Perceptions and understanding of competency : the primary teacher's view

Abstract

The attempt to define and identify the competencies of a successful teacher is a new issue that has attracted the interest of a lot of researchers. The focus of this dissertation is on the competencies necessary for the development of a successful primary school teacher. A study was conducted between May-June 2000 to identify such competencies. The research was carried out by way of questionnaires which were distributed to both state and non-state primary teachers. The questionnaires were designed to bring out the teachers' disposition towards and understanding of competencies. It was also designed to identify those competencies for the making of a successful teacher which local teachers rated highest in order of importance. For the purpose of the study, the teachers were categorized into three age cohorts being the induction period, the adjustment phase and the decline period. This was done in order to see whether the perceptions of these teachers are similar or not. It was found that their perceptions differ only on the competency 'Professional Development'. Through the analysis of the data, it resulted that teachers perceived the prevailing competencies to be the practical ones. Teachers are in favour of training courses, which enhance their competencies and lead to successful teaching. A brief comparative analysis with Demicoli's (1998) study who conducted the research with Faculty members was also made. This was done to verify whether the perceptions of lecturers and those of teachers regarding the issue of competency are the same.