It is interesting to note here that while the individual answers may have been worded differently, the general trends were such that the answers given by the interviewees individually, was strikingly similar to the others collectively. The consistencies of the answers were such that I did not feel it necessary to increase the sample number. It would seem, based on the interviews that current perceptions held by teachers are shared by the majority if not universally. Let us look at what was gleaned from the answers posed to the interviewees.
TEACHER ROLE – In determining how the interviewees perceive the role of the teacher, several questions were asked; the first question asked the interviewee to describe ideally, the function of the teacher.
In response, everyone agreed that the teacher’s main role was that of imparting knowledge to the students. In addition to this, the teachers felt that they were there to guide, to council and to help the student develop attitudes and behaviors that would stand him/her in good stead for life.
The teachers were then asked to define what was their own role at school. All of them indicated that besides teaching, their roles were multi faceted e.g. sports coordinator, counselor, nurse, taxi drivers, choreographers, dean, etc. In fact, other teachers shared many of these roles and some were even interchangeable.
What became evident is that, while there was a conceptualization in the minds of the teachers as to exactly what the role of the teacher should be, in reality, most teachers go above and beyond this and have at varied times, assumed a role that should not necessarily be theirs.
EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND TEACHER/STUDENT INTERACTION – During the interview, the interviewees were asked their views on what they considered to be an effective teacher. The answers given were similar in that everyone felt that the effective teacher must genuinely care for or have a love for both the children who are their charges and the job. Other characteristics are that they should be patient, persistent, understanding, knowledgeable, approachable and disciplined. When asked about themselves and their own practice in the classroom, whether their focus was subject centered or pastoral (child centered), the majority claimed that their focus was child centered.
To me, this further helped to define how teachers perceive their roles at school; after all, if the teachers themselves were not already putting these criteria into practice, then they would have been hard pressed to so readily have an answer.
TEACHER SATISFACTION – Are the teachers of Rio Claro High School satisfied with their current jobs? It seemed to me that the most accurate way to gain such information was to ask the teachers themselves to indicate whether they were satisfied or not and to identify the factors responsible for either.
The majority of teachers indicated that they currently were satisfied and cited as their reasons; their love for interacting with children and also that they enjoyed the fact that they were helping would–be adults to gain enlightenment and to promote progress.
A couple of responses were in the negative however and the reason given is that they were teaching for too many years (more than 15) and that the job failed to excite them anymore.
The interviewees were also asked to indicate what factors make their enthusiasm for teaching wane. Two problems were identified and these are, the lack of cooperation among staff and the decline of discipline on the part of the students.
TEACHER – STUDENT INTERACTION – The interviewees were asked several questions about their teaching methods and the success of such methods in terms of student interaction. It would seem that the majority of teachers employ discussion, demonstration and lecture as their methods of choice and claim to have interactive classes the majority of the time. Teachers also believe in discipline in the classroom and tend to focus somewhat on this aspect.
ADMINISTRATION’S INFLUENCE – The teachers were asked to indicate if the school’s administration played any part in their current feelings as a teacher. The majority claimed that they were indeed influenced by this but the feelings of most were positive rather than negative. A few teachers though, emphatically stated that they were negatively influenced.
MOTIVATION TO TEACH – How motivated are the teachers of Rio Claro High School to continue teaching? The main factor for teacher motivation was the interaction with students and assisting them to learn. However, the teachers felt a setback in the lack of infrastructure and new technologies in the current plant and indicated that they would feel further motivated if such problems were rectified.
Interestingly though, when asked if they would leave teaching for another job, the majority responded that they would despite any positive feelings they may have for teaching as a career. However, if they had to remain in the teaching service then they would consent to being trained in pedagogy to help improve their teaching skills rather than stagnate in their career. Given the fact that the upward movement of careers of teachers is restrictive, I consider this to be an indication of the interest of the teachers in their career.
TEACHERS’ STANDING IN SOCIETY – In order to determine how teachers view themselves in society, the last part of the interview dealt with this issue. Interestingly, everyone asked felt that the members of the teaching fraternity are not held in esteem by our society.
Indeed, when asked what they thought of as the status accorded to them by society, the answer most received was that they were just an ordinary man in the street. The teachers felt that while we were respected in school for the job that we do, outside of the school compound, this was non-existent.
Teachers also felt that they do not have the respect of other professions and were unsure as to how they were regarded within their own community. In regards to other professions, they felt that they were ranked somewhere in the middle in comparison to other professions.
In the final part of the interview, the teachers were asked if they would recommend teaching as a choice of career to young individuals. Most of them responded in the negative because they felt that the profession was too stressful for anyone to cope with unless the individual really possessed the convictions to become, and stay, a teacher.
GENERAL FINDINGS – ANSWERS TO THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS: -
1. HOW WOULD THE TEACHERS OF RIO CLARO HIGH SCHOOL COMPARE TO THE STUDY PRESENTED BY Dr. POPPLETON? – As previously stated when discussing the questionnaire, there were two components involved, those questions of my own design and those that were used in the research of Dr. Poppleton (1988). These questions were taken directly from the Final Report ESRC Project submitted by Poppleton (1988). The following section deals with that part of the questionnaire, which was taken from Dr. Poppleton and those results obtained from the teachers of Rio Claro High School and its comparison to the results obtained from the original study. The reasoning for attempting to imitate that part of the study was to find out how a sample of Trinidadian teachers would have answered the questions to a study that was done on an international scale.
Of the eleven respondents, 45% say that they enjoy teaching as an occupation ‘a great deal’; this is comparable to the original study where 46% said the same. More than half considered that teaching did not measure up to the sort of work that they wanted as compared to the Poppleton study where the situation reversed and less than half said so.
A major question arising from the project was the satisfaction of teachers with their job. In Dr. Poppleton’s study, 22% said that they were satisfied with their present job. In my research, no one claimed to be very satisfied with their present job whereas 45% said that their present job brought not much satisfaction to them and 36% said that they were satisfied to some extent.
When asked if, after knowing what they now know, would they, given the choice, had to decide once more to enter teaching, 455 said outright that it was not at all likely and another 36% that it was not very likely.
Dr. Poppleton’s study revealed that 76% of the teachers studied regarded work as very important to them. My study indicates that 82% regarded the same. While 59% in the Poppleton study stated that their thoughts are occupied a great deal of time with work outside of working hours, no one opted for that choice in my study but 55% said that work occupied their thoughts to some extent.
Interestingly, while 64% in the Poppleton study wished to know what was happening outside their classrooms, only 36% in my study would lay claim to the same.
The last item of the questionnaire referred to the stress experienced on the job. The original study indicates that 44% admitted to feeling a great deal of stress as compared to 55% from Rio Claro High.
The comparison between Dr. Poppleton’s study and mine is summarized into the table drawn below:
ITEM Dr. POPPLETON (1988) RIO CLARO HIGH SCHOOL
Teaching enjoyed as an occupation. 46% satisfied a great deal 45% satisfied a great deal
Job satisfaction. 22% satisfied a great deal 36% satisfied to some extent
Work regarded as important 76% a great deal 82% a great deal
Think about work outside of working hours. 59% a great deal 55% to some extent
Wishes to know what is happening outside the classroom. 64% 36%
Levels of stress experienced on the job. 44% a great deal 55% a great deal
Apparently, arising from the study, the figures reported by Dr. Poppleton and those presented by me are comparable with an average of 6% difference between most of the answers. It would seem that, the trends and concepts of teachers in different countries may have an identical or a reasonable facsimile thereof, to the trends of thought that teachers in Trinidad (at least those of Rio Claro High School) seem to have.
3. HOW DO TEACHERS VIEW THEIR ROLE AT SCHOOL? : – It is without a doubt a general, almost unanimous feeling that the role/s played by the teachers of Rio Claro High School are complex and demanding at times.
4.
Teachers see themselves as holding / having multi-faceted roles which sometimes go above and beyond the call of duty but are nevertheless performed. From ambulance driver to dance choreographer, to nurse to master of ceremonies, to coach, to psychiatrist and many others too numerous to mention, these are some of the roles that teachers are from time to time called upon to play. From observation it would seem that teachers couldn’t just expect to come to school and be a ‘font of knowledge’ in the classroom.
The role of the teacher is much more diverse. However, another observation made was that the teachers mostly felt that many of these roles were thrust upon them as one of the demands of the job so that there is a certain degree of reluctancy to perform such roles. Yet it must be done and therefore it is done because of something I have labeled “the conscience factor”. Many teachers claim that it would be going against their conscience to abandon such tasks. However, I have come to believe that, and it was stated by one of the teachers interviewed, that it is a love of the children who are our charges that also motivate teachers to accept their roles, varied as they are.
I must state however that a general feeling by most of the senior teachers interviewed, as well as by personal observation, that they find these complexities of tasks to be quite draining on their time and energy, they even claim that they would not encourage anyone to teach because of the stress generated from their roles. By personal observation, senior teachers very often choose to pass off those extra duties to the junior staff members who are still enthusiastic about performing their jobs and are thusly relegated.
Another observation made however is that part of that enthusiasm on the part of the junior teachers is because of a fear of not being given a good grading on their Staff Confidential Reports. Senior teachers on the other hand, claim that these reports no longer bother them an as such, work their way around it or simply ignore it.
However it is done or whosoever may be doing it, the bottom line is that teachers at Rio Claro High School perform many roles apart from that of facilitator of learning, and are likely to continue performing such roles whatever the motivation. Whether they are satisfied with this arrangement or not is another story.
3. ARE TEACHERS SATISFIED OR DISILLUSIONED WITH THEIR CAREER AND WHAT ARE THE CAUSE/S? – Interestingly, 45% of the teachers claimed that they were satisfied a great deal with teaching as an occupation. However, when asked if they were satisfied with their job at Rio Claro High School, only 22% responded a great deal whereas 36% said to some extent.
On further investigation using the interview responses, it was found that there were a few factors responsible for this trend: -
1. The apparent lack of discipline among students coupled with academic decline – most teachers have realized that discipline among the students is slipping to the point where some are reputed boulders in the otherwise smooth flow of the stream of classroom management. In addition, there are students who seem to lack interest in their schoolwork and academic performance. These two have combined to make the teachers at Rio Claro High a bit disillusioned with teaching in general.
2. Lack of proper teaching facilities and infrastructure. A problem that, while not original among other schools is certainly peculiar to our case. Geographically, Rio Claro High School is situated on a hill that has lent itself to land slippage in two areas of the school compound. Because of this movement, various areas of the school have had to be torn down or condemned from usage because of the structural damage. As such, the school has had to be stuffed in to the existing structures where certain facilities are lacking and where it has proved impossible to adequately provide suitable learning environments. Working in these conditions have predisposed teachers to their lack of enthusiasm.
3. Another factor, although not stated by everyone, seems to be a cause for teacher disillusionment. At this point, I must interject that although it was not stated by the majority, from observation and listening to comments made by the staff, the majority concurs with this statement. This factor seems to be that of administration or, as one respondent put it, an apparent lack of administration. It would appear that, judging by the comments made by staff, most teachers view the present administration of the school as ineffective and, in their opinion, do not encourage teacher enthusiasm for the job. It was indicated in the interviews that they (the teachers) are presently, going through the motions whilst they await a change, either in administration or their own careers.
4. A factor that seemed to hold some importance with teacher satisfaction/disillusionment is that of longevity in the teaching service. All senior teachers asked, meaning those teaching for 20 years or more, concur that they are now tired and do not posses much enthusiasm for the job. Mind you, in their defense, these teachers have seen a major part of the evolution of the teaching service and are not encouraged by both the preceding factors and that of Government policy. Be that as it may, in the words of one teacher, “I am tired and am just cruising until retirement,” seems to be the feeling of the majority of senior teachers.
4. HOW DO TEACHERS VIEW THEMSELVES AND THEIR STANDING IN SOCIETY? – In conversation, when one speaks of a third party and mentions that he/she is a doctor / lawyer / engineer, there is a certain awe implied whether by direct statement, intonation or inflection. It is a common viewpoint that such jobs are those of the cream of the crop and are respectable professions and to those privileged are accorded status in society.
Yet when one speaks of the teacher, it is without such overtones and indeed, teachers take the place of just one in the melee of occupations. Such were the thoughts of the teachers on staff.
Many teachers seem to think that there is no respect for the teacher outside of school. He/she may be respected whist they are in charge of a class of students but outside of the school gate, they are one of the average men / women in the street. Indeed, many of them thought that they were not even respected in their own community. Even viewing their own profession, teachers rank the teaching career as middle class and below those high status jobs such as doctors etc.
What was inferred is that at the end of the working day, despite their hard work and all that is expected of them in their role of the teacher, teachers do not feel appreciated for their work and this may be a contributing factor to their present disillusionment with the teaching service.
CHAPTER 5
RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION
It would appear that even though teachers are universal, each working under his or her own particular conditions, that the general feelings / concepts of teachers are similar or parallel across the globe. It was particularly interesting to note that the results generated from my research were so compatible to the results of the study of Dr. Poppleton. However, there was a point of difference in the item that dealt with job satisfaction, where no one of Rio Claro High School claimed to derive satisfaction from their job while 22% of the international study responded that they were satisfied. What then could be the cause of the teachers at Rio Claro High School not being satisfied? While a few factors may have been unearthed during the research, this issue bears further investigation. It should be noted that some teachers were sensitive about certain areas of their school life being probed. As such, it may be difficult to gather data on the subject by direct methods such as the interview or even the questionnaire. I would recommend that another methodology be chosen such as a participatory one.