Determining the Teaching Competencies of Kindergarten Teachers in Public Elementary Schools of Maddela, Quirino: Basis for a Proposed Professional Development Enhancement Program
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65141/sjter.v3i1n10Keywords:
Teaching Competencies, Professional Development, Early Childhood Education, Kindergarten EducationAbstract
Kindergarten education is fundamental in shaping early learning development; however, the extent of teachers’ competencies and the factors influencing them remain insufficiently examined. This study assessed the teaching competencies and challenges encountered by kindergarten teachers in public elementary schools in Maddela, Quirino, during School Year 2025–2026. The study employed a descriptive-comparative research design involving 33 kindergarten teachers selected through total enumeration. Data were gathered using a validated and reliability-tested researcher-made questionnaire with domains lifted from DepEd’s Teacher Performance and Development Framework. Descriptive and inferential statistics, including frequency, percentage, weighted mean, t-test, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), were used to analyze the data.
Results revealed that the respondents were predominantly female, married, Teacher II, and bachelor’s degree holders. Findings further showed that kindergarten teachers demonstrated a very high level of competence across all domains, namely content knowledge and pedagogy, learning environment, diversity of learners, curriculum and planning, assessment and reporting, community linkages and professional engagement, and personal growth and professional development. Moreover, teaching competencies did not significantly differ when teachers were grouped according to age, sex, position, and educational attainment. However, significant differences were found in assessment and reporting, community linkages and professional engagement, and personal growth and professional development when grouped according to civil status, with single teachers exhibiting higher levels of competence than their married counterparts. In terms of challenges, limited opportunities for professional development related to early childhood education, limited access to ICT tools and technology-based instructional resources, administrative workload, insufficient instructional materials, and inadequate classroom facilities emerged as the most common concerns encountered by the respondents.
It is recommended that school administrators and education authorities strengthen regular, school-based professional development programs for kindergarten teachers while simultaneously improving access to ICT resources, instructional materials, and classroom facilities to address the identified challenges and enhance teaching effectiveness.
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