed three experience themes: (1) Mastery of knowledge (e.g., correct dishwashing and laundry procedures; 16/20 learners), (2) Responsibility development (2/20), and (3) Vocabulary enrichment (2/20). Learners most frequently applied dishwashing (7/20), followed by cooking (3/20), laundry (3/20), sewing (2/20), cleaning (2/20), planting (2/20), and ironing (1/20). Reported challenges included language difficulty with English modules (7/20), lack of guidance in the teacher’s absence (5/20), and difficulty understanding modules (5/20). To complete activities, learners most often sought adult assistance (11/20) and used time management strategies (5/20); a few used the internet (2/20), used textbooks (1/20), or copied answers (1/20). Findings suggest that while core practical skills were practiced at home, language and instructional design barriers constrained fuller competency development. Recommendations include translated or multilingual materials, step-by-step visuals featuring both genders, removal of answer keys from modules, and explicit household-based tasks aligned to learners’ maturity and interests.