MASTER TEACHERS' INSTRUCTIONAL COMPETENCE, LEADERSHIP SKILLS, AND TEACHERS' PERFORMANCE

Abstract: Master teachers are essential in determining the caliber of instruction and developing leadership in educational establishments. Their leadership abilities and instructional competency have a big impact on instructors' performance, which in turn affects the learning results for students. Master teachers are acknowledged by the Philippine Department of Education (DepEd) as instructional leaders who mentor their colleagues in professional development, pedagogical approaches, and curriculum implementation. This study seeks to determine the level of Master Teachers’ instructional competence, leadership skills and teachers’ performance in one of the clusters of a district of one of the large divisions in Central Philippines for the School Year 2023-2024. The instructional competence of MTs was measured in terms of Content and Pedagogy, Learning Environment, Curriculum and Planning, and Assessment and Reporting while leadership skills was measured in the areas of Curriculum Management, Conduct Research, Instructional Supervision, and Coaching and Mentoring. The respondents of the study were the 103 Master Teachers in the said cluster. The statistical tools used were Frequency Count, Percentage Count, Mean, Mann Whitney U Test and Spearman Rho. The results of the study showed that the level of Master Teachers’ instructional competence in the areas of Content and Pedagogy, Learning Environment, Curriculum and Planning, and Assessment and Reporting are all on “high level”. Furthermore, the level of Master Teachers leadership skills in terms of Curriculum Management, Conduct Research, Instructional Supervision, and Coaching and Mentoring are all on “high level”. There was a significant difference in the level of Master Teachers’ instructional competence when grouped and compared according to aforementioned variables. There is no significant difference in the level of Master Teachers’ instructional competence when grouped and compared according to aforementioned variables. There is no significant relationship between Master Teachers’ instructional competence and teachers’ performance. There is no significant relationship between Master Teachers’ leadership skills and teachers’ performance. Several recommendations were given to enhance instructional competence and the leadership skills of MTs. Keywords: Master Teacher, Instructional Competence, Leadership Skills