The Mediating Effect of Teachers’ Engagement on the Relationship Between Implementation of School Sanitation Policy and Students’ Outcomes: A Proposed S.H.I.N.E Program

This study investigated the structural associations among school sanitation policy implementation, teacher engagement, and student outcomes within public schools in the Tupi North District, Division of South Cotabato, during the school year 2024–2025. Utilizing a quantitative, descriptive-correlational survey design, data were collected via stratified random sampling from 165 learners (Grades 4–6) alongside a total enumeration cohort of 10 intermediate classroom teachers. Descriptive statistics revealed uniformly high assessments across all primary dimensions: school sanitation was rated very high (M = 4.71, SD = 0.22), student outcomes were very high (M = 4.71, SD = 0.24), and teacher engagement was very high (M = 4.74, SD = 0.21). These high ratings indicate potential ceiling effects or social desirability biases inherent in localized self-reported metrics. Bivariate correlation analyses revealed strong positive associations between school sanitation and student outcomes (r = .85, p < .001), teacher engagement and sanitation (r = .87, p < .001), and teacher engagement and student outcomes (r = .82, p < .001). Crucially, re-specified structural path analysis indicated that teacher engagement partially mediated the relationship between school sanitation policy implementation and student outcomes (β_indirect=.175,p<.001; Model Fit: x2/df = 1.84, CFI = .998, TLI = .992, RMSEA = .031, SRMR = .014). However, the stability and generalizability of these structural estimates are strictly limited by the small teacher sample size (n = 10). To operationalize these findings, the study proposes the S.H.I.N.E. (Sanitation and Health Initiatives for Nurturing Engagement) Program, an intervention framework focused on capacity-building workshops, structured hygiene clubs, and community-partnered infrastructure maintenance.