Pedagogical Skills as Predictors of Teaching Performance among High School Teachers at Aldersgate College Incorporated: Basis for a Training Design
Abstract
This study examined the extent to which pedagogical skills predict teaching performance among high school teachers at Aldersgate College Incorporated, Solano, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines, to inform a training design. The study used a quantitative, correlational-predictive design and included a total enumeration of 32 full-time high school teachers. Data were gathered through adapted questionnaires measuring pedagogical skills (values for students, professional values, general capacities, and pedagogical capacities; adapted from Huong et al., 2021) and teaching performance (teaching and learning effectiveness, classroom management, assessment and evaluation practices, and teacher–student relationships; adapted from (Hyder, 2021) on a four-point scale, together with an open-ended item on training needs. Frequencies, percentages, weighted means, standard deviations, Pearson r, and simple and multiple regression were used at α = .05, and the open-ended responses were analyzed thematically. The respondents were predominantly young (81.3% aged 31 and below), female (68.8%), and early-career (75.0% with one to five years of experience). Both pedagogical skills (M = 3.71, SD = 0.27) and teaching performance (M = 3.71, SD = 0.27) were perceived as Very High. Pedagogical skills were significantly and positively related to teaching performance (r = .662, p < .001) and significantly predicted it (R² = .439, F(1, 30) = 23.43, p < .001). When the four domains were entered together (R² = .571, F(4, 27) = 8.99, p < .001), only pedagogical capacities emerged as a significant unique predictor (B = 0.591, p = .003). Classroom management was the most frequently suggested training need (f = 10). Based on these findings, the PEDAGOSO: Pedagogical Skills Optimization Program, a year-long professional development program with six components, is proposed. The study concludes that professional development should prioritize pedagogical capacities, particularly for early-career teachers, and recommends institutional mentoring, coaching, and sustained, practice-oriented training.