The Influence of Differentiated Instruction and Teaching Competence on the Technical Skills of Senior High School Students

ABSTRACT The study aimed to determine the significant relationship between teachers’ differentiated instruction and teaching competence to the technical skills of cookery students at selected secondary schools in Davao Occidental, particularly in the municipalities of Malita, Santa Maria, and Don Marcelino using a descriptive-correlational research design. There were 305 respondents of the study selected using a stratified sampling technique. An adapted survey guide questionnaire was utilized during the data collection. The findings revealed a high level of teachers' differentiated instructions in terms of student interest, assessment, lesson planning, content, process, and product. The teachers’ teaching competence was high in the areas of planning, development, and results. It was also found that the technical skills of students in terms of cooking, electrical installation, woodcarving, and drafting were high. A significant relationship between differentiated instruction and technical skills was found. Similarly, a significant relationship was also established between teaching competence and technical skills. Moreover, the teacher’s differentiated instruction and teaching competence have a direct influence on the level of SHS students' technical skills. Instruction should be differentiated to benefit student based on their needs, and teachers must possess teaching competence to manage the overall skills development.