Teacher Competence as a Predictor of Students’ Academic Performance in English, Mathematics and Science
This study determined the predictive relationship between teacher competence and students’ academic performance in English, Mathematics, and Science in selected public elementary schools in the 4th, 5th, and 6th Congressional Districts of the Schools Division of Pangasinan II. Specifically, it assessed teacher competence along content knowledge, teaching strategies, classroom structure, assessment practices, and resource utilization; described learners’ academic performance; examined the relationship between Classroom Observation Tool (COT) scores and academic performance; and identified the competency most strongly associated with learners’ performance. The study employed a quantitative correlational design using documentary analysis of official COT records and students’ school-based or standardized assessment records. Total enumeration was used, involving 130 Grade 5 and Grade 6 teachers, with corresponding academic performance data from 4,186 learners. Mean, standard deviation, Pearson product-moment correlation, and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the data. Findings revealed that teachers demonstrated a very high level of competence across all five domains. However, students’ academic performance in English, Mathematics, and Science was generally below expectations, with an overall mean of 61.80. Correlation results showed significant but generally weak to moderate inverse relationships between COT scores and student performance, indicating that the relationship was complex and not directly linear. Regression analysis showed that the five competencies explained 11.0% of the variance in students’ mean final grades, with classroom structure emerging as the only statistically significant predictor. The study concludes that COT ratings should be used with other learner, assessment, and contextual evidence to guide instructional supervision and targeted professional development.