Competencies of STEM Coordinators in Batangas Province in the VUCA Environment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22675142Keywords:
VUCA in education, STEM, STEM Coordinators, School planning, PPAs implementation, Setting educational standards, Building partnerships, Child-friendly environmentAbstract
The study determined the level of competence of STEM coordinators relative to their participation in the development of School Improvement Plan (SIP), implementation of programs and projects, establishing a child-friendly school, engagement in setting educational standards, and strengthening stakeholders’ involvement. Moreover, the study also assessed the extent of implementation of school programs and projects in adapting to the VUCA environment. Furthermore, the differences in the assessments of the school heads and coordinators on the level of competence of STEM coordinators and extent of implementation of school programs and projects were also determined. The study also identified the issues and challenges encountered by coordinators in the adaptation of VUCA. Descriptive research design within a quantitative framework was employed, with a survey questionnaire serving as the main data gathering instrument, substantiated by the interviews and FGD. The respondents of the study were 63 STEM coordinators and 56 school heads. Weighted mean and t-test were utilized in statistical analysis. Results revealed that the coordinators assessed themselves as moderately competent in their contribution to school planning, implementing PPAs, setting educational standards, and building partnerships, while they considered themselves as highly competent in setting a child-friendly environment. On the other hand, school heads considered coordinators as highly competent in these aspects. Generally, school heads and coordinators significantly differ in terms of their perception of the STEM coordinators’ level of competence and extent of implementation of PPAs, with school heads being generally more positive in evaluations than coordinators. It was also disclosed that the school programs and projects were satisfactorily implemented in public senior high schools with a STEM program in Batangas Province. Meanwhile, the issues and challenges identified were availability of new resources and innovative systems, managing diverse opinions, and teachers’ commitment to improving professional practice. These findings were considered in the development of a VUCA-based capacity-building program to improve the competence of coordinators in performing their roles in a VUCA environment.
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