Expanded Career Progression System as a Predictor of Teachers’ Professional Development and Career Advancement in Public Elementary Schools

Teachers serve as the cornerstone of educational transformation, yet their sustained commitment to quality instruction depends heavily on structured systems that recognize their competencies, safeguard their welfare, and reward their professional growth. In response to this imperative, the Philippine government issued Executive Order No. 174 (s. 2022), which established the Expanded Career Progression System for Public School Teachers—a national policy that institutionalizes merit- and competency-based advancement aligned with the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers (PPST). This study assessed how teachers’ awareness of the Expanded Career Progression System related to their professional development and career advancement in Jagna District, Bohol, Philippines, during School Year 2024–2025. Employing a quantitative descriptive-correlational design, the research involved 16 school heads and 197 public elementary teachers selected through total enumeration. Data were gathered using a modified, validated survey questionnaire and analyzed using percentages, weighted means, the Chi-square test of independence, and simple linear regression, with data normality examined using the Shapiro–Wilk test. Findings revealed that respondents demonstrated complete awareness of the Expanded Career Progression System (WM = 4.26), while perceptions of professional development (WM = 3.61) and career advancement (WM = 3.61) were rated at very high levels. Chi-square analysis showed a significant association between teachers’ career advancement and their position (p = 0.001), whereas sex, age, highest educational attainment, and teaching experience were not significantly associated. Regression analysis further indicated that teachers’ awareness of the Expanded Career Progression System significantly predicted both professional development (β = 0.482, p < .001, R² = 0.232) and career advancement (β = 0.412, p < .001, R² = 0.170). These results suggest that teachers’ awareness of a well-structured, competency-based career progression framework is positively associated with their professional development and career advancement within the Philippine public-school context, although a substantial share of the variance remains attributable to factors beyond the model. The study recommends operationalizing EO 174 through clear implementation guidelines, sustained needs-based training programs, enabling school-level conditions, and longitudinal, multi-site research to track long-term outcomes, thereby strengthening teacher retention and the overall quality of Philippine basic education.