📄 Abstract
This study aimed to explore the challenges, coping mechanisms, and insights of teachers in acquiring school heads’ support to address their professional and instructional needs. A phenomenological approach was employed, and data were gathered through in-depth interviews with nine teacher-informants from small, medium, and big schools. The findings revealed that teachers encountered multiple and interconnected challenges, including time and workload constraints, resource and budget limitations, policy, communication, and system barriers, and organizational culture and leadership issues. Despite these difficulties, teachers managed to cope through proactive communication and problem-solving, peer collaboration and mentorship, and adaptation and resourcefulness. The study further found that improving school heads’ support requires stronger communication and collaboration, adequate provision of resources, and meaningful engagement of teachers in school management processes. Based on these results, it is recommended that school heads strengthen responsive and participatory leadership practices through structured communication systems, regular consultations, collaborative decision-making, equitable workload distribution, and targeted capacity-building programs. Teachers may continue sustaining collaborative practices, professional learning communities, and continuous professional development while enhancing their communication and adaptability skills to better advocate for their needs. Future researchers are encouraged to expand the study using larger samples and diverse contexts and to employ quantitative or mixed-method approaches to further examine the relationship between school heads’ support, teacher performance, and student outcomes, as well as to explore possible intervention programs and leadership frameworks that may strengthen school-based support systems.
🏷️ Keywords
📚 How to Cite:
Marian F. Mangubat , BEYOND COMPLIANCE: CHALLENGES OF TEACHERS IN ACQUIRING SCHOOL HEADS’ SUPPORT TO ADDRESS THEIR NEEDS , Volume 13 , Issue 6, June 2026, EPRA International Journal of Environmental Economics, Commerce and Educational Management(ECEM) , Pages: 176 - 189 , DOI: https://doi.org/10.36713/epra28294