Teachers’ Perceptions of the Expanded Career Progression System in Rural Elementary Schools of Barili District I: A Sequential Explanatory Mixed-Methods Study

Career progression reforms depend not only on formal policy but also on how teachers understand and experience promotion requirements. This study examined public elementary teachers’ perceptions of the Expanded Career Progression (ECP) System in Barili District I, Cebu, and explored explanations for the quantitative patterns. A quantitatively prioritized sequential explanatory mixed-methods design (QUAN→QUAL) was used. In the quantitative phase, 147 teachers from 17 schools were selected through proportionate stratified random sampling from a population of 232 and completed a researcher-developed 30-item survey (Cronbach’s α = .944). Descriptive statistics, Kruskal-Wallis H tests, and Spearman rank-order correlations were used. In the qualitative follow-up, 15 purposively selected participants representing variation in teaching experience, rank, and ECP engagement completed semi-structured interviews that were analyzed thematically. The strands were connected through follow-up sampling and questioning, then merged in a joint display to generate meta-inferences. Teachers reported highly favorable perceptions of clarity and fairness (M = 3.59), motivation and professional development (M = 3.83), and PPST-related opportunities and challenges (M = 3.72). Significant omnibus differences were limited to years of experience for motivation and professional development, H(4) = 11.405, p = .022, ε² = .052, and rank for PPST-related perceptions, H(4) = 12.052, p = .017, ε² = .057. The three perception dimensions were positively associated (ρ = .625–.785, p < .001). Interviews explained that favorable views coexisted with limited orientation, unclear documentary requirements, workload constraints, and differing readiness to engage. Integrated findings showed convergence on the perceived value of ECP but partial divergence on clarity and support, supporting targeted orientation, documentation guidance, mentoring, and workload-sensitive assistance.