Sports Development Program: The Case of Technical Vocational High School in the Province of Sorsogon, Philippines

Ma. Jesusa P. Ebio¹, Gerry S. Digo²

^1,2Sorsogon State University, Graduate School, Sorsogon City, Philippines

ABSTRACT: Sports, as one of the extracurriculars in the school, has a significant impact on the development of the youth. The school is an avenue to give students opportunities to improve their physical health and well-being. The purpose of this study is to determine the status, strengths, and weaknesses of the sports development program (SDP) of a technical vocational high school in the Province of Sorsogon, Philippines. This study utilized the convergent mixed method of research using  a survey, unstructured interviews, focus group discussions, and documentary analysis. The respondents included two school administrators, twelve teacher coaches, and seventy-four student-athletes. The study’s findings provided an in-depth analysis of the status in terms of athlete development, staff development, facilities and equipment, and the school administrator’s support for the SDP. The qualitative findings concorded on the development program and strength of the SDP, discorded on the facilities and weaknesses of the SDP, and expanded on athlete development, equipment, and the support of the school administrator for the SDP. Furthermore, this study provided a comprehensive understanding of the SDP’s status, strengths, and weaknesses, guiding the development of a new sports development program with policies and procedures to address the challenges faced by the current SDP.

KEYWORDS: sports development program, convergent mixed method design, strengths and weaknesses, sports facilities, and equipment

1. INTRODUCTION

The emphasis on promoting physical education and sports programs has a wide range of social, cultural, political, and economic purposes. Governments have invested funds in the organized development of different sports. The promotion of sports as a vehicle for youth development is highly valued by numerous organizations and local institutions, with the thought that playing sports helps youth acquire crucial life skills and attitudes.

School sports are part of the curriculum, providing an avenue for students inclined to extensive physical activity. The availability of a variety of extracurricular activities in schools gives students a positive choice to participate in sports since competition-related discipline controls disruptive conduct like cheating, aggression, and the use of illicit substances and alcohol.

DepEd Memorandum No. 316 of 2009 supports the School Sports Program and the Republic Act No. 10588, or Palarong Pambansa Act of 2013, to intensify physical education and national sports programs to give students chances at school to advance their social, academic, and physical well-being. The technical vocational school believes in the holistic growth of the youth. Considering this, the institution works to establish a sports development program where students can use sports to build vital lifetime learning skills and self-discipline in addition to its academic goals. However, the circumstances in which the technical vocational school has its status at the very least need to be addressed.

The school is categorized as a large school and one of the flagship schools in the division of Sorsogon, Philippines, with a student population of nearly three thousand students from grades 7–12. The researcher is interested in finding out about the scarce participation in sports activities. In addition, the school regularly participated in the DepEd sports athletic meet from cluster to flagship meet, but only a few reached the higher meet like the regional and national meet or Palarong Pambansa. Since 2016, the number of athletes representing the division in the regional competition has averaged six (6) athletes, or only.2% of the school population, the least number of participants compared with the other three (3) big schools in the province.

Based on records, in SY 2016–2017, two taekwondo players and six volleyball players were represented in the division meet. Two taekwondo players and two volleyball players were selected to continue at the regional meet. In SY 2017-2018, two taekwondo players and six volleyball players represented the province in the provincial meet, followed by two taekwondo players and five volleyball players for volleyball girls. By the school year 2018–2019, two taekwondo players and five volleyball girls were represented in the regional meet. Only one Taekwondo player advanced to the national meet. The school catering to students in grades 7–12 provides ample possibilities or potential in line with sports, but there is poor performance by athletes. Likewise, the effect of the pandemic zeroed in on the school recruiting a new batch of athletes, aside from previous athletes who graduated from high school. The current state of the school implies that there is a need to revisit the sports development program. Starotska (2003) mentioned that the school needs a program to promote athletic participation in the school to help student-athletes gain the benefits of participating in sports.

National athletes representing our country in the international arena started in school sports. The grassroots training of athletes and players is the foundation for molding national athletes. In an article published by Torregoza (2022), she reiterated the significance of grassroots sports initiatives in enabling athletes to obtain formal instruction as soon as possible and further pointed out that this should be available in every school, including the teachers, the facilities, and the equipment. Recognizing the problem of sports development at the school provides information to create a sports development program that will provide opportunities for our students and athletes to participate in sports, reach their full potential, and develop life skills such as goal-setting, self-direction, cooperation, leadership, taking risks, emotional stability, and resiliency. The ability to develop these skills and convert them into fresh economic avenues could reshape society, especially for younger generations who have few other options.

The researchers opted to carry out this study in the hopes that the results may help improve the current sports development program and improve athlete participation and performance. This study is intended to determine the status, strengths, and weaknesses of the sports development program (SDP) of a technical vocational high school in the Province of Sorsogon, Philippines. Specifically, this study aims to: (1) describe the status of the sports development program in terms of athletes’ development, staff development, facilities, equipment, and the support of the school administrator for the sports development program. (2) Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the sports programs as perceived by the student-athletes, teacher-coaches, and school administrators. And (3), develop policies, programs, and activities to improve the sports development program.

1. METHODOLOGY

The convergent mixed-method research design was used using a survey questionnaire, an unstructured interview, and focus group discussion. The purpose of this design is to compare the outcomes of the quantitative and qualitative data to obtain a more complete understanding of the status and the strengths and weaknesses of the SDP.

The Sample

The respondents were the teacher-coaches, student-athletes, and school administrators of the Technical Vocational School. All these respondents were selected through purposive random sampling using Slovin’s formula with a standard error of 5%, or 0.05. This formula was used to determine the number of samples from the population. Thus, two school administrators, twelve teacher coaches, and 74 student-athletes served as respondents to this study. In the focus group discussion, nine teacher coaches and 11 student-athletes participated. In the interview, three informants participated, composed of one school administrator and two teachers.

Data Collection

This study used research-made survey questionnaires to gather the needed quantitative research data. Two sets were prepared, one for the school administrators and teacher coaches and the other for the student-athletes, both of which have five parts.

The instrument was referred to the panel of research specialists, and their input, advice, and suggestions were taken into consideration in the revision of the questionnaire. After a series of revisions, a copy was presented again to ensure its quality and content. It was then pilot-tested, and the responses were tested through the Cronbach reliability test, and the interpretation was found to be acceptable. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were generated (Bolarinwa, 2016; Trizano-Hermosilla & Alvarado, 2016) to assess the internal consistency of the survey questionnaire. The Cronbach Alpha coefficient for the entire questionnaire is.77, and the values for each variable are as follows:.71 for talent identification,.746 for the development program,.729 for facilities,.811 for equipment,.726 for support from school administrators for the sports development program, and.93 for the strengths and weaknesses of the sports development program. These numbers are higher than.50, indicating good internal consistency (Nyengane, 2007). FGD was conducted for teacher coaches and student-athletes, while school administrators were personally interviewed. Interview procedures were followed, and interviews were recorded. Questions were framed in the respondent’s language and terminology to stimulate their perspectives and experiences.

Data Analysis

The convergent mixed-method design has three stages for data analysis. First, quantitative data through descriptive statistics such as frequency count and percentage for the coach’s profile and training. A weighted mean was used to determine the status of athletes’ development in terms of talent identification and development of the program, status of facilities and equipment, support of the school administration to the sports development program, and strengths and weaknesses of the sports development program. The following scale was used to determine the status of talent identification and development in the program:

1.0–1.49 Not applicable

1.5-2.49 Not Available

2.5-3.49 Available but inadequate

3.5–4.00 Available and adequate.

To describe the status of the adequacy of facilities and equipment, the following scale was used:

1.0–1.49 Inadequate (less than 60% of the equipment and facilities are operational and ready for use)

1.5–2.49  Adequate (70%–79% of the equipment and facilities are operational and ready for use)

2.5-3.49 More adequate (80%–89% of the equipment and facilities are operational and ready for use)

3.5–4.0 Very adequate (90%–100% of the equipment and facilities are operational and ready for use).

To interpret the strengths and weaknesses of the SDP in the school, the following scale was applied:

1.0–1.49 Strongly disagree

1.5–2.49 Disagree

2.5–3.49 Agree

3.5–4.00 Strongly agree.

Frequency and rank for the suggested policies and programs to be included in the sports development program. We carefully reviewed the text data numerous times to gain a comprehensive understanding of the participants’ viewpoints. To demonstrate the reliability of qualitative data, we observed peer reviews and member-checking procedures (Creswell & Miller, 2000; Elo et al., 2014). Lastly, following the acquisition and independent analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, these are combined at the point of integration to produce a more comprehensive knowledge of the school’s sports development program.

III. RESULTS

                 Based on the data gathered, the following findings show that the TCSA and student-athletes’ FGD and interview responses on the status of the sports development program generally expanded on the statistical findings on the status of SDP and its strengths and weaknesses.

Status of the Sports Development Program

Athletes Development: Talent Identification

The survey participants agree with the item descriptions of their responses to the availability and adequacy of talent identification (3.6). The interviewed participants expressed the availability of talent identification for athletes’ development and mentioned the need to adjust the selection of athletes and players, training programs, and the upskilling of coaches in the selection of athletes and players . These are stressed in the responses of the participants that “here is something wrong with the process of selection in the try-out. I had this experience in Grade 7 during intramurals: players were not carefully selected; you were only asked if you wanted to play. There was no real and careful selection of players. It was just a matter of selecting who has the height, and then you will just be told to be in the venue (court), and that is it.” (I11) “We should prepare well; the team has two layers; one layer is already ready for the competition, while the other layer is on standby and being trained for competition in the succeeding years.” (I1) “Grade 7 athletes and players from the elementary school could not join. Soon, the players or athletes will be ready for competition. We will wait until that player reaches grade 9 or grade 10 so that his build and structure can be prepared for competition.” (I1) “Our tryouts take place close to the competition; tryouts should last for a sufficient number of days, not just one or two, as this will not allow the players’ potential to be seen.” (I3)

Development Program

Respondents agree that the development program is available but inadequate (3.12). The most common indicators were those about organized sports teams or varsity, coaches and trainers being well-equipped with the technical aspects and skills of the game, athletic equipment meeting regulation standards and being available for athletes and players, training given following a training or sports program, availability of training modules and resources for specialized sports events, and funds being available as sources for the development of the program. The interviewed participants expressed that the development program for athletes’ development is inadequate in terms of technical knowledge and skills for coaches, development and maintenance of facilities and equipment, funding, and training programs. Therefore, the FGD and interview are consistent with the survey results. According to them, “It’s difficult to coach when you do not know the rule.” (I4). “I need to undergo more training.” (I7) “There is inadequate training for coaches, although we wanted to attend the training for coaches.” (I5) I accept that I am not that good at playing the sport; I should ask for assistance from our former player to assist in the training.” (I3) “What we need here are sports equipment and gear that players need, such as spike shoes. During games, the players run on their bare feet. There should be at least three spike shoes for girls and three for boys” (I1). “Intramurals were not pushed through because the school does not have the funds for them.” (I4) “Training is only done if the schedule of the competition is already near” (I11). We do not have enough training, and the schedule is inconsistent.” (I12) “The preparedness of the athletes in the sports event is very important. The athletes should begin their training at the onset of the school year, not as the event approaches. They should have training after school hours.” (I4)

Staff Development

The results showed that 6 out of the 14 teacher coaches (42.86%) received most of their training at a cluster-based level. Most of the teacher-coaches—10, or 71.43%—had 5 years or less of coaching experience, and most of them coached at the unit level. One or 7.14% had regional accreditation in their field of sports, and membership in a sports club or organization is at the municipal and divisional level. There are very few options for teacher coaches to attend sports training, where sports-related training is rarely held. This was mentioned repeatedly by the participants, “There is inadequate training for coaches; although we wanted to attend the training for coaches, a memorandum was issued (Division Memorandum No. 195, s. 2022) stating that only winning coaches are allowed to attend the training in sport.” (I3), (I5), & (I6)

Facilities

Teacher-coaches and school administrators have a close perception of the adequacy of sports facilities, as observed in the overall weighted mean of 2.26 for teacher-coaches and school administrators and 2.33 for student-athletes, indicating that the sports facilities were adequate. The survey results of the status of the sports facilities are regarded as adequate, meaning 70%–79% of the equipment and facilities are operational and ready for use. The interviewed participants described the school as having a spacious playing area to accommodate several sports events, yet the absence of physical facilities for different sports. Temporary layout courts accommodate team events or request the use of nearby barangay gyms. The school has adequate space to construct sports facilities but lacks funds for the construction of such facilities. The qualitative results are in discord with the quantitative results. Some of the participants expressed the need  “to have an accessible place to train, so that there is less hustle for us players.” (I9) “Here in our school, we could practice well and train well because we have this spacious field and oval. We have an open field where we could do the long pass and run around the field, which is not possible in a limited space. Here, we could call up other clubs so that we could play with another group, not just within ourselves. This way, we could develop skills and teamwork.” (I13)

Equipment

The respondents perceived the status of the equipment to be available and adequate (3.6). However, its status was disregarded in the FGD and interviews. The participants described equipment as being available due to the participant’s initiative to borrow, donate, or provide personal equipment and maximize the use of existing functional equipment that was repaired or make use of unserviceable equipment. Participants further explained that “we are really lacking in sports equipment, like the table; it is no longer in good condition, and the ball that we are using in practice is not the exact ball for the tournament. The ball that we are using during our practice does not bounce well, so it is hard for us. We provide our own equipment.” (I14)

Support of the School Administrator for the Sports Development Program

The survey participants showed disagreement with the description of their responses to the support of the school administrator for the sports development program. The support of the school administrator was expanded upon in the focus group discussion, which highlighted that coaching assignments, schedule of classes, workloads, and hiring of MAPEH teachers are part of the school’s policies. The school administrator has to revisit school policies to support the school sports development program. Support for SDP varies for every school administrator. Participants expressed their view that “new teachers assigned to our school are math or English majors, aside from rarely taking PE courses. It is also a burden on the part of those who are not MAPEH majors to coach, so it’s really on us MAPEH teachers to coach. Although this is a burden on our part because we also have other teaching loads, how much more for non-MAPEH majors who are coaching? There are also non-MAPEH majors coaching because they have passion for sports.” (I3) “We are willing to extend our time in the afternoon, but it should be considered as one load, and coaches should not be given advisory classes because it is like being a class adviser that handles a group of students.” (I9)

Strengths and Weaknesses of SDP

The survey results of the participants reflect that the identified indicators are strengths of the sports development program. In the FGD and interviews, the SDP has the massive advantage of developing potential athletes, encouraging sports participation, and serving as an avenue for skill development with the help of knowledgeable, experienced, and supportive coaches. The quantitative results were supported by the qualitative findings. Participants described their experiences in the SDP that “it gives the selected student-athletes the opportunity to enhance their talent and skills. Opportunity for the teacher-coaches and trainers to share their knowledge and skills with the student-athletes.” (I10) “Our coach in baseball prepared a regimen where each of the players could train even if he was not around; we can still train on our own. We had these 1,000 push-ups and other training routines. We had that specialized training for all the players for at least two weeks.” (I11)

The TCSA survey results identified a weakness of the SDP, specifying the indicator that sports coordinators, coaches, and trainers have a degree in PE or sports, with a mean of 2.29. While student-athletes find indicators that it upgrades the current sporting facilities and builds brand-new ones that meet international standards is the weakest strength of the sports development program with a mean of 2.76. Responses to the FGD and interviews viewed SDP as lacking in preparation; some coaches acknowledge coming short on the knowledge of the sport; teacher-coaches encountering conflicts between work and coaching; coaches resolving problems on the lack of facilities and equipment; and support for SDP varies among school administrators. Student-athletes expounded the following as weaknesses of the SDP: lack of monitoring and evaluation of athletes’ performance, poor selection process, lack of training program, unavailability of facilities and equipment, and less skilled coaches. Teacher-coaches’ acceptance of their shortcoming in coaching is in concordance with student-athletes view that their coach needs further training in the selection process, the development of the training program, and the monitoring and evaluation of student-athletes’ performance. The lack of facility and equipment affects coaches in training athletes to enhance movement, skills, and performance.

Participants conveyed in the interview the following statements: “My weakness is how to strategize, but I know how to score.” (I8) There was no actual and careful selection of the players. It was just a matter of selecting who has the height, and then you will just be told to be in the court, and that is it” (I11). “The self-esteem of the athletes is easily weakened when they lose, so they really need more training.” (I4) “We should prepare ahead; just like other coaches have done, he has two layers of players: one team undergoing training for the competition and another team undergoing training alone.” (I1) “The coach who spends time to check and ask his players about what had transpired during the training, whether they learned something new for that day, to make us feel that he cares.” (I11) “There’ll be a schedule for training and practice; the main concern now is the lack of facilities and equipment, particularly the funding for the facilities and equipment.” (I4)

Policies, Programs, and Activities

14 out of 14 TCSAs generally responded to include in the policies and program for the sports development program the mission, vision, objective statement, and purpose of the sports development program, placing first in the rank. 13 TCSA identified general training design and schedule, sports equipment and facilities, and sports programs placed in rank 3.Sports programs topped 73 out of 74 priorities of student-athletes for the suggested policies and programs for sports development programs. Next, 72 out of 74 identified the general training design and schedule and sports equipment and facilities to rank 2.5. Moreover, the informants responded accordingly: “Can we design a three-year or five-year sports program to be implemented even if a new school head takes over?” (I2) “There should be a program preparing or honing for the potential players in the lower grade levels” (I1). “The program of the training and the venue for training won’t be a problem for the players.” (I3) “It would be better if there was continuous training. Because once the training does not push through, the players’ enthusiasm is lost.” (I1) “We do not have enough training, and the schedule is inconsistent.” (I12)

1. DISCUSSION

This section explores the combined quantitative and qualitative research findings, highlighting the strengths, weaknesses, and status of the sports development program, supplemented by qualitative analysis.

Status of the Sports Development Program

Athletes Development

The interviewed participants agreed on the availability of talent identification for athletes’ development but mentioned the need to modify the selection of athletes and players, training programs, and the upskilling of coaches in the selection of athletes and players.

Scouting of athletes and players based on their athletic background, including their participation in elementary sports competitions, body structure, and tryouts, helped the teacher coaches choose skilled players. Athletes and players that have undergone tryouts could comprise the pool of players where the teacher coaches introduce layering of the players. Athletes and players in grades 7 or 8 could not join the team soon for competitions. Lagrio et al. (2017) showed in their study that most of the varsity players are in Grade 9, which can be attributed to their longer stay at the school, which exposes them to different activities. This could suggest that while considering body structure in the selection of players, a program, or activities for the lower grades of student-athletes may be designed to take care of potential athletes who are still underdeveloped until they reach the age of their bodies in later years.

Student-athletes being selected according to their academic performance is connected to the eligibility of athletes in the DepEd Palaro, where athletes must not have 3 or more failing grades in any learning areas. In the study of Vail (2006), there are cases in which students go to school and study so they can participate in sports. They maintain their academic standing so they can keep their place on the team. The academic eligibility challenge for athletes is that participation in sports is contingent upon academic competence. It means that the individual participating in sports adjusts to the academic demands in the classroom as well as becomes an active and effective player on an athletic team.

In terms of talent identification in school, teacher coaches focus on a selection of players who possess sports-specific skills and are ready to compete because of the short notice on schedule given by the school coaches to decide which players to select for their sports. Selection criteria and decision-making processes must be established in a sports program. The selection process of the student-athletes reflects aspects of enhancing the sports development program, particularly talent identification for athlete development. According to Ayan and Mülazmolu (2010), an athlete is more likely to succeed if his physical, physiological, and anatomical make-up are geared toward the sport. Because of this, finding talented athletes depends heavily on the talent selection process.

The Philippine Physical Fitness and Sports Talent Test implemented in the field in the school year 2004–2005 was modified and adapted from the test utilized by the Australian Sports Commission (ASC). This aimed to improve the process of selecting potential athletes in schools. According to Utamayasa (2021), KONI, the National Sports Committee of Indonesia, adopted the sports and search method by the ASC (Australian Sports Commission) to address the talent scouting problem of young athletes in their country, and this sports search revealed that sports talents can potentially be developed. Using this sports talent test can guide the teacher-coaches in identifying potential athletes in the school. Combining coach discovery of potential performers and the information from controlled testing procedures would enable the identification of potential athletes, and the right sport could be chosen for them. In turn, student-athletes would then be able to connect their innate skills with the unique qualities and requirements of the chosen sporting activity.

The notable realization in the responses of the TCSA and student-athletes with regards to talent identification for athlete development is to upskill teacher coaches on the manner of selecting players and coordinate proper scheduling of sports activities in all events. Theoretical, conceptual, technical, and tactical understanding of the sport that they coach can be included in the coach training program.

Development Program

The technical knowledge and skills described as areas for development by the teacher-coaches in their coaching skills for the sport. Teacher-coaches encounter difficulties in their role as coaches that necessitate training and gaining experience and knowledge to effectively direct the athletes’ development. Locke and Massangale (1978) and Morakinyo and Aluko (2008) mentioned the unique and complicated roles and preparations teacher-coaches undertake in an organization. The response of teacher coaches to development programs acknowledges their current condition in improving the athlete’s skills, tactical ability in competitions, and how to bring out the best in the team. Being a coach entails responsibility on or off the field. Coaches are expected to plan, practice, prepare a schedule, check equipment, and ensure athlete physical and psychological readiness. Student-athletes look up to their coaches; therefore, coaches should possess the skills, knowledge, and competencies to design training to fit athletes’ needs to perform confidently in their event. While student-athletes perceived technical knowledge and skills as factors for their growth in line with their skills, tactics, and psychological development in sports, The student-athletes need feedback on their performance, and teacher-coaches need to be more knowledgeable and skilled than athletes or trainers outside the school to assist in the training. Martens (2012) claims that the coach’s important contribution to an athlete’s success is to assist them in developing their athletic ability in a variety of tasks, from the basic acquisition of fundamental skills to the more specialized physical, technical, tactical, and psychological training, and performance of these skills.

The development and maintenance of facilities and equipment described the lack of a development plan for playing courts or areas for most of the team events, even though the school has a spacious ground to accommodate the said playing areas, and the necessity to provide gear for the athletes, even if the least possible could be provided. Pestano and Vargas (2OO2) and Pacadaljen (2O21) expressed similar problems of facilities and equipment being insufficient in the implementation of the sports program that needed to be addressed. Many sporting abilities cannot be performed, reducing participation because of inadequacy in facilities and equipment. Sports facilities and equipment can spark interest among student-athletes in school to play sports, especially if they are modern and accessible. This could encourage athletes to do more than just play and encourage them to be competitive in their chosen sports.

Appropriate funding, as identified in the responses to the development program, is vital to sustaining the development of sports in the school. Any sports activity cannot be managed or organized properly without sufficient funding. According to Bucher and Krotec (2002), it is challenging to support school sports from traditional sources like activity fees, income-generating funds, and donations. Salino et al. (2022) disclosed that aside from several MAPEH teachers and sports training and development programs, the budget was considered a predictor of sports participation. School sports open avenues for student-athletes to hone their skills. School activities like intramurals and other sports competitions have an important role in building the interest and skills of student-athletes to perform well in sports and build their self-esteem. Funding sports programs like intramurals and other sports competitions helps student-athletes have the chance to display their skills so that other potential athletes may be motivated. Sports promote healthy competition among participants. They can help students learn how to perform under pressure and promote physical, mental, and social development among students. Allocating resources for sports programs requires school authorities to play an essential role in molding youths as they become better at representing their teams. Appropriate funding of sports programs will help improve the performance of student-athletes. Student-athletes should have the chance to participate in school sports. The development of future sports champions must begin at a young age to build a lifelong passion for sports. This calls on those in authority to give attention to fostering students’ interest in school. School activities like intramurals and other sports competitions play a major role in uplifting the morals of future champion athletes who will perform significantly better as they grow up to represent their teams at any level.

The training program arises from the responses of the student-athletes who do not improve, continuous training, specific skills, and their training program. Olimpo (2021) mentioned that the Philippine sports program has been poorly managed, particularly in terms of planning and athlete training. Student-athletes acknowledged the benefits they could get from the presence of a training program. Without proper training, they will never reach their maximum potential; without proper training, they are stocked in the level of skills, drop in performance, and struggle with mental preparation. With proper training, they understand what they need to do to master specific skills and be fit to play in the games.

Teamwork and social skills contained in the responses of student-athletes expressed chemistry inside the court, communication among players, and passion, according to them, are missing in the team because of a limited time or short period of training before the game. According to Cronin and Allen (2015), teamwork and social skills are developmental experiences learned by taking part in sports. These are the learning experiences and life skills developed by athletes when engaging in school sports activities. Student-athletes’ participation in sports provides an opportunity to interact socially, form teams, and develop interpersonal skills. This category is essential in achieving a common goal in sports; to achieve victory, it requires the effort of every member of the team. Encouraging athletes to get to know one another personally promotes the growth of trust and teamwork during competition. The better the student-athletes know their teammates; they also learn the strengths and weaknesses of their teammate’s skills. They learn to complement each other’s skills, instilling trust in each other. Constant and continuous practice and games included in a training program enhanced teamwork and social skills among players.

Staff Development

The results revealed that most of the teacher-coach training is at a cluster-based level. Most of the teacher coaches had less than 5 years of coaching experience, and most of them coached at the unit level. Only one had regional accreditation in their field of sports, and membership in a sports club or organization is at the municipal and divisional level. This further implies that teachers’ experience in coaching and training is at the local level. Opportunities to train at the regional level and national level are stiff because sports-related training is intended for the winning coaches of the division since this Division Memorandum No. 195 s. 2022 was issued.

Facilities

The qualitative results and the quantitative results diverge. New buildings have been constructed in the school, and not one playing court has been constructed. A similar school condition was cited in the study of Adebayo (2002); he mentioned that although elementary schools in Nigeria may have tall dormitories and library buildings, the playing field is still uneven and the school playground is still empty. A study was conducted two decades ago, yet the school’s playing field is not far from the picture. This implies that, just like in Nigeria, the construction of sports facilities is beyond the priority of the school authority. According to Sanni et al. (2018), the availability of sports facilities and equipment is connected to enhanced performance in sports. Lee et al. (2016) found that a person’s level of physical activity is significantly correlated with how easily accessible sports facilities are. Likewise, Thornton, Pearce, and Kavanaugh (2011) stated that to motivate someone to engage in physical activity, it may be helpful to have quick access to sports facilities. Student-athletes’ performance in the recent sports competition for SY 2022-2023 placed second or third in their event; they may have vied for first place if the school had standard facilities and equipment the student-athletes could have used for regular training.

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Equipment

The functionality of equipment relates to the usefulness of the equipment, or how well it performs and functions. Poor athletic performance can be attributed to inadequate sports equipment in school (Sanni et al., 2018). Lacaba and Lacaba (2018) reported in their studies that availability and functional facilities and equipment would have better chances of winning in sports competitions. Existing conditions of the equipment in the school require several repairs to be used during training; even unserviceable equipment is still used in the absence of a possible replacement.

Teacher-coaches initiative in donating personal equipment for use by the student-athletes or borrowing equipment from other schools, particularly in athletics. Some existing school sports equipment is in a state of repair or serious damage. The use of appropriate sports equipment allows athletes to engage in a variety of exercises and training to maximize performance in sports and prevent sports-related injuries. Athletes are confident in the gear they are using and know it will not break down during practice or a game. Having appropriate sports equipment gave athletes a feeling of confidence to have an edge over their opponents in competitive events, such as athletes running in spike shoes that have better traction and stability than running in regular shoes or barefoot.

Support of the School Administrator for the Sports Development Program

Any organization could not function to its fullest in the absence of resources. Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) and Special Education Fund (SEF) as stated in DepEd Order No. 10 s. 2017 provide supplemental budgetary needs for the operation and maintenance of schools; part of this is intended for sports development. The allocation of funds for school sports development programs should be incorporated annually into the school budget to support the sports development program of the school. The involvement of sports personnel in the crafting of the school improvement plan or strategic plan (Digo, 2021) could provide feedback on the appropriation of funds for sports development programs to address the needs in line with this program. Moreover, the development of strategic leadership (Barola & Digo, 2022) among school heads may help in the attainment of these objectives both in the short and long term.

The success of sports development programs is not merely the duty of sports coaches and sports coordinators but also of those in the administration and the community (Hartoyo, 2015). Moreover, “the coach may have the knowledge and relevant skills to coach their athletes; however, because of the many workloads, they may lack monitoring and enhance the performance of their athletes” (Olimpo, 2021). Coaching assignments, schedule of classes, workload, and hiring of MAPEH teachers are part of the school’s policies that the that the school administrator must revisit to support the school’s sports development program. School administrators come and go; in three years, the technical vocational school underwent change of almost five school heads. Some stayed for at least 7 months, and others were able to finish a school year. The teacher-coach’s concerns were the support of the school administrator for the continuity of the sports program.

Strengths and Weaknesses of the SDP

The qualitative results confirmed the quantitative results that the indicators of the sports development program are considered the strength of the development program in its direction towards developing potential athletes, sports participation, and an avenue for skills development with the help of knowledgeable, experienced, and supportive coaches.

Sports participation and competitive standards are theoretically different, yet they are linked by the goal of building a pool of athletes from which elite athletes can develop (Green & Oakley, 2001). The idea is to create a pool of broad participants to select talents and develop competitive athletes. The school is a huge institution that serves close to three thousand students, and it has a great number of potential athletes from which to choose. Some teacher coaches demonstrated physical and tactical skills or expertise in coaching. A teacher-coach can identify athletes’ needs in terms of skill development for their sport and could give feedback on the performance displayed by the student-athletes.

According to Hodges et al. (2004), systems that work for training, motivating, and assisting athletes are greater indicators of success than any tests used to determine talent. The school has knowledgeable and experienced teacher coaches in athletics, baseball, basketball, chess, softball, and volleyball. Because they are also former athletes, they can aid in honing and motivating our student-athletes’ development and performance. This could progress through the sports development program of the school by designing, organizing, and providing suitable sports activities aligned with student-athletes physical and tactical skills.

However, the existence of a sports program in the school does not show a fruitful product in the competitions. TCSA identified the following categories of weaknesses in the sports development program at the school  that contribute to this condition: Duration of training or program, insufficient knowledge of teacher coaches about the sport, lack of facility and equipment, and support from school administrators are the categories that emerged from the TCSA’s responses.

According to Kirk & MacPhail (2003), sports programs are social systems with their own dynamics. They are part of a larger network of social relationships. Adequate program design and implementation necessitate careful preparation, ongoing assessment of the internal social system, and articulation of that system with the larger social system in which it is embedded. Preparation determines the result of the competition. Inadequate preparation will not guarantee positive results. Scouting of players, try-outs, training schedules, or training programs undertaken by the teacher-coaches and student-athletes should be considered in determining who can join or participate in the sports competition. There should be a school sports policy that monitors and evaluates student-athletes’ performance in their selected sports to qualify them to compete in any sports activities. School administrators should assign teacher coaches or should be properly identified and supported to accurately implement a sports program.

Knowledge of the sport is not limited to the basic information about the sport; it also calls on the coach to see the total person of the athlete, including his tactical abilities, emotions, strengths, and weaknesses, identify areas for improvement, and implement necessary action to support and challenge the athlete. Other assigned teacher coaches accepted the challenge of being coaches in certain sports in anticipation that training would be provided to them to augment the vacuum of knowledge in the sports. These coaches recognize that there is a lot of room for learning for them to successfully fulfill their roles as coaches. But there are other considerations they opt to consider, such as handling an advisory class and their teaching loads that either exceed the number of hours or having two or more teaching preparations that need to be addressed if they must focus on coaching and training student-athletes after class hours.

Student-athletes expect their coaches to plan practice, examine equipment, work as trainers, look after the well-being of the team, and motivate them to perform exceptionally in competition. Coaches showing concern for athletes’ performance in sports offer athletes a support network that provides them with direction, motivation, and encouragement to help them stay focused and motivated during practice and competition. Coaches have a significant impact on how their athletes participate in sports. According to the research of Ntoumanis (2012), a primarily supportive style is more likely to lead to athletes’ well-being and adaptable athlete outcomes, while Bernstel et al. (2019) findings highlight the significance of need-support for athletes’ well-being and demonstrate the need for additional focus on competence support within the setting of professional sport, where competence satisfaction (feeling that one has mastered a task) is perceived to be decreasing. When developing a coach training program, it is important to include competence-supportive strategies to address the negative effects of losing, failing, or being under pressure among student-athletes.

Sports development programs are essential in raising performance by organizing the outcomes and providing a training ground for students’ sports. Sports policy, staff, funding, sports programs (training and competition), facilities, and sponsorship are necessary for effective sports development (Yazid, 2014). The training program is part of a sports development program and is the main task of a sports coach. An athlete’s training program serves as a fundamental tool to help them grow, satisfy their specific demands, and perform at their highest level possible to get ready for competitions. The task of a coach is complicated and demands a variety of tactics and strategies to achieve the desired goals (Chiu et al., 2014). While the coach is responsible for creating the training plan and delivering it to the athletes, sports managers with in-depth knowledge of both sports and sports management are needed to oversee the administration of the sports organization.

Student-athletes viewed the sports facilities and equipment as available but insufficient, expressing specific needs in their field of sports. For the best performance, sports infrastructure and facilities must be supported by high-quality facilities that can accommodate athletic activities and equipment to the maximum extent possible to attain optimum performance (Pramono, 2012). Salino et al. (2022) claim that budget, sports training, development programs, sports facilities, and equipment are determinants of sports participation, athletes’ performance, and success. Facilities and equipment in sports have been a concern of the school’s sports officials and coaches for some time. Equipment is being addressed annually, but its wear and tear requires constant replacement, which happens once a year when sports competitions are near. Moreover, quality sports equipment and the construction of school facilities are quite costly. School administrator A suggests we could tap stakeholders in the community to support or sponsor a team in a competition or sponsor an income-generating project to augment sports-related necessities. For the organization to accomplish its goals, support must come from a variety of sources, including administrators, coaches, athletes, and the community.

Policies, Programs, and Activities

Sport continues to be one of the leading institutions for fostering positive social change. Consequently, the importance of sports development programs is crucial for ensuring that athletes receive highly effective training, functional and practical training facilities, and qualified coaches and trainers. According to McDonald (1995), development is always about bringing about change. The idea that development entails a transition from the old to the new suggests that this is progressive. In other words, sports development entails bringing new and improved methods of doing things to the world of sports. The school sought to bring about transformation in the sports organization, specifically in the implementation of the sports development program. The top two responses for TCSA and student-athletes coincide on indicators of sports programs, general training design and schedule, and sports equipment and facilities. This implies that these are the preferred policies and programs of the TCSA and student-athletes for the school sports development program. The teacher coaches during the FGD had proposed to design a long-term sports development program for the school that could be the template for any incoming school administrator. For sustainability, the details of the proposed program, projects, and activities aligned with the vision, mission, and goals of the basic education sector may be integrated into the strategic plan (Digo, 2021) of the technical vocational high school.

1. CONCLUSION

The status of the sports development program in terms of talent identification for athlete development is practiced in the SDP, but there is a need to provide criteria in the selection of athletes and players, design a training program, and upskill coaches in the selection of athletes and players, while the development program for athlete development is inadequate in terms of technical knowledge and skills for coaches, development and maintenance of facilities and equipment, funding, and training programs. Most of the teacher coaches had 1–5 years of coaching experience, and most of them coached at the unit level. Most of the teacher-coach training is at the cluster-based level. Only one had regional accreditation in their field of sports, and their membership in a sports club or organization is at the municipal and divisional level. The school has adequate space to construct sports facilities but lacks funds for the construction of such facilities. The equipment is available due to participants’ initiative to borrow, donate, or provide personal equipment and maximize the use of existing functional equipment that was repaired or make use of unserviceable equipment that was used for a prolonged period. The school administrator must revisit school policies on coaching assignments, schedule of classes, workloads, and hiring of MAPEH teachers to support the school sports development program.

The identified indicators for SDP are its strengths in developing potential athletes, encouraging sports participation, and serving as an avenue for skill development. The TCSA identified weaknesses of SDP as lack of preparation, coaches who acknowledge coming short on knowledge of the sport, teacher-coaches encountering conflicts between work and coaching, coaches resolving problems on the lack of facilities and equipment, and support for SDP varies in every school administrator. Student-athletes noted the following weaknesses: lack of monitoring and evaluation of athletes’ performance, poor selection process, lack of training program, unavailability of facilities and equipment, and less skilled coaches. The school’s policies in coaching assignments, schedule of classes, workloads, and hiring of MAPEH teachers must be revisited by the school administrators.

1. DISCLOSURE

We affirm that we do not have material or financial interests relevant to the research described in this paper that may establish a conflict of interest.

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