Options
Conceptions of professionalism : a study of an autonomous secondary school in Singapore
Author
Foo, Sek Jong
Supervisor
Han, Christine
Leong, Wing Fatt
Abstract
This study attempts to explore the conceptions of professionalism among teachers in AGAS School and identify their needs and concerns with regard to their professional development for increased student achievement. Two perspectives were used as conceptual framework. One perspective is John Elliot 's reflective practitioner model of professionalism which is grounded on the discontinuous and unpredictable nature of change and human situations. The other perspective is the teacher Career Cycle model by Fessler and Christensen. The model places the career cycle concept into the context of influences from personal and organisational needs.
This open-ended questionnaire on Conceptions of Teacher Professionalism was devised to gather the perceptions, thoughts , opinions and feelings from 50 teachers in AGAS School about themselves as teachers as well as their jobs. A total of 42 responses were received. Among the respondents were 15 newly qualified teachers, 15 experienced classroom teachers and 12 long-experienced teachers. The data collected was collated into different areas of the content under study. All the responses were organised into various tables for interpretations and analysis.
Analysis of the data showed that the conceptions of professionalism among the teachers reveal an image formed by the newly qualified teachers changing into one that is more focused by the experienced teachers. They all captured the dimensions of professional knowledge , professional competence and the nature of professional role in their conceptions. Many of the teachers in this school perceived themselves as professionals because they met certain conditions like having a specialised knowledge base and strong service ethics to meet the needs of their clients. The teachers in this school perceived their role in today's educational system as one that is changing. They expressed their inadequacy in managing emotional and behavioural problems of pupils and when working with demanding parents. The limitation of time, lack of self motivation and support from the superior had been identified by many as barriers to their professional development.
As this study is limited tot he teachers in one school, the findings cannot be generalised to other schools in Singapore. It is recommended that to increase the level of professionalism awareness among teachers, it is necessary for school leaders and managers to consider setting aside time for teachers to consolidate and improve on their practice, to give more scope for teachers to exercise their professional judgement, to facilitate teachers in carrying out meaningful interchange with colleagues to agree on shared set of values and professional knowledge and to reorganise the organisational structure so as to reduce administrative demands on the teachers.
This open-ended questionnaire on Conceptions of Teacher Professionalism was devised to gather the perceptions, thoughts , opinions and feelings from 50 teachers in AGAS School about themselves as teachers as well as their jobs. A total of 42 responses were received. Among the respondents were 15 newly qualified teachers, 15 experienced classroom teachers and 12 long-experienced teachers. The data collected was collated into different areas of the content under study. All the responses were organised into various tables for interpretations and analysis.
Analysis of the data showed that the conceptions of professionalism among the teachers reveal an image formed by the newly qualified teachers changing into one that is more focused by the experienced teachers. They all captured the dimensions of professional knowledge , professional competence and the nature of professional role in their conceptions. Many of the teachers in this school perceived themselves as professionals because they met certain conditions like having a specialised knowledge base and strong service ethics to meet the needs of their clients. The teachers in this school perceived their role in today's educational system as one that is changing. They expressed their inadequacy in managing emotional and behavioural problems of pupils and when working with demanding parents. The limitation of time, lack of self motivation and support from the superior had been identified by many as barriers to their professional development.
As this study is limited tot he teachers in one school, the findings cannot be generalised to other schools in Singapore. It is recommended that to increase the level of professionalism awareness among teachers, it is necessary for school leaders and managers to consider setting aside time for teachers to consolidate and improve on their practice, to give more scope for teachers to exercise their professional judgement, to facilitate teachers in carrying out meaningful interchange with colleagues to agree on shared set of values and professional knowledge and to reorganise the organisational structure so as to reduce administrative demands on the teachers.
Date Issued
1999
Call Number
LB1775 Foo
Date Submitted
1999