Digital Literacy, Pedagogical Knowledge, and Research Skill: A Structural Equation Model in Professional Competence of Teachers

Aims: To determine the levels of digital literacy, pedagogical knowledge, and research skills and to identify the best-fit model of professional competence of elementary and high school teachers in Southern Mindanao Region, Philippines.

Study Design: Quantitative-causal research design utilizing the Structural Equation Model.

Place and Duration of Study: Southern Mindanao Region, The Philippines, during the school year 2022-2023.

Methodology: Stratified random sampling technique was used to determine the 400 elementary and secondary Filipino teachers. Only those respondents who agreed to be part of the study were included. However, this study did not have teachers not handling Filipino subjects; those teaching in college; teaching outside Region XI; or training in the previous school year. The respondents came from different divisions of Davao City, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental, Davao de Oro, Davao Oriental, Digos City, Mati City, Panabo City, Island Garden of Samal, and Tagum City.

Results: Filipino teachers' digital literacy, pedagogical knowledge, and research skills were very high. It indicated that digital literacy, pedagogical knowledge, and research skills were observed. Likewise, my professional competence was also very high. It was an indication that the respondents paid much attention to professional abilities. It also revealed that digital literacy, pedagogical knowledge, research skills, and professional competence had a significant relationship. Among the five models tested, hypothesized model 5 was the best-fitted model. Digital literacy exhibited the effect, making it a significant predictor of professional competence. In contrast, pedagogical knowledge shows eligible results, which means partly a predictor of professional competence. Moreover, the research skill shows a negligible direct effect on professional competence.

Conclusion: Model 5 was the most appropriate model for the teachers' professional competence, and the study indicated that Filipino teachers in Southern Mindanao Region had very high levels of digital literacy, pedagogical knowledge, research skill, and professional competence. It implies that teachers must maintain substantial and relevant teaching-learning activities to gain professional competence. It shows further that these three independent variables may be used as a starting point for future research and as a resource when creating prospectuses for students enrolling in education programs.