Abstract
The responsibilities of pre-elementary school teachers in early childhood education became more challenging following the transition to the new normal. Higher-quality teaching, blended learning, and remote learning are the kinds of expectations that signal to teachers the need to demonstrate high levels of competence, commitment, and tenacity in addressing instructional challenges (Abon et al., 2023). This study aimed to determine the level of competence, commitment, and difficulties of private pre-elementary school teachers for the School Year 2024-2025, as their responsibilities became more challenging following the transition to the new normal. The study employed a descriptive research design and involved 50 private pre-elementary school teacher respondents located in the Negros Island Region. Data were gathered using a researcher-made survey questionnaire that underwent content validation by five expert jurors and established reliability through a dry run with 30 non-respondent teachers. The results of the study revealed that the teachers’ levels of competence and commitment were both high, while the level of difficulties encountered was moderate. In terms of competence, significant differences were found when respondents were grouped by age and length of service, particularly in the area of mastery of subject matter, where younger and less experienced teachers scored higher. The study also found that average family monthly income significantly influenced competence, with teachers from lower-income households demonstrating higher levels of mastery. Regarding commitment, significant differences were observed across age groups, with younger teachers showing higher commitment to the profession. Furthermore, the study identified significant differences in the level of difficulty encountered in lesson delivery and work commitment based on the teachers’ highest educational attainment, as well as significant differences in the level of difficulty in lesson preparation based on their length of service.
Keywords: Teachers’ competence, commitment and difficulties, pre-elementary school teachers, new normal