2026 IJRSE – Volume 15 Issue 19
Available Online: 16 August 2026
Author/s:
Cabotage, Desiree M.
Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University, Philippines (desiree.cabotage@deped.gov.ph)
Abstract:
Multigrade teaching still plays an important role in elementary institution in rural and isolated geographically areas of the Philippines, especially in the Division of Ilocos Sur, because of the scarcity of educational materials and facilities, lack of teachers, decreasing enrollment, and spread-out communities that impact the provision of quality basic education. In the majority of the public elementary school, one teacher conducts instruction to tow or more classroom at once. It means that there is need to adopt flexible teaching strategies as well as good classroom management skills. The current literature review provides a summary of twenty (20) papers published between 2015-2023, using thematic analysis of academic journals, educational policies and government documents, and Philippine-based research. Multigrade teaching strategies and the effect they have on teacher effectiveness are the topics of the review. Ther significant themes were identifies from the findings: (a) instructional approaches in multigrade classes, (b) teacher pedagogical competence and performance, and (c) constraints and instructional support system. The findings show that differentiated instruction, peer-tutoring, collaborative and cooperative instructions, grouping methods, contextualized instruction, and classroom management are among the factors that enhance instruction and promote learner participation in multigrade classes. Based on the findings presented from the reviewed literature, teacher with pedagogical competence, adaptability, instructional planning abilities, and assessment knowledge exhibit greater performance in multigrade classes even under difficult teaching circumstances. However, teacher pedagogical performance is inhibited by excessive workload, additional assignment, insufficient preparation of teachers in term of preserve and in-services education for multigrade instruction, lack of instructional resources, poor classroom facilities, and limited opportunities for professional development. The review further underscores the significant of school leadership, mentoring, Learning Action Cell or LAC, stakeholders engagement, and institution-based strategies in promoting effective teaching and ensuring quality instruction in multigrade schools. Even as numerous pieces of research have been conducted in relation to multigrade school or in multigrade teaching and learning, there is still a considerable gap in localized and longitudinal research in regards to multigrade elementary school within the Division of Ilocos Sur and other parts of rural are of the Philippines. It is thus recommended that there should be continued efforts in professional development, allocation of resources, instructional supervision, and educational policy-making that will take into account the challenge faced by multigrade teacher.
Keywords: multigrade teaching, teacher performance, rural education, instructional strategies, elementary schools, Schools division of Ilocos Sur
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2026.26381
Cite this article:
Cabotage, D. M. (2026). Multigrade teaching strategies and teacher performance in rural elementary schools in the Schools Division of Ilocos Sur. International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 15(19), 175-182. https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2026.26381