Cultivating Action Research Culture among Teachers

This study determines the intricate relationship between action research culture and its effect on the professional development among teachers in Opol District, Division of Misamis Oriental. Five significant goals were addressed in this study by profiling respondents’ characteristics, defining the research culture among teachers in terms of funding, infrastructure, interest, research capability, and research collaboration, evaluating the teachers' professional development based on curriculum, general pedagogical knowledge, field of knowledge, pedagogy, and teaching methodologies, examining the significant relationship between teachers' research culture and their professional development, evaluating the significant relationship between the research culture, professional development, and respondents’ characteristics. This study used a survey questionnaire on all public elementary and secondary school teachers during the School Year 2023–2024. The participants were 200 teachers: 117 were elementary, and 83 were junior and senior high school teachers. Slovin's Formula was used to get the sample size. Data were analyzed using statistical tools such as Pearson r correlation, mean scores, frequency and percentage, and standard deviation. Significantly, relationships exist between research culture and professional development. It was manifested that the respondents’ years of teaching and highest educational attainment showed a significant relationship between their level of research culture and professional development. Ultimately, despite the teachers being competent in cultivating research culture and also referred to as experts in professional development, it is recommended that Values Education as one of the areas of specialization be improved, funding for research resources be allocated, opportunities for ongoing professional development be offered, reskill and upskill teachers in line with current curriculum updates and a research culture be fostered utilizing mentorship and workshops.