Exploring the Influence of Socio-Demographic Factors on the Pedagogical Competence of Social Studies Teachers

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the relationship between socio-demographic factors and the pedagogical competence of Social Studies teachers. This study employed non – experimental quantitative research design through descriptive – correlational technique.  It included public schools’ teachers in the 4 districts of Malita, Davao Occidental. The data were gathered from 220 social studies public school teachers selected using the stratified random sampling. In this study, a modified version of a questionnaire from Kiasi (2022) was utilized. The statistical tools employed in the study were mean, percentage, Spearman’s rho correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. The findings revealed that the majority of respondents were female, predominantly aged between 31 and 35 years. Most teachers completed a college degree and had 6 to 10 years of teaching experience, indicating they were well-established in their careers. The study found that the overall level of pedagogical competence among these teachers was very high, with effective practices consistently observed from planning to evaluation stages of the teaching process. The analysis revealed no significant relationship between the demographic variables such as age, length of service, and educational attainment and the level of pedagogical competence among Social Studies teachers in public schools. Consequently, the null hypothesis was accepted, indicating that none of these demographic domains predict the pedagogical competence of Social Studies teachers. Thus, age, length of service, and educational attainment does not influence the pedagogical competence of Social Studies teachers in public schools. These insights highlight the importance of targeted professional development and support programs tailored to teachers at different career stages to further enhance their pedagogical skills.