Professional Learning Engagement of Secondary School Science Teachers Direction toward Enhancement of Teaching Competencies

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Professional learning is now recognized as a vital component of policies to enhance the quality of teaching. Teacher's engagement in professional learning is of increasing interest as one way to support the increasingly complex skills of science teachers need to succeed in 21st-century education.This study investigates the link between teachers' exposure to different kinds of professional learning engagement and the degree to the relationship between professional learning engagement of secondary school science teachers and teaching competencies that have demonstrated a positive link between teacher professional development and training

METHODS

The study employed a descriptive-correlational method of research to conduct the study in Junior and Senior High School Science Teachers in Cluster III of Division of Quezon which comprises of four municipal districts namely: Lucban, Mauban, Pagbilao, and Sampaloc District. A total of 89 secondary school science teachers. Three different data collection tools were used: survey questionnaire, quality of teaching effectiveness and Individual Performance Review and Commitment Form.

RESULTS

Four key findings from this research are: There are five different areas of professional learning engaged by the science teachers, only short-term training programs and school-based training programs resulted in a high impact on the science teachers. The professional learning engagement resulted in highly competent with regards to their knowledge of the subject content, inquiry skills, pedagogical skills, technology skills, curriculum competence, and assessment. The results confirmed that professional learning engagement including the types of professional learning engaged by the secondary school science teachers, experiential learning and their level of the acquisition has significantly related to teaching competencies. Results indicated that this study has demonstrated that teacher's professional learning is a complex process that is strongly influenced by quality of teaching effectiveness and Teachers' Performance

DISCUSSIONS

The results indicated that teachers involved in professional learning experienced statistically significant growth in teaching quality and self-efficacy for teaching science. Moreover, this study has greater implications for the design of sustained teachers training program relevant to content and pedagogy, process skills development and 21st-century teaching and learning skills to promote learning and enhancing teaching competencies