ISSN Print: 2984-8288, ISSN Online: 2984-8385 Vol. 3 No. 3, pp. 36-44, March 2025 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). Assessment of the Implementation of Special Program in Journalism (SPJ): Basis for an Intervention Program Ryan C. Tura Department of Education, Division of Cagayan de Oro City, Camp Evangelista Elementary School, Patag, Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines Author Email: ryan.tura@deped.gov.ph Date received: January 2, 2025 Originality: 99% Date revised: January 23, 2025 Grammarly Score: 99% Date accepted: February 3, 2025 Similarity: 1% Recommended citation: Tura, R. (2025). Assessment of the implementation of Special Program in Journalism (SPJ): Basis for an intervention program. Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 3(3), 36-44. https://doi.org/10.69569/jip.2025.002 Abstract. In light of the implementation of the Special Program in Journalism (SPJ) and the low performance of the school in school’s press conference competitions, the study aims to assess the level of standard, performance, and challenges in implementing the SPJ program through the lens of student journalists as a basis for an intervention program. The study consists of one hundred (100) journalist respondents purposively selected through purposive sampling. The study used a mixed method research design using sequential explanatory methods, which employ survey questionnaires and polyangulation, which consist of interviews and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) as tools for data gathering. The survey questionnaires were adopted from existing studies and underwent validation and reliability testing. The study used semi- structured questions for the interview questions to allow the respondents to respond extensively. To analyze and interpret the quantitative data, the study used descriptive statistics using weighted mean, while for qualitative, the study adopted Colaizzi's 1978 method of data analysis, which involves steps such as transcribing significant statements into meaning units and extracting emerging themes. The study found that the level of standard and performance and outcomes in implementing a Special Program in Journalism (SPJ) in school is satisfactory. Meanwhile, themes such as a lack of facility, uniformity of instruction, disengagement in the training, and lack of parental support emerged as challenges in the implementation of the program. The study concludes that implementing the SPJ program fosters challenges like lack of facility, student disengagement among journalists, and uniformity of instruction, which constitutes a low level of performance and standards; thus, an intervention program is recommended. Keywords: Assessment; Implementation; Intervention program; Special Program in Journalism. 1.0 Introduction Journalism in education plays a vital role in transforming the field into an inclusive and more resilient quality for learners. According to Adetunji (2022), journalism prepares young people for the role of full-time professionals employed by sizable news organizations. Notably, an expanded approach to journalism education is not just about technical skills; it must include critical thinking and self-awareness while centering on established values of independence and public service. It can be inferred that through journalism, the students' skills, particularly in literacy, comprehension, and critical thinking, will be developed, which will help them land a better job in the future. The study of Bidzilya et al. (2022) shows that journalism developed the following skills of journalists in lifelong learning: creativity, professional independence, professional responsibility, critical and analytical thinking, communicative skills (vision of practicing journalists); creativity, critical-analytical thinking, professional independence, fact-checking (teachers’ vision), professional responsibility, professional