I consulted various secondary sources, including journal articles, dissertations, and research databases for the literature review. To determine the credibility of these sources, I considered the publication date, accuracy and timeliness of the content, and the publisher. This step is important as these sources will serve as your reference materials for writing the research. I included research papers on ALS learners' motivations, challenges they encounter, and practices teachers may adopt to help students adjust to a modular learning setup. 

Urminita-Martinez (2017) found that CICLs in the Philippines are mostly 14 to 17-year-old males in low-income populations who are unable to attend school and engage in high-risk behaviors like substance abuse. This was consistent with the study of Campoy and Campoy (2022), which revealed that delinquent behaviors were prevalent among out-of-school youth (OSYs) in Zamboanga Province. 

According to UNICEF (2019), poverty and exploitation are often the main causes of juvenile delinquency, emphasizing the need to create programs and services geared toward promoting and protecting their rights. Under the Juvenile Justice Law, CICLs must have access to support services and interventions. These include but are not limited to psychosocial services, education, and skills training (Department of Social Welfare and Development, 2008). 

The enactment of the ALS law, which aims to expand the ALS program’s reach, marked a significant milestone in the country’s education system, helping eliminate education barriers for OSYs in special cases, including CICLs. According to DepEd and UNICEF (2022), the program provided education opportunities to about 4.2 million OSYs from 2016 to 2021. 

DepEd's ALS program uses a modular learning approach, where learners assume greater control over their learning (Dejene & Chen, 2019). According to Gueta and Janer (2021), students in a modular learning setup may benefit from the guidance of an individual with a higher knowledge level.  

Dollison (2023) found that ALS learners are more enthusiastic about learning when they receive encouragement from their family, peers, and teachers. This was consistent with the study by Bulatao (2023), which found the importance of a strong support system in cultivating hope among CICLs. On the other hand, Caparas (2018), as cited in Mendoza et al. (2023), revealed that ALS learners’ motivation is often self-driven.

Sacramento and Sacramento (2024) found a link between SHS students’ motivation and the quality of SLMs. When lessons are well-structured and tailored to students’ diverse learning styles, students are more eager and motivated to read and answer SLMs. Meanwhile, a study by Dotingco et al. (2021) revealed that SHS students in a modular learning setup easily become less motivated than their peers in an online setup due to the lack of direct and constant supervision from teachers.

Challenges encountered by ALS-SHS students include inadequate learning materials, lack of family and community support, and low self-efficacy (Belino and Tamangan, 2020; Tancinco et al., 2019 as cited in Mendoza et al., 2023). Meanwhile, Bustillo and Aguilos (2022) studied the challenges faced by students in modular learning during the pandemic. They found that students struggled with understanding the content and felt overwhelmed with assigned tasks. 

In a modular distance learning modality, teachers can help support and enhance student learning by providing supplementary materials like study guides and activity sheets that allow students to understand and apply concepts learned, using instant messaging applications to monitor their progress, and sustaining their motivation (Arzaga, 2023; Pangilinan, 2023; Friestad-Tate et al., 2014). These practices may enhance their learning experiences, potentially leading to better learning outcomes.

Before collecting data from participants, I provided them with consent forms containing information about the project to help them decide whether to participate  (See Appendix B). I informed them of the study’s purpose, risks, and benefits, and that they may withdraw from the study as they deem fit. It also states that any information obtained from them will remain confidential. I also asked their permission to record the interviews to which they agreed. Awareness of ethical considerations is essential to ensure participants’ safety and well-being and maintain research integrity. 

As to the data collection method, the plan was to conduct structured interviews. While it is less prone to bias and more time-efficient than other interview methods, the lack of flexibility in collecting data may compromise data quality. I opted for semi-structured interviews as this method allows the researcher to ask participants additional questions when needed, ensuring the richness of data. However, researchers must be mindful of potential research bias when conducting semi-structured interviews. This interview method also relies heavily on the researcher’s communication skills. To reduce social desirability bias, which is more likely to occur when the study requires self-reported data, I assured participants that the data collected would be kept confidential. I also strived to word questions carefully. 

In the interview guide, I included questions about their study habits, daily challenges and how they deal with them, factors influencing their motivation, and suggestions to improve their learning experiences (See Appendix C). These questions aim to fully capture their experiences and perceptions of modular learning’s effectiveness. I transcribed the interviews and went through them to identify data points with closely related themes. 

There are two approaches to thematic analysis: inductive and deductive. The former involves identifying themes upon reading through the data while the latter draws on existing theories to identify potential themes. In this case, I used the deductive approach; the Expectancy Theory of Motivation and Sociocultural Theory provided insights into themes that may emerge from the data. 

I identified the following themes: increased autonomy, academic challenges, intrinsic and extrinsic sources of motivation, more diverse activities, and scaffolding. 

Results and Discussion:

Increased autonomy:

Respondents mentioned self-paced learning and the freedom to choose which learning material/s to use, alongside self-learning modules when asked about the advantages of modular learning, consistent with the study by Dejene and Chen (2019). The former allows them to focus more on topics they find challenging.  Meanwhile, Fleming's Visual, Auditory, Reading/Writing, and Kinesthetic (VARK) Model identified the different ways learners process information: (1) using images, videos, and charts (2) learning by listening (3) using written materials (4) learning by doing. This model helped explain why respondents with reading/writing learning styles prefer using books as reference materials when answering modules.

Academic challenges:

In line with the study by Bustillo and Aguilos (2022), respondents disclosed feeling overwhelmed with their workload, having difficulty staying motivated, and struggling with understanding certain parts of the module when asked about their daily challenges. They also mentioned the lack of prior knowledge on some of the topics, compounded by the absence of direct and constant teacher supervision. One respondent noted difficulty in achieving expected learning outcomes, recalling instances when he did not fully understand what was written in the module. 

“Minsan nakakasagot ako sa module ko pero yung iba, hindi ko naman po natututunan talaga.”

In contrast to Belino and Tamangan (2020), ALS-SHS students at Tanglaw Pag-asa receive adequate support from their immediate surroundings, including family, staff, and peers. However, low self-efficacy and perceived difficulty of tasks, consistent with the study of Tancinco et al. (2019) and the Expectancy theory, leads to low motivation among respondents. 

Motivational factors:

As to motivation, the researcher found an interplay of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Consistent with Dollison’s (2023) and Bulatao’s (2023) studies, supportive family members, staff, and peers positively affect respondents’ motivation. 

“Mas nakakagana rin po mag-aral kapag pinupuri ka, sasabihin na “Ang galing mo, ipagpatuloy mo ‘yan.” Masarap sa pakiramdam na may mga tao pa lang natutuwa sa iyo, nakikita yung mga ginagawa mo. Kahit na nandito ka, maipagmamalaki ka nila dahil sa ginagawa mo.”

Meanwhile, intrinsic factors, specifically a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction in learning, are also at play, similar to the study by Caparas (2018). 

"Nito kasing nakaraang taon, halos ako yung naghihintay sa module talaga. Kasi nga, dito lang ulit ako nakapagsimula mag-aral. Nabigyan ako ng pagkakataong mag-aral dito kaya excited ako.”

The findings also support the Expectancy theory, which states that the effort exerted on a task depends on the perceived outcomes. Respondents give importance to completing their studies and having the capacity to help support their families, hence they exert more effort in their studies. They strive to complete and submit their modules on time. 

More diverse activities and scaffolding:

In line with the study by Sacramento and Sacramento (2024), the study found that when designing self-learning modules, one must consider the diverse ways students learn and demonstrate the knowledge and skills they acquired. For respondents, objective-type activities, which mainly assess students; ability to recall facts, do not fully capture learning. The Universal Design for Learning, which focuses on tailoring education to students’ diverse needs to make it more accessible, relevant, and engaging (Dalton et al., 2019, as cited in Wells, 2022), emphasizes allowing students to apply what they learn in multiple and varied ways.

Consistent with Vygotsky’s Sociocultural theory and the study by Gueta and Janer (2021), respondents recognize the importance of MKOs in providing instruction and guidance to learners, especially with unfamiliar topics or tasks they have not fully mastered.