Mediating Role of Assessment Practices in Linking Curriculum Flexibility With Creative Pedagogy Among Public Secondary School Teachers

This study investigated the mediating effect of assessment practices on the relationship between curriculum flexibility and creative pedagogy among public secondary school teachers in Cluster 3 Public Secondary Schools in Davao City. Utilizing a non-experimental, descriptive-correlational research design with Baron and Kenny’s (1986) mediation framework, the study employed validated and pilot-tested survey questionnaires administered to 106 randomly selected teachers. Results revealed that curriculum flexibility, creative pedagogy, and assessment practices were all rated as moderately extensive. Interdisciplinary learning was the most evident aspect of curriculum flexibility, while adaptability to student needs was the least. For creative pedagogy, adaptive teaching strategies emerged as the most practiced, whereas integration of technology was the weakest. Assessment practices showed strength in alignment with learning goals and peer collaboration, yet digital assessment tools remained underutilized. Correlation analysis confirmed strong and significant relationships among the three variables. Mediation analysis demonstrated that assessment practices partially mediate the relationship between curriculum flexibility and creative pedagogy, suggesting that flexible teaching is most effective when paired with reflective and responsive assessment systems. These findings support the Constructivist Theory (Piaget, 1970), Multiple Intelligences Theory (Gardner, 1983), and Transformative Learning Theory (Mezirow, 1978), affirming the value of learner-centered, adaptive, and reflective instruction.