The perceived perceptions of Year 2 teachers on the implementation of Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) in early primary

Abstract

The main aim of this dissertation was to explore the perceived perceptions of year 2 primary teachers on the implementation of the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) model in early primary. Framed around a qualitative approach, this research aims to present the participants’ views and opinions based on their own experience in the field. Six teachers were chosen to participate in the study, half of whom were working in a state school and the other half in a church school. The participants all had between two to ten years of experience. The participants were presented with a sample, six-week plan on how TPSR can be implemented in practice. Through semi-structured interviews, the participants were asked to discuss the feasibility, benefits, limitations and opinions about the implementation of such model. Findings suggest that although teachers might believe that teaching values is important, due to several factors it is not always possible to implement this in practice. One of the most prominent themes that the teachers brought across was the emphasis that our educational system and parents place on the academic development and examination performance of the pupils. The participants also referred to the loaded syllabus that needs to be covered by the end of the scholastic year. Due to this, findings suggest that due to the syllabus, exams and pressure from the parents, teachers find it hard to make time for value education. This might also suggest that in our educational system, the cognitive domain and academics are being given priority despite the fact that some teachers believe otherwise.