LEVEL OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TEACHING CAPABILITY OF JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL MAPEH TEACHERS IN THE 1ST DISTRICT OF QUEZON: BASIS FOR FORMULATION OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

The research assessed the extent of professional development and instructional competence of Junior High School MAPEH teachers in the 1st District of Quezon to guide the development of a needs-based and responsive professional development program. Responding to the changing education needs of the 21st century, a continuous teacher development program was emphasized throughout the study. A researcher-made questionnaire validated using experts' judgment and pilot-tested on 15 teachers was distributed to 100 MAPEH teachers across the district. Results showed that, despite most participants having received several training sessions and workshops, involvement in research and innovation remained low. Professional development was at the moderate level, and teaching capability was high overall. Notably, a significant relationship existed between total professional development and teaching capability. However, the number of seminars and workshops did not significantly affect teaching capability, suggesting that frequency alone is insufficient to achieve effectiveness. Additionally, professional development challenges and needs were very strongly correlated with teaching ability. While the majority faced challenges due to time constraints and inadequate access to quality training, a significant number of teachers still demonstrated high teaching competence. The research concludes that professional development, when integrated and responsive to actual classroom needs, is crucial in improving teacher performance. Based on these findings, a customized professional development program will be developed to address the unique needs and gaps identified among MAPEH teachers in the district. Keywords: Professional Development, Teaching Capability, Junior High School, MAPEH teachers, Professional Development Program