Epistemic Emotions and Self-Esteem of Public Secondary School Teachers Towards DepEd Program Implementation

Abstract

Educational reforms require teachers to adapt cognitively and emotionally to evolving program demands. This study determined the epistemic emotions and self-esteem of public secondary school teachers toward DepEd program implementation in Sto. Niño District, Schools Division of Samar, for School Year 2025–2026. Using a descriptive–comparative correlational design, data were collected from 78 public junior high school teachers through a validated survey questionnaire. Findings revealed that teachers are generally middle-aged, early to mid-career stage, predominantly female, mostly married, with many pursuing master’s program, handling varied grade levels, and performing multiple ancillary roles. Moreover, teachers exhibited a high level of epistemic emotions in terms of curiosity, surprise, and confusion, indicating active engagement with program implementation. Similarly, a high level of self-esteem was observed across perceived competence, sense of accomplishment, workload management, and resilience and adaptability. However, no significant differences were found in epistemic emotions when grouped according to profile variables. In contrast, self-esteem showed significant differences in terms of age and highest educational attainment, particularly in sense of accomplishment and workload management, with post-hoc results identifying specific group differences. Furthermore, the relationship between epistemic emotions and self-esteem was generally not significant, except for a minimal association between confusion and perceived competence. The study concluded that while teachers are emotionally engaged and maintain strong self-esteem, these constructs operate largely independently. It is therefore recommended that targeted psychosocial and professional support interventions be implemented to enhance teachers’ adaptability, clarify program expectations, and strengthen workload management capacities.