PURSUIT OF PROMOTION: LIVED EXPERIENCES OF TEACHER I PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS

Education

Teacher I public school teachers navigate complex professional and personal challenges as they pursue career advancement through promotion. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences, challenges, coping strategies, and perceptions of Teacher I public school teachers in relation to the promotion process, and to provide recommendations for improving promotion systems and supporting teacher development. A qualitative phenomenological research approach was employed with eight Teacher I public school teachers from selected public elementary schools in Montevista District, Division of Davao de Oro, Philippines, purposively selected as participants. Data were collected through in-depth interviews guided by a researcher-made interview schedule validated by experts, and analyzed using thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke’s method. Major findings revealed thematic insights into the participants’ experiences, including emotional and professional strain, motivation for promotion, preparation strategies, personal and professional growth, challenges encountered, coping mechanisms, time and responsibility management, personal sacrifices, and views on promotion requirements and processes. Participants highlighted the importance of support systems, clear guidelines, mentoring, accessible professional development, and streamlined processes. The study recommends enhancing promotion pathways through structured mentoring, balanced evaluation criteria, digitalized systems, and responsive professional development programs to strengthen teacher motivation, professional efficacy, and well-being. These findings provide valuable implications for policymakers, school leaders, and education administrators in designing promotion systems that are equitable, supportive, and conducive to teacher growth.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.