Microsoft Word - 122 - Chayna Glenn R. Blanco Available online at: https://journals.researchsynergypress.com/index.php/ijeiece International Journal of Emerging Issues in Early Childhood Education (IJEIECE) ISSN 2685-4074 (online) Volume 4 Number 2 (2022): 12-28 Corresponding author Chayna Glenn R. Blanco, chaynaglenn.blanco@deped.gov.ph Faculty of Teacher Training and Education Universitas Terbuka DOI: https://doi.org/10.31098/ijeiece.v4i2.1122 and Research Synergy Foundation Organizational Commitment, Teachers' Empowerment, and Transformational Teaching of Public Elementary Schools in Laguna, Philippines Chayna Glenn R. Blanco1, Lerma P. Buenvinida, EdD2, Consorcia S. Tan, EdD3, Alberto D. Yazon, PhD4, Lustina P. Lapie, EdD5 1 1 Post Elementary School, Division of Calamba City, DepEd IV-A Philippines 2,3,4,5 College of Teacher Education, Laguna State Polytechnic University, Philippines Abstract Teacher commitment is indeed an internal factor that motivates teachers to put more effort and energy into sustaining school involvement and to further improve and enhance their teaching strategies to attain their objectives. Thus, it is important to know the level of commitment, teachers' empowerment, and transformational teaching of teachers during this time of the pandemic. Transformational teaching entails developing dynamic interactions between teachers, students, and a body of shared knowledge. According to this viewpoint, teachers serve as intellectual coaches who construct student teams that work together with their teachers to master bodies of knowledge. These constructivist-based transformational teaching approaches help students develop new knowledge and actions. Teachers that employ constructivist theory as a theoretical framework assist students in becoming active participants in society and the global workplace. The sample of the study consisted of 551 teachers who responded on a representative of public elementary schools in Calamba, Cabuyao, Binan, and Sta. Rosa. Cluster sampling was used to collect the sample, and the city school districts served as the representative of the clusters. Ranking sampling was used to choose the participating schools and the teacher respondents. Each cluster was ranked based on population distribution and gender distribution to maintain an equal proportion of teachers' respondents across all participating schools in the four city school divisions. Teacher respondents were selected randomly to represent the sample of the study. The study mainly focuses on the level of organizational commitment, teachers’ empowerment to the level of transformational teaching. The findings showed that the components of organizational commitment and teachers' empowerment significantly foresee the relationship on transformational teaching of teachers in the four (4) City Schools Division in Laguna. As a result, when teachers demonstrate a high level of organizational commitment and teacher empowerment to the level of transformational teaching, it encourages teachers to stay committed to their field of work and expected to attain their objectives. Keywords Organizational Commitment; Teachers’ Empowerment; Transformational Teaching This is an open access article under the CC–BY-NC license. INTRODUCTION The social qualities of people and disciplines can vary as a result of the dynamic changes that affect society. The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in the abrupt transition from school education to online distance education, with teachers being left with no time to make any preparations. Other research related to this study was on the difficulties the teachers faced during the online education period. More than 500 million people were denied access to education, according to UNESCO research (UNESCO,2021), despite the efforts made for online education. For instance, the main issue with access to online education is International Journal of Emerging Issues in Early Childhood Education (IJEIECE) Vol. 4 (2), 12-28 Organizational Commitment, Teachers' Empowerment, and Transformational Teaching of Public Elementary Schools in Laguna, Philippines Chayna Glenn R. Blanco, Lerma P. Buenvinida, EdD, Consorcia S. Tan, EdD, Alberto D. Yazon, PhD, Lustina P. Lapie, EdD ISSN 2685-4074 (online) │ 13 considered to be the difficulty in connecting to the internet (Giannini,2020). Another thing was safety. The teachers' anxieties over the opening of school only worsened when the Department of Education said it has no budget allotted for the treatment of teachers who come into contact with COVID-19. According to the study by Kie and Schaarchmidt (2008), teachers' levels of commitment were observed to see whether they were affected by health condition anxiety. Additionally, during the online teaching period, teachers were seen to display a decreased commitment to their organizations, which connected to increased personal stress (Malik 2020). On the other hand, (Ira and Balut,2018), In order for an organization to accomplish its quality objectives, it must establish the relationships and structures necessary to ensure that the members of the organization work together toward a common objective which is to produce quality education among the learners. There have been various studies that have assessed online education and the difficulties the teachers encountered throughout the pandemic-related online education period. This study focuses on the organizational commitment, teachers' empowerment, and transformational teaching of public elementary schools in Laguna, Philippines. Transformational teaching is defined as "creating dynamic relationships between teachers, students, and a shared body of knowledge to promote student learning and personal growth”. In this study, transformational teaching was understood as a means of practice, personal outlook, and reflection for improvement based upon great care and empathy for the student. Specifically, the study sought answer’s to the following questions: (1) What is the level of organizational commitment of the respondents in terms of affective commitment, normative commitment, and continuance commitment? (2) What is the level of teacher's empowerment of the respondents in terms of decision-making, professional growth, status, self-efficacy, autonomy, and impact? (3) What is the level of transformational teaching in terms of promoting individual and collective self-efficacy, challenging habits of mind and point of view, and realizing the ideal self and vision for the future? (4) Is there any significant relationship between organizational commitment and transformational teaching? (5) Is there any significant relationship between teacher empowerment and transformational teaching? LITERATURE REVIEW In this time of the pandemic, it is very important to understand the six dimensions of teachers' empowerment, and components of organizational commitment should provide the bases for developing strategies for helping teachers become more empowered in their work lives. It is important to note that some dimensions fall into the category of personal empowerment, while others fall into the area of organizational commitment. In total, they constitute a construct vital to the redesign of teachers' work life and the growth and renewal of schools as organizations in this new normal. According to Paragsa (2014), teacher commitment is defined as a teacher's emotional identification with the school's goals and ideals, as well as a willingness to join an organization to work much harder than for personal gain. It was also emphasized that a willingness to stay might well result in school loyalty. The willingness to support educational vision and involvement in teaching is closely related to teaching efficacy, particularly if teachers are willing to devote themselves to teaching and remain in the same school, the school's performance will improve, and educational goals can be met. International Journal of Emerging Issues in Early Childhood Education (IJEIECE), Vol. 4 (2), 12-28 Organizational Commitment, Teachers' Empowerment, and Transformational Teaching of Public Elementary Schools in Laguna, Philippines Chayna Glenn R. Blanco, Lerma P. Buenvinida, EdD, Consorcia S. Tan, EdD, Alberto D. Yazon, PhD, Lustina P. Lapie, EdD ISSN 2685-4074 (online) 14 │ In line with this, Albdour and Ikhlas (2014) stated that people who have a high level of organizational commitment generally display positive workplace behaviors such as job satisfaction and organizational citizenship, which is tremendously advantageous to the organization. Hence, to promote employee engagement, firms should use a variety of management and leadership tactics. Employees who are committed to their job and company will provide higher results. Teachers who are highly committed can assist an organization in accomplishing significantly more in a single year than teachers who are middling or lowly committed. Another important review in this research was teacher empowerment Rangel (2020) stated that teacher empowerment is a combination of decision-making, professional growth, status, self-efficacy, autonomy, and impact. These elements, taken together, provided a foundation for understanding the types of work environments that foster the development of empowered teachers, as well as the foundation for the teacher empowerment model. Hence, Teachers are given opportunities to collaborate and share knowledge, respectful relationships are established, and leadership potential within the school is increased, Coble (2011). Teachers must make decisions and become more active in their schools, as teacher empowerment has become a significant factor in student performance and school effectiveness as a result of school reform. The present study is based on Bruner's Constructivist theory and is extremely relevant to transformational teaching practice, where students build new ideas or concepts using their prior and present knowledge. The learner uses a cognitive structure to choose and modify information, generate hypotheses, and come to judgments. However, the teacher's endeavor to comprehend the student as a whole person enables the teacher to create courses that are relevant to the learner. Furthermore, as students participate in learning activities given by the teacher, relevant curricula may assist students in becoming more motivated to learn Ormrod, (2011). These constructivist-based transformational teaching approaches help students develop new knowledge and actions and assist students in becoming active participants in society and the global workplace. Henceforth, the researcher hoped through the results of this study, the school principals and DepEd Officials may have additional knowledge and eventually bridge the identified gaps between the needs of the teachers and schools and provide support to the teachers’ arisen their commitment in this time of the pandemic. In this particular, this study will first investigate the teachers' perception of the level of organizational commitment to teachers’ empowerment and transformational teaching of teachers in this time of crisis. RESEARCH METHOD This study aimed to research the organizational commitment, teachers' empowerment, and transformational teaching of teachers among public elementary schools in divisions of Laguna. A correlational study was used to investigate relationships between the independent and dependent variables of the study without the manipulation of the researcher. The respondents of the study were 551 public elementary teachers from the selected public elementary schools in the City Schools Division of Calamba, Cabuyao, Biñan, and Sta. Rosa. The sample was taken by means of cluster sampling; clusters were represented in the form of the city school divisions. This makes up four city schools division. Selection of the participating schools, the teacher respondents were selected using ranked sampling. To maintain the equal proportion of teachers' respondents across each participating schools in the four city schools divisions, each cluster was ranked based on population International Journal of Emerging Issues in Early Childhood Education (IJEIECE) Vol. 4 (2), 12-28 Organizational Commitment, Teachers' Empowerment, and Transformational Teaching of Public Elementary Schools in Laguna, Philippines Chayna Glenn R. Blanco, Lerma P. Buenvinida, EdD, Consorcia S. Tan, EdD, Alberto D. Yazon, PhD, Lustina P. Lapie, EdD ISSN 2685-4074 (online) │ 15 distribution and gender distribution. Teacher respondents were selected randomly to represent the sample of the study. The sample size for teacher respondents for each city school division was calculated using Cochran's formula with a sampling error of 3.37% at 95% confidence level. Table 1. Distribution of the Number of Respondents City Schools Division Total No. of Public Elementary Teachers Actual Sample Population (Teachers) Biñan City 1136 107 Cabuyao City 952 99 Calamba City 1179 262 Sta. Rosa City 1210 83 TOTAL 4477 551 Table 1 shows the intended sample size for teachers that appears was not met. In this regard, only 551 teachers responded to the online survey, with a sampling error of 3.37% at 95% confidence level. The sample size for teacher respondents for each city school division was calculated using Cochran’s formula. Figure 1. Study Design Organizational Commitment  Affective  Normative  Continuance Teacher Empowerment  Professional Growth  Status  Self-Efficacy  Autonomy  Impact  Decision making Independent Variable Demographic Profile of the Teachers  Age  Sex  Position  Civil Status  Highest Educational Attainment  Length of Service Transformational Teaching  Promotes individual and collective self-efficacy  Challenge habits of mind and point of view  Realizing ideal self  Vision for the future Dependent Variable Moderator Variable International Journal of Emerging Issues in Early Childhood Education (IJEIECE), Vol. 4 (2), 12-28 Organizational Commitment, Teachers' Empowerment, and Transformational Teaching of Public Elementary Schools in Laguna, Philippines Chayna Glenn R. Blanco, Lerma P. Buenvinida, EdD, Consorcia S. Tan, EdD, Alberto D. Yazon, PhD, Lustina P. Lapie, EdD ISSN 2685-4074 (online) 16 │ Figure 1 shows the design of the study, in which the Independent variable comprises organizational commitment, which has three components such as normative commitment, affective commitment, and continuance commitment. Teacher empowerment includes professional growth, status, self-efficacy, autonomy, impact, and decision-making, thus looking for a direct relationship to the dependent variable, which is the transformational teaching with three components such as promoting individual and collective self-efficacy, challenging habits of mind and point of view, and realize ideal self and vision for future. Furthermore, under the moderating variables is the teachers' profile determining if the profile of teachers moderates the relationship between the independent and dependent variables of the study. The study adopted a questionnaire from different sources as its research instrument. The level of organizational commitment was based on the self-assessment of the respondents using the adopted questionnaire of organizational commitment developed by Meyer and Allen (1991), which consists of four components: affective commitment, normative commitment, and continuance commitment. The level of teacher empowerment was also based on the assessment of the respondents using the DepEd Order No.42.s 2017 National Adoption and Implementation of the Philippines Professional Standard for Teachers, which consists of: decision-making, professional growth, status, self-efficacy, autonomy, and impact. The level of transformational teaching was also based on the self-assessment of the respondents developed by Bandura (2012), which consists of promoting individual and collective self-efficacy, challenging habits of mind and point of view, realize the ideal self and vision for the future. The modification was applied according to the suggestions of five expert validators in the field. It aims to assess the scope of the level of organizational commitment, teachers' empowerment, and transformational teaching of teachers in public elementary schools of four divisions in Laguna. Table 2. Interpretation of the Range of Scores for teachers on the Level of Organizational Commitment, Level of Teacher Empowerment, and Level of transformational teaching As shown in Table 2, for descriptive interpretation of data, each of the responses was weighted using the four-point Likert scale. Since the instrument used was adopted with some modifications, it was also subjected to validation. The instrument was also presented to five experts in the field for face and content validation. The experts were composed of five with doctorate degrees. There is a validation sheet which consists of criteria relative to the items in the research instrument. A 4-point Likert scale was assigned in order to rate each criterion in the validation sheet ranging from 1- Not Manifested, 2- Moderately Manifested, 3-Manifested, 4- Highly Manifested were utilized in assessing the organizational commitment, teachers' empowerment, and transformational teaching of teachers. A comment section was provided in the validation sheet for the validators to fill in suggestions for the improvement of the items in the instrument. A communication letter was submitted to the School's Division Superintendent of the four (4) City schools in Laguna. After the approval of the letter, the researcher forwarded the approved letter to the schools. Upon approval, the researcher administered the adopted questionnaire to the respondents. Scale Range Interpretation Level 4 3.25 - 4.00 Highly Manifested Very High 3 2.50 – 3.24 Manifested High 2 1.75 – 2.49 Moderately Manifested Low 1 1.00 - 1.74 Not Manifested Very Low International Journal of Emerging Issues in Early Childhood Education (IJEIECE) Vol. 4 (2), 12-28 Organizational Commitment, Teachers' Empowerment, and Transformational Teaching of Public Elementary Schools in Laguna, Philippines Chayna Glenn R. Blanco, Lerma P. Buenvinida, EdD, Consorcia S. Tan, EdD, Alberto D. Yazon, PhD, Lustina P. Lapie, EdD ISSN 2685-4074 (online) │ 17 The study was carried out in the school. The respondents were informed before the collection of the data using permission letters containing important information about this research and the importance of their participation in the study. The aim was to seek their consent, ensure voluntary participation and provision of information, as well as give them free room to withdraw from the research participation at any time they wished. Furthermore, the schools and participants in the entire study were kept anonymous. The respondents were given a letter for the approval of their participation, and ethical consideration was practiced. Additionally, the data collected from the respondents were kept confidential and were erased after its use. The SPSS, or the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, was used to analyze the data. Pearson Product Moment of Correlation was used to determine the significant relationship between teachers' organizational commitment and transformational teaching and teachers' teaching empowerment and transformational teaching. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION The data gathered by the researcher, which had been presented, analyzed, and interpreted, revealed the level of organizational commitment, teachers’ empowerment, and transformational teaching of the public elementary school teachers. Table 3 shows the Level of Organizational Commitment of Teachers in terms of Affective Commitment. Table 3. Level of Organizational Commitment of Teachers in terms of Affective Commitment Indicative Statement Mean SD Interpretation Level As a teacher I... 1. would be very happy to spend the rest of my career with this organization 3.40 0.56 Highly Manifested Very High 2. enjoy discussing my organization with people outside it 3.33 0.62 Highly Manifested Very High 3. feel strong sense of belonging to my organization 3.45 0.58 Highly Manifested Very High 4. feel emotionally attach to this organization 3.36 0.60 Highly Manifested Very High Composite Mean 3.39 0.59 Highly Manifested Very High Legend: 3.25-4.0 highly manifested 2.50-3.24 manifested 1.75-2.49 moderately manifested 1.0-1.74 not manifested. As shown in Table 3, the level of organizational commitment of teachers in terms of affective commitment. It could be observed from the table that “As a teacher, I feel a strong sense of belonging to my organization” received the highest rating of 3.45, interpreted as highly practiced, followed by “ As a teacher, “I would be very happy to spend the rest of my career with this organization” 3.40 interpreted as highly manifested while “as a teacher I enjoy discussing my organization with people outside it” received the lowest mean of 3.33 interpreted as highly manifested. The overall mean was 3.39, indicated as highly manifested by the teachers. International Journal of Emerging Issues in Early Childhood Education (IJEIECE), Vol. 4 (2), 12-28 Organizational Commitment, Teachers' Empowerment, and Transformational Teaching of Public Elementary Schools in Laguna, Philippines Chayna Glenn R. Blanco, Lerma P. Buenvinida, EdD, Consorcia S. Tan, EdD, Alberto D. Yazon, PhD, Lustina P. Lapie, EdD ISSN 2685-4074 (online) 18 │ Based on the gathered data, public elementary teachers in the Divisions of Laguna, Philippines, have a high level of organizational commitment in terms of affective commitment. This further implies that public elementary teachers showed enjoyment and willingness to support school goals and wanted to spend their career in the organization where they belong. Table 4. Level of Organizational Commitment of the Teachers in terms of Continuance Commitment. Legend: 3.25-4.0 highly manifested 2.50-3.24 manifested 1.75-2.49 moderately manifested 1.0-1.74 not manifested. Table 4 shows the level of organizational commitment in terms of continuance commitment; it can be observed that the highest rating of 3.20, "as a teacher I stay in an organization as a matter of necessity as much as desire," interpreted as manifested while " as a teacher, I feel very hard to leave my organization” with the rating of 3.16 interpreted as manifested. The lowest rating of 3.13," as a teacher, I feel that I have too few options to consider leaving this organization," is interpreted as manifested. The overall mean was 3.12, interpreted as manifested. The result implies that public elementary teachers believed that staying in an organization is more important than leaving because of the benefits they experienced within their organization. Table 5. Level of Organizational Commitment of Teachers in terms of Normative Commitment Indicative Statement Mean SD Interpretation Level As a teacher I... 1. believe that loyalty is important in an organization 3.57 0.54 Highly Manifested Very High 2. think the value of remaining loyal to one organization 3.53 0.55 Highly Manifested Very High 3. feel that if I got another offer for a better job elsewhere it was not right to leave my organization 3.18 0.76 Manifested High 4. think things were better in the days when people stayed in one organization for most of their career 3.25 0.67 Highly Manifested Very High Composite Mean 3.38 0.66 Highly Manifested Very High Legend: 3.25-4.0 highly manifested 2.50-3.24 manifested 1.75-2.49 moderately manifested 1.0-1.74 not manifested. Indicative Statement Mean SD Interpretation Level As a teacher I... 1. am afraid of what might happen if I quit my job without having another one lined up 3.13 0.75 Manifested High 2. stay in an organization as a matter of necessity as much as desire 3.20 0.69 Manifested High 3. feel that I have too few options to consider leaving this organization 2.98 0.78 Manifested High 4. feel very hard to leave my organization 3.16 0.74 Manifested High Composite Mean 3.12 0.74 Manifested High International Journal of Emerging Issues in Early Childhood Education (IJEIECE) Vol. 4 (2), 12-28 Organizational Commitment, Teachers' Empowerment, and Transformational Teaching of Public Elementary Schools in Laguna, Philippines Chayna Glenn R. Blanco, Lerma P. Buenvinida, EdD, Consorcia S. Tan, EdD, Alberto D. Yazon, PhD, Lustina P. Lapie, EdD ISSN 2685-4074 (online) │ 19 It could be seen from Table 5 that indicative statement number 1, which states that “as a teacher, I believed that loyalty is important in an organization," yielded a mean of 3.57, which denoted rank first, interpreted as highly manifested. This is followed by indicative statement number 2, with a mean of 3.53 as a highly manifested response. However, indicative statement number 4, which states that "As a teacher, I think things were better in the days when people stayed in one organization for most of their career," yielded a mean of 3.25, denoted as the lowest rank. Based on the findings, the level of organizational commitment of teachers was positive in terms of normative commitment, which has an overall mean of 3.38 as interpreted highly manifested. The results of the study indicate that public elementary school teachers believed that being committed and loyal to the organization is important and the best thing to do. They also believed that their profession was not only a career but a vocation. Table 6. Level of Teachers’ Empowerment in terms of Decision-Making Indicative Statement Mean SD Interpretation Level As a teacher I... 1. plan, manage and implement developmentally sequenced teaching and learning processes to meet curriculum requirements and varied teaching contexts 3.48 0.52 Highly Manifested Very High 2. set achievable and appropriate learning outcomes that are aligned with learning competencies 3.53 0.51 Highly Manifested Very High 3. adapt and implement learning programs that ensure relevance and responsiveness to the needs of all learners 3.50 0.54 Highly Manifested Very High 4. develop and apply effective strategies in the planning and management of developmentally sequenced teaching and learning processes to meet curriculum requirements and varied teaching contexts 3.52 0.53 Highly Manifested Very High Composite Mean 3.51 0.53 Highly Manifested Very High Legend: 3.25-4.0 highly manifested 2.50-3.24 manifested 1.75-2.49 moderately manifested 1.0-1.74 not manifested. As indicated in table 6, the level of teachers' empowerment in terms of decision-making. It can be observed from the table that the highest rating is 3.53. "As a teacher, I set achievable and appropriate learning outcomes that are aligned with learning competencies." Interpreted as highly manifested, while "As a teacher, I develop and apply effective strategies in the planning and management of developmentally sequenced teaching and learning process to meet curriculum requirements and varied teaching contexts with the rating of 3.52 interpreted as highly manifested. The lowest rating of 3.48, "As the teacher, I plan, manage and implemented developmentally sequenced teaching and learning process to meet curriculum requirements and varied teaching contexts." is interpreted as highly manifested. The overall mean was 3.51, interpreted as highly manifested. The findings of the study imply that most public elementary school teachers are given a chance to make decisions when it comes to planning and implementing decisions inside the classroom to meet curriculum that aligned with the learning competencies to suit the needs of the learners. International Journal of Emerging Issues in Early Childhood Education (IJEIECE), Vol. 4 (2), 12-28 Organizational Commitment, Teachers' Empowerment, and Transformational Teaching of Public Elementary Schools in Laguna, Philippines Chayna Glenn R. Blanco, Lerma P. Buenvinida, EdD, Consorcia S. Tan, EdD, Alberto D. Yazon, PhD, Lustina P. Lapie, EdD ISSN 2685-4074 (online) 20 │ Table 7. Level of Teachers’ Empowerment in terms of Professional Growth Indicative Statement Mean SD Interpretation Level As a teacher I... 1. take a leadership role in supporting colleagues' engagement with professional networks within and across the school to advance knowledge and practice in identified areas of need 3.35 0.57 Highly Manifested Very High 2. contribute actively to professional networks within and between schools to improve knowledge and enhance practice 3.43 0.56 Highly Manifested Very High 3. a given opportunity to continue learning 3.51 0.54 Highly Manifested Very High 4. seek opportunities to establish professional links with colleagues 3.46 0.54 Highly Manifested 5. participate in collegial discussions that use teacher and learner feedback to enrich teaching practice 3.52 0.55 Highly Manifested Very High Composite Mean 3.45 0.55 Highly Manifested Very High Legend: 3.25-4.0 highly manifested 2.50-3.24 manifested 1.75-2.49 moderately manifested 1.0-1.74 not manifested. It can be seen from Table 7 that “As a teacher, I participate in collegial discussions that use teacher and learner feedback to enrich teaching practice” yielded the highest mean of 3.52, interpreted as highly manifested. However, the indicative statement “As a teacher, I take a leadership role in supporting colleagues' engagement with professional networks within and across the school to advance knowledge and practice in identified areas of need" with the lowest mean of 3.35 interpreted as highly manifested. The overall mean was 3.45, interpreted as highly manifested. The findings of the study imply that most public elementary teachers seek opportunities to collaborate with their colleagues to further enhance their teaching skills and enrich their teaching practices. Table 8. Level of Teacher Empowerment in terms of Status Indicative Statement Mean SD Interpretation Level As a teacher I... 1. demonstrate behaviors that uphold the dignity of teaching as a profession by exhibiting qualities such as a caring attitude, respect, and integrity 3.59 0.51 Highly Manifested Very High 2. identify and utilize personal, professional strengths to uphold the dignity of teaching as a profession to help build a positive teaching and learning culture within the school 3.57 0.51 Highly Manifested Very High 3. act as a role model and advocate for upholding the dignity of teaching as a profession to build a positive teaching and learning culture within and beyond the school 3.54 0.53 Highly Manifested Very High 4. believe that have support and respect of my colleagues 3.58 0.51 Highly Manifested Very High International Journal of Emerging Issues in Early Childhood Education (IJEIECE) Vol. 4 (2), 12-28 Organizational Commitment, Teachers' Empowerment, and Transformational Teaching of Public Elementary Schools in Laguna, Philippines Chayna Glenn R. Blanco, Lerma P. Buenvinida, EdD, Consorcia S. Tan, EdD, Alberto D. Yazon, PhD, Lustina P. Lapie, EdD ISSN 2685-4074 (online) │ 21 Indicative Statement Mean SD Interpretation Level As a teacher I... Composite Mean 3.57 0.51 Highly Manifested Very High Legend: 3.25-4.0 highly manifested 2.50-3.24 manifested 1.75-2.49 moderately manifested 1.0-1.74 not manifested. As shown in Table 8, the level of teacher empowerment in terms of status reveals that all indicators were assessed as very high." The highest indicator of status is the "teachers demonstrating behaviors that uphold the dignity of teaching as a profession by exhibiting qualities such as caring attitude, respect, and integrity" with the highest mean of 3.59 interpreted as highly manifested, while the lowest indicator is the teachers act as a role model and advocate for upholding the dignity of teaching as a profession to build positive teaching and learning culture within and beyond the school with a mean of 3.54 interpreted as highly manifested. The overall mean was 3.57, which is interpreted as highly manifested. The results of the study indicate that most of the public elementary school teachers’ practiced demonstrating their behaviors that uphold their dignity as a teacher and receive respect from others as well as their colleagues. It also implies that the administrators appreciated their work within and across the school. Table 9. Level of Teacher Empowerment in terms of Self-efficacy Indicative Statement Mean SD Interpretation Level As a teacher I... 1. maintain a supportive learning environment that nurtures and inspire learners to participate, cooperate and collaborate in continued learning 3.54 0.52 Highly Manifested Very High 2. apply a range of successful strategies that maintain learning environments that motivate learners to work productively by assuming responsibility for their own learning 3.47 0.53 Highly Manifested Very High 3. manage learners' behavior constructively by applying positive and non-violent discipline to ensure learning-focused environments 3.52 0.52 Highly Manifested Very High 4. feel that I am involved in an important program for children 3.53 0.53 Highly Manifested 5. am knowledgeable based in the areas in which I teach 3.52 0.51 Highly Manifested Very High Composite Mean 3.52 0.51 Highly Manifested Very High Legend:3.25-4.0 highly manifested 2.50-3.24 manifested 1.75-2.49 moderately manifested 1.0-1.74 not manifested. All indicators were assessed by the teachers as “very high". The highest indicator of self-efficacy is the "teachers maintaining a supportive learning environment that nurtures and inspire learners to participate, cooperate and collaborate in continued learning," with a mean of 3.54 and perceived by the teachers as “highly manifested”, while the lowest indicator is the teachers manage learners’ behavior constructively by applying positive and non-violent discipline to ensure learning-focused environments with a mean of 3.47 indicated as “highly manifested". Overall, the mean score of 3.52 teachers' International Journal of Emerging Issues in Early Childhood Education (IJEIECE), Vol. 4 (2), 12-28 Organizational Commitment, Teachers' Empowerment, and Transformational Teaching of Public Elementary Schools in Laguna, Philippines Chayna Glenn R. Blanco, Lerma P. Buenvinida, EdD, Consorcia S. Tan, EdD, Alberto D. Yazon, PhD, Lustina P. Lapie, EdD ISSN 2685-4074 (online) 22 │ empowerment in terms of self-efficacy is interpreted as "highly manifested”. This simply means that public elementary teachers were applying the teaching strategies to their students to maintain or sustain the quality of teaching that aligned with the curriculum within the classroom and maintained a conducive environment to learn for their students. Table 10. Level of Teacher Empowerment in terms of Autonomy Indicative Statement Mean SD Interpretation Level As a teacher I... 1. set achievable and appropriate learning outcomes that are aligned with learning competencies 3.50 0.52 Highly Manifested Very High 2. develop and apply effective strategies in the planning and management of developmentally sequenced teaching and learning process to meet curriculum requirements and varied teaching contexts 3.45 0.53 Highly Manifested Very High 3. use strategies for providing timely, accurate and constructive feedback to improve learners performance 3.48 0.52 Highly Manifested Very High 4. apply a personal philosophy of teaching that is learner-centered 3.47 0.53 Highly Manifested 5. am given responsibility to monitor program 3.43 0.55 Highly Manifested Very High Composite Mean 3.46 0.52 Highly Manifested Very High Legend:3.25-4.0 highly manifested 2.50-3.24 manifested 1.75-2.49 moderately manifested 1.0-1.74 not manifested. As shown in Table 10, all indicators were assessed by the teachers as “very high" and interpreted as highly manifested. The teachers highly manifested setting achievable and appropriate learning outcomes that are aligned with learning competencies with a mean of 3.50, while the lowest indicator is the teachers being given the responsibility to monitor the program with a mean of 3.43, which is likewise interpreted as "highly manifested”. The composite mean of teacher empowerment in terms of autonomy, 3.46, is “highly manifested” by the teacher respondents. It implies that teachers who have more autonomy and independence are better teachers, and independent teachers desire to try new things in their classrooms, take chances, help students, and learn new skills. Table 11. Level of Teacher Empowerment in terms of Impact Indicative Statement Mean SD Interpretation Level As a teacher I... 1. perceive that I have the opportunity to influence others 3.41 0.53 Highly Manifested Very High 2. perceive that I make difference 3.41 0.55 Highly Manifested Very High 3. perceive that I have impact on other teachers and students 3.45 0.55 Highly Manifested Very High 4. collaborate with other teacher in my school 3.50 0.53 Highly Manifested Very High International Journal of Emerging Issues in Early Childhood Education (IJEIECE) Vol. 4 (2), 12-28 Organizational Commitment, Teachers' Empowerment, and Transformational Teaching of Public Elementary Schools in Laguna, Philippines Chayna Glenn R. Blanco, Lerma P. Buenvinida, EdD, Consorcia S. Tan, EdD, Alberto D. Yazon, PhD, Lustina P. Lapie, EdD ISSN 2685-4074 (online) │ 23 Indicative Statement Mean SD Interpretation Level As a teacher I... Composite Mean 3.44 0.54 Highly Manifested Very High Legend:3.25-4.0 highly manifested 2.50-3.24 manifested 1.75-2.49 moderately manifested 1.0-1.74 not manifested. All indicators, as shown in Table 11 were assessed by the teachers as very high or highly manifested. The teachers collaborating with other teachers in the school obtained the highest mean of 3.50, while the lowest indicators are the teachers perceiving that they have the opportunity to influence others with a mean of 3.41, and the teachers perceiving that they make a difference with a mean of mean 3.41. The overall mean of teacher empowerment in terms of the impact of a public elementary school teacher is 3.44, as interpreted highly manifested. It was found that most public elementary school teachers have the highest level of impact on teachers and students when it comes to collaborating with other teachers in the school, and they believe that they have the opportunity to influence other teachers and they make a difference. It implies that public elementary school teachers collaborate effectively with other teachers as well as with their students and believe that every teacher play an important role in boosting student achievement. Table 12. Transformational Teaching of Teachers in terms of Promoting Individual and Collective Self-efficacy Legend: 3.25-4.0 highly manifested 2.50-3.24 manifested 1.75-2.49 moderately manifested 1.0-1.74 not manifested. As shown in Table 12, all indicators were assessed by the teachers as "very high" levels. The teachers forming a stronger sense of commitment to their interests and activities obtained the highest mean of 3.46, interpreted as "highly manifested," while the lowest indicator is the teachers recovering quickly from setbacks, and disappointment mean of 3.31 is likewise interpreted as “highly manifested". The overall composite mean was 3.39, interpreted as highly manifested. It was determined that among public elementary school teachers, the level of transformational teaching in terms of collective self-efficacy has the highest indicator of transformational teaching as teachers form a stronger sense of commitment to their interests and activities in schools. It depicts the public elementary teachers in four divisions of Indicative Statement Mean SD Interpretation Level As a teacher I... 1. develop deeper interest in the activities in which I participate 3.43 0.53 Highly Manifested Very High 2. form a stronger sense of commitment to my interests and activities 3.46 0.53 Highly Manifested Very High 3. recover quickly from setbacks and disappointment 3.31 0.55 Highly Manifested Very High 4. view challenging problems as task to be mastered 3.35 0.55 Highly Manifested Very High Composite Mean 3.39 0.54 Highly Manifested Very High International Journal of Emerging Issues in Early Childhood Education (IJEIECE), Vol. 4 (2), 12-28 Organizational Commitment, Teachers' Empowerment, and Transformational Teaching of Public Elementary Schools in Laguna, Philippines Chayna Glenn R. Blanco, Lerma P. Buenvinida, EdD, Consorcia S. Tan, EdD, Alberto D. Yazon, PhD, Lustina P. Lapie, EdD ISSN 2685-4074 (online) 24 │ Laguna showing a stronger sense of dedication to their work or activities that are related to the achievements and goals of the schools. Table 13. Level of Transformational Teaching of Teachers in terms of Challenging Habits of Mind and Point of View Indicative Statement Mean SD Interpretation Level As a teacher I... 1. am optimistic about what student can accomplish 3.47 0.52 Highly Manifested Very High 2. create lessons that are really encouraged to think 3.46 0.53 Highly Manifested Very High 3. provide the students task and challenges that get them to think in different ways 3.47 0.53 Highly Manifested Very High 4. motivate the students to try hardest 3.52 0.54 Highly Manifested Very High Composite Mean 3.48 0.53 Highly Manifested Very High Legend: 3.25-4.0 highly manifested 2.50-3.24 manifested 1.75-2.49 moderately manifested 1.0-1.74 not manifested. As shown in Table 13, all indicators were assessed as very high levels. The highest indicator is the teachers motivating the students to try their hardest, with a mean of 3.52, interpreted as highly manifested, while the lowest indicator is the teachers creating lessons that are really encouraged to think, with a mean of 3.46, which is similarly interpreted as highly manifested. The overall mean of transformational teaching in terms of challenging habits of mind and point of view of public elementary schools is 3.48, interpreted as highly manifested. The findings of the study imply that public elementary school teachers can promote effective learning that encourages their students to search for answer with their own perceptions or knowledge through the guidance of the teacher as a facilitator of the learning process with their students. Table14. Level of Transformational Teaching of Teachers in terms of Realizing Ideal Self Indicative Statement Mean SD Interpretation Level As a teacher I... 1. show that he/she cares about the students 3.61 0.51 Highly Manifested Very High 2. treat the student with respect 3.63 0.50 Highly Manifested Very High 3. try to know every student in the class 3.63 0.51 Highly Manifested Very High 4. try to help students who might be struggling 3.61 0.52 Highly Manifested Very High Composite Mean 3.62 0.51 Highly Manifested Very High Legend: 3.25-4.0 highly manifested 2.50-3.24 manifested 1.75-2.49 moderately manifested 1.0-1.74 not manifested. As shown in Table 14, all indicators were assessed as very high levels. The teachers treating the student with respect with a mean of 3.63, and the teachers trying to know every student in the class with a mean of 3.63 obtained the highest means and interpreted as highly manifested, while the lowest indicators are the teachers showing that they care about the students and trying to help students who might be struggling with a mean of 3.61 interpreted as highly manifested. The overall mean of transformational teaching of teachers in terms of realizing the ideal self of public elementary school teachers is 3.62, interpreted as "highly manifested." It revealed that most public elementary school International Journal of Emerging Issues in Early Childhood Education (IJEIECE) Vol. 4 (2), 12-28 Organizational Commitment, Teachers' Empowerment, and Transformational Teaching of Public Elementary Schools in Laguna, Philippines Chayna Glenn R. Blanco, Lerma P. Buenvinida, EdD, Consorcia S. Tan, EdD, Alberto D. Yazon, PhD, Lustina P. Lapie, EdD ISSN 2685-4074 (online) │ 25 teachers showed that they care about the students and seek to know every student in the class, and also they care about the students and strive hard to help every students' who might be struggling. It also implies that the public elementary schools' teacher in four divisions of Laguna shows care and concern for their students no matter what their status inside the classroom. They are fair in treating their students. Table15. Level of Transformational Teaching of Teachers in terms of Vision for the Future Indicative Statement Mean SD Interpretation Level As a teacher I... 1. motivate the students to try their hardest 3.61 0.52 Highly Manifested Very High 2. encourage students to look at issues from different sides 3.59 0.53 Highly Manifested Very High 3. recognize the needs and abilities of each student in the class 3.62 0.51 Highly Manifested Very High Composite Mean 3.60 0.52 Highly Manifested Very High Legend: 3.25-4.0 highly manifested 2.50-3.24 manifested 1.75-2.49 moderately manifested 1.0-1.74 not manifested. As shown in Table 15, the highest indicator is the teachers recognizing the needs and abilities of each student in the class, with a mean of 3.62, interpreted as highly manifested, while the lowest indicator is the teachers encouraging students to look at issues from different sides with a mean of 3.59 is likewise depicted as highly manifested. The overall mean of transformational teaching in terms of vision for the future as perceived by the public elementary school teachers is 3.60, interpreted as highly manifested. It showed that the public school teachers at the level of transformational teaching recognized each student's needs and abilities rather than encouraging students to look at issues from different perspectives. Table16. Correlation Matrix between organizational commitment and transformational teaching Promoting individual and Collective Self-efficacy Challenging Habits of mind and point of view Realizing ideal self Vision for future Affective Commitment 0.534** 0.488** 0.410** 0.439** Continuance Commitment 0.328** 0.280** 0.130** 0.174** Normative Commitment 0.525** 0.504** 0.410** 0.426** **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). As shown in table 16, the correlation matrix between the teachers' organizational commitment and transformational teaching, each dimension of organizational commitment yielded a highly significant positive correlation (p < .01) with each dimension of transformational teaching. The Pearson r coefficients ranged from very low to moderate correlations between the two variables. The strongest relationship is between affective commitment and promoting individual and collective self-efficacy (r=.534, p<.01), while the weakest relationship is between continuance commitment and realizing the ideal self (r=.130, p<.01). Therefore, there is a significant positive linear relationship between the teachers’ organizational commitment and transformational teaching among public elementary schools teachers. International Journal of Emerging Issues in Early Childhood Education (IJEIECE), Vol. 4 (2), 12-28 Organizational Commitment, Teachers' Empowerment, and Transformational Teaching of Public Elementary Schools in Laguna, Philippines Chayna Glenn R. Blanco, Lerma P. Buenvinida, EdD, Consorcia S. Tan, EdD, Alberto D. Yazon, PhD, Lustina P. Lapie, EdD ISSN 2685-4074 (online) 26 │ Table17. Correlation Matrix between teachers’ empowerment and transformational teaching Promoting individual and Collective Self-efficacy Challenging Habits of mind and point of view Realizing ideal self Vision for future Decision-making 0.615** 0.655** 0.605** 0.596** Professional Growth 0.659** 0.652** 0.547** 0.566** Status 0.623** 0.651** 0.643** 0.605** Self-efficacy 0.727** 0.684** 0.628** 0.635** Autonomy 0.736** 0.692** 0.605** 0.630** Impact 0.704** 0.656** 0.543** 0.555** **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). As presented in table 18, the correlation matrix between the teachers’ teaching empowerment and transformational teaching. Each dimension of teaching empowerment yielded a highly significant positive correlation (p < .01) with each dimension of transformational teaching. The Pearson r coefficients from moderate to strong correlations between the two variables. The strongest relationship is between autonomy and promoting individual and collective self-efficacy (r=.736, p<.01), while the weakest relationship is between impact and challenging habits of mind and point of view (r=.543, p<.01).It implies that there is a significant positive linear relationship between the teachers’ teaching empowerment and transformational teaching. CONCLUSION Based on the findings of the study, the researcher concluded the following: The study revealed there was a significant positive linear relationship between the teachers' organizational commitment and transformational teaching. This implies that each dimension of organizational commitment yielded a highly significant positive correlation with each dimension of transformational teaching. On the correlation matrix between the teachers' teaching empowerment and transformational teaching, each dimension of teaching empowerment yielded a highly significant positive correlation with each dimension of transformational teaching. Therefore, there is a significant positive linear relationship between teachers' empowerment and transformational teaching. Lastly, the components of organizational commitment and teachers' empowerment significantly foresee the relationship on transformational teaching of teachers in the four City Schools Division in Laguna. As a result, the researcher concluded that when teachers demonstrate a high level of organizational commitment and teacher empowerment in transformational teaching, it is expected that they will provide quality education to all learners. LIMITATION & FURTHER RESEARCH The study was limited to the perceptions of public elementary teachers regarding the level of organizational commitment and teacher empowerment to the level of transformational teaching of teachers. Furthermore, the demographic profile of the respondents was also part of the study to determine whether it has significantly moderated the relationship between the level of organizational commitment and transformational teaching, teacher empowerment, and the level of transformational teaching. Thus, it suggested that future researchers may pursue the same study in other divisions or regions to verify the results of this research. International Journal of Emerging Issues in Early Childhood Education (IJEIECE) Vol. 4 (2), 12-28 Organizational Commitment, Teachers' Empowerment, and Transformational Teaching of Public Elementary Schools in Laguna, Philippines Chayna Glenn R. Blanco, Lerma P. Buenvinida, EdD, Consorcia S. Tan, EdD, Alberto D. Yazon, PhD, Lustina P. 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