| 1 |
Author(s):
Jasmine D. Cubillan, Florabel P. Mutia.
Page No : 1-20
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Self-Efficacy as a Predictor of Inquiry-Based Pedagogy and Digital Competence among STEM Faculty in a Philippine Regional University
Abstract
This study investigated the predictive relationships between teacher self-efficacy, inquiry-based pedagogy (IBP) implementation, and digital competence among STEM faculty at North Eastern Mindanao State University (NEMSU). Utilizing a quantitative descriptive-comparative and predictive research design, data were collected from 100 STEM educators across seven constituent campuses. Analysis involved Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) to purify research constructs and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to determine the extent of influence between variables. The results revealed that while faculty report a high baseline of instructional self-efficacy (M=3.486), a measurable "theory-practice gap" exists, characterized by significantly lower confidence in facilitating complex hands-on engineering prototypes and open-ended scientific investigations. Furthermore, a significant "innovation dip" was observed among faculty in the 7–9-year experience bracket, suggesting that instructional routines become fixed without targeted mid-career intervention. The structural model confirmed that self-efficacy is a potent engine for pedagogical change, explaining a substantial 30.4%of the variance in inquiry-oriented facilitation (β=0.552, p<0.001). Conversely, its predictive power over digital mastery was notably constrained (10.2%), identifying a "pedagogical-digital dissonance" where high internal confidence is bottlenecked by external infrastructural barriers. The study concludes with the Integrated STEM Teacher Competency Framework, advocating for a synchronized dual-pathway strategy. This approach recommends pairing psychological empowerment through career-stage-specific coaching and reverse-mentoring with urgent structural digital upgrades to ensure pedagogical willingness is matched by technological opportunity. These findings provide institutional leaders with an empirical roadmap to sustain instructional excellence and bridge the divide between theoretical confidence and practical mastery in regional state universities.
Keywords: STEM Education, Teacher Self-Efficacy, Inquiry-Based Pedagogy, Digital Competence, PLS-SEM, Tertiary Education, Philippines.
| 2 |
Author(s):
Kenneth Eriga Savandal, Don Anton Robles Balida.
Page No : 21-35
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Instructional Leadership Practices of Master Teachers as Basis for the Development of an Instructional Mentoring Program
Abstract
This study examined the instructional leadership practices of Master Teachers and used the integrated findings as the basis for developing a context-responsive instructional mentoring program for island school contexts. The study employed a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design. The qualitative phase used phenomenological interviews with Master Teachers to identify mentoring practices, instructional leadership dimensions, and contextual constraints. The quantitative phase validated the emergent dimensions through a survey of 135 teachers from a target population of 160, yielding an 84.38% response rate. Qualitative results showed that Master Teachers enacted instructional leadership through mentoring, coaching, modeling, instructional supervision, professional dialogue, Learning Action Cell facilitation, data-informed support, and contextualized instructional assistance. Quantitative results showed a high overall level of instructional leadership practices (M = 3.51, SD = 0.61), very high perceived instructional support (M = 3.50, SD = 0.67), and very high mentoring needs and priorities (M = 3.56, SD = 0.63). Significant differences were found in perceived instructional leadership practices by teaching experience, teaching position, and mentoring frequency, while mentoring needs differed significantly by school level. Integrated findings supported the development of a structured instructional mentoring program consisting of needs assessment, goal setting, coaching and modeling, observation, feedback and reflective dialogue, professional learning facilitation, differentiated mentoring tracks, contextualized instructional support, action planning, monitoring, and program evaluation.
Keywords: Instructional Leadership, Master Teachers, Mentoring Program, Instructional Coaching, Teacher Professional Development, Mixed Methods, Island Schools
| 3 |
Author(s):
Crishel Virtudazo Pugoy.
Page No : 36-45
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Leading from the Margins: A Phenomenological Inquiry into the Experiences of School Heads Managing Low-Performing Schools
Abstract
This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of school heads managing low-performing public schools in the Surigao City Division. It examined the challenges encountered by school heads, the leadership strategies and interventions they used, their perceptions of role, motivation, and accountability, the support mechanisms that sustained school improvement efforts, and the insights that may inform policy and leadership development. Anchored on Husserl's descriptive phenomenology and operationalized through Colaizzi's descriptive phenomenological method, the study involved ten purposively selected school heads assigned in low-performing schools. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews and analyzed through familiarization, extraction of significant statements, formulation of meanings, clustering of themes, development of emergent themes, exhaustive description, identification of the fundamental structure, and member checking. Findings yielded five emergent themes: intersecting instructional and organizational challenges, visible manifestations of systemic underperformance, strategic leadership practices and capacity building, collaboration and stakeholder engagement, and resilient and human-centered leadership. These themes show that leadership in low-performing schools is not merely a technical or administrative task but a contextual, relational, and emotionally demanding practice. School heads navigated literacy gaps, learner underachievement, teacher-related concerns, limited resources, stakeholder expectations, and accountability pressures through data-informed decision-making, instructional supervision, teacher capacity building, stakeholder collaboration, communication, resilience, empathy, and recognition of incremental progress. The study concludes that managing low-performing schools requires context-responsive leadership development, sustained instructional support, stronger stakeholder partnerships, and institutional mechanisms that protect the well-being and resilience of school leaders.
Keywords: Low-Performing Schools; School Heads; Instructional Leadership; Phenomenology; Colaizzi Method; Stakeholder Engagement; Resilience; School Improvement
| 4 |
Author(s):
Kyla Rita A. Mercado, Don Anton R. Balida.
Page No : 46-65
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Development of A Science Education Program Framework Anchored on The Teaching Readiness of Pre-Service Teachers
Abstract
This study developed a Science Education Program Framework anchored on the teaching readiness of Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Science pre-service teachers at North Eastern Mindanao State University. Using a quantitative descriptive-correlational design, the study surveyed 263 third year and fourth-year pre-service science teachers and analyzed the data through descriptive statistics and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. Teaching readiness was examined across six domains: Science Content and Application, Scientific Inquiry and Research, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Learning Design and Assessment, Ethical, Social-Responsive, and Community Collaboration, and Technology and Innovation. Results showed that the respondents were highly ready across all six domains, with Learning Design and Assessment, Ethical, Social-Responsive, and Community Collaboration, and Pedagogical Content Knowledge obtaining the highest mean scores. The measurement model demonstrated acceptable reliability and convergent validity, while discriminant validity results indicated empirical overlap among several pedagogical domains, supporting the treatment of teaching readiness as an integrated higher-order construct. Structural model results revealed that all six domains significantly contributed to Overall Teaching Readiness, with Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Ethical, Social-Responsive, and Community Collaboration emerging as the strongest contributors. The model also demonstrated acceptable fit, as indicated by SRMR = 0.06. Based on these findings, the proposed Science Education Program Framework positions science content application as the foundation, core pedagogy and ethical responsiveness as the central instructional engine, and inquiry, research, technology, and innovation as advanced professional catalysts. The study provides an empirical basis for strengthening curriculum design, practicum preparation, mentoring, and quality assurance in pre-service science teacher education.
| 5 |
Author(s):
Diana Rose B. Pagente.
Page No : 66-75
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Community Engagement as Support for Literacy Development in Dinagat Island Schools
Abstract
This study examined how community engagement supports literacy development and the formation of reading culture among learners in geographically isolated island schools in the Division of Dinagat Islands. Anchored on Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, Vygotsky’s Social Constructivist Theory, Epstein’s School-Family-Community Partnership Theory, and reading engagement perspectives, the study employed an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design. The qualitative phase explored the views and experiences of teachers, learners, parents, and community stakeholders through focus group discussions, interviews, observation, and document analysis. The qualitative findings informed a quantitative survey administered to 119 teachers and 83 Grade 4 to Grade 6 pupils. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression. Results showed that community engagement in literacy support activities was consistently high, with a grand mean of 4.7370. Reading culture was also highly developed as perceived by teachers (M = 4.7256) and pupils (M = 4.6313). Correlation analysis showed that family-based literacy support (r = .186, p = .008) and community-based literacy activities (r = .262, p < .001) were significantly associated with reading culture, whereas school-community collaboration and resource mobilization were not significantly correlated. Regression analysis indicated that community engagement significantly predicted reading culture, F(4, 199) = 11.396, p < .001, explaining 18.6% of the variance. Community-based literacy activities emerged as the strongest positive predictor (β = .475), followed by family-based literacy support (β = .277). The study concludes that reading culture in island schools is shaped most strongly by relational, participatory, and socially embedded literacy practices rather than by material resources alone.
Keywords: Community Engagement, Reading Culture, Literacy Development, Island Schools, Geographically Isolated Schools, Mixed-Methods Research
| 6 |
Author(s):
Kevin John Oracoy Durango, Rucien Willa Antonio Galinato.
Page No : 76-86
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Financial Status and School Retention Among Key Stage 2 Pupils in San Jose District, Division of Dinagat Islands
Abstract
This study examined the relationship between household financial status and school retention among Key Stage 2 pupils in the San Jose District, Division of Dinagat Islands. Anchored on Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory and Becker’s Human Capital Theory, the study used a quantitative descriptive-correlational design involving 108 Key Stage 2 pupils from 13 public elementary schools during School Year 2025–2026. Parents or guardians answered a researcher-developed and expert-validated questionnaire measuring financial status in terms of cost of school-related expenses, availability of daily allowance, and access to educational support resources; school retention was verified through school records on attendance inconsistency and school-year completion. The instrument showed excellent reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = .959). Results showed that respondents were mostly female parents, particularly mothers, and many households were low-income, large-sized, and dependent on unstable or informal sources of income. Families reported a high level of financial difficulty in school-related expenses (M = 3.20, SD = .766), daily allowance (M = 3.13, SD = .790), and access to educational support resources (M = 3.19, SD = .775). Despite these constraints, pupils demonstrated strong retention, with a mean attendance rate of 98.38%, complete school-year completion, and 100% promotion. Spearman correlation results showed no significant relationship between the financial status indicators and attendance inconsistency: cost of school-related expenses (r = -.035, p = .718), availability of daily allowance (r = .006, p = .948), and access to educational support resources (r = -.017, p = .864). Regression analysis also showed that financial status did not significantly predict attendance inconsistency (R² = .002, F = .056, p = .983). The findings suggest that although families experience considerable financial difficulty, school retention may be sustained by parental commitment, school-based support, community assistance, and government interventions. The study recommends strengthening home-school collaboration, learner assistance mechanisms, livelihood support, and targeted educational subsidies for vulnerable households.
