International Journal of Arts, Sciences and Education

ISSN: 2799 - 1091 | Volume 1 Issue 2 | 198-218

RESEARCH EXPOSURE, ATTITUDE AND COMPETENCE OF THE SENIOR HIGH

SCHOOL TEACHERS

ANNA LIZETTE C. ABINAN

izette01@gmail.com
Department of Education,
Bukig National Agricultural and Technical School
Bukig, Aparri, Cagayan, Philippines

Abstract: This study determined the research exposure, attitude towards research and research
competence of the Senior High School teachers using the descriptive-correlational method of
research. The study was conducted on the select Public Secondary Schools that offer senior high
program in the whole District 1 of Cagayan. A total of 60 senior high school practical research
teachers of the Department of Education were utilized as respondents. Findings revealed that most
of the teachers handling practical research in the first district of Cagayan are predominantly young,
female, mostly English in specialization, with average 6 years in the teaching service, currently
on-going Masteral schooling (MA/MST.). majority has undergone Educational Research subject,
and with local Research-related trainings. More so, Practical Research teachers in the Cagayan
District 1 were found to have low exposure due to low number of research development,
presentation and publication. Teachers have somewhat positive attitude towards research despite
that they know the usefulness of research in their profession. Thus, the more useful the teachers
think of research, the higher their level of positivity towards research. However, the higher their
research difficulties, the higher is their level of research anxiety. Furthermore, the more
experienced the teachers, the higher their level of competence. The more the teachers’ exposure in
research, the higher their level of competence. The study provides input for recommendation
towards the improvement of teachers’ research exposure, attitude and competence as practical
research teachers.

Keywords: research exposure, research attitude, research competence, senior high school
teachers, practical research

I. INTRODUCTION

The emergence and fast-pacing improvements of life has always been credited to research.
Along with these progress, research has proven its worth, being one of the contributory factors of
these fundamental changes, as evident in the outstanding ground-breaking discoveries and
developments not just in the field of education but in society as a whole. Research provides
necessary information in the field of work and in anything under the sun. It also helps people get
acquainted with the process and in the successful outcome of a project. The systematic approaches,
establishments of facts, carefully organized and controlled research enables researchers to test and
compare different theories, different methods and learn from other people’s experience. It also
enables them to rule out or at least consider external factors which might influence their results.

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ISSN: 2799 - 1091 | Volume 1 Issue 2 | 198-218

The Republic Act No. 10533, or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 is an act that
mandated the enhancement of the Philippine Educational System from a 10-year basic education
to 12-year (K to 12) program. The K to 12 program includes the two-year specialized upper-
secondary education composed of a core curriculum and tracks. One of the learning areas of the
core curriculum is practical research.
Practical research is one of the applied subjects required on all tracks and strands but must
be taught in the context of the track. Meaning, all students are expected to acquire the learning
competencies stipulated in the curriculum guide but the desired research outputs vary depending
on their respective strands and tracks. Practical Research was written to cultivate among learners
the necessary research capabilities and skills in different fields. Asserted by Bangayan- Manera
(2020), its goal is to initiate learners to become equip with the basic skills in qualitative and
quantitative researches and to teach them to use these skills in making decisions and solving
problems that they encounter in their everyday lives. With these skills, learners may be able to
develop a critical mind, decision-making skills, and become a 21st century learner the K to 12
envisions them to be.
However, a lot has been said and written about student readiness in terms of prepping them
up for learning, motivating them, incentivizing learning, creating a conducive environment to
facilitate learning and so on. But very often the most crucial element, an undeniable prerequisite
and an uncontentious factor namely teacher readiness gets overlooked in the discourses on
approaches to maximize learning outcomes of the students. The challenge lies on the fact that
Senior High School Program is new and its human resources are majorly young and new and the
bottom line question is “How ready are these SHS Teachers in teaching Practical Research?”. A
holistic approach to education does not exclude the educators themselves. This concept does not
apply only to the students because the school is a learning community comprising students,
teachers, administrators and management too. The process involved in facilitating learning of
students provides insightful learning experiences for all the stakeholders, albeit of a different
nature.
With the unstoppable full-implementation of the K to 12 programs of the Department of
Education in the Philippines, accountability for teacher quality in every school has become one of
our nation’s educational reform priorities. Researchers have demonstrated that teacher quality was
the single most important factor influencing student achievement Cunningham & Allington
(2003).
The challenges of senior year described demonstrate the magnitude of the problems
educators face in creating an educational experience that truly prepares students for life after
graduation. In the four walls of the classroom, the teachers need to be cognizant of the strategies
to react to unprecedented demands of the 21st century learners. These are some of the real life
personal disorientations that teachers experience due to their inadequate preparation for teaching
practical research. Such disorientations also occur due to the perception that their work
environment is a replication of what they have experienced in the learning environment whereby
facilitation, instruction and guidance becomes the culture to be adhered to.
Practical Research is highly technical in nature. One needs exposure in reading, writing
and statistics to be able to translate competencies to students. Writing according to Talosa, A.D &
Maguddayao, R.N (2018) is considered varied with context and cannot be distilled down to a set
of abstract cognitive or technical abilities.

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ISSN: 2799 - 1091 | Volume 1 Issue 2 | 198-218

One study conducted by Biruk (2013) on the practices and challenges in doing research in
Sululta Secondary School in Ethiopia revealed that only a few teachers were engaged in research
due to lack of enough research knowledge.
If the problem is not given serious consideration, then this presumably will leave an impact
on the teachers’ anxiety over the lack of skills. It is high time that this problem regarding the health
of the education system determined primarily by teachers’ exposure, attitude and competencies in
practical research be given considerations. This is the reason to which the researcher embarked to
venture this study entitled, “Research Exposure, Attitude and Competencies of Teachers: Basis for
Enhancing Practical Research Capability and Productivity of Senior High School”

Research Questions

The general objective of the study is to determine the research exposure, attitude towards
research and research competence of the Senior High School teachers. Specifically, it sought to
find answers on the following questions:
1. What is the profile of the Senior High School teachers in terms of the following variables?
1.1 Age
1.2 Sex
1.3 Specialization
1.4 Length of Service
1.5 Highest educational attainment
1.6 Research-related subjects undergone
1.7 Seminars/Trainings along Research attended
2 What is the research exposure of the Senior High School teachers in terms of the following
aspects?
2.1 Research development
2.2 Research presentation
2.3 Research publication
3 What is the attitude of the Senior High School teachers towards research with respect to the
following criteria?
3.1 Usefulness to profession
3.2 Anxiety
3.3 Positivity
3.4 Difficulty
4 What is the level of competence of the Senior High School teachers in research?
5 Is there a relationship between the level of competence of the Senior High School teachers in
research and the following variables?
5.1 Profile
5.2 Research exposure
5.3 Attitude towards research

II. METHODOLOGY

Research Design
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ISSN: 2799 - 1091 | Volume 1 Issue 2 | 198-218

The descriptive-correlational method of research was employed in the study. This is the
most appropriate design used since the study sought to evaluate the demographical data of the
respondents along their sex, age, highest educational qualifications, and length of service, available
research-related resources, seminars and trainings attended. The study also assessed the research
exposure, attitude and competencies of the teacher-respondents.
Correlation on the other hand was used as the study determined the significant relationship
among the teachers’ exposure, attitude and research competence.

Locale of the study

This study was conducted on the select Public Secondary Schools that offer senior high
program in the whole District 1 of Cagayan.
Respondents of the Study
All information and personal details from the instructor participants in this study were
maintained with the strictest confidentially for ethical reasons. A request letter was issued to the
school administrators seeking consent before the researchers chose and identified the participants.
The letter stressed the study's goal and the importance of its completion. The respondents of the
study were the senior high school practical research teachers of the Department of Education who
are teaching practical in the Cagayan District 1. The researcher used complete enumeration to
determine the respondents of the study.
Research Instruments
The main instruments that was used in gathering the necessary data for the study is a
Survey- Questionnaire. The said survey-questionnaire was composed of three parts. Part I elicited
on the demographic profiles of the teachers in terms of sex, age, highest educational qualifications,
length of service, research-related subjects undergone.
Part II gathered data related to the research exposure of senior high school teachers. Part
III gathered data related to the respondents’ attitude towards research. A 5 point likert scale was
used to rate the respondents’ attitude on the statements provided. The instrument was divided into
multi-dimensional factor which included the following: usefulness for profession; anxiety; positive
attitude; and research difficulty. The instrument was adopted from the study of Papanastasiou
(2005).
Part IV of the instrument assessed the research competence of the teachers in teaching
practical research. Items were lifted from the competencies and performance standard stipulated
in the SHS curriculum guide.

Analysis of data
The data that were gathered from the respondents were classified, tabulated, interpreted
and analyze through the use of the following statistical tools.
Frequency, percentage counts, percentage distribution, means and standard deviations and
the descriptive statistics were utilized to describe the profile variables of the senior high school
teachers.

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As to the correlation, the data that were gathered were analyzed with the use of Statistical
Software at 0.05 level of significance.

III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Age
Table 1 shows the distribution of teachers in terms of age. It can be gleaned from the table
that 33 percent of the teachers who are teaching practical research belong to the bracket of 21-
25. Sixteen or 26 percent fall with the age ranging from 26-30. Nine or 15 percent of the
teachers have an age ranging from 31-35 followed by six or 10 percent who belong to the age
bracket of 41-45. Meanwhile, four or seven percent of them belong the age brackets of 36-40
and 46-50 respectively while one or two percent of them belong to the age bracket of 51-55.
The finding indicates that most of the teachers handling practical research in the first district
of Cagayan are predominantly young teachers as concretized by the mean age of 31 with a
standard deviation of 8.19.
Table 1. Distribution of the Senior High School teachers in terms of age
Age Frequency
Percentage
(in years) (n=60)

51 to 55 1 2
46 to 50 4 7
41 to 45 6 10
36 to 40 4 7
31 to 35 9 15
26 to 30 16 26
21 to 25 20 33
Mean = 31.00 S.D. = 8.19

Sex
Table 2 presents the profile of the teacher in terms of sex. It shows that among the 60
respondents, 31 of them or 51.51 percent are female while the rest covering 48.33 percent are male.
Thus, in the Department of Education, Division Office records or Plantilla for teachers, it appeared
that there are more female than male Senior High School teachers in the Division of Cagayan. This
finding clearly implies that teaching is indeed a female-dominated profession.

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ISSN: 2799 - 1091 | Volume 1 Issue 2 | 198-218

Table 2. Distribution of the Senior High School teachers in terms of sex

Frequency
Sex Percentage
(n=60)

Female 31 52

Male 29 48

Specialization
Table 3 reveals the distribution of teachers in terms of specialization. Out of 60
respondents, 29 or 48 percent of the senior high school teachers who are teaching practical research
are mostly English language majors, 11 or 18 percent are Mathematics, seven or 12 percent majors
in Science, six out of 60 specializes in Social Science, one majors in Technical Vocational
Livelihood Education and two out of 60 majors in Accounting or Banking and Finance.
This finding means that the teachers who handled practical research are predominantly
English in specialization. This is accounted to the veracity that one content area for English in the
senior high school is the practical research. Thus, most subjects are being handled by teachers
whose specialization is English.

Table 3. Distribution of the Senior High School teachers in terms of specialization

Frequency
Specialization Percentage
(n=60)

English 29 48
Mathematics 11 18
Biology/Science/Gen Science/Physical Science 7 12
Social Sciences 6 10
Filipino 4 7
Accounting/Banking Finance 2 3
TLE 1 2

Length of Service
Apparent from table 4 is the distribution of teachers in terms of length of service. It is
evident in the table that majority or 68 percent of the respondents are novice teachers who rendered
5 years-below service in the academe, nine or 15 percent already rendered 6-10 years in teaching
service, only eight has a length of service of 16 years and above and 2 has 11-15 years teaching
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ISSN: 2799 - 1091 | Volume 1 Issue 2 | 198-218

experience. This implies that since Senior High School program is new, majority of its human
resources are also new. This finding supports the study of Tamanu M. (2017) that majority of the
human resources of the senior high school program are still new to the teaching service.

Table 4. Distribution of the Senior High School teachers in terms of length of service
Length of Service Frequency
Percentage
(in years) (n=60)

16 to 20 8 14
11 to 15 2 3
6 to 10 9 15
1 to 5 41 68
Mean = 6.30 S.D. = 6.87

Highest Educational Qualification

Table 5 tells the distribution of teachers as to their highest educational qualification. Forty
percent of the teacher respondents currently enrolled in MA/MS program, 28 percent is with
MA/MS degree, 17 percent has units earned or are currently enrolled in doctorate program, eight
percent is a PhD graduate and only seven percent of the respondents are baccalaureate degree
holder. The finding means majority of the teacher-respondents finished their master’s degree. Also,
some teachers are still on the verge of obtaining units for master's degree. This further indicates
that the respondents are trying to update their educational qualification.

Table 5. Distribution of the Senior High School teachers in terms of highest educational attainment
Frequency
Highest educational attainment Percentage
(n=60)
Doctorate degree (Ph.D.) 5 8
On-going Doctorate schooling (Ph.D.) 10 17
Master’s degree 17 28
On-going Masteral schooling (MA/MST.) 24 40
Baccalaureate degree 4 7

Research related subjects undergone

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The table displays the distribution of teachers in terms of research-related subjects

undergone. As reflected, Educational Research ranked number 1 with a frequency of 30, followed
by Language Research having a frequency of 25, Mathematical Research with a frequency of 11,
Advanced Research with a frequency of eight and Science Research with a frequency of 6. Only
two of the teacher-respondents did Social Research. One took business research, medical research
and high school Investigatory Research respectively and two did not undergo any research-related
subjects. As language research, mathematical research, science research and business research are
researchers in the undergraduate courses, it could be inferred therefore that majority of the
respondents only have undergone limited researches.
Table 6. Research-related subjects undergone by the Senior High School teachers
Research-related subjects Frequency Rank

Educational Research 30 1
Language Research 25 2
Mathematical Research 11 3
Advance Research 8 4
Science Research 6 5
Social Research 2 6.5
Business Research 1 8
High School Investigatory Research 1 8
Medical Research 1 8
None at all 2 6.5
*multiple response
Seminars and trainings attended
Table 7 presents the distribution of teachers in terms of seminars and trainings attended.
Apparent on the table, local trainings including Division and Regional level ranked first with a
frequency of 51, followed by international seminars and trainings with a frequency of ten and
eight has national trainings . However, ten out of 60 do not have trainings at all. This finding means
that majority of the seminars and trainings of the respondents are mostly local, most of which are
delegated to the Regional and Division Offices of the Department of Education. Thus, there is a
limited participation to National level Seminars and Trainings while International training are way
too expensive. This may also be attributed from the fact that seminars and trainings are mostly not
funded by the schools and teachers then spend their own money to attend such. Trainings and
seminars are important for teachers to enrich their knowledge said Lartec et, al, 2014.
Table 7. Seminars or trainings along research attended by the Senior High School teachers

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Seminars or trainings along research Frequency Rank

Local (including Division and Regional level) 51 1

International 10 2.5
National 8 4
None at all 10 2.5
*multiple response
Extent of Research Exposure of the teachers
Research Development

Table 8 displays the extent of research exposure of the teachers in terms of research
development. It shows that among the research conducted by the respondent, undergraduate thesis
ranked first (32), followed by master’s thesis (22), action research (6), dissertation (5) and
institutional research (3). However, 13 did not develop any research. The finding clearly insinuates
that the research paper dominantly conducted by the key respondents is their undergraduate
research. This finding implies that they are not fully exposed to research writing. The fact that that
the most common research papers written by the senior high school teachers is thesis and
dissertation may be attributed from the reasons that making and venturing only on research is a
matter of fulfilling requirements.
Table 8. Exposure of the Senior High School teachers on research along research development
Type of Research Frequency Rank

Undergraduate thesis 32 1
Master’s thesis 22 2
Action research 6 4
Dissertation 5 5
Institutional Research 3 6
None at all 13 3
*multiple response
Research presented
As regards to the extent of research exposure of the teachers in terms of paper presented,
Table 9 shows that teachers did not yet present any research paper in any fora ranked first as
concretized by the frequency of 54, followed by local presentations (school, division level) with
a frequency of five, research papers were presented internationally in an international research
forum held in the Philippines with a frequency of two , and had a national presentation with a

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frequency of one and was presented in a national forum for researchers. One respondent confirmed
that same research paper was presented on a local and national context.
This finding means that while there are respondents who have presented papers in
International TESOL forum and International Research Paper Presentation in the Philippines,
majority have no presentations. This finding corroborates with the findings in Table 8 that since
the teachers have not conducted current research paper, they have nothing to present in different
fora.
Table 9. Exposure of the Senior High School teachers on research along research presentation
Type of Research Frequency Rank

None at all 54 1
Local 5 2
International 2 3
National 1 4
*multiple response
Paper published
Table 10 shows the extent of research exposure of teachers in terms of paper published. It
is very evident that zero out of 60 teacher-respondents who taught practical research has not yet
published any research paper in any research publication. On interviews, practical research
teachers reported that they have zero research publication because one requirement for publication
is copyright. And that, theses and dissertations can only be published if it is repackaged.
Table 10. Exposure of the Senior High School teachers on research along research publication
Type of Research Frequency Percentage

None at all 60 100

Attitude of the Senior High School teachers in Research

Research Usefulness for Profession
Table 11 reveals the senior high school teachers’ attitudes in research along research
usefulness in profession. The respondents regarded research as useful as agreed that they employ
research approaches in the profession (4.05); research is useful in the career (3.98); is connected
to the field of study (3.96); is useful to every professional (3.96); and is very valuable (3.95). They
further agreed that the skills they have acquired in research will be helpful to them in the future
(3.91); research should be indispensable in their professional training (3.85); knowledge in
research is as useful as writing (3.83); research is as useful as writing (3.78); and research is
beneficial, because it improves critical thinking (3.71).

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The overall weighted mean of 3.90 with a descriptive value of useful indicates that teachers
are aware of the usefulness of research in their profession. Research studies are now gaining
unprecedented focus and attention in the academe which establishes the veracity that doing
research is not just imperative but a dire need. Educators need to be aware of the usefulness of
research in their profession, for it provides practitioners with new knowledge and understanding
about how to improve educational practices or resolve significant problems in classrooms and
school, Stringer (2008). Further, research offers multiple beneficial opportunities for those
professionals working within the teaching profession Johnson (2012). These opportunities include
facilitating professional development of educators; increasing teacher empowerment and bridging
the gap between research and practice Johnson (2012) & Mills (2011)

Usefulness to profession
Table 11. Attitude of the Senior High School teachers towards research with respect to its
usefulness to their profession
Weighted
Statements Descriptive Value
Mean
1. Research is useful to the career. 3.98 Useful
2. Research is connected to the field study. 3.97 Useful
3. Research should be indispensable in professional
training. 3.85 Useful
4. Research is useful to every professional. 3.97 Useful
5. Research is very valuable. 3.95 Useful
6. Research approaches can be employed in the
profession. 4.05 Useful
7. The skills acquired in research will be helpful in the
future. 3.92 Useful
8. Knowledge in research is as useful as writing. 3.83 Useful
9. Research is beneficial, because it improves critical
thinking. 3.72 Useful
10. Research is as useful as writing. 3.78 Useful
Overall weighted mean 3.90 Useful

Research Anxiety
Table 12 details the senior high school teachers’ attitude in research along research anxiety.
The teachers have a very high level of anxiety that research make them nervous (4.72); research is
time-consuming (4.7); is difficult (4.695); scares them (4.68); and is a complex task (4.67).
Furthermore they feel anxious because research requires too much analysis (4.64); they
feel insecure concerning analysis of data (4.63) it makes them anxious (4.53); is stressful (4.48);
and is complicated (4.45).

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The overall weighted mean of the research anxiety of teachers is 4.62 which has a
descriptive value of very high. This finding is consistent with the study of Oguan et. al (2014) ,
Papanastasiou (2005), Wei et al (2015) who said that anxiety towards research affect ones attitudes
or behavior towards research productivity.

Table 12. Attitude of the Senior High School teachers towards research with respect to their
anxiety
Weighted
Statements Descriptive Value
Mean
4.72
1. Research induces nervousness. Very high
4.48
2. Research is stressful. Very high
4.53
3. Research developed anxiousness. Very high
4.68
4. Research is scary. Very high
4.67
5. Research is a complex task. Very high
4.45
6. Research is complicated. Very high
4.70
7. Research is difficult. Very high
4.63
8. The analysis of data builds up insecurity. Very high
4.70
9. Research is time-consuming. Very high
4.64
10. Research requires too much analysis. Very high
Overall weighted mean 4.62 Very high

Positive Attitude towards Research

Table 13 shows the senior high school teachers’ attitude in research along positive attitude.
It can be interpreted on the table that teachers exhibit positive attitudes that they are inclined to
study the details of research (3.71); the intellectual challenge of academic research motivate them
to work harder (3.65); they enjoy reading academic research papers they are interested in (3.61);
they want to build a reputation as academic scholars through research (3.53); and acquired
knowledge in research is as useful as arithmetic (3.51).
Furthermore, the teachers are have somewhat positive statements of sharing research
results with other academic is very self-satisfying (3.32); they are interested in research (3.15);
research is interesting (3.07); academic research has value to them and will participate at school
(2.85); and most faculty benefit from research (2.83).
The overall weighted mean of positive attitude of teachers along research is 3.33 which has
a descriptive value of somewhat positive. This finding implies that teachers in the division of
Cagayan neither have low or high positive attitude toward research.
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Table 13. Attitude of the Senior High School teachers towards research with respect to positivity
Weighted
Statements Descriptive Value
Mean
1. The teachers are interested in research. 3.15 Somewhat positive
2. Research acquired knowledge is as useful as
arithmetic. 3.51 Positive
3. Research is interesting. 3.07 Somewhat positive
4. Most faculty benefit from research. 2.83 Somewhat positive
5. The teachers are inclined to study the details of
research. 3.71 Positive
6. Sharing research results with other academic is very
self-satisfying. 3.32 Somewhat positive
7. The teachers want to build a reputation as an
academic scholar through research. 3.53 Positive
8. Academic research has value. 2.85 Somewhat positive
9. The teachers enjoy reading academic research
papers. 3.61 Positive
10. The intellectual challenge of academic research
gives motivation to work harder. 3.70 Positive
Overall weighted mean 3.33 Somewhat positive

Research Difficulty
Table 14 exhibits the senior high school teachers’ attitude in research along research
difficulty. It can be viewed on the table that teachers find research very difficult that they find it
hard to comprehend the interrelationship of variables in the conceptual framework (4.34); they
find it difficult to understand the concept of research (4.34); they have trouble in crafting statement
of the problem (4.27); they do not know the ability to synthesize related literatures and studies and
to craft recommendation is always a challenge for them (4.25) respectively; they have problems
when it comes to interpretation of data (4.24); and doing implications based on the results irritates
them and they are not good enough in forming appropriate conclusions extracted from the results
of the analysis (4.22) respectively.
Furthermore, the respondents find research difficult that research takes them too much time
to integrate legal basis to support their research theoretical ground (4.19); and it is hard for them
to decipher appropriate statistical tests and tools to measure data.
The overall weighted mean of the teachers' attitude along research difficulty is 4.25 with a
descriptive value of very difficult, indicates that teachers lack orientation and other academic
activities related to research. It is also evident according to Oguan et al (2014) and Papanastasiou
(2005) that the development of difficulty is significantly related to research anxiety. Papanastasiou
and Zembylas (2006) explains this as “being confronted with new and challenging material”. They
assert that teachers suddenly find themselves being introduced to completely new concepts that
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are often accompanied by mathematically-based ideas, and are confronted with new and
challenging material which likely trigger a number of responses from teachers, including stress,
uncertainty and anxiety which causes them to exhibit research difficulty. Therefore, there is a need
for teachers to undergo seminars and trainings along research.

Table 14. Attitude of the Senior High School teachers towards research with respect to its difficulty
Weighted
Statements Descriptive Value
Mean
1. The teachers have trouble in crafting statement of 4.27
the problem. Very difficult
2. The teachers find it difficult to understand the 4.32
concept of research. Very difficult
3. The teachers find it hard to comprehend the
interrelationship of variables in the conceptual 4.34
framework. Very difficult
4. The teachers do not appropriately know the ability 4.25
to synthesize related literatures and studies. Very difficult
5. It’s hard to decipher appropriate statistical test and 4.17
tools to measure data. Difficult
6. The teachers have a problem when it comes to 4.24
interpretation of data. Very difficult
7. Doing the implication based on the results of the 4.22
data is irritating. Very difficult
8. The teachers are not good enough in forming
appropriate conclusions extracted from the results 4.22
of the analysis. Very difficult
9. It takes too much time to integrate legal basis to 4.19
support research theoretical ground. Difficult
4.25
10. To craft recommendations is always a challenge. Very difficult
Overall weighted mean 4.25 Very difficult

SHS Teacher’s Research Competencies

Table 15 portrays the senior high school teachers’ research competencies. As manifested
in the table, teachers are fairly competent on the description of qualitative and quantitative
research and the kinds of research across fields (3.08); knowledge on formulation of clear
statement of the problem (3.05); construction of instruments and establishment of reliability and
validity (2.9); selection, citation and properly related literature and selection of sampling
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techniques and statistical tools (2.81) respectively; and gathering relevant information with
intellectual honesty (2.8). Furthermore, they are fairly competent in the formation of logical
conclusions (2.71); knowledge on quantitative and qualitative research designs, data collection and
analysis of procedure (2.68); usage of sources according to ethical standards (2.66); and illustration
and explanation of conceptual framework.
The overall weighted mean of the senior high school teachers’ research competence is 2.81
which has a descriptive value of fairly competent. This finding insinuates that the senior high
school teachers’ competence is in midpoint, meaning they are uncertain of their competence in
research. Teachers who carry the vital responsibility to create a knowledge society should at first
themselves possess research qualifications and competence, considering that the purpose of an
education system is to raise research individuals who possess scientific attitudes and behaviors, it
is of capital importance that teachers having research qualifications and positive affective attitudes
towards research. Research qualifications have been listed by Buyokozturk (1999) as being
capable of “developing research project; limiting a topic and defining research problem; reviewing
literature in order to reach studies and periodicals about a specific subject; stating the research
problem as a hypothesis, question, statement, or sentence; collecting raw data via convenient tools
(questionnaire, observation, meeting, document scanning); evaluating the collected data properly
(analyzing) ; and preparing a scientific report by considering its rules, ethical guidelines and
principles. Ekiz (2006) stated that most teachers are willing to conduct research in order to help
students more easily and develop their own competence and instructional strategies and methods
to facilitate learning.

Table 15. Level of competence of the Senior High School teachers in research
Weighted
Competencies Descriptive Value
Mean
1. Knowledge on formulation of clear statement of the
problem 3.05 Fairly competent
2. Selection, citation and synthesis of properly related
literature 2.81 Fairly competent
3. Knowledge on quantitative and qualitative research
and the kinds of research across fields 2.68 Fairly competent
4. Usage of sources according to ethical standards 2.66 Fairly competent
5. Description of qualitative and quantitative research
designs, data collection and analysis procedure 3.08 Fairly competent
6. Gathering of relevant information with intellectual
honesty 2.80 Fairly competent
7. Formation of logical conclusions 2.71 Fairly competent
8. Illustration and explanation of conceptual
framework 2.59 Fairly competent

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9. Construction of instruments and establishment of

validity and reliability 2.90 Fairly competent
10. Selection of sampling techniques and statistical
tools 2.81 Fairly competent
Overall weighted mean 2.81 Fairly competent

Relationship between the Senior High School Teachers’ Level of Competence in Research
and the Selected Variables

Profile of the Senior High School teachers

The study hypothesized that there is no significant relationship between level of
competence of the Senior High School teachers in research and the profile of the respondents.
Table 16 shows that three variables (age, sex and length of service) significantly relate to the
teachers’ research competence. The null hypothesis therefore is rejected.
Age as reckoned by its computed correlation coefficient of 0.326 with a probability of
0.011 relates to teachers’ research competence. Higher competence is associated to older or
seasoned teachers. This is attributed to the length of service the teachers have rendered in the
academe. Thus, making them gain more knowledge, skills, experiences, update their educational
qualifications, undergo various trainings and seminars in the research-related field.
Consequently, sex is also found significantly related as reckoned by its correlation
coefficient of 0.290 and a probability of 0.025. Higher competence in research is more associated
to male teachers (coded as 1) than to female teachers (coded as 0). This is attributed from the fact
that women are linguistically intelligent and men are numerically intelligent. This finding implies
that since statistics (a branch of applied mathematics concerned with the collection and
interpretation of quantitative data and the use of probability theory to estimate population
parameters) is indispensable in research, thus, requires logical thoughtfulness,. Men are more
likely to develop higher competence in the field. This finding corroborated the research studies
conducted by Loori, A. Ali (2005) and Al Faoury, H.O & Smadi , M.O (2015). Loori, A, Ali (2005)
found that males preferred logical and mathematical intelligences whereas females preferred
interpersonal intelligence. Al-Faoury, H.O & Smadi, M.O (2015) found that males favored logical
intelligence while females favored linguistic intelligence.
More so, length of service is also found significantly related as manifested by its correlation
coefficient of 0.287 and a probability of 0.26. The longer they are in the teaching service, the
higher the teachers’ competence in research. This is attributed to the fact that length of service is
associated with higher positions in teaching. Thus, this is synonymously related to higher
competence in research because teachers with higher positions are required to conduct and develop
researches. More so, since the senior high school program is still in its second year of full
implementation, majority of the teaching workforce are also young and new in the academe as
corroborated in the tables 1 and 4. The importance of the finding is heightened given the context
in which the teaching workforce has become less experienced. The benefits of teaching experience
will be best realized when teachers are carefully selected and well prepared at their point of entry
into teaching workforce, as well as intensively mentored and rigorously evaluated prior to
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receiving tenure. This will ensure that those who the professional tier of teaching have met a
competency standard from which they can continue to expand their expertise throughout their
career. Although teachers improve at greater rates during the first few years of their careers,
teachers continue to improve, albeit at lesser rates throughout their career, T., Kini, & A. Podolsky
(2016)
Table 16. Correlation results between the Senior High School teachers’ level of competence in
research and their profile
Correlation
Variables Probability Statistical Inference
Coefficient
Level of competence in research
Profile
Age 0.326 0.011 Significant
Sex 0.290 0.025 Significant
Specialization (using 𝜒 2 ) 100.857 0.806 Not significant
Length of Service 0.287 0.026 Significant
Highest educational attainment 0.231 0.076 Not significant
Research-related subjects
0.057 0.664 Not significant
undergone
Seminars/Trainings along
-0.086 0.512 Not significant
Research attended
*tested at 0.05 level of significance

Research Exposure Senior High School teachers

Table 17 shows the correlation results between the senior high school teachers’ level of
competence in research and their research exposure. Based on the conglomerated result, there is
no significant relationship between the senior high school teachers’ level of research competence
and their research exposure. Rechecking on the raw data, the senior high school teachers have only
experienced at most three times writing and presenting researches. Thus, obviously, such exposure
does not bring a significant effect on the level of competence of teachers.

Table 17. Correlation results between the Senior High School teachers’ level of competence in
research and their research exposure
Correlation
Variables Probability Statistical Inference
Coefficient
Level of competence in research
Research Exposure
Research development 0.145 0.268 Not significant

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Research presentation -0.001 0.994 Not significant

Research publication Cannot be computed since it is constant
*tested at 0.05 level of significance

Attitude of the Senior High School teachers towards research

Apparent in table 18 is the correlation results between the senior high school teachers’ level
of competence in research and their attitude towards research.
The study hypothesized that there is no significant relationship between level of
competence of the Senior High School teachers in research and their attitude of the towards. Table
18 shows that respondents’ positive attitude towards research significantly relates to the teachers’
research competence. The null hypothesis therefore is rejected. Positive attitude towards research
is found significantly related as reckoned by its correlational coefficient of 0.371 and a probability
of 0.003. This finding means that the more positive the teachers’ attitude in research, the higher
their research competence. This implies that having a positive attitude towards research is a basic
requirement for teachers to teach the subject. Thus positive attitude is a contributory factor to
performance and competence Papanastasiou (2005).

Table 18. Correlation results between the Senior High School teachers’ level of competence in
research and their attitude towards research
Correlation Statistical
Variables Probability
Coefficient Inference
Level of competence in research
Attitude towards research
Usefulness to profession 0.123 0.349 Not significant
Anxiety -0.116 0.377 Not significant
Positivity 0.371 0.003 Significant
Difficulty -0.129 0.326 Not significant
*tested at 0.05 level of significance

IV. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Conclusions

The study reveals that majority of the Senior High School teachers who teach Practical
Research exhibit somewhat positive attitude towards research, thus, they regard research as useful
to their profession. However, they show very high anxiety and display high level of difficulty
because of their low exposure to research development, presentation and publication. Further, the
more useful the teachers think of research, the higher their level of positivity towards research.
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Then, the higher their research difficulties, the higher is their level of research anxiety.
Furthermore, the more experienced the teachers are, the higher their level of competence in
Research. The more the teachers’ exposure in research, the higher their level of competence.

Pedagogical Implication

The study highlights the importance of research exposure and research attitude. The study
emphasizes that as catalysts for change and responsible agents for the improvement of their own
classroom teaching and for uplifting students learning, Practical Research teachers to be able to
translate competencies of Practical research 1 and 2 should also be well exposed in research
through writing, completing, publishing engagements to bridge the gap between research findings
and classroom practices and enhance their professional growth and development as one of the key
result areas for the individual teacher’s performance commitment and review. Teaching strategies
and pedagogies could be manifested best when one is exposed and experienced with target subject
competencies. Ulla, M. et.al, 2017 emphasized that teachers who do research may not only find
solution to, reflect on, and learn from the existing problem they have in their classrooms, but they
also become equipped with knowledge and skills in doing research. As such, doing research is
indeed a significant contribution towards teachers’ professional development. Addressing their
needs would uplift the spirit because doing research as literatures support develops and improves
teachers' teaching knowledge and confidence (Borg, 2014), broadens and deepens understanding
of their own teaching styles and students' learning strategies (Borg, 2014; Hong and Lawrence,
2011; Burns, 2010), and makes them responsible and accountable for the improvement of their
teaching practice (Morales, 2016).

Recommendations

1. Relevant to this, the findings present enormous opportunity for the Department of
Education to help to open the doors for teachers to intensify their research experience
and provide professional development and opportunities that can help to de-mystify the
procedure and ignite a passion for research. To boost teachers to research exposures,
the Department of Education should encourage all practical research teachers to
conduct researches with incentives.
2. Subsequently, the learning institutions should uphold its programs on Research
Projects and must support teachers to attend continuing education as well as national
and international trainings and webinars to hone and upgrade their research skills.
3. Administrators and supervisors should choose teachers who are highly qualified to
teach research subjects of the senior high school regardless of their field of
specialization and allow them to collaborate with any educational practitioners whose
knowledge and competencies are in line with the field.
4. Teachers should show enthusiasm towards research in their profession to be able for
the students to imitate their positive behaviors towards research.
5. The future researchers and current researchers of Practical Research may consider this
as study a baseline to further ascertain the result of this present study. With respect to
teaching and learning, it is worth highlighting that another study should be conducted
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underscoring on the effective strategies utilized by teachers in achieving the desired

competencies in Practical Research.

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