Collaborative School Culture and Teacher Professional Agency in Public Elementary Schools

Abstract

This study explored how collaborative school culture relates to teacher professional agency among public elementary school teachers in Cauayan City, Isabela. Anchored on the view that school culture shapes teachers’ capacity to participate, decide, and contribute within their professional setting, it determined the level of collaborative school culture in terms of collegial support, shared decision-making, professional dialogue, mutual trust, and collective responsibility, as well as the level of teacher professional agency in terms of professional voice, instructional decision-making, initiative, and professional engagement. Using a quantitative descriptive-correlational design, data were gathered through a validated survey questionnaire with excellent internal consistency. Statistical treatment included weighted mean, standard deviation, Pearson product-moment correlation, and multiple linear regression. Findings revealed that both collaborative school culture and teacher professional agency were rated very high. A strong and statistically significant positive relationship was found between the two variables, indicating that teachers working in more collaborative school environments tended to demonstrate stronger professional agency. Regression results further showed that professional dialogue and reflective exchange, collegial support and mutual assistance, mutual trust and respect, and shared decision-making practices significantly predicted teacher professional agency. The study concluded that a strong collaborative culture served as an important professional condition that supported teachers’ capacity to act purposefully, participate meaningfully, and contribute actively to school improvement.