Instructional Competencies of Special Education Teachers in the Division of Zamboanga City, Philippines: Basis for a Training Program
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21459507Keywords:
instructional competencies, special education teachers, inclusive education, professional development, training program, mixed-methods research, PhilippinesAbstract
Effective inclusive education depends on the instructional competence of Special Education (SpEd) teachers, yet evidence on how this competence is distributed, perceived, and supported through professional development remains limited in the Philippine local-government-unit context. This study assessed the instructional competencies of SpEd teachers in the Schools Division of Zamboanga City, Philippines, as a basis for a professional training program. Using a convergent mixed-methods design, survey data were gathered from 157 SpEd, master, and receiving teachers and 17 school administrators (N = 174), supplemented by semi-structured interviews. Respondents rated instructional competencies across five domains: classroom management, teacher qualifications, subject-matter proficiency, instructional methodologies, and research and community participation. Results showed that SpEd teachers were rated "Very Competent" in classroom management (AWM = 4.5), subject-matter proficiency (AWM = 4.3), and instructional methodologies (AWM = 4.2), "Competent" in qualifications (AWM = 4.1), and only "Moderately Competent" in research and community participation (AWM = 3.3). Independent-samples t-tests revealed no statistically significant difference between administrators' and teachers' perceptions across all five domains (p > .05 in every case), indicating shared understanding of instructional strengths and needs. Teachers identified handling classroom disruptions, emotional and physical well-being, and resource availability as their most pressing challenges. A proposed training program, "Empowering Special Education Teachers: Mastering Instructional Competencies for Inclusive Education," was rated Very Acceptable (AWM = 4.8), Very Suitable (AWM = 4.8), and Very Feasible (AWM = 4.2) by respondents. Findings underscore the need for differentiated, career-stage-responsive professional development that strengthens research engagement and classroom-behavior support for SpEd teachers. Implications for inclusive-education policy and practice in similar decentralized school divisions are discussed.
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