ABSTRACT
This descriptive-correlational study examined the factors associated with scientific competence and their influence on the remedial development program among junior high school teachers in Dingle, Iloilo, during the 2022–2023 academic year. The participants consisted of twenty-five science teachers from selected junior high schools. The study investigated whether educational attainment significantly influenced scientific competence. Educational attainment was categorized into four groups: baccalaureate degree, baccalaureate degree with master’s units, master’s degree, and master’s degree with doctoral units. The findings revealed that educational attainment did not significantly influence scientific competence. Furthermore, teaching experience and the distance between teachers’ residences and their respective schools were examined as potential contributing factors. The results indicated no significant differences in scientific competence or in the quality of the remedial development program when analyzed according to these variables. Overall, scientific competence was not found to have a significant effect on the implementation of the remedial development program.
Keywords: Scientific Competence, Remedial Development Program
INTRODUCTION
Education is generally considered a socially organized and deliberate process by which societies pass knowledge, values, and experience between generations. UNESCO (2025) highlights that formal education provided in structured institutions is the main mechanism that maintains this continuity. This view of education emphasizes not merely the transfer of information but rather a dynamic process of knowledge exchange that changes with society’s needs and expectations. Present-day classroom approaches, in turn, need to be adjusted to this perspective and promote meaningful interaction, flexibility, and the development of lifelong learning abilities (Hariri et al., 2024).
The quality of teachers is a central part of the success of any educational system. Studies have demonstrated that educational reform will not be effective in the absence of qualified and well-trained teachers. Research emphasizes that the lack of teacher supply and insufficient professional training have a direct impact on educational outcomes, especially in the Philippines (Rivera et al., 2025). Teachers are identified as the most important predictors of student achievement and the overall quality of education (Akmal et al., 2025). Moreover, according to Gümüş et al. (2022), teacher competence and effectiveness are key to the realization of national educational priorities.
In addition to providing subject matter, teachers are critical to the intellectual, emotional, and social growth of learners. Successful teachers guide learners through the learning process, tailor instructional methods to the needs of individual students, and develop critical and independent thinking. It has been demonstrated that the quality of teaching practices, and not just content delivery, is an important element of student learning outcomes (Catalán Molina et al., 2022). With this in mind, educators have the responsibility of molding learners into responsible, competent, and informed members of society, in line with the overall objectives of education globally and in the Philippines (Mangaliman, 2025).
Teacher competence is a diverse set of qualities that includes technical knowledge, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, communication skills, teamwork, and ethical practice (Kuloğlu et al., 2022). The manner in which these competencies are implemented in classrooms, and their implications for improved learner performance, is equally important (Geletu, 2022). With ever-changing educational requirements, researchers note the importance of continuous study to remain aware of existing issues and to develop responsive plans to improve the quality of teaching practices (Ajani, 2024). Strengthening education, in turn, demands both the recruitment of more educators and investment in long-term professional development and motivation to ensure high-quality instruction (Edu, 2025).
In the local context, observations conducted at Dingle National High School indicate that certain learners fail to perform critical science-related tasks, which negatively affects their academic performance in this subject area. As scientific competence has been identified as the basis of learners’ academic success and future opportunities, it is necessary to investigate the impact of instructional practices and teacher competencies on the development of essential scientific skills.
This study, therefore, aims to examine learners’ scientific competence as a basis for developing remedial programs grounded in identified gaps to foster improved learning outcomes.
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