Examining the Work-Life Balance of Teacher-Parents in One Secondary School in the Philippines: A Phenomenological Study

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INTRODUCTION
Work-life balance is the practice of creating a healthy balance between one's professional and personal life (Mazerolle & Goodman, 2013).It allows individuals to fulfill their responsibilities in both areas without suffering at the expense of the other (Oludayo et al., 2018).This balance is important to maintain physical and mental health, as well as relationships with family and friends.Some strategies that can help achieve work-life balance include setting boundaries between work and personal life, scheduling time for yourself and your family, taking regular breaks throughout the day, and avoiding multitasking (Bartlett et al., 2021;Kossek et al., 2014).Additionally, it is important to take a step back and assess priorities, and to make sure that the most important needs are being met.
Moreover, work-life balance for teacher-parents is an important issue to consider in today's busy world.As dual role-players, teacher-parents have the responsibility to both support their family and to deliver quality education to their students.Balancing these two roles can be challenging but it is possible to do so with an intentional plan and a supportive network.Research has revealed that teachers face several challenges in managing their dual roles.These challenges include time conflicts, lack of support from their schools, and feelings of guilt and inadequacy (Kara et al., 2021;Guy & Arthur, 2020;Levkovich & Gada 2020).Additionally, teachers often struggle to find a balance between their personal and professional lives, resulting in a decrease in job satisfaction and a negative impact on their overall well-being (Unal & Dulay, 2022;Al-Alawi et al., 2021;Lim et al., 2021).To cope with these challenges, teachers have adopted a variety of work-life balance strategies, such as seeking support from colleagues and schools and creating worklife boundaries.
The purpose of this study is to explore and understand the experiences of teachers who are also parents and their roles in maintaining a work-life balance.This study will also analyze the challenges faced by the participants in their dual roles as teachers and parents and look for ways to address these challenges.The findings of this research study were beneficial to teachers who are also parents.It will provide helpful insights into the challenges faced by dual-role teachers and their strategies for dealing with them.The results of this study can be used to develop programs and strategies that can help dual-role teachers balance their work and family life.Furthermore, the study will look at various strategies that can be used to help teacher-parents more effectively balance the competing demands of their professional and personal lives, such as flexible work schedules or job sharing.The study seeks to create a workplace that is supportive of both employee well-being and organizational success by comprehending the difficulties, choosing appropriate strategies, and putting an organized strategy into action.

LITERATURE REVIEW
The study highlighted two key themes: challenges to work-life balance and methods of maintaining a work-life balance.It was discovered that teachers, who had to work from home, struggled to find a balance between their personal and professional lives due to inadequate workspace, irregular working hours, lack of support, and role conflicts.This resulted in their inability to reach their desired goals in both their work and personal lives, and subsequently, their overall wellbeing was negatively impacted (Unal & Dulay, 2022).
Moreover, Guy and Arthur (2020) found that teachers experienced several challenges in managing their dual roles, such as time conflicts, lack of support from their schools, and feelings of guilt and inadequacy.The study also found that teachers experienced feelings of guilt when attempting to balance their professional and parental roles and that they often felt overwhelmed and exhausted.A teacher may play multiple functions.Teachers may also have administrative responsibilities, curriculum development activities, or even personal obligations in addition to their core position as educators.Time conflicts may arise from juggling these many roles.
Consequently, Levkovich and Gada (2020) examined the experiences of teachers with dual roles.The study found that teachers often experienced feelings of guilt and anxiety as they attempted to balance their professional and parental roles.Additionally, the study found that teachers often felt unsupported by their schools and were often unable to find adequate time for both roles.When balancing several roles, teachers encounter major difficulties.These challenges may have an impact on their time management, work fulfillment, and mental well-being.Schools of learning should be aware of these challenges and offer teachers the resources and assistance they need to properly manage their numerous responsibilities and maintain their overall effectiveness as teachers.Conflicts can be avoided and more attention is able to be given to being effective and having a fulfilling job through work-life balance.It will also have a positive outlook on work.
Additionally, Kara et al. (2021) examined the work-life balance of teachers with dual roles which revealed that teachers experienced difficulty balancing their professional and parental roles due to lack of time, feelings of guilt, and behaviorbased conflicts.It demonstrates that teachers who simultaneously fulfill professional and parenting responsibilities struggle tremendously to strike a satisfying work-life balance.The pressures of having dual responsibilities can cause stress, guilt, and conflicts, which can have both emotional and practical implications.To effectively support teachers in balancing their job and family obligations, teachers and institutions must have a thorough understanding of these difficulties.
The effect of work-family conflict on teachers' work-life balance affirmed that teachers experienced a decrease in job satisfaction due to the conflicts between their professional and parental roles.Additionally, the study found that teachers experienced feelings of guilt and anxiety as they attempted to balance their professional and parental roles (Al-Alawi et al., 2021;Lim et al., 2021).They appeared to have a heavy emotional weight as a result of their double roles as teachers and parents.The study provided light on the complex and frequently stressful psychological experiences teachers go through as they balance their professional and parenting responsibilities.

Theoretical Framework
The study will mainly anchor to the Work-Family Conflict Theory.This theory suggests that when individuals have competing demands from both their work and family life, it can lead to conflict and stress.This theory could be used to explore the challenges teacher-parents face in balancing their work and family life, and how this impacts their overall well-being (French et al., 2018;Colombo & Ghislieri, 2008).Furthermore, the theory used to analyze how different strategies, such as flexible working or job sharing, can be employed to help teacher-parents manage their competing demands better.The study's major objective is to identify and understand how an organization's culture and organizational structure affect employee productivity and work-life balance.The goal is to create a well-organized plan that, when put into practice, will lead to a more effective organization with happy and productive employees.A good balance between work and life enables people to set aside time to cultivate and preserve strong bonds with friends and family.This improves emotional health and social relationships.Hence, work-life balance is crucial for a variety of reasons, including how it affects individual efficiency and organizational well-being.In order to create an effective and efficient systematic strategy for the improvement of organizational activities as well as the performance of each member of the organization, this study intends to develop the structural and organizational culture of work-life balance.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The researchers aim to explore the role of teachers and their parental experiences.Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions; 1. What are the challenges experienced by the research participants as teachers and parents at the same time?2. How these experiences affect their work-life balance? 3. What program can be proposed to the research participants based on the analyzed data?

Research Design
The study will employ a qualitative method using a phenomenological approach to explore the experiences of teachers who are also parents.The study will employ a phenomenological approach, which entails exploring and understanding the subjective experiences of the participants.This approach seeks to uncover the meanings, beliefs, and values that shape the participants' experiences.As to the study of Iser (1974) phenomenological approach was used to acquire an in-depth understanding on one's experiences.Thus, it aims to comprehend participants' viewpoints on the world and delve into the meanings, ideas, and values that influence their experiences.The study will therefore explore how being both a teacher and a parent affects the participants' perspectives, feelings, and behaviors.

Respondents
The work-life balance of teacher-parents in one secondary school is the balance between their commitments to their professional lives and their personal lives.The research involved interviewing dual roles as teachers and parents at one secondary school to gain a comprehensive understanding of their experiences and perspectives.The purposive sampling approach was used to recruit participants, and semistructured interviews held with each participant (McIntosh & Morse, 2015).The data highlights the information of 5 female participants who are balancing their roles as parents and as teachers.TP5 has the highest academic rank of Head Teacher I and the longest years of service at 21 years, while TP1 has the least at 9 years.All the participants except for TP1 have 3 children.

Instrument
An interview guide is an important research instrument in a phenomenological study was utilized by the researchers.It allows the researchers to gain an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of participants.The interview guide specifically tailored to the study's research questions and objectives.
It will include open-ended questions that will allow participants to provide a rich description of their experiences.The guide was flexible enough to allow for probing and follow-up questions (Roberts, 2020;Adhabi & Anozie, 2017).
Likewise, the interview guide will undergo pilot testing and content validation with the three field experts.This will help the researcher to refine the interview guide to ensure that it is effective in eliciting the desired data from participants.The pilot testing will also provide insights into how to best structure the interviews and the most appropriate length for each question.Content validation will ensure that the questions in the interview guide are relevant and appropriate for the study (Yeong et al., 2018;Majid et al., 2017).

Data Gathering and Analysis
The study used focus group discussion to gather responses where interviews with open-ended questions were utilized.Codes and themes were transcribed in the study.Thematic analysis will then be applied to the data, which was used to identify any common themes or patterns relating to the work-life balance of teacher-parents (Clarke et al., 2015).The results of this research was used to form a policy and practice to support teacher-parents in achieving a successful work-life balance.
Furthermore, data triangulation is an important research method that utilized in the study of teacher-parent work-life balance in a secondary school in the Philippines.
The purpose of triangulation is to gain multiple perspectives on the same phenomenon and to provide a comprehensive picture of the research topic (Wilson, 2014).In this study, data triangulation was used to assess the work-life balance of teacher-parents in the school.

Ethical Consideration
The researchers take steps to ensure the ethical integrity of the study.Respect were shown to all participants, including respecting their privacy and treating them with dignity.Informed consent were obtained from the participants, which will include providing them with all relevant information about the research, its potential risks, and benefits.All data gathered from the participants were kept confidential, and participants were informed that their responses will remain anonymous and will not be shared outside of the research.After the research is completed, participants were debriefed and provided with any necessary resources or referrals.Additionally, the research was approved by an ethical review board before its commencement, to ensure that the research is conducted ethically and that the rights of the participants are respected.Challenges experienced of Teacher-parents as Dual Roles The teacher's role does not end in providing services and guiding our students within the school.As part of the community, they are also a parent, with children and a spouse.As Mutch and McKnight (2023) assert that teaching during this period was challenging for teachers both personally and professionally, especially for those balancing professional and family responsibilities.As a role model and the noblest profession and at the same time as a sworn commitment to the profession, teachers should know how to balance work and life responsibilities.Thus, being busy with earning a living makes it difficult for parents to fulfill their duty as a teacher.Teachers must work within a variety of limitations in order to fulfill their obligations (Treceñe, 2022).Two themes emerged in the challenges experienced by the participants: time management and priority and focus.

Time Management
The work-life balance affects their productivity and performance as teachers.By fulfilling their roles and responsibilities in being a teacher, with managing their time they have a greater impact on productivity, and they become more stable in every challenge they have experienced.As Jundran and Saleem (2021) time management has unique advantages in determining the period of time that is most productive.The teacher also has a responsibility as a parent, time is divided over their roles and responsibilities and profession, this study, aims to find out how dedicated teachers balance their work-life.
Similarly, better job performance in the organization is predicted by showing good time management abilities (Iqbal Amin Khan et al., 2023), by implementing significant administrative reforms or adhering to the necessary administrative procedures, teachers should fully utilize the advantages of time management (Eriau, 2017).As reiterated by TP 1:

".. I was not able to manage my time because I am out of focus between my role and responsibilities as a mother and a teacher. My priority has been diverted into my profession because I always think of my responsibilities with my students".
These notions that teachers are having a hard time managing their time especially when their children are attending school and developing the very foundation of learning.In relation to the study of Khan et al., (2016) suggested that time management techniques should be included in teacher training programs to assist teachers to develop and control their time in playing their roles and responsibilities.As to Zhang et al., (2021) when it comes to improving quality and improving productivity in a fast-paced work environment with a wide range of job demandstime management is a crucial tool.Similarly, TP5 response: Teachers as the noblest profession show how passionate they are in igniting the fire to one's learning.Most of the responses of the participants show that they prioritize their roles and responsibilities as teachers and combine them with their lives as mothers and parents.In reality, their journey is difficult but that's life.The work they put in serves as a way for a successful life for a student.Thus, Olivo (2021) reiterates that teachers must continue spending the majority of their time in school classroom instruction, accept the challenge of the work commitments, and positively contribute to their student's learning by exemplifying the same passion and dedication to work as they do for themselves.This also implies Added to the response of TP 2: "..the challenge that I have experienced as a teacher-parent is that I cannot balance my time, tasks, and responsibilities because there are times that I feel crowded with workload and unable to do my tasks as a parent.Nevertheless, it is still my duty to balance my responsibilities and know the priority".
Having time management is a good way for teachers to be abler to fulfill their roles and responsibilities as teachers.As Oladipo and Oladejo (2018) emphasized that there was a substantial correlation between time management behavior and teacher job performance.Hence, when a person does not have time management, he o she will lose the direction he or she wants to take, same in teaching and learning process, this will affect performance and productivity in school.

Priority and focus
When the priority is not clear and the focus is lost, it will affect the performance and workability of a teacher.If education is changing, so is our way of teaching.In these standards, each teacher can see and assess their ability as a teacher whose heart and task should provide knowledge to each student and develop their skills and behavior.This also becomes a guide for every teacher on what they should do, improve, upskill, and prepare for the challenge of the modern world of the profession regarding teaching.These standards provide a clear set of expectations from us as teachers that are key to the success and excellence of an individual.With this, it will be every teacher's key to empowerment and specialization in keeping up with the modern world of teaching.As shared by TP4: "…I have the notions on work-life balance as engagement in personal versus professional.As a teacher, I have the oath to provide quality service to my students thus I also have the This implies that no matter how busy the schedule was, and work-life balance was not evident, teachers have a pivotal role in developing holistic individuals.Having time management is a great help to fulfill each role and responsibility but when an individual cannot balance their tasks, they will not be successful in achieving the expected power of fulfilling assigned tasks and responsibilities.As to Zafarullah et al., (2016) when time is properly managed in line with the needs and demands of challenges and events specific, no one can prevent the society or an event from expanding and thriving.With the study, the teachers are dedicated and committed to their roles and responsibilities in imparting knowledge and developing skills for every student.
Thus, the challenges experienced by them show how resilient and teachers' nobility is always present in every situation.Furthermore, Kayode and Ayodele (2015) reiterate that teachers should utilize and improve their time management, particularly by being more aware of how to control their time.Added by the TP 3:

"…I am overwhelmed on the work-life balance but unable to fill it up because I am out of focus and prioritizing my responsibilities as a teacher and serving my students."
The circumstances of teachers' professional practice have an effect on their capacity to improve academic performance and, as a result, on how well their students learn, and with this, it should be given more focus must be given to improving teachers' working conditions (Froese-Germain, 2014).Teachers must be prepared in order to achieve the objectives and strengthened to increase their personal horizons and advancement in the workplace.Hence, as a result of the teacher position, parents are required to devote more time to their children's education and to communicate with teachers about their children's progress more frequently (Smith et al., 2016).
As we all know, schools play a crucial part in the development of students, so it is essential that they are run by administrators and teachers with strong leadership qualities who have the capability to overcome those challenges.Thus, teachers experience dual obligations to work and family, which puts them under constant pressure and may result in job unhappiness because this would lead to an imbalance between their work and personal lives (Hafeez & Akbar, 2015).As the central characters that promote the natural potential of students and change agents must have the ability to strengthen the values and improve productivity which is focused on teaching.

Impact of productivity
The value of autonomy and a healthy work-life balance was underlined as key factors in improving teacher job performance (Johari, Tan & Zulkarnain, 2018).To effectively apply innovation, teachers should break down long-term goals into medium-and short-term goals.To avoid disruptions and provide excellent work, employees should set goals and finish their assignments on time (Gul, Tahir, and Batool, 2021).
Teachers should weigh each thing to better fulfill their roles responsibilities.Teachers as main source of knowledge and motivator of learning (Culajara, 2023), teachers must exercise the continuous learning process as a lifelong learner (Aquino and Chavez, 2022).Professional discipline and motivation both directly impacted how well teachers performed at their jobs (Haryaka & Sjamsir, 2021).This entails their power of organizing and managing time and being more committed despite many things that need to be accomplished.As TP1 shared: ".. every challenge I have experienced as a teacher and a parent, affects my tasks and how to provide quality service to my students.Sometimes being a teacher is more of a priority than being a mother because that's the reality.We become parents to our students but our responsibility towards our children is reduced because of the work or profession we have taken." Teachers are a special and noble profession where duties extend beyond the workplace and may have an impact on people's quality of life and capacity to balance work and personal obligations (Silva & Fischer, 2020).To make considerable progress toward school sustainability, teachers must enhance both their personal and professional lives.Development and growth are aspects of the development of our teaching career.Knowledge, capabilities, and attitude are important for personal growth, yet there are obstacles that teachers occasionally confront.
To Zafarullah and Pettri (2017) educators should create better time management skills to strengthen their drive and happiness at work and enrich their personal and professional lives.Moreover, time management and motivation should be practiced in the behavior of the teachers (Torres and Conceição, 2019).As to TP4 added: "..personal time, engagement, and productivity as well as performance affect my work-life balance.The situation is very difficult when a child enters school but as a teacher, my role is that I must not forget and be left behind so I need to have this work-life balance because we will see the realization of what is important and must be given importance."Being a teacher is never simple, yet certain individuals are bold enough to take on the challenge of managing the organization's path and guiding each student to success.Of course, courage alone is not enough; they must also be equipped with the necessary abilities.As to Ancho and (2021), teaching a lifelong process of learning.This implies that teachers must have the grit on improving their capabilities which need to have dedication, commitment, and engagement.As reiterated by Franco et al., (2021) those who perform roles in the field of profession like teaching should practice work-life balance.Thus, teachers must increase and develop their participation in providing collaborations to enhance their work performance and productivity towards work.In order for them to better fulfill their roles and responsibilities, teachers must have the power to make connections and improve themselves for reaching the goals in the curriculum, but their role is balanced in their personal engagements.Moreover, TP2 shared that: "..The impact of my productivity is affected.I am not very focused on my responsibility in my life as a parent but with my utmost will to better serve my students, I can give them more focus." In relation to the study of Saeed and Farooqi (2014), both instructors and educational institutions will find this useful to gain a better understanding of the connection between job stress, a healthy work-life balance, and job satisfaction all playing a role to enhance their performance.As to this study, the individual's capability and profession are important and should be valued.Because of the way we improve ourselves we also improve the way we deliver instruction, and our roles and responsibilities as teachers.To sustain the school's performance and delivery services, a cyclic method/way of improving personal growth and professional development should work together.Thus, the quality of education is greatly influenced by how teachers are recognized (Ngowo, 2013).Holding our responsibility while improving ourselves should be hand in hand.Knowing our strengths and weaknesses give a better understanding of ourselves and how we operate.Awareness should be incorporated into our performance.Consequently, TP5 added that: "…in reality, my profession is a lifelong commitment that requires valuing and balancing my time and role as parent and teacher.That's why the challenge I experienced affected my role and responsibilities as a parent.As I want to provide quality service in education, my mind and body are divided on how to provide for my child's needs.That's why it is very important to balance the roles and roles so that the performance can be better." This implies that teachers need to maintain the discipline to make sure they manage their time effectively for optimal job performance (Etor & Ekpenyonganwan, 2019).Teachers that waste time badly impacted teachers' awareness of their own time (Rapariya et al., 2021).Thus, as the prime movers and change agents, teachers must inculcate the inherent capabilities to strengthen their faith in their principles-to teach.Furthermore, TP3 shared that: "..In challenge I face, I look at it as a positive side of improving my flaws and mistakes and which serves as my "weighing scale" to improve my performance as a teacher and also as a parent.I focus too much on better serving my students to the point that I leave some responsibility to my child.That's why, work-life balance is very important because despite my workload and also the pressure as a parent it influences my drive and interest to do my roles and responsibilities.
To ensure the students' learning, teachers need a variety of abilities.Owning passion and commitment has a huge help in assisting and developing into a productive and effective teacher.As Magtibay (2019) reiterates that teachers feel that how they control their time has an impact on how well they do in different elements of their work, and that a fine way management strategy is effective in carrying out a variety of duties.It is crucial to improve the student's skills and knowledge, but with dedication, commitment, and passion in improving the productivity and work performance of the teachers.To keep up with the dynamic educational environment, teachers must embrace change.Participation is the foundation of any successful organization.to bring about the change we want to see in our organization, and we are the change.We are the future's best hope.Teachers should be determined to advance since they are the only source of knowledge.

Enhancement Program
There are different dimensions tackled in the study based on the experiences of teacher-parents.As to this, it was evident that there should provide programs, projects, and activities needed to balance the time, prioritize responsibilities and roles, and enhance work performance.It implies that time management training should be given and provided in every training and seminar of teachers so that they appreciate its value even more and improve work performance.The enhanced program will be provided to the teachers so they can be more resilient in every decision-making, and in every challenge of life in managing their time, focusing on productivity, and being able to weigh things according to their roles and responsibilities.The unfortunate reality is difficult to accept.Teachers prioritize their work more than spending time with their families.As they are the main agents of change and the purpose is to share knowledge and help students grow their knowledge, skills, and attitudes, instructional competency needs to be prioritized.Upskilling teachers' competencies will be prioritized so that they become reliable in all roles and responsibilities and able to manage time and priorities.Despite the challenges they are facing, teachers must be able to manage roles, time, and workload.This is proof that teachers are very resilient in every situation and have a ready solution to every problem that serves as a guide for them to value and focus on the area that needs to be improved.To improve teachers' ability to strike a worklife balance and improve their performance and participation in upholding the school's objectives for the success of the students, school leaders must offer training and seminars.Teachers must be taught these values together with the behavior and practices related to time management, focusing on the most important activities first.Moreover, the proposed program will provide an effective way to help teachers manage their responsibilities and roles.This proposed enhancement program will be based on the idea of creating an environment of accountability for teachers and providing them with resources, support, and training to meet their goals and expectations.This could also include introducing a system of work-life balance that gives teachers the flexibility they need to manage their responsibilities, as well as provide them with opportunities to participate in activities and projects that enhance their work-life balance.Additionally, this will also include a system of feedback and assessment to ensure that teachers are meeting their goals and expectations.Finally, creating a culture of appreciation and recognition for teachers' efforts in balancing their responsibilities and roles could be a great way to motivate them and keep them engaged.With this, teachers can be better equipped to maintain a balance between work and family and achieve their goals.

CONCLUSION
Based on the findings of the study, three themes emerged: time management, priority, focus, and the impact of productivity.The participants' responses, give clarity that being a teacher requires courage, sincerity, and resiliency in every challenge or opportunity.This requires a deep understanding and balancing of their roles and responsibilities as teachers and as parents.From their sharing of thoughts and ideas, time management is an important factor to improve their roles and responsibilities and have a work-life balance.Consequently, it is clear that balancing the role of teacher-parent is a difficult task.To address this, teachers must be trained in time management and be mindful of their responsibilities both in their profession and personal lives.Teachers must be trained in time management techniques and must stay focused and prioritize their responsibilities both in their profession and in their families.The implementation of administrative reforms and adherence to the necessary administrative procedures should be taken into account.This study can serve as a foundation for teachers to practice their roles and responsibilities in their profession and at home.It is important for teachers to know how to prioritize, find balance, and stay organized in order to be effective in both roles.Moreover, it is evident that teachers need to be equipped with the necessary capabilities and an effective work-life balance to improve their productivity and performance.They must be able to organize and manage their time with dedication, commitment, and passion to effectively carry out their roles and responsibilities.Teachers should also embrace change and be open to further developing their knowledge, capabilities, and attitude to be successful in their profession.Furthermore, the researchers introduce an enhancement program that is designed to improve the teachers' participation and work performance in order to maintain a work-life balance.This program will be able to teach the teachers how to effectively manage their time, prioritize their roles and responsibilities, and focus on the most important activities first.

IMPLICATION
Balancing the roles of parent and teacher is a challenging undertaking.Teachers need to learn time management skills and be aware of their obligations in both their professional and personal lives to solve this.Teachers must be taught time management skills, maintain focus, and prioritize their obligations to both their families and their work.It is important to consider the implementation of administrative changes and adherence to the required administrative processes.The study can be used as a basis to practice their tasks and responsibilities both at work and home and become successful in both jobs, teachers and administrators must understand how to set priorities, create a balance, and maintain organization.The study explored the difficulties teacher-parents have in balancing their responsibilities as parents and educators.Gaining a thorough grasp of how organizational culture and structure affect employees' work-life balance and productivity can lead to have a satisfied and efficient work satisfaction.With the I encountered in work-life balance is I am taking more time in dealing in my works rather to the needs of my children because that's the reality."

Figure 1 :
Figure 1: Proposed Enhancement Program for Teachers