Davao Oriental State University

This study is significant as it provides empirical insights into how student well-being and self-efficacy influence the utilization of guidance services in the university setting. In an educational environment where students face academic pressures, social challenges, and personal concerns, understanding the factors that encourage or hinder their use of guidance services is essential for improving student support systems. The main objective of this study was to determine whether the indicators of student well-being and self-efficacy significantly predict the extent of utilization of guidance services. It utilized the descriptive correlational research design using a survey questionnaire to gather the data. A stratified random sampling technique was employed, and a total of 398 student respondents from the university participated in the study. The results revealed a significant relationship between student well-being, self-efficacy, and the utilization of guidance services. Findings showed that the indicators of student well-being and self-efficacy are significant predictors of students’ engagement with guidance services. This implies that students who possess higher levels of emotional, social, and psychological well-being, as well as stronger beliefs in their academic and social capabilities, are more likely to seek and utilize available guidance services. The study underscores the importance of strengthening programs that promote student well-being and self-efficacy as part of the guidance program. By enhancing these areas, educational institutions can encourage greater student participation in guidance services, leading to improved coping skills, better academic adjustment, and overall student development. Prioritizing student well-being and self-efficacy within institutional policies and guidance initiatives can contribute to a more responsive, supportive, and student-centered educational environment.

This study assessed the occupational safety and health (OSH) awareness and project management practices of project engineers in road construction within Region XI. Using a non- experimental quantitative design with a descriptive-correlational approach, data were collected from 150 project engineers via a validated survey. Findings revealed that OSH awareness among respondents was generally high across indicators, including workers’ training, safety awareness, and company safety activities. Similarly, project management practices in terms of planning, funding, monitoring, evaluation, and risk management were rated very high. Statistical analysis indicated a significant relationship between OSH awareness and project management practices, suggesting that improved safety awareness contributes to more effective project execution. However, gaps were identified in specialized safety training and technical knowledge. The study concludes that integrating OSH principles into project management enhances both safety performance and project outcomes and recommends strengthening targeted training programs and continuous professional development initiatives.

Science teachers play a critical role in ensuring effective classroom instruction, particularly in rural and resource-limited settings where instructional challenges persist. This study aimed to assess the level of preparedness of public secondary science teachers in the Lupon East and Lupon West Districts, Division of Davao Oriental, and to determine whether significant differences in preparedness exist across groups defined by selected demographic variables. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior, the study examined teacher preparedness in terms of attitude toward preparation, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control using a quantitative descriptive research design. A total of 52 science teachers were included through total enumeration, and data were collected using a validated survey questionnaire and analyzed through descriptive statistics and Analysis of Variance. The results revealed a very high level of preparedness among science teachers across all three dimensions, with attitude toward preparation obtaining the highest mean, followed by subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. No significant differences in preparedness were found across age, sex, and educational attainment groups. Significant differences were observed based on civil status and length of service, with single teachers and those with six to ten years of teaching experience demonstrating higher levels of preparedness. These findings suggest that science teacher preparedness is shaped more by professional experience and personal circumstances than by demographic or academic characteristics. The study concludes that contextualized professional development programs tailored to teachers’ career stages and rural teaching conditions are essential to sustaining and enhancing science instruction in Lupon District, Davao Oriental.

Citizen evaluations of who is fit to govern are central to democratic legitimacy, especially in local governance, where public authority is experienced through everyday services and community decisions. This systematic literature review synthesized empirical evidence on how citizens define, interpret, and evaluate leadership qualifications in governance. Guided by the PICo framework and a PRISMA 2020-aligned process, the review examined citizens, voters, residents, service users, and community members; citizens' perceptions of leadership qualifications; and governance contexts, with an emphasis on local governance. A total of 549 records were screened using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. From 232 broadly included studies, 53 core studies were retained for final thematic synthesis after MMAT-informed appraisal and second-stage refinement. Findings show that citizens assess leadership fitness through a multidimensional framework. Integrity and anti-corruption credibility operate as threshold qualifications, while competence is judged through service delivery, responsiveness, problem-solving, communication, and administrative performance. Trust, participation, accountability, and perceived public-service orientation further shape citizens' views of leaders' qualifications. Unlike prior meta-analyses that quantify the association between a single governance construct (e.g., trust or satisfaction) and an outcome, this review's principal contribution is the Ethical-Capability Legitimacy model, which explains how moral credibility and practical performance combine sequentially and reciprocally to produce citizen judgments of leadership fitness, rather than merely cataloging the dimensions citizens mention. The review followed PRISMA 2020 reporting standards for identification, screening, and synthesis, adapted to a narrative rather than meta-analytic design because no quantitative pooling of effect sizes was undertaken. The review concludes that leadership qualification is publicly constructed through the interaction of ethical trust and practical capability. Effective governance therefore, depends on leaders who are not only technically competent but also perceived as accountable, inclusive, responsive, and committed to public welfare.

This study examined the relationship between consistency in reinforcement practices, consistency in responses to misbehavior, and learner on-task behavior among learners in Special Education (SPED) classrooms. Guided by a quantitative descriptive–correlational research design, the study involved 63 SPED teachers from selected schools offering SPED programs in Davao de Oro, Philippines. Data were collected using an adapted and validated survey questionnaire measuring reinforcement practices, responses to misbehavior, and learner on-task behavior. Descriptive statistics, including weighted mean and standard deviation, were used to determine the levels of the variables, while Pearson’s product–moment correlation coefficient was employed to examine significant relationships among them. Findings revealed that SPED teachers demonstrated a very high level of consistency in reinforcement practices (M = 4.27, SD = 0.53), particularly in the timeliness of reinforcement (M = 4.43, SD = 0.55) and uniformity of reward criteria (M = 4.21, SD = 0.59). Similarly, consistency in responding to misbehavior was rated very high (M = 4.20, SD = 0.62), with predictability of behavioral correction (M = 4.21, SD = 0.67) and uniform application of consequences (M = 4.16, SD = 0.63). Learner on-task behavior was assessed as high (M = 3.99, SD = 0.75), reflected in sustained attention to tasks (M = 3.99, SD = 0.78) and task completion (M = 3.98, SD = 0.78). Correlation analysis indicated a significant positive relationship between consistency in reinforcement practices and learner on-task behavior (r = .313, p = .012), and a stronger significant relationship between consistency in responding to misbehavior and learner on-task behavior (r = .599, p < .001). The findings suggest that consistent behavioral management practices, particularly predictable responses to misbehavior, are associated with improved learner engagement and task-focused behavior in SPED classrooms.