Brooding Pedagogy and Interpersonal Certainty of Language Teachers in Public Secondary Schools

Abstract

Public secondary school language teachers face similar challenges regarding interpersonal certainty. Large class sizes, heavy workloads, and limited professional development opportunities often leave teachers feeling undervalued and underprepared to handle interpersonal demands in the classroom. This study investigated the relationship between brooding pedagogy and interpersonal certainty among public secondary school language teachers, driven by concerns that reflective teaching practices may influence teachers’ confidence in their professional relationships. A descriptive-correlational research design was employed, using a validated survey administered to a sample of 146 public secondary school language teachers. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, Pearson r, and multiple linear regression. Findings revealed that both brooding pedagogy and interpersonal certainty were rated high across all domains. In brooding pedagogy, the "class" domain received a very high mean, while in interpersonal certainty, "integrity" ranked highest. A moderate but statistically significant relationship (r = 0.629, p < 0.001) was found between the two variables, indicating that teachers who engage more deeply in reflective teaching tend to exhibit greater interpersonal certainty. Regression analysis showed that the “ability” domain of brooding pedagogy had the strongest positive influence (β = 0.578), followed by “academic” (β = 0.395), while the “class” domain had a significant negative effect (β = -0.252) on interpersonal certainty. The regression model explained 55.8% of the variance in interpersonal certainty (R² = 0.558). The results suggest that instructional competence and academic engagement help build professional confidence. The findings support existing theories that link reflective practice with better interpersonal skills in education. The study recommends focused training to improve teaching skills and classroom management, which can boost both teaching effectiveness and teachers’ confidence.