ACCENTUATING THE HEART OF TEACHING: THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF STUDENT-CATECHISTS

For more than a decade, St. Mary’s College of Tagum, Inc., Philippines, has been actively involved in the community through the catechetical ministry. It is henceforth, the purpose of this study to accentuate the heart of teaching by exploring the lived experiences of the student-catechists. This employed qualitative research specifically phenomenological design. The researchers used in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The participants of the study were chosen through purposive sampling wherein participants were selected based on some pre-inclusion criteria. The participants were student-catechists from our school. The responses were gathered through audio recordings. Coding and thematic analysis of participants’ responses were used to extract answers. Results of the investigation revealed that student-catechists view catechism as inspires students and exemplifying good role models. It gives positive experiences by students’ constructive responses, co-catechists shared experiences, and learning from interactive activities. The challenges faced include lack of provision for instructional materials, attitude towards catechism, lack of knowledge, and difficulty in managing responsibilities. Despite these factors, participants learned to cope by lesson planning, proper classroom management and respecting beliefs of others. The results of this study imply that there is a sense of fulfilment on being a student catechist. KEYWORDS: Education, student catechism, college students, phenomenology, coding, and thematic analysis, Philippines