Evaluation of School Heads’ Research Mentoring Programs: Basis for Research Policy Recommendation

Abstract

Aims: The study aims to evaluate the implementation of school head’s research mentoring programs as baseline for research policy recommendation.  Study Design: It uses an explanatory sequential design type of mixed method which involves descriptive statistics and thematic analysis using Colaizzi's (1978) method. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in the Department of Education (DepEd) Division of Cagayan de Oro City, Province of Misamis Oriental, Region 10, Philippines from June 2025 to January 2026. Methodology: The respondents include 160 Master Teachers and 60 Teachers who are chosen through purposive sampling methods. Results: Findings revealed that the level of implementation of school heads’ research mentoring programs is high; school heads display low level of research competence in terms of technical skills but exhibit high level of research competence in terms of interpersonal, psychosocial, culturally responsive and professional skills and teachers demonstrate high level of research competence in all aspects. Moreover, the impact of research mentoring programs emerged such as skill enhancement, collaborative culture and professional growth. On the other hand, challenges emerged in the implementation such as lack of time, insufficient research skills and weak collaboration. Overall, the program influenced them based on emerging themes such as research engagement, professional development and developed passion for research. Based on the findings, the study crafted a research policy framework highlighting technical capacity enhancement, praise and rewards system and organizational support. Conclusion: The study revealed that school heads’ research mentoring programs are generally implemented at a high level, as reflected in the overall mean scores. However, several critical indicators particularly in technical, psychosocial, and professional aspects remain underdeveloped which articulates gaps in research mentoring programs. This underscores the need to upgrade the implementation by strengthening teacher’s skills in statistics, capacitating them in stress management and fostering collaborative skills among school heads. Future direction of the study may focus on the significant relationship of school heads’ research mentoring programs towards research competence of school heads and teachers.