A Mediation Analysis of Teacher Responsibility on the Goal Setting and Performance of Social Studies Teachers

This study examined the relationships among goal setting, teacher responsibility, and teaching performance among Social Studies teachers and determined whether teacher responsibility mediated the relationship between goal setting and teaching performance. A descriptive-correlational research design with mediation analysis was employed among public elementary school Social Studies teachers in Kiblawan, Davao del Sur. Stratified random sampling was employed to select participants from the participating public elementary schools. Data were gathered using a structured questionnaire and analyzed through descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and mediation analysis. The findings revealed very high levels of goal setting (M = 4.46), teacher responsibility (M = 4.821), and teaching performance (M = 4.77). Goal rationale demonstrated a strong positive association with classroom management (r = 0.73, p < .001), while responsibility for student achievement was positively associated with overall teaching performance (r = 0.308, p < .001). However, overall goal setting was not significantly associated with overall teaching performance (r = −0.08, p = .32), and teacher responsibility showed no significant mediating effect (p = .995). These findings indicated that favorable professional assessments did not necessarily translate into significant relationships among the examined variables. School administrators should strengthen meaningful goal-setting practices, instructional guidance, and professional collaboration. The context-specific, correlational design limited causal interpretation and broader generalizability. The study contributes to educational research by clarifying the distinct relationships among professional goal setting, responsibility, and instructional performance, providing a basis for targeted teacher development and further investigation of alternative mediating factors.