Research Competencies of Senior High School Educators in Zamboanga City: Pathways for Continuous Advancement

Abstract

Secondary educators are increasingly tasked with mentoring students in research, yet the readiness of teachers outside metropolitan areas remains underexplored. This descriptive-quantitative study evaluated the baseline research competencies of 399 randomly selected public senior high school teachers in the Zamboanga City Division. Data collected via a validated instrument were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results indicated that while participants possessed advanced digital information-gathering skills, they exhibited deficits in complex competencies like statistical analysis and methodological design. Neither gender nor baseline education significantly influenced capacity. However, professional development was highly determinative; educators with immersive, international training exhibited significantly superior quantitative and problem-solving skills compared to those restricted to localized seminars. Cultivating a genuine research-pedagogy nexus requires institutional re-engineering. Administrators must replace short-term seminars with sustained, globally aligned capacity-building frameworks to equip educators for modern research-infused curricula.