Untrained Math Teachers’ Struggles with Special Needs Learners in Mainstream Classrooms

Abstract

This research investigates the complex and challenges faced by untrained mathematics teachers when handling learners with special educational needs within mainstream classrooms, specifically under the Philippine MATATAG curriculum framework. As the Philippine educational landscape shifts toward total inclusivity mandated by Republic Act No. 11650, general education teachers are increasingly tasked with instructing learners with disabilities in regular settings despite lacking specialized Special Education (SPED) training. Utilizing a qualitative phenomenological descriptive approach, the study explored the lived experiences of fifteen teacher-respondents at Bukidnon Faith Christian School, Inc. to identify specific pedagogical, emotional, and institutional barriers preventing effective educational inclusion. Key findings reveal that educators encounter significant barriers in pedagogical adaptation, specifically struggling to balance the rigorous, stepby-step instruction of the standard curriculum with the simplified, individualized support required by students with special needs to grasp abstract concepts. Furthermore, a chronic lack of specialized manipulatives and curriculum-aligned tools forces teachers to spend extra hours creating personalized resources, leading to persistent feelings of stress, frustration, exhaustion, and inadequacy. Despite these, professional challenges simultaneously foster resilience, creativity, and increased patience among staff. The study concludes that the mainstream setting risks becoming an environment of "exclusion within inclusion" due to these systemic gaps and the absence of institutional support systems. Recommendations include mandatory professional development workshops, the provision of specialized instructional tools, and improved collaboration between teachers, parents, and special education specialists to alleviate the administrative and emotional burden on regular educators. Ultimately, targeted institutional changes are required to ensure the educational needs of all learners are equitably met in an inclusive environment. By addressing these systemic gaps, schools can better support both teachers and learners in a mainstreamed environment.