Predictors of Graduate Studies Completion Among Public School Teachers

Graduate education is essential to teacher’ professional growth and development as it gives them the advance information and abilities, they need to improve their effectiveness as teachers and enhance the standard of education in the Philippines as a whole. This study examined the predictors of graduate studies completion among public elementary school teachers in the Second Congressional District of Misamis Oriental for School Year 2025–2026. It aimed to describe respondents’ characteristics including age, sex, position, teaching experience, civil status, educational attainment, family income, and attitude toward graduate studies and assess how work-study balance, personal attributes, professional experience, social and environmental factors, communication skills, and cognitive-emotional aspects predict completion, including their significant relationships. The respondents were 203 teachers from five central schools, selected through stratified random sampling to ensure representation across demographic groups. A descriptive correlational research design was employed, utilizing a validated researcher-made questionnaire to collect data on six pre-identified predictors: work-study balance, personal attributes, professional experience, social and environmental factors, communication skills, and cognitive and emotional aspects. Descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, as well as Pearson’s r, were applied for data analysis. Findings revealed that among the predictors, professional experience obtained the highest mean which interpreted as Very Positive while cognitive-emotional and work-study balance were the lowest and interpreted as Positive. Significant relationships were found between the respondent’s characteristics and the predictors of graduate studies completion except for position which is not significant. It concludes that personal motivation, supportive work and home environments, and relevant professional experiences significantly enhance completion rates in graduate education. Therefore, it recommends teachers strengthen the work-study balance and their cognitive-emotional. The school heads should implement flexible workloads and supportive institutional policies and introduced interventions that would address such predictors to improve graduate completion outcomes.