International Teacher Education Conference 2014 1

International Teacher Education Conference 2014
learning was underscored by Hendricks (2005) when he pointed out that an effective teacher does not only know
how to teach the content, but whom he teaches. Therefore, what are important are not what you do as a teacher,
but rather what and how the learners are doing as a result of what you have done to them. Likewise, Lupdag
(1997) opined that we could improve teaching only if we first think over why we teach, what to teach, how we
teach and whom we teach.
The arguments presented above were also supported by the research conducted by the National Assessment
of Educational Progress (NAEP) of which qualitative and quantitative analysis suggest that policy investments in
the quality of teachers may be related to improvements in students’ performance.
Quality teachers, therefore, are the single greatest determinant of student achievement. Teacher education,
ability, and experience account for more variation in student achievement than all other factors. Studies have
found that 40 to 90 percent of the difference in student test scores can be attributed to teacher quality (Hammond
and Ball, 1997). Knowing the subject matter, understanding how students learn, and practising effective
teaching methods translate into greater student achievement. Therefore, it is vitally important that teachers are
well-prepared when they begin teaching and that they continue to improve their knowledge and skills throughout
their career.
In the Philippines, the teaching profession has been struggling to keep pace with changes in society and the
accompanying challenges of the technological world. With the notion that teacher education, which consists of
pre-service education of teachers (PET) and the In-Service Education of Teachers (INSET), has been unable to
bridge the growing gap between the needs and expectations of learners, and the knowledge and skill levels of
both new and existing teachers, the Teacher Education and Development Program (TEDP) was conceived. This
Program seeks to conceptualize a teacher’s career path as a continuum that starts with the entry to a teacher
education program and concludes when a teacher reaches retirement from formal service. One key element in
the program is the establishment of a set of a National Competency-Based Teacher Standards (NCBTS) so that
teachers, pupils and parents are able to appreciate the complex set of behaviors, attitudes and skills that each
teacher must possess in order to carry out a satisfactory performance of their roles and responsibilities (TEDP,
2005).
Along with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Professional Regulation Commission (PRC),
Civil Service Commission (CSC), and Department of Education (DepEd), the Northern Negros State College of
Science and Technology (NONESCOST) as a Teacher Education Institution is not exempted in the
implementation of TEDP in general and the NCBTS in particular. It is at this context that the researchers take
initiative to conduct this investigation on the competency of the student-teachers in order to establish empirical
evidence that would help the College Teachers Education Department set directions toward offering teacher
education training in consonance to the thrust of the government and toward producing quality teachers.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
This study aimed to determine the level of competency of the student-teachers as perceived by themselves,
the critic teachers and the intern supervisors of State Colleges and Universities in Negros Occidental, Philippines
during the Academic Year 2009-2010 as basis for monitoring strategies.
Specifically, this study sought answers to the following questions:
1. What is the profile of the student-teachers in terms of
1.1. Age and gender
1.2. Socio-economic status of parents as to:
1.2.1. Educational attainment of both mother and father,
1.2.2. Occupation of both mother and father,
1.2.3. Combined monthly family income,
1.2.4. Size of the family, and
1.3. Aptitude test result?
2. What is the level of competence of SUCs student-teachers as perceived by themselves, by the critic teachers
and the intern supervisors in terms of the following domains:
2.1. Social regard for learning,
2.2. Learning environment,
2.3. Diversity of learning,
2.4. Curriculum,
2.5. Planning, assessing and reporting,
2.6. Community linkages, and
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