The coaching and mentoring practices in secondary schools of Daraga districts

This study explored the coaching and mentoring practices of school heads and master teachers on content knowledge and pedagogy in secondary schools of Daraga Districts, school year 2024 to 2025. Specifically, it answered the following sub-problems: 1. What are the areas in content knowledge and pedagogy that school heads and master teachers provide in Daraga Districts?; 2. What is the extent of practice in coaching and mentoring along content knowledge and its application within and across curriculum areas; research-based knowledge and principles of teaching and learning; positive use of information communication technology; strategies for promoting literacy and numeracy; strategies for developing critical and creative thinking as well as other higher-order thinking skills; and classroom communication strategies?; 3. Is there a significant difference on the extent of practice in coaching and mentoring between the two (2) districts of Daraga along the above-mentioned areas?; 4. What are the challenges in coaching and mentoring?; and 5. What coaching and mentoring plan may be proposed to address the challenges met? The null hypothesis that there is no significant difference on the extent of practice in coaching and mentoring along the identified areas in content knowledge and pedagogy between the two (2) districts of Daraga. The researcher used the quantitative research methodology and followed the descriptive-survey method wherein a questionnaire was the main instrument. The respondents of the study had a total number of 285. There were 194 respondents from Daraga North District composed of twenty-eight (28) master teachers and sample respondents of 166 secondary teachers and ninety-one (91) respondents from Daraga South District composed of eleven (11) master teachers and sample respondents of eighty (80) secondary teachers. The findings revealed that there are six (6) areas in content knowledge and pedagogy that school heads and master teachers provide in Daraga Districts. These are: content knowledge and its application within and across curriculum areas with 284 out of 295 or 96.27 %. It is followed by strategies for promoting literary and numeracy with a total frequency of 278 out of 295 or 94.24 %. Next is strategies for developing critical and creative thinking as well as other higher order thinking skills with an average frequency of 274 out of 295 or 92.88 %. Then, the next area is positive use of information communication technology with an average frequency of 268 out of 295 or 90.85 %. The area which is classroom communication strategies has a total frequency of 261 out of 295 or 88.47 %. The area with the lowest total frequency of 248 out of 295 or 84.07 % is obtained in research-based knowledge and principles of teaching and learning. The area with the highest average weighted mean of 4.46 is obtained in research-based knowledge and principles of teaching and learning with 4.46. It is followed by strategies for promoting literacy and numeracy with an average weighted mean of 4.27; then, classroom communication strategies with 4.23 which is followed immediately by positive use of information communication technology with 4.22 and content knowledge and its application within and across curriculum areas with 4.20. The area with the lowest average weighted mean is obtained in strategies for developing critical and creative thinking as well as other higher order thinking skills with 3.81. The F-tabular values along content and knowledge and its application within and across curriculum areas is 0.210; along research-based knowledge and principles of teaching and learning is 0.956; along positive use of information communication technology with 0.002 and developing critical and creative thinking as well as other higher order thinking skills with a value of 1.003 are lower than the F-tabular value with degrees of freedom 1 and 8 which is 5.318. However, the computed F-values obtained in the two (2) areas such as strategies for promoting literacy and numeracy with 14.409 and classroom communication strategies with 6.321 are higher than the F-tabular value with degrees of freedom 1 and 8 at 5 % level of significance which is 5.318. The challenges with final ranks of first along the areas covered in this study shows that in content knowledge and its application within and across curriculum areas, the challenge limited time for application in the classroom has final rank of first; in research-based knowledge and principles of teaching and learning, it is weak research culture in the school and in positive use of information communication technology, the top most challenge is limited funds to procure ICT resources in the school. In addition, the top most challenge in strategies for promoting literacy and numeracy is head piled duties and additional ancillary services of teachers; in strategies for developing critical and creative thinking as well as other higher-order thinking skills is diverse needs of students. Lastly, in classroom communication strategies is limited time to conduct in-depth individual assessment in communication among teachers. A coaching and mentoring plan may address the challenges met.