Students’ Skills In Technology And Livelihood Education And Teachers’ Contextualized Strategies In Congressional District I, SDO Batangas Province

Abstract

Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE) equip learners with practical competencies essential for economic empowerment, yet student technical skill acquisition remains heavily dependent on instructional delivery. Contextualized instruction serves as a strategic framework to bridge classroom concepts with socio- economic realities and industry standards.

This study assessed the level of technical skills demonstrated by Junior High School students and the extent of utilization of contextualized teaching strategies among TLE teachers in Congressional District I, Schools Division Office (SDO) of Batangas Province, to serve as a basis for proposing enhanced instructional materials.

Utilizing a descriptive-correlation research design, data were collected from 141 purposively and stratified randomly sampled public secondary school TLE teachers using a validated, Four-point Likert scale survey questionnaire and supplemented by focus group discussions. Data analysis was executed using weighted means, rankings, and Pearson r correlation coefficients.

Junior High School students demonstrated an "Above Average" level of technical proficiency across all competency areas, led by occupational safety and health practices (WM = 3.32) and tool/equipment handling (WM = 3.31), but marked by relative weaknesses in complex applied ICT operations (WM = 2.99). Teachers "Highly Utilized" contextualized instructional strategies (Composite Mean= 3.66), particularly in tailoring lessons to real-world applications (WM = 3.68). A significant positive correlation was established between students' technical skills and teachers' contextualized strategies, notably in tool handling (r = .52, p < .001). However, teachers moderately encountered critical challenges (Composite Mean = 2.81), top-ranked by a lack of localized teaching and learning materials (WM = 3.02).

Contextualized teaching strategies significantly enhance technical skill development. To optimize learning outcomes and resolve localized resource gaps, the implementation of instructional materials that are commendable for technical skills gaps of students and strong utilization of contextualized strategies.