Building confidence and updated mindset of science and tech teachers through professional development training techniques in the science-industry settings

This research explores the impact of industry-based professional development on science and technology educators’ confidence and mindset. The study, conducted in the Central Visayas, Philippines, involved 25 experienced science teachers with at least six years of teaching experience. Through structured interviews and open-ended surveys, the research aimed to understand how exposure to industry practices influences teaching methods, curriculum planning, and educators’ professional growth. The findings underscore the moderately significant role of industry-based professional development in improving science and technology education in the Philippine context. This study contributes to educational reform by presenting how these experiences build instructional confidence, enhance curriculum relevance, and foster interdisciplinary teaching strategies, particularly in developing nations. The study also supports psychological theories such as social facilitation highlighting increased teacher performance through peer and expert interaction and schema change, which explains how teachers reconstructed their prior knowledge through industry exposure. These theoretical lenses helped interpret the shifts in mindset, confidence, and instructional behavior.