Wilma S. Reyes, Teresita T. Rungduin, Adonis P. David and Elanor O. Bayten

Philippine Normal University, Philippines

This study aimed to develop a model for how teachers can better facilitate learning by economically  disadvantaged   or  low  income  students.  Grounded  on  the  contextual, personal, and relational dimensions of the academic experience of financially-challenged teacher education  students,  this study designed  and developed  a model of pedagogical strategies  that are better  for meeting  these  students'  needs.  With the central  question “How  can we better facilitate  the learning  of students  living  in poverty?”,  a series  of focus-group  discussions  was conducted  with  a select  group  of university  faculty  with experience in teaching low income college students. Findings from the content analysis identified  six  core  pedagogical  strategies.  These  findings  shaped  the  design  of  the context-sensitive   and  responsive   model  of  pedagogical   strategies   for  low  income students.  Implications   of  the  model  for  teachers,  educators  and  governments   are outlined.

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Introduction

Poverty is defined as “the state of one who lacks usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions” (Kanbur & Squire, 2002, p.3). The literature on poverty suggests that it has an effect on education. For example, it has been reported that poverty has  a  negative  association  with  academic  achievement  due  to  the  limited  resources available  to  low  income  students  (Lacour  &  Tissington,  2011).  

Likewise,  it  has  been reported that children from poorer households are more likely to delay the start of their education and are also most likely to drop out before completing their education (United Nations, 2013). In view of the Philippine government’s goal of alleviating poverty through education,  this study aimed to develop  a model of innovative  pedagogical  strategies  in addressing the needs of learners living in poverty. The pedagogical model was grounded on the experiences and encounters of economically disadvantaged students as they pursue their education.  When a pedagogical  approach  or strategy  is grounded  from the actual experiences of the students, it will address their actual needs.

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Literature review

Studies on marginalised  students  have been conducted  to support the development  of pedagogy for low income students (Haberman, 1991); provide social innovations aimed at improving  educational  outcomes  for poor children (Barbarin  & Aikens, 2015); and call attention to the need to address the country's rapid population growth, since there is a strong link between economic performance, on the one hand, and economic growth and poverty reduction,  on the other (Balisacan,  2006).  In the Philippines,  there has been a number  of research  and advocacy  done in seeking  for ways to address  poverty  issues (Balisacan   &   Pernia,   2002;   Balisacan,   2006).   

Specifically,   formulations   for   policy improvement were provided to address how schools should address concerns in providing for the needs of low income students; minimising education inequality between students and regions in the Philippines (Mesa, 2007); and improving poor governance of officials (Hine, Montiel, Cooksey & Lewko, 2005). Moreover, investigations concerning the psychological  experiences  of people who see themselves  as being poor (Tuason, 2011); and relationships between social dominance orientation and attitudes towards poor people (Bernardo,  2013)  were undertaken  to document  how poverty  is viewed  from different lenses.