Understanding Filipino Teachers’ Experiences of Pedagogical Dilemmas in the Light of Julia Kristeva’s Unteachable Moments

Unteachable moment, as a pedagogical dilemma, is both a teacher experience and a text that needs to be read. For a less industrialized country like the Philippines, there is no extant concept or established knowledge on how Filipino teachers describe, respond, and develop strategies during their journey through this phenomenon. This grounded theory study purported to theorize the complex and multilayered processes of unteachable moments from the lens of Filipino teachers' live experiences. A total of 24 junior and senior high school social studies teachers employed in secondary public schools in Metro Manila, Philippines, were purposively recruited to participate in an individual, face-to-face, semi-structured, in-depth interview. The Glaserian (classical) method of analysis was specifically utilized, and field texts were inductively analyzed using process coding and axial coding. The findings of the study were validated using member-checking and correspondence techniques. Four stages with nine phases emerged after explicating the data relative to the experiential process of unteachable moments. Interestingly, the Pathway Model of Filipino Teachers’ Unteachable Moments describes how these teachers progress from the pre-unteachable (contextualizing phase), unteachable (blanking, ambivalencing, revolting, and embarrassing phases), post-unteachable (suppressing and sequestering phases), and teachable (strategizing and surviving phases) stages toward successful adaptation. This surfaced theoretical model can be utilized in addressing the changing and highly learner-centered pedagogical dynamics, thus providing Filipino culture-sensitive curriculum and instruction. Finally, this novel theory can be used in guiding teachers toward an alternative understanding of their unteachable experiences.