Teachers’ Readiness, Professional Competence, and Career Advancement Experiences under the Expanded Career Progression System among Public Elementary School Teachers in Alamada, Cotabato: An Explanatory-Sequential Mixed-Methods Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65339/wjsam.V1.I2.24Keywords:
Career Advancement, Career Readiness, Elementary Teachers, Expanded Career Progression, Mixed-Methods Research, Professional Competence, Teacher MentoringAbstract
This study examined public elementary school teachers’ readiness, professional competence, and career advancement experiences under the Expanded Career Progression (ECP) System in Alamada, Cotabato. An explanatory-sequential mixed-methods design combined questionnaire responses from 306 teachers selected through total enumeration with semi-structured interviews involving purposively selected participants. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, multiple regression, and thematic analysis. Teachers reported very high levels of perceived readiness (M = 4.331), professional competence (M = 4.511), and career advancement experiences (M = 4.379). Readiness was significantly associated with professional competence (r = 0.819) and advancement experiences (r = 0.918), while competence was significantly related to advancement experiences (r = 0.830; all p < .001). Readiness and competence jointly explained 85.6% of the variance in advancement experiences (R² = 0.856), with readiness emerging as the stronger predictor. Qualitative findings highlighted professional learning, mentoring, and policy clarity alongside challenges involving documentation, workload, financial constraints, and preparation time. The study concluded that career advancement experiences were closely associated with professional preparedness and institutional support. Strengthening ECP orientation, competency-based training, portfolio coaching, and equitable institutional assistance was recommended. Self-reported assessments and the localized setting limited causal interpretation and broader generalization. The findings provide context-specific evidence to guide institutional decisions and strengthen competency-based teacher career progression.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Mark Ronel N. Garcia, Princess B. Mayo, Cairodin G. Bagumbaran, Manilyn S. Buenaflor, Gian Anthony B. Buenaflor, Milady B. Mayo, Monen Grace Ulie-Sultan, Dr. Eduardo M. Tejeros III, LPT, Dr. Mark Gennesis B. Dela Cerna, LPT (Author)
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