Personal Journey of CPE-Graduate Science Teachers: A Phenomenological Inquiry

This research study is a qualitative investigation that specifically applies phenomenology to explore the lived experience of CPE-Graduate Science Teachers. Data were collected through personal interviews with eight (8) participants using open-ended questions. A 9th participant was chosen to validate repetition of responses and confirm the presence of data saturation. Colaizzi’s method was used for data analysis. After a thorough analysis of the transcripts, three (3) emergent themes and eleven (11) clustered themes have emerged to capture the participants’ lived experience: “Better Working Benefits,, “Proximity to Family,” “Teaching Beyond Area of Expertise,” “Dearth of Learning Resources,” “Different Strokes for Different Folks,” “Deficient Training Ground,” “Coping through Trainings,” “Love for Work,” “Socialization and Support,” “Touch of Joy,” and “Core Values Yearned.” The study concluded that participants’ reasons for changing their careers are to attain stability and receive enough compensation without being away from their families. They have also faced different problems when they entered into the teaching profession such as teaching beyond their area of expertise, insufficient learning resources and dealing with different learners. However, they have also done some adjustments to cope with these challenges by doing research, asking help from colleagues and attending seminars and trainings. Lastly, the participants have learned to love and find joy in their profession. Fulfillment then followed after they became committed to their profession and were able to touch and change the lives of their students.