School Learning Action Cell (SLAC) participation and teaching competency among elementary teachers

This study employed a quantitative-correlational research design to examine the relationship between teachers’ participation in School Learning Action Cell (SLAC) sessions and their teaching competency and professional practice in selected elementary schools in the Division of Santa Rosa, namely Santa Rosa Elementary School Central 1, Santa Rosa Elementary School Central 2, and Labas Elementary School. A total of 100 elementary school teachers who were actively engaged in SLAC activities served as respondents and were selected through purposive sampling. Data were gathered using a validated researcher-made questionnaire measuring SLAC participation in terms of attendance, engagement, functional role, and instructional application, as well as teaching competency and professional practice in areas such as instructional planning and delivery, pedagogical knowledge and strategies, assessment literacy, classroom management, reflective practice, collaboration, adherence to professional standards, and continuous professional development. Descriptive statistics, weighted mean, percentage, and Pearson correlation were utilized to analyze the data. Findings revealed that teachers demonstrated a high level of SLAC participation and a generally high level of teaching competency and professional practice, with classroom management emerging as the strongest competency area. Results further showed no significant relationship between teachers’ demographic profile and their level of SLAC participation. However, a significant relationship was established between SLAC participation and all domains of teaching competency and professional practice, with functional role participation exhibiting the strongest association. These results indicate that increased and meaningful involvement in SLAC activities contributes to enhanced instructional competence and professional growth among teachers. The study concludes that SLAC serves as an effective collaborative professional development mechanism and provides empirical basis for the development of a metric framework to further strengthen SLAC implementation in elementary schools.