Central Mindanao University

This study examined the influence of socio-emotional competence and instructional leadership on the attrition of teachers. A quantitative research design, descriptive-correlational method was utilized to examine socio-emotional competence and instructional leadership as predictors of teacher attrition among public school teachers in Don Carlos District, Bukidnon Division, Region X for the School Year 2025-2026. Attrition has become one of the most pressing issues facing education system here in Philippines. Findings revealed moderate attrition influence across all domains, with Salary/Benefits and Assignment Factors highest. Despite pressures, teachers maintained high instructional competence. Pearson correlations showed significant negative relationships between attrition and socio-emotional competence and instructional leadership, strongest for Monitoring Instruction. Multiple regression analysis identified four significant predictors: Monitoring Instruction, Responsible Decision-Making, Supporting Teachers, and Relationship Skills, explaining 50.7% of attrition variance. Instructional leadership emerged as the dominant attrition factor. The study concludes that leadership deficiencies, particularly inadequate instructional monitoring, drive rural teacher attrition more than environmental pressures. Recommendations include mandatory principal training in monitoring protocols, socio-emotional competence workshops, structured teacher support systems, and retention-linked incentives.

This research examined the research capability of teachers in integrated schools and its relationship with technical support availability and socio-emotional learning competency. It determined the levels of technical support, socio-emotional learning, and research capability across four dimensions: information retrieval, information management, communication and collaboration, and research application and ethics. It also explored the relationships among these variables and identified significant predictors of research capability. A descriptive-correlational research design was employed. The study was conducted in the four Districts of Quezon in the Division of Bukidnon during the school year 2025-2026. A total of three hundred four (304) teachers voluntarily participated in answering the research questionnaire. Data were gathered using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation, and multiple regression analysis. Findings revealed that technical support availability, socio-emotional learning competency, and research capability were all at high levels. Both technical support and socio-emotional learning were significantly related to research capability, with socio-emotional learning demonstrating a stronger association. Regression analysis identified responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and responsiveness as significant predictors, collectively explaining a substantial portion of the variance in research capability. The study concludes that while technical support provides necessary external conditions for research engagement, socio-emotional competencies exert a greater influence on teachers’ research capability. These findings highlight the importance of strengthening both institutional support systems and teachers’ internal competencies to enhance research productivity and professional practice.

This study examined the effectiveness of Physics Education Technology (PhET) simulation-assisted instruction on students’ academic achievement and motivation in electromagnetism. A quasi-experimental quantitative design was employed involving second-year Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Science students, with one group exposed to PhET-integrated instruction and another taught using traditional methods. Academic achievement was measured through pretests and posttests, while motivation was assessed using a validated questionnaire covering intrinsic motivation, amotivation, extrinsic–career motivation, and social–extrinsic motivation. Results revealed that both groups initially demonstrated very low academic achievement, with most students classified under the failure category during the pretest. After the intervention, the PhET group exhibited a marked improvement, with all students attaining good to very good performance levels and no failures recorded. In contrast, although the non-PhET group showed some improvement, the majority of students remained at a satisfactory level. ANCOVA results indicated a statistically significant difference in posttest academic achievement between the two groups when pretest scores were controlled (p < 0.01), favoring the PhET simulation-assisted instruction. In terms of motivation, students in the PhET group demonstrated higher levels across all motivational dimensions compared to those in the non-PhET group. Overall motivation for the PhET group was interpreted as motivated, while the non-PhET group displayed lower motivational levels. Independent samples t-test results confirmed a statistically significant difference in overall motivation between the groups (p < 0.001). These findings suggest that integrating PhET simulations into physics instruction significantly enhances both conceptual understanding and student motivation in electromagnetism.

This study analyses the lived experiences of novice teachers in entrepreneurial cooperative schools in the Philippines. These schools offer a value-oriented alternative to private schools, especially given that so many teachers are burning out. The research was conducted at one cooperative school in the Quezon IV district of Bukidnon. It addresses a critical gap: these schools offer promising teamwork and fortitude but lack sufficient information about why novice teachers choose them, what problems they face, what they gain, and what advice they offer in resource-minimal settings. The aim was to determine why they chose these jobs, what challenges they faced, what benefits they gained, and what advice they would give others. We intentionally selected 15 novice teachers with less than 2 years of on-the-job experience. We conducted open-ended interviews and analyzed excerpts to identify four main themes. They appreciated team support, shared plans, and encouragement/guidance from experienced teachers to get started. But real issues arise: insufficient supplies or technology, extensive responsibilities, pressure to bring in more students through local outreach, and administrative stagnation. Despite all of these, they emerged more resilient, navigating adversity, taking charge of small projects, and developing intrapreneurial leadership to foster institutional sustainability. Their advice was practical to stay flexible, utilize team capacity, and integrate abstract principles with practical applications. The results show that these schools have significant potential but are underdeveloped. The study calls for better training programs, equitable resource distribution and manageable workloads to retain teachers.

The study investigates how senior high school students view digital games. Although students report that digital games provide opportunities for relaxation, enjoyment, and a connection to peers as the primary motivators driving play, they also highlight problematic aspects of use including gaming addiction, which may impact academic motivation and learning outcomes in negative ways. The findings present accounts from qualitative interviews with Grade 11 students from Silae National High School who recounted playing digital games after school on personal devices such as mobile phones, while balancing classroom obligations, homework, and family responsibilities. This occurred in resource-poor contexts where institutional guidelines for responsible gaming and digital well-being rarely exist. While many Philippine studies have quantified the link between online gaming and academic performance, generally reporting moderate negative impacts of regular gaming on grades, attention, and classroom participation (DepEd Region VIII, 2023; Rufo, 2023; Sumibcay, 2024; see also Mahmud et al., 2023), relatively few have qualitatively examined how senior high school students themselves make sense of digital games both as stress relief and academic risk in their everyday school lives. Although recent qualitative research on the lived experiences of online gaming among Filipino senior high school students offers a glimpse into the rich and complex tapestry of habitual pleasure, social connectedness, stress relief, as well as preliminary signs of addiction, such studies are limited in number and typically focus on single or bimodal states. The students’ narratives suggest that, while they often seek relief from stress, boredom, loneliness, and pressure from studies and family by playing digital games for escape or relaxation (echoing some local evidence [e.g., DepEd Region VIII, 2023] as well as international research [e.g., Mahmud et al., 2023; Rufo, 2023; Sun et al., 2023]), excessive gaming is reported to cause significant problems with time management and distract them from school tasks, leading to sleep deprivation or missed opportunities for academic engagement. This research aims to describe and explore the perspectives and experiences of senior high school students in a Filipino public school concerning digital games, and how their engagement with digital games relates to balancing gaming time with academic performance and learning outcomes. This study concludes with important suggestions for digital game engagement in a senior high school setting. It highlights students' perspectives, offering contextualized information that enriches findings beyond correlational statistics by illustrating how gaming, stress, family matters, and schooling intersect within real-life contexts. Findings specific to school-based guidance programs, as well as the role of the home in advocating responsible gaming, time management, and self-regulation strategies for students, would benefit homeroom advisories and parent-teacher initiatives promoting digital well-being in senior high school. Senior high schools should also ensure that discussions of digital well-being are incorporated into existing academic work and pastoral care structures. Future prospects may involve designing and piloting such targeted interventions as structured time-management workshops, digital wellness modules, or game-oriented learning approaches to harness student interest in digital games while counterbalancing their deleterious impacts on academic engagement and health, supported by emerging evidence from the Philippines and elsewhere that properly guided student engagement can alleviate the negative academic impact of online gaming (Mahmud et al., 2023; Online Gaming Addiction…, 2024; Sun et al., 2023).