Professional Development Training and Academic Support: Predictors of Teachers’ Confidence in Curriculum Change

Amid ongoing educational reforms in the Philippines, particularly the introduction of the MATATAG Curriculum, Kindergarten and Grade One teachers face the complex task of adapting to revised standards, instructional strategies, and content requirements. These shifts can be overwhelming, especially for early-grade teachers who lay the foundation of a child’s learning journey. This study investigates whether access to professional development training and the availability of academic support from administrators and peers significantly influence teachers’ confidence in implementing curriculum changes. Using a quantitative-descriptive correlational design, data were collected from 106 public school Kindergarten and Grade One teachers through a structured Likert-scale survey. Descriptive statistics such as mean, percentage, and standard deviation were utilized to establish the profile in the study. Multiple regression was also employed to ascertain if professional development, training, and academic support influence teachers’ confidence to implement the new curriculum. Results showed that both professional development (M=4.40), educational support (M=4.22), and teaching confidence (M=4.36) were generally high. These independent variables were also significant predictors of teacher confidence (F=247.587, p-value <0.001). Specifically, teachers who engaged in relevant, ongoing training and received consistent support from their administrators and fellow educators demonstrated higher confidence levels in executing the curriculum reforms, with a 47.3% increase per unit of each predictor. The variance from both predictors (R2=0.839) which can be accounted to the impact in teachers’ confidence in a curricular reform, also pointed out the need to explore other contributing variables based on its 16.10% difference, such as leadership, teacher motivation, or classroom resources, that may influence teachers' confidence for curriculum change.