A Study on Quality Appraisal of an Effective Teacher

Ranjana Bhatia
Amity Institute of Education, Saket, New Delhi 110 017, India


Abstract

The objective of the study was to identify the traits in an effective teacher as perceived by the students. Learning is always better if the teacher is effective i.e. the students like her. The students will like a teacher provided she possesses certain traits, which appeal to the psyche of the child. In this study a sample of 120 students of class VII was taken from a well-known public school of Delhi. The sample had equal mix of boys and girls. The study was conducted in four sessions of the duration of 30 minutes each. The students were asked to identify traits that they found in an effective and an ineffective teacher. The data thus collected was analyzed and on the basis of that, guidelines were prepared for the teachers to be effective in a classroom situation.












Introduction

The teachers of today find themselves in a totally different set up from those of the yester years. In ancient India when Gurukuls existed, the Guru was responsible for providing formal education as well as moulding the character of the pupil. For the student, it was acquisition of knowledge along with the ethics of how to use this knowledge. Thus character building was an essential part of the entire process of education.

The phenomenal growth of the population over the years and changing times and techniques, have increased demands on education at all levels. The quality of education and individual attention in the classroom has suffered a serious setback. As a matter of necessity, children spend less time at home and more time outside home. In such a scenario, the role of school and that of a teacher has become more important as compared to the past. The effectiveness of teachers and their capability to convey matter effectively along with other responsibilities has increased manifolds.

According to Vivekachoodamani, a teacher is expected to possess the following qualities:

· Jignasu - curious to know
· Pragyam - well established in knowledge
· Vrijino - unafflicted by desires
· Shantho Nirindhama Evanalaha - calm as the fire that has burnt his fuel
· Dayasindhu - an ocean of mercy
· Bandhuranamatham Satham - an intimate friend of those who have surrendered to him.



Focus of the Study

Keeping in view the role expected to be played by a teacher, a study was carried out to explore the existence of qualities that make a teacher effective. The study also tried to find out what renders a teacher ineffective in the eyes of the pupils.

Significance of the study
We often tend to go by the degree that a teacher possesses while labeling the teacher with the brand of being good or bad. In reality, possession of requisite educational qualification is only one aspect of being an effective teacher. There are many other dimensions, which make a teacher effective or ineffective.

Objectives of studying this problem:
· To identify the qualities that makes a teacher effective in the eyes of the pupils.
· To identify the traits that renders a teacher ineffective in the eyes of the pupils.
· To study the effect of these qualities & traits on the over-all performance of the students.

Research Hypothesis
On the basis of the objectives stated above, the following research hypothesis was formulated:
· Differentiate between the effective and ineffective teachers on the basis of their traits.
· Formulate guidelines for the teachers to be more effective to facilitate the teaching -learning process.

Delimitation of the study
The study was delimited with respect to the learners of a particular class and a school. It was conducted during the school working hours on a normal working day where the students came from educated upper middle class families.

Methodology:

Locale of the study
The study was carried out on the students of a prominent public school of National Capital Region.

Sample
The sample comprised of 120 boys and girls studying in class VII of the age bracket 11-13 years, in this senior secondary school affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

Data Collection Procedure
Blank papers were distributed to the students and two questions were written of the blackboard for them to answer.

Q.1 Think of the most effective teachers with whom you have been closely associated. The teachers you have in mind probably did many things that made you rate them as effective teachers. Draw a list of 15 such traits, which made you place these teachers in the category of effective teachers.
Q.2 Think of teachers who you have been closely associated with. The teachers you have in mind did lot of things which you did not like and that made you place them in the category of ineffective teachers. Draw a list of 15 such traits that made you place these teachers in the category of ineffective teachers.

The data was collected in four sessions. In each session 30 subjects were taken. They were first given general instructions and later a sheet was distributed in the class. They were asked to write down fifteen qualities each, which according to them make a teacher effective or ineffective. Towards the end of the session, subjects were asked to submit this data to the experimenter. The subjects were discouraged to discuss with each other in the class in order to minimize the element of subjectivity and to present a true and fair picture of the same. This exercise was carried out with all the 120 subjects. The time restriction for each session was 30 minutes.

Analysis & Findings

The data thus obtained was analyzed qualitatively. The purpose of the analysis was:

· To identify the traits which make a teacher effective according to the majority of the students.
· To pinpoint traits that renders a teacher ineffective in the eyes of students.

Effective Teacher :

S.N.
Traits as Identified
by the Students
No. of Students
(Total sample of 120 students)
% age
01
Well organized
107
89
02
Has subject knowledge*
111
93
03
Aware of latest happenings
102
85
04
Soft spoken*
114
95
05
Confident
097
81
06
Creative
100
83
07
Understanding
096
80
08
Exciting/ Lively/ Vivacious*
116
97
09
Encouraging
095
79
10
Modest
086
72
11
Lenient
070
58
12
Warm and polite*
116
97
13
Patient
093
78
14
Impartial*
118
98
15
Caring
095
79
16
Organizes trips & excursions frequently*
117
98
17
Smart
091
76
18
Encouraging/ motivating
084
70
19
Offers real world practical examples
086
72
20
Possesses a Sense of humour*
118
98





Ineffective teacher:

S.N.
Traits As Identified
by the Students
No. of Students
(Total sample of 120 students)
% age
01
Disorganized
087
73
02
Lacks clarity in her subject
096
80
03
Aggressive*
113
94
04
Old-fashioned, not changing with times
107
89
05
Lifeless*
112
93
06
Strict*
116
97
07
Impatient
096
80
08
Indecisive
072
60
09
Not concerned
063
53
10
Ordinary looking/ plain looking
099
83
11
Partial/ discriminating*
115
96
12
Humiliating/ de-motivating
083
69
13
Takes personal obligations
076
63
14
Callous
097
81
15
Rude*
118
98
16
Critical/ fault finding
088
73
17
Lacks clarity in subject
105
88
18
Not punctual
058
48
19
Careless
094
78
20
Serious*
108
90

Note: The qualities stated above are not in the order of preference.

The traits identified by majority of students for effective and ineffective teachers are placed below:

Effective Teacher:
· Impartial
· Possesses sense of humour
· Organizes trips & excursions frequently
· Warm and polite
· Soft spoken
· Exciting/ Lively/ Vivacious
· Has subject knowledge
Ineffective Teacher:
· Rude
· Strict
· Partial/ discriminating
· Aggressive
· Lifeless
· Serious

Interpretation:
The above data very clearly brings out the qualities of effective and ineffective teachers as perceived by the students of class VII. According to them, a teacher who is lively, has great sense of humour, organizes trips and excursions and has good subject knowledge is an effective teacher. They also gave their preference for teachers who are impartial, soft spoken, warm and polite.

The other traits according to the students include the teacher to be well organized, aware of latest happenings in their concerned field, confident, creative and above all understanding. It is obvious that an effective teacher is the one who possesses exemplary skills of teaching.

The teachers labeled as ineffective according to the students are the ones who are rude, strict, partial and aggressive. Students have also indicated that they do not find very serious and lifeless teachers effective in classroom teaching or otherwise.

They have identified many other traits in ineffective teachers, which include lack of command in their subject, impatient, personal profile, old fashioned and callous being some of them.

Thus an ineffective teacher needs to adopt teaching approaches that are consistent with positive expectations and non-discriminatory approach amongst the high achievers and low achievers. Teachers who lack enthusiasm create a dull classroom situation and discouraging environment, thereby reducing the effectiveness of teaching.

From the above study emerge the following guidelines for the teachers to be effective to facilitate teaching-learning process. The teachers must:

· Optimize academic learning time
· Reward achievement in appropriate ways
· Utilize interactive teaching practices
· Hold and communicate high expectations from student’s performance
· Select and use appropriate types of instructions
· Integrate professional knowledge, i.e. subject matter and pedagogy
· Possess good inter-personal skills and use them effectively
· Incorporate reflective thinking in teaching
· Generate consistently friendly classroom environment to make teaching effective
· Consistently keep the students on a task
· Spend greater amount of time in collecting and presenting new materials
· Motivate students to achieve higher goals in life
· Provide positive reinforcement
· Be creative and flexible
· Show concern and care for students
· Demonstrate qualities of instructional leadership
· Analyze differences between goals & standards of student learning & student performance
· Provide learning opportunities that relate to individual needs

Conclusion

There appears to be an implicit, underlying assumption that there is a relationship between teaching effectiveness and student learning (e.g., the better organized an instructor is, the more the students will learn). It is not clear how much confidence we can have in these assumptions (i.e., reliability/reproducibility, predictability and validity of the results). What is more likely is that better organized, caring, fun loving, well informed, impartial teachers are able to create and sustain an environment that is conducive for learning.

Thus to conclude, a teacher plays a significant role in the life of a child. An effective teacher must be a self-believer, and should have the conviction that he/she plays a significant role in the life of a child. Teachers, who possess or are desirous of possessing the qualities to be effective, can shape and change the destiny of a child.

Child as is said can be molded like the clay in the hands of the teacher. If the teacher in question is the one who is liked by the child, the teacher can help him and lead him to the right path in life.



References:

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¨ “A Study on Quality Appraisal of an Effective Teacher” published in Recent Researches in Education & Psychology in Vol.12, Nos.III-IV.