This study explores the relationship between teachers' research competence and engagement in the educational context, focusing on the Schools Division of El Salvador City for the 2023-2024 school year. The research aims to address six key objectives: profiling respondents, assessing teachers' competence in framing questions and data collection, identifying literature and theoretical knowledge, analyzing and presenting research data, and evaluating research engagement levels. An adapted survey questionnaire was used, and 391 teachers were surveyed using universal sampling. Statistical tools such as means, frequency, standard deviation, Pearson-r, and triangulations were applied for data analysis. The findings indicate a positive correlation between teachers' research competence and engagement. Significant relationships were identified between engagement and moderating variables like related training and position. Despite the teachers' competence and engagement, their research work was hindered by the number of coordinators they handle. The study emphasizes the importance of fostering a research-oriented culture in education to maximize its benefits. It also highlights the need for a targeted Research Development Plan to address the low research submission rates and enhance teachers' research competency. The study's theoretical framework is based on the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) by Deci and Ryan, which posits that motivation is a result of meeting three fundamental psychological demands, one of which is competence. The research design is mixed-methods, emphasizing descriptive methods to collect data on teachers' research progress and competency. The study setting is the Schools Division of El Salvador City, known for its commitment to promoting research and development among educators. The research instruments include a questionnaire divided into three parts: respondent profile, research competence, and research engagement. The results show that the majority of respondents are handling Key Stage 3 (Grade 7-10) or Junior High School teachers, with a high prevalence of Master's Degree Units Earners. The study also reveals that teachers have a high level of competence in framing questions and data collection, identifying literature and theoretical knowledge, and analyzing and presenting research data. However, there is room for improvement in aligning research instruments with specific research inquiries and critically evaluating and selecting appropriate theoretical frameworks. Overall, the study provides insights into the current state of teachers' research skills and lays the groundwork for a targeted Research Development Plan to enhance educational improvement.This study explores the relationship between teachers' research competence and engagement in the educational context, focusing on the Schools Division of El Salvador City for the 2023-2024 school year. The research aims to address six key objectives: profiling respondents, assessing teachers' competence in framing questions and data collection, identifying literature and theoretical knowledge, analyzing and presenting research data, and evaluating research engagement levels. An adapted survey questionnaire was used, and 391 teachers were surveyed using universal sampling. Statistical tools such as means, frequency, standard deviation, Pearson-r, and triangulations were applied for data analysis. The findings indicate a positive correlation between teachers' research competence and engagement. Significant relationships were identified between engagement and moderating variables like related training and position. Despite the teachers' competence and engagement, their research work was hindered by the number of coordinators they handle. The study emphasizes the importance of fostering a research-oriented culture in education to maximize its benefits. It also highlights the need for a targeted Research Development Plan to address the low research submission rates and enhance teachers' research competency. The study's theoretical framework is based on the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) by Deci and Ryan, which posits that motivation is a result of meeting three fundamental psychological demands, one of which is competence. The research design is mixed-methods, emphasizing descriptive methods to collect data on teachers' research progress and competency. The study setting is the Schools Division of El Salvador City, known for its commitment to promoting research and development among educators. The research instruments include a questionnaire divided into three parts: respondent profile, research competence, and research engagement. The results show that the majority of respondents are handling Key Stage 3 (Grade 7-10) or Junior High School teachers, with a high prevalence of Master's Degree Units Earners. The study also reveals that teachers have a high level of competence in framing questions and data collection, identifying literature and theoretical knowledge, and analyzing and presenting research data. However, there is room for improvement in aligning research instruments with specific research inquiries and critically evaluating and selecting appropriate theoretical frameworks. Overall, the study provides insights into the current state of teachers' research skills and lays the groundwork for a targeted Research Development Plan to enhance educational improvement.