The competencies and performance of english teachers and first year students achievment and afor a prttitude: basis for a proposed instructional plan

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY

Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Republic of the Philippines

i

THE COMPETENCIES AND PERFORMANCE OF ENGLISH TEACHERS

AND FIRST YEAR STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENT AND ATTITUDE: BASIS

FOR A PROPOSED INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN

A Dissertation Presented to

The Faculty of Graduate School

Batangas State University

Batangas City, Philippines

In partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

Major in English

By

Nguyen Thi Dieu Ha (Bella)

December, 2014

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY

Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Republic of the Philippines

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APPROVAL SHEET

This dissertation entitled THE COMPETENCIES AND PERFORMANCE OF

ENGLISH TEACHERS AND FIRST YEAR STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENT

AND ATTITUDE: BASIS FOR A PROPOSED INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN

prepared and submitted by NGUYEN THI DIEU HA in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy major in

English has been examined and is recommended for Oral Examination.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TABLE OF CONTENTS.............................................................................. ii

LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................... iv

LIST OF FIGURES..................................................................................... vi

CHAPTER

I. THE PROBLEM........................................................................................................1

Introduction ...................................................................... 1

Scope, limitation and delimitation of the study............... 10

Significance of the study................................................ 11

II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES..................................... 13

Conceptual literature...................................................... 13

English language Instruction.......................................... 13

English Language Instruction ........................................ 35

Related Studies.............................................................. 75

Theoretical Framework ................................................ 102

Conceptual Framework................................................ 107

Hypothesis of the study ............................................... 109

Definition of Terms....................................................... 109

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III. METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................. 111

Research Design ......................................................... 111

Subject of the study ..................................................... 112

Data gathering instrument ........................................... 113

Data gathering procedure ............................................ 113

Statistical treatment of data ......................................... 114

IV. PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA.............. 115

V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS............................ 160

Summary...................................................................... 160

Findings ....................................................................... 162

Conclusions ................................................................. 167

Recommendations....................................................... 169

BIBLIOGRAPHY....................................................................................................... 170

APPENDIX................................................................................................................ 176

CURRICULUM VITAE.............................................................................................. 191

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LIST OF TABLES

Table Title Page

1.Distribution of samples by Colleges............................................................112

2.1. Competencies of English Faculty of TNU in terms of Subject Matter

Expertise...................................................................................................119

2.2. Competencies of English Faculty of TNU in terms of Classroom

Management Expertise............................................................................123

2.3. Competencies of English Faculty of TNU in terms of Instructional

Expertise..................................................................................................127

2.4. Competencies of English Faculty of TNU in terms of

Communication Expertise......................................................................130

2.5 Competencies of English Faculty of TNU in terms of Diagnostic Expertise....133

2.6. Competencies of English Faculty of TNU in terms of Relational Expertise....137

3. Difference of Responses on Teachers’ Performance and Level of

Competence...............................................................................................140

4. Students’ Level of Performance in Basic English......................................143

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5. Attitudes towards English Language..........................................................144

6. Relationship Between Attitude of Students and ........................................150

7. Level of Performance in English ................................................................150

8. Instructional Plan to Facilitate Teaching and Learning .............................152

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Title Page

1. Conceptual Paradigm of the study ............................................ 108

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CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM

Introduction

Quality education is first and foremost a function of instruction,

because in the hands of uncommitted and ineffective teachers, the best￾designed curriculum is doomed to fail. While it is true that some students

can learn in spite of the teacher, it cannot be denied that the quality of the

outputs of education is a function, to a great extent, of instruction and

students’ interaction with the teachers.

Teachers who are masters of their craft and are genuinely

concerned with the total growth of their students can leave an indelible

imprint in the hearts and minds of the learners that can withstand the

passage of time. Teaching expertise is ordinarily attained by only a small

percentage of those who are competent in teaching (Berliner, 1992 in

Reyes, 2002).

Nothing is more central to student learning than the quality of the

teacher. He is the most important education factor influencing student

outcomes and his far reaching influence as agent of constructive change in

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society cannot be questioned. His influence on student achievement is

inarguable. These observations stem from the findings of previous

researchers who posited that the quality of the teacher could account for a

significant amount of variance in student achievement (Hua:2010;

Goldhaber:2002; Frost Leo in Hua:2010).

Teacher competencies which deal with what the teacher does while

teaching include behaviors related to student achievement which were

referred to in a separate publication as key and catalytic behaviors.

Subsequent analysis showed two behaviors consistently related with

student achievement namely task orientation or direct instruction, and

opportunity to learn oftentimes referred to as academic time, engaged time

or content covered.

It was also found that to increase student achievement scores, a

teacher should use strong classroom management, possess high

expectations for students, and maintain an optimal level of learning

difficulty. Teachers who were accepting, attentive, aware of developmental

needs, consistent in controlling classes, democratic, encouraging, tolerant

of race and class, flexible, and optimistic were also found to be successful.

There were other models developed both by foreign and local researchers

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who identified teacher behaviors that correlate strongly with student

outcomes.

It is evident that teachers have the greatest potential to influence

students’ education, and that student achievement is related to teacher

competence in teaching. There is sufficient evidence that shows that

students achieve more when teachers employ systematic teaching

procedures and systematic feedback on students’ performance and that

achievement is higher in classrooms where the climate is warm and

democratic, neither harsh nor overly lavish with praise and that teachers

who adjust the difficulty level of material to student ability have higher rates

of achievement in their classes (Kemp & Hall, 1992 in Goldhaber, 2003).

These studies confirm that teachers have a greater impact on students

than any other schooling factor and that there is no substitute for a highly

skilled teacher.

No one can deny the fact that the role of the teacher is crucial in

establishing a culture of learning. There have been so many factors

considered in making a teacher effective and efficient in this complex

endeavor. One of the most important and complex issue in education is on

teacher evaluation and professional growth since no answer yet has been

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given as to the best ways to meet the growth needs of the teachers. It is

also a sad fact that many intellectual, emotional, spiritual and physical

demands are placed on teachers as they seek appropriate resources,

teaching methods, and assessment techniques to make learning

meaningful for each student. For most teachers, the job becomes

emotionally draining especially if done with intensity, passion and love.

Generally, all teachers pass in sequence from pre-service stage into

the induction stage of their careers. Those that remain in the profession,

stand to branch off into one of the several stages beyond the induction.

These include (a) the competency-building stage, (b) the enthusiastic and

growing stage, (c) the stable and stagnant stage, (d) the career-frustration

stage, and (e) the career wind-down stage.

With this reality, the development of the teacher as a professional

becomes the key to a successful learning culture within a school. Since

quality teaching demands a continuous monitoring of performance and a

commitment to view professional development as a career-long enterprise,

preparation for teaching also becomes a career long process.

Undoubtedly, part of this process is the continuous professional growth

teachers are expected to commit themselves so that they may become

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open to new information and approaches as they monitor changes in their

personal and professional environments.

From the early 1900s to the late ‘50s, research on teaching focused

on teacher effectiveness. Traits and attributes most and least preferred of

teachers by students, teacher educators and school administrators were

identified. Attributes of most-liked teachers included enthusiasm,

adaptability, good judgment, magnetism, fairness, kindness and love,

ability to teach and counsel, consideration, open-mindedness, consistency,

sense of humor, pleasing personality and good grooming. The least liked

teachers were perceived as unfair, aloof, arrogant, bossy, irritable, cranky,

and boring. They reportedly had no sense of humor, insulted students and

did not allow for freedom of expression. (Reyes, 2002)

However, in the ‘60s and ‘70s, researchers realized that studies on

teaching effectiveness could not be confined to the narrow dimension of

teacher traits or attributes. This dimension did not consider teaching

practices, and gave the impression that teachers are born. Consequently,

researchers’ attention that shifted to the identification of classroom

teaching practices that differentiated effective from ineffective teachers.

Researchers sat in classes a couple of times during the school year then

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documented, with the use of observation instruments, how teachers

conducted classroom instruction. The frequencies of occurrences of

teaching practices - such as observing wait-time in questioning, giving

feedback, using praise, keeping students on task and using varied

teaching methodologies- were averaged across observations and

correlated with teaching outcomes, usually measured by students’ scores

in standardized tests. These efforts characterized the so-called “process￾product” studies, which established the conclusion that differences in

learning may be attributed to differences in teachers’ technical skills and

teaching practices. Teachers who are flexible in implementing different

teaching methodologies were described as more effective than those who

were rigid or who employed one teaching method long after its particular

contribution that had been utilized effectively. The former were referred to

as cognitive flexible teachers: teaching approach was needed. Students’

active engagement in to the growing list of effective teaching practices

(Rosenshine & Berliner, 1978; Shulman, 1986 in Reyes, 2002). Compared

with their less effective peers, the more effective teachers were described

as being more organized in teaching, spending more time in active

instruction and student-teacher discourse, and placing more emphasis on

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mastery learning. They had greater rapport with students, paid more

attention to students’ individual differences, taught with greater enthusiasm

and demonstrated better communication and motivation skills.

Salomon supported that the need for students’ active involvement in

learning is based on his descriptions of responsible teaching. For him

(Salomon), responsible teaching involves the proper carrying out of the

role of the teacher as an orchestrator catering to different students

(Salomon, 1992 in Reyes, 2002). It entails assuming responsibility for the

learning process and outcomes, while at the same time judiciously shifting

this responsibility to students. Salomon further views responsible teaching

as the serious consideration, selection and design (as contrasted with

mindless adoption) of instructional means, activities, tasks, and the like in

the light of normative and moral criteria.

For Shulman (in Reyes, 2002), the professional knowledge of expert

teachers goes beyond subject matter mastery. These teachers know

varied generic teaching strategies applicable across disciplines. They are

familiar with the curriculum materials appropriate for the subjects they

handle, as well as with the special techniques suited to particular groups of

learners and lessons. They are aware of different settings for learning, and

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are fully acquainted with goals and objectives of teaching. Expert teaches

have “elaborate system of knowledge”. Precisely, the quality of this

knowledge differentiates them from their colleagues, (Peterson &

Comeaux, 1989 in Reyes, 2002). In addition, their vast depository of

knowledge is so well-organized that they can make adaptations for any

given classroom situation or need (Galton, 1989 in Reyes, 2002).

Shulman asserts that “teaching is and has always been at the center

of all education and educational reform”. Thus, any research that focuses

on teaching is significant, especially if it provides an empirical base that

can guide policy action on teachers and teaching (Reyes, 2002).

It is in this light that this study will be undertaken. The main concern

of the study is to determine if the teaching competencies of teachers

evidenced through their teaching performance have any significant

relationship with the students’ achievement. The study is limited to the

teachers at Thai Nguyen University teaching General education courses.

Student achievement is limited to the final average obtained by the student

in the subjects wherein he is enrolled during the school year 2013 – 2014.

This study is deemed beneficial to the school managers who

through the findings will gain a better understanding of the importance of