Assessing Institutional Leadership, AI Pedagogy, and Digital Literacy Capacity for Artificial Intelligence Integration in Public Secondary Schools
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: The growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in education has intensified the need for schools to develop leadership capacity, pedagogical readiness, and digital literacy competencies that support effective and ethical technology adoption. Despite recent policy initiatives promoting AI integration in Philippine basic education, empirical evidence regarding the readiness of public secondary schools, particularly in rural contexts, remains limited. This study assessed the level of institutional leadership competency, AI pedagogy implementation among teachers, and ICT coordinators’ digital literacy capacity in four public secondary schools in the Bunawan District, Division of Agusan del Sur, Philippines. Using a quantitative descriptive research design, data were collected from school leaders, teachers, and ICT coordinators through researcher-developed and expert-validated questionnaires anchored on UNESCO’s AI competency principles and contemporary digital literacy frameworks. Descriptive statistics, specifically mean and standard deviation, were employed to determine the levels of competency and implementation across the identified domains. Results revealed that school leaders demonstrated a competent level of institutional leadership competency (M = 3.27, SD = 0.93), with AI pedagogy and curriculum innovation emerging as the strongest area. Teachers exhibited a mostly implemented level of AI pedagogy integration (M = 3.94, SD = 0.76), particularly in ethical governance and professional development practices. Similarly, ICT coordinators demonstrated a mostly implemented level of digital literacy capacity (M = 3.75, SD = 0.75), with pedagogical innovation and curriculum integration identified as their strongest domain. Across the three domains, ethical governance, professional capacity building, and infrastructure support emerged as areas requiring further improvement. The findings indicate that public secondary schools possess foundational readiness for AI integration; however, sustained progress requires coordinated interventions focused on leadership development, continuous professional learning, strengthened ICT infrastructure, and institutionalized AI governance frameworks. These findings provide empirical evidence to support school improvement planning, policy development, and sustainable digital transformation initiatives in Philippine basic education.
Authors: Mark Evan G. Bernales, Erwin B. Berry
Institution: North Eastern Mindanao State University
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7166472575