Abstract
Teachers in the Philippine basic education sector are encouraged to promote an evidence-based policymaking culture through research. They are expected to have basic or advanced skills in conducting investigations, surveys, or experiments, as well as data analysis, in their respective teaching fields. The researcher assessed the perceived research capability of secondary school teachers in Masbate (n-1,637) during the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to improve their research skills in terms of formulating, conceptualizing, writing, constructing, and conducting research in this descriptive survey. The purpose of this study was to assess secondary school teachers' research capability, as well as the barriers they encountered and the interventions they implemented. Teachers were found to be "slightly capable" of conducting research. As a result of the findings, it is recommended that all teachers participate in a research capability enhancement program. The majority of teachers (87.72 percent) lack scientific training but are willing to participate in any research endeavor. Among the challenges encountered, solutions included participation in research trainings (84.30 percent), school-based mentoring (78.31 percent), and collaboration with experts (77.64 percent). The findings lay the groundwork for school officials to develop a functional growth plan for becoming more responsive and effective in teaching research, which is critical for students to develop critical thinking skills. Additionally, schools should provide relevant training to strengthen school-level mentoring, foster collaboration, and mandate the acquisition, creation, and distribution of current research guides to all teachers.
