Faculty Competence as a Predictor of Student Engagement in the PATHFit Program

This study examined faculty competence as a predictor of student engagement in the Physical Activity Toward Health and Fitness (PATHFit) program at the University of Eastern Philippines. A quantitative descriptive-comparative-correlational design was used, involving 35 faculty members and 372 student respondents across three campuses. Total enumeration was the recruitment approach, with 500 students invited. Researcher-made questionnaires measured professional knowledge, instructional quality, and psychological characteristics, together with behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement. Analyses included weighted means, independent-samples t tests, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression. Students rated faculty professional knowledge and psychological characteristics highly, while instructional quality received moderate ratings from both groups. Students reported high engagement across all three dimensions; faculty ratings were moderate for behavioral and cognitive engagement and high for emotional engagement. Group comparisons were not statistically significant. Faculty competence was positively correlated with student engagement in student assessments (r = .8214) and teacher assessments (r = .9284). Psychological characteristics were significant predictors in both regression models, whereas professional knowledge was significant only in the student model and instructional quality was nonsignificant in both. The findings informed the proposed PATHFit Faculty Competence and Student Engagement Enhancement Framework, integrating curriculum knowledge, instructional delivery, feedback and assessment, digital resources and fitness literacy, and socio-emotional support. The study supports context-sensitive faculty development that combines content expertise with a respectful and encouraging learning climate.