Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference of Teaching and Learning (ICTL 2011)
INTI International University, Malaysia
SELF-EFFICACY AND WORK VALUES OF TEACHER
EDUCATION STUDENTS AS CORRELATES
TO THEIR TEACHING APTITUDES:
BASIS FOR INTERVENTION PROGRAM
Helene D. Daya
Southern Luzon State University, Philippines (helene_daya@yahoo.com)
ABSTRACT
The study assessed the self-efficacy and work values of the teacher education students as correlates to their
teaching aptitudes which were used as basis for intervention program. This descriptive study employed three
hundred (300) third and fourth year students of Southern Luzon State University – College of Teacher
Education, Lucban, Quezon taking up Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSEd) and Bachelor in Elementary
Education (BEEd) during the first semester of AY 2010-2011. Using questionnaires and interviews, data were
gathered then tabulated and treated statistically using mean, weighted mean, percentage, chi-square, t-test, and
ANOVA. Most of the respondents were female aging 19-20 years old with average academic achievement
whose parents attained secondary education and were skilled workers. In terms of teaching aptitude, the
performance of the respondents was low. There were no significant differences on teaching aptitudes of the
respondents when grouped according to their age and the educational attainment of their parents. However,
significant differences existed on the teaching aptitudes of the respondents when grouped according to gender,
grade point average (GPA), and occupation of their parents. There was a significant relationship on their high
self-efficacy levels when grouped according to their profile variables. Additionally, a significant relationship on
their high work values levels when grouped according to their profile variables was revealed. There was no
significant relationship between teaching aptitudes and self-efficacy. However, a significant relationship
between teaching aptitudes and work values was concluded. Based on the findings, an intervention program was
developed. Moreover, it was recommended that projects and activities that develop teaching aptitudes with selfefficacy and work values of the teacher education students be conducted and that the intervention program be
implemented extensively involving parents, faculty, and administrators.
KEYWORDS
Self-efficacy, Work values, Teaching aptitudes, Intervention program, Social cognitive theory, Multiple
intelligences, Teaching interests
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Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference of Teaching and Learning (ICTL 2011)
INTI International University, Malaysia
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
Teaching aptitude is a very important skill or intelligence that future teachers or teacher
education students should possess. This aptitude provides them with definite and unique
quality in order to be efficient and effective teachers in the future.
The researcher, being a teacher education faculty member and guidance counselor, believed
that to understand this teaching aptitude, elements of the teaching-learning process such as
teaching and instruction, teaching and learning, teaching objectives, entering behavior and
characteristics of learners should be considered. Additionally, factors affecting teaching and
learning, instructional methods, materials and media, planning for teaching, evaluation of
student-teachers performance, motivation and student-teachers' guidance and counseling
should be taken into account to find out the readiness and development of one’s potency to
teach.
Teaching aptitude is one of the significant predictors for the students’ success in academic
and teaching achievements and an indicator of the quality of education and performance that
teacher education institution offers. Self-efficacy and work values also play important roles in
determining one's proclivity to teaching as a profession. With this proclivity or appetite or
tendency to teaching with more positive outlook and association of one’s self-efficacy and
work values, the type of teacher a teacher education student will be in the future can easily be
defined and improved during their stay in the college.
Background of the Study
The social milieu of the study is Southern Luzon State University (Main Campus) located in
Lucban, Quezon, Region IV–A. With the university’s drive towards excellence, SLSU
continues to flourish academically and has become a top performing university not only in
the region but also in the country as a whole. SLSU has also made tie ups and partnerships in
terms of academic activities with several universities outside the country.
One of the seven colleges inside the SLSU Main Campus is the College of Teacher Education
(CTE) which has been recognized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for its
high passing rate in the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET). The Accrediting Agency
of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (AACCUP) also commended the
performance of the college through program accreditations.
During the conduct of this study, SLSU-CTE caters for 925 teacher education students
enrolled in secondary and elementary teacher education programs. As a professor of the
college, she is tasked to mold excellent would-be teachers by developing their teaching
aptitude. In doing so, possible factors that may impede on the improvement of this teaching
aptitude like, gender, educational attainment of parents, occupation of parents and grade point
average (GPA) are necessary to be discussed and considered since most of the students
belong to either average or below average families. In addition, as a guidance counselor, the
researcher also considered the empirical contributions of components like self-efficacy and
work values and factors such as personal characteristics and individual differences.
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Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference of Teaching and Learning (ICTL 2011)
INTI International University, Malaysia
As observed, some teacher education students are afraid to carry out this 'teaching aptitude'
for fear of committing errors, thus it is the task of the college to develop the teacher education
students' sense of self-efficacy and work values. According to Bandura, a person’s attitudes,
abilities, and cognitive skills comprise what is known as the self-system. This system plays a
major role in how we perceive situations and how we behave in response to different
situations. Self-efficacy plays an essential part of this self-system. In this context, it is
assumed that self-efficacy plays as important role as teaching aptitude and work values.
Without one from the three basic components (aptitude, self-efficacy and work values) of a
teacher, teaching will not be effective.
In relating teaching aptitude to self-efficacy and work values, teacher education students
should possess criteria as to the analysis of the concept of teaching in terms of large
functions, based primarily on general experience and judgment, documentary statements of
duties of teachers and the amount of time devoted to various duties, perhaps based on actual
records, perhaps on estimates. Thus, these three components would make the teacher
education students competitive in the field of education.
Theoretical Framework
This study is anchored to theories on self-efficacy, teaching aptitude and work values.
With the belief that aptitude is intelligence, teaching aptitude is believed to be correlated to
the Theory on Multiple Intelligences (MIs) of Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner. This
theory believes that the eight types of intelligences (verbal-linguistic, logical or
mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist)
involve a collection of abilities working together (Romero, 2007). Moreover, every man
possesses all of these intelligences with varying degrees. Normally, a man becomes a person
with profession as related to the intelligence which he possesses the most.
In this assumption, teacher education students are the ones with higher inclination or aptitude
to teaching. With the different areas of specialization in the teacher education programs, a
concrete definition of Gardner's Theory on MI could be applied. If this is true, it could be
construed that a teacher education student majoring in English has a higher level of Verballinguistic intelligence while a teacher education student majoring in Mathematics is
presumably high in mathematical-logical intelligence among his intelligences.
Self-efficacy is anchored on Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory. This theory is a
combination of behavioral and cognitive perspectives into personality that stresses the
interaction of thinking human with the social environment that provides learning experiences.
Albert Bandura claims that humans are cognitive beings who possess active processing of
information. Such activity plays a major role in learning, behavior, and development.
Likewise, he argued that humans are capable of making connections between their behavior
and its consequence; then anticipate the consequences that are likely to follow after the
performance of an action (Bandura, 1986 as cited by Sigelman & Rider, 2006).
Bandura (1977) included that a sense of personal or self-efficacy, in social cognitive theory,
is symbolized as prepositional propositions. In the context of this study, self-efficacy is a
major construct in social cognitive theory as to teaching per se, and these prepositional
propositions contribute to how teachers and teacher education students plan goals and execute
courses of actions to achieve their objectives.
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Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference of Teaching and Learning (ICTL 2011)
INTI International University, Malaysia
In Bandura’s model (1986), he defined self-efficacy as the people’s judgments of their
capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to attain designated types of
performances. In this view, perceived competence includes both behavioral actions and
cognitive skills necessary for performance in a specific domain like teaching.
Having low self-efficacy, many students resist academics because they do not believe they
have the ability to succeed, regardless of their effort. Teachers can reverse this perspective by
encouraging students to take on more challenging tasks, and take a greater interest in
academics, stressing the development of higher self-efficacy. Research suggest that teachers
can strengthen self-efficacy by linking new work to recent student successes, teaching the
needed learning strategies, reinforcing effort and persistence, stressing peer modeling, and
helping students to identify or create personal goals (Margolis & McCabe, 2004).
A review of related studies also emphasize the relationship of self-efficacy and work values
which interplay and give important roles in the development of teaching aptitude of the
teacher education students. Self-efficacy determines the capability of student teachers to
achieve or accomplish goals and objectives. It also influences them in personal choice,
motivation, and patterns and emotional reactions. Work values, however, functions in
determining the ethical standards, set of values, and attitude that a certain student-teacher
upholds. In the work field, personal attitude affects how a teacher attends to his duties and
responsibilities.
Moreover, studies show that there is a significant relationship between self-efficacy and work
values in association with teaching aptitude. Self-efficacy determines our ability but work
values determine our willingness to do the actions based on our ability. Not all teacher
education students do things based on their abilities. Though they can do it or accomplish it,
they sometimes become hesitant to carry it out for the reason of having low work values.
Without a better relationship between these two variables, teaching aptitude and teaching
abilities cannot give a hundred percent assurance of better performance.
These results also explain that without self-efficacy, teaching abilities might be at risk.
Having self-efficacy but with low work values, still, teaching aptitude of teacher education
students will still be at risk. These would only mean that these two variables that are
necessary in one’s development and improvement should complement each other.
Statement of the Problem
This study assessed the self-efficacy and work values of teacher education students as
correlates to their teaching aptitudes which will serve as a basis for intervention program of
the College of Teacher Education - Southern Luzon State University in Lucban, Quezon.
Specifically, this study sought to answer the following questions:
1.
What is the personal profile of the respondents in terms of:
1.1 age
1.2 gender
1.3 educational attainment of parents
1.4 occupation of parents
1.5 Grade Point Average (GPA) in the last academic year
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Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference of Teaching and Learning (ICTL 2011)
INTI International University, Malaysia
2.
What is the teaching aptitude results of the respondents in terms of the following:
2.1 Judgment in Teaching Situations
2.2 Reasoning and Information Concerning School Problems
2.3 Comprehension and Retention
3.
How significant is the difference in the teaching aptitudes of the respondents when
grouped according to their profile variables?
4.
What is the self-efficacy level of the respondents in terms of:
4.1 Reading Items
4.2 Study Items
4.3 Test Preparation Items
4.4 Writing Items
5.
How significant is the self-efficacy profile of the respondents when grouped according to
their profile variables?
6.
To what extent is the level of work values of the respondents as to:
6.1 Work Motivations
6.2 Preferred Work Setting
6.3 Interaction with others
6.4 Work Style
7.
How significant is the difference in the work values profile of the respondents when
grouped according to their profile variables?
8.
How significant is the relationship between teaching aptitude and each
variables?
8.1 Self-Efficacy
8.2 Work Values
9.
Based on the results of the study, what intervention program can be proposed?
of the following
METHODOLOGY
This study made used of the descriptive method of research in order to describe the
relationship of the variables self-efficacy, work values, and teaching aptitude.
Respondents
The respondents of the study were the three hundred (300) third year and fourth year teacher
education students of SLSU-CTE (Main Campus) in Lucban, Quezon enrolled in the
Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSEd) or Bachelor in Elementary Education (BEEd)
programs during the first semester of AY 2010-2011. They were selected purposively using
the following criteria: (a) he/she should be a regular student of the College of Teacher
Education; (b) he/she should be a third or fourth year college student; and (c) irregular
students are not included since they did not qualify in criterion 1 and 2.
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Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference of Teaching and Learning (ICTL 2011)
INTI International University, Malaysia
Table 1.1. Profile of the respondents in terms of age.
Age Bracket
Frequency
%
17-18
129
43%
19-20
155
51.7%
21 and above
16
5.3%
TOTAL
300
100%
Table 1.2. Profile of the respondents in terms of gender.
Gender
Frequency
%
Male
32
10.7%
Female
268
89.3%
300
100%
TOTAL
Table 1.3. Profile of the respondents in terms of the educational attainment of parents.
Bracket
Frequency
%
College (Undergraduate and Graduate)
68
22.7%
High School (Undergraduate and Graduate)
178
59.3%
Elementary (Undergraduate and Graduate)
54
18%
300
100%
TOTAL
Table 1.4. Profile of the respondents in terms of the occupation of parents.
Bracket
Frequency
%
Semi - Skilled
87
29%
Skilled
137
45.7%
Professional
76
25.3%
300
100%
TOTAL
Table 1.5. Profile of the respondents in the terms of Grade Point Average (GPA).
Bracket
Frequency
%
Below Average
61
20.3%
Average
150
50%
Above Average
89
29.7%
300
100%
TOTAL
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Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference of Teaching and Learning (ICTL 2011)
INTI International University, Malaysia
Instruments and Techniques
The instruments and techniques used in this study were survey questionnaires and techniques.
The researcher developed a personal information sheet to elicit information on the profile of
the respondents in terms of age, gender, educational attainment of parents, occupation of
parents, and grade point average (GPA) last school year. To determine the aptitude of the
respondents as to their judgment in teaching situations, reasoning and information concerning
school problems, and comprehension and retention, a standardized test on teaching aptitude
by F. A. Moss, T. Hunt, and F.C. Wallace was used. A self-efficacy test aimed to elicit the
responses of the respondents as to reading items, study items, test preparation items and
writing items. Lastly, a test on work values evaluated the respondents’ work motivations,
preferred work setting, work style and interactions with others. The non-standardized
questionnaires written by the researcher were validated by experts and revised before they
were distributed to the respondents. Furthermore, the interview technique was utilized in
order to get a better link to the present scenario and to confirm and verify the data which were
collected from the questionnaire.
Data Gathering Procedures
After the permission of the dean of SLSU-CTE, the distribution and collection of the personal
information sheets were immediately done. Moreover, the assistance of the BSEd and BEEd
chairpersons was sought to gather the students’ grade point average from their files. The
researcher asked the permission of the class professors for sometime during class hours to
administer the Teaching Aptitude Test, Self-Efficacy Test and Work Values Test. After
retrieving all the questionnaires, the researcher then proceeded to the coding, analyzing and
tabulating of the data for statistical treatment and interpretation. Unstructured interviews to
school administrators, teachers and students were done to gather more information and
validate the answers given to the three test stated above. Finally, an intervention program was
developed which aims to help the teacher education students to develop their teaching
aptitudes.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
The analysis of the data gathered yielded the following results:
The teaching aptitude of the respondents was generally low. In judgment in teaching
situations composed of 60 items, the mean score was only 33.32. The 80-item part on
reasoning and information concerning school problems, the mean score was only 29.57. In
the 20-item test on comprehension and retention, the mean score obtained was only 4.6.
When grouped according to their age and the educational attainment of their parents, there
were no significant differences on teaching aptitudes of the respondents. However, there were
significant differences on the teaching aptitudes of the respondents when grouped according
to gender, occupation of their parents and their grade point average (GPA).
The self-efficacy levels of the respondents were high on the four areas: reading, studying, test
preparation, and writing. Moreover, there was a significant relationship on their self-efficacy
levels when grouped according to age, gender, educational attainment and occupation of their
parents, and their grade point average (GPA).
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Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference of Teaching and Learning (ICTL 2011)
INTI International University, Malaysia
The work values of the respondents were high on the four areas: work motivations, preferred
work setting, interaction with others, and work styles. There was a significant relationship on
their work values levels when grouped according to age, gender, educational attainment and
occupation of their parents, and their grade point average (GPA).
There was no significant relationship between teaching aptitudes and self-efficacy. On the
other hand, there was a significant relationship between teaching aptitudes and work values.
Based on these results, a proposed intervention program to develop the teaching aptitude,
self-efficacy, and work values of the teacher education students was developed.
Recommendations
In the light of the significant results and conclusions of this study, the following
recommendations are offered:
1.
Provide projects and/or activities that will help the teacher education students in
developing and/or improving their teaching aptitudes with self-efficacy and work values.
2.
Expose the teacher education students more to various learning activities like teaching
demonstration, reporting, collaborative and/or peer teaching, seminars, fora, and
symposia to strengthen the acquired teaching aptitude skills with self-efficacy and work
values.
3.
Provide generative, specific, purposive, and substantial activities to be incorporated in
different learning areas particularly on the different professional education courses for
further strengthening of the presented, taught and learned principles, theories and
concepts.
4.
Formulate or establish programs and/or activities that will strengthen these teaching
aptitudes with self-efficacy and work values which are specifically and purposively
designed according to the fields of specialization of the teacher education students.
5.
Give adequate support in the classroom since classroom is the primary place where
teaching aptitude skills are developed and improved.
6.
Involve the parents of the teacher education students in the planning and implementing
of the intervention program to help develop their teaching aptitude levels.
7.
Plan extensively on the implementation or usage of the intervention program. Student
representatives, faculty and staff, guidance counsellor, program chairpersons or
coordinators and dean or administrator(s) of the teacher education institution should be
involved in the implementation.
8.
Establish policies and methods for evaluating students’ progress.
9.
Establish policies and methods in evaluating the intervention program.
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Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference of Teaching and Learning (ICTL 2011)
INTI International University, Malaysia
10. Test the acceptability, validity and effectiveness of the developed intervention program
to determine if it will help the institution in uplifting the levels and qualities of teaching
aptitudes of the teacher education students.
REFERENCES
Bandura, A. (1977). Self Efficacy: Toward a Unifying Theory of Behavioral Change.
Psychological Review, 84, 191-215.
Margolis, H. & McCabe, P.P. “Self-Efficacy: Helping Students Believe in Themselves.”
Retrieved July 24, 2010 from
http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/affective/efficacy.html
Romana, R. (2007). “Work Ethics and Work Values as Ingredients in Career Education.”
Teodoro, M. (2009). “Examining the Relationship Between Student Teachers' Self-Efficacy
and Their Intended Uses of Technology for Teaching: A Structural Equation Modeling
Approach.
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