Grazyna Kosiba, professor, Dr.Hab. Eligiusz Madejski, associate professor, Dr.Hab. Janusz Jaworski, Dr.Hab. Academy of Physical Education, Cracow, Poland

 

Key words: teacher, performance of professional duties, factors.

 

Introduction. Pedagogical literature, as regards teacher’s work and performing a professional duties, more and more powerfully represents the view that preparation for work as well as professional development are continual processes, encompass the whole person and consist in mutually related evolution of teacher's competences [1, 2, 5, 6]. Moreover, it is emphasised that a teacher does not become a teacher overnight, for example after graduation, but “in the process of gaining individual meanings and autonomous knowledge, which among different kinds of knowledge determines the way of teacher’s professional performance” [6]. The pedagogical activity itself – varied, multipurpose and maverick - is the basic condition for such understanding of the duties performed by a teacher, since a particular educational situation can go beyond the known principles and laws. What often happens is that it is interpreted differently by a teacher, student, parent. In the context of teacher’s professional activity understood in this way, the way (standard) he/she performs his/her professional duties becomes particularly important.

In this paper K. Rubacha’s concept [10] was used to assess the way (standard) of performing teacher’s duties. In accordance with this concept the teacher’s social role is between two extremes: instrumental and autonomous. A teacher who treats his/her work in an autonomous way turns towards the emancipation function of education, which is connected with the creation of new qualities, avoiding stereotypes and introducing changes in one’s own professional reality. On the contrary, a teacher performing his/her duties in an instrumental way turns towards reconstruction, and in his/her practical activity “familiar patterns of behaviour” dominate, without allowing for variety in interpretation or methodology [8,10].

Materials and methods. The aim of this paper was to show the way (standard) of performance of professional duties that dominates among the examined teachers of physical education and other subjects, as well as to present this variable in the context of such factors as gender, type of school in which a teacher works, professional experience (years of service) and place of work.

In the process of empirical verification of the problem formulated above an attempt to answer the following questions was made:

1.  What way (standard) of performing teacher’s duties, instrumental or autonomous, dominates in educational activity of the examined teachers?

2.  Does the standard of performing teacher’s duties depend on gender, type of school in which a teacher works, professional experience (years of service) and place of work?

The research covered 450 randomly selected teachers (225 teachers of physical education and 225 teachers of other subjects) who work in all types of schools, in villages and in towns of different size, in the region of Maіopolska, Poland. The participation in research was randomly selected in the following turn: boroughs (20), schools (100) and teachers. Therefore, multistage random selection was used. Eventually, 89 schools took part in the research. Others were excluded due to the refusal of participation or too few years of service as a teacher of physical education (minimum 3 years). The examined teachers were provided with 450 forms of the questionnaire “Teacher’s Duties Performance” [10] by specialized pollsters. The author of this paper received back 85% questionnaires from teachers of physical education (additionally 7 were excluded due to negligence in filling the questionnaire) and 99% from teachers of other subjects. Finally, for analysis there were used 184 questionnaires completed by teachers of physical education (PE) and 223 completed by teachers of other subjects (OS). The teachers of physical education included 91 (49.5%) females and 93 (50.5%) males, whereas teachers of other subjects 181 (81.2%) females and 42 (18.8%) males. Among the examined teachers 47% worked in villages (38% - PE and 54.7% - OS), the others in small and medium size towns (62% - PE and 45.3% - OS). The majority of the examined teachers worked in primary schools (38% - PE, 49% - OS) and lower secondary schools (41.3% - PE, 35.4% - OS). 20.7% of teachers of physical education and 15.7% of teachers of other subjects taught in post lower secondary schools. As far as professional experience of the examined teachers is concerned, 37.5% of teachers of physical education and 28.3% of teachers of other subjects had worked at school up to ten years. The years of service of 39.1% of teachers of physical education and 41.3% of other teachers were within the range of 11 and 20 years. 23.4% of teachers of physical education and 30.4% of teachers of other subjects had worked at school for more than 20 years. The average number of years of service among the examined teachers was 15 years.

In order to assess the way of performing teacher’s duties K. Rubacha’s [10] questionnaire K. Rubacha’s questionnaire “Teacher’s Duties Performance” (TDP) was used. The TDP questionnaire consists of 96 statements, which in different configurations form nine indicators representing the attitude of a teacher towards knowledge, values and students. The statements interpreted altogether characterise the general level of performing teacher’s role in an autonomous way. The higher the intensity of indicators, the higher level the variable K. “Teacher’s Duties Performance” takes, therefore, the greater the extent to which it represents the autonomous behaviour of a teacher. Each item in the questionnaire is scored in the scale from 1 to 4 points, as a result the general score (the sum of points) can be in the range from 96 to 384 points. Due to the exclusion of eight statements, which represent situations not experienced by teachers of physical education at all or rarely experienced, the general score of the questionnaire was in the range between 88 and 352 points.

In the analysis of data concerning the level of performing teacher’s duties in terms of the subject taught (physical education and other subjects) as well as social and demographic variables (gender, type of school, professional experience and place of work) chi-square statistics was used with the significance level a = 0.05.

Results.

1. The standard of the teacher’s duties performance (TDP) among the subjects

For statistical analysis the results obtained by teachers of physical education and teachers of other subjects were categorised and three intervals of TDP were established: low, medium and high (tab. 1). The figure intervals for the indicator of performing teacher’s duties were as follows:

- low TDP results: up to 242 points

- medium TDP results: the range between 243 to 261 points

- high TDP results: from 262 to 352 points.

The TDP results, grouped in the three above categories and presented separately for teachers of physical education and teachers of other subjects, are included in table 1.

Table 1. The standard of teacher’s duties performance (TDP) and the subject taught by the     examined teachers

Subject taught	TDP						Total
	Low		Medium		High
	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
PE*	64	34,8	74	40,2	46	25,0	184	100
OS**	60	26,9	81	36,3	82	36,8	223	100

chi² = 6,896,  p = 0,031

Legend:

*PE – Physical Education

**OS – other subjects

The spread of results included in table 1 and obtained from teachers of physical education and teachers of other subjects shows that the examined groups differ in terms of the way (standard) of performing teacher’s duties. Teachers of physical education more frequently obtained low and medium scores, whereas the teachers of other subjects – high and medium ones. Therefore, the subject taught differentiates the examined in the category of “teacher’s duties performance” and the differences are statistically significant.

For interpretation the standard of performing teacher’s duties that dominates among the examined was presented in terms of the three stage model of teacher development introduced by R. Kwaњnica [5] on the basis of the development theory by Piaget, Kohlberg, Erikson and Habermas. According to this concept, professional growth proceeds from the stage of setting to professional duties (pre-conventional stage), through complete adaptation to this duties (conventional stage), towards the stage of creative outgrowing of the duties and substituting the prescription of the duties with autonomous identity (post-conventional stage). The choice of the model accepted in this paper results from the categorisation of teachers in terms of the way (standard) of performing their professional duties, where on the basis of the obtained results the examined were placed in three groups characterised with high, medium and low level of the said variable. On the assumption that particular stages of professional development (pre-conventional, conventional and post-conventional respectively) can be attributed to particular groups – teachers with low, medium and high TDP – it is easily noticeable that the majority of the examined – 75% of teachers of physical education and 63.2% of teachers of other subjects – represent the instrumental standard of performing the profession. At the pre-conventional stage it is characterised, among others, with considerable need for external benefits and growth of self-esteem as a result of occasional success, as well as considerable need for external approval and safety in performance. On the other hand, at the conventional stage there is the growth of professional self-awareness, however with the simultaneous respect for inviolable principles of convention [7]. As table 1 shows, only one fourth of teachers of physical education and slightly above one third of teachers of other subjects tend to reveal autonomous attitudes in their professional activity. This is the number of the examined that are included in the interval of high values of performing teacher’s duties and so many probably treat their professional duties (at least they declare so) in an autonomous and subjective way.

The obtained research results confirm the conjectures formulated in pedagogy [5, 7] that nearly 65% of teachers stop in the performance of their profession at the conventional stage and that blocks in professional development occur most frequently in the situation of those teachers who have achieved complete adaptation in the profession, i.e. at the conventional stage of professional development.

2. The standard of teacher’s duties performance in terms of demographic and social variables

The data representing the standard of teacher’s duties performance in the population examined were shown in the context of the following variables: gender, type of school in which a teacher works, professional experience and place of work.

As table 2 shows no differences between genders were found in the examined groups (PE and OS) in terms of the teacher’s duties performance.  

Table 2. The level of teacher’s duties performance (TDP) and gender of examined teachers

Statistical analysis: PE - chi2  = 0,614,  p=0,735  OS - chi2 = 2,069,  p=0,355				TDP						Total
				Low		Medium		High
				N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Subject	PE	Gender	F	33	36,3	34	37,4	24	26,3	91	100
			M	31	33,3	40	43,0	22	23,7	93	100
		Total		64	34,8	74	40,2	46	25,0	184	100
	OS	Gender	F	45	24,9	68	37,6	68	37,5	181	100
			M	15	35,7	13	31,0	14	33,3	42	100
		Total		60	26,9	81	36,3	82	36,8	223	100

Table 3. The level of teacher’s duties performance (TDP) and professional experience of the examined teachers

Statistical analysis: PE - chi2  = 1,228, p=0,873 OS   - chi2  = 4,376, p=0,357				TDP						Total
				Low		Medium		High
				N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Subject	PE	Professional experience	Up to 10 years	22	31,9	31	44,9	16	23,2	69	100
			11-20 years	26	36,1	28	38,9	18	25,0	72	100
			21 years and more	16	37,2	15	34,9	12	27,9	43	100
		Total		64	34,8	74	40,2	46	25,0	184	100
	OS	Professional experience	Up to 10 years	14	22,2	22	34,9	27	42,9	63	100
			11-20 years	28	30,4	29	31,5	35	38,1	92	100
			21 years and more	18	26,5	30	44,1	20	29,4	68	100
		Total		60	26,9	81	36,3	82	36,8	223	100

 

Table 4. The level of teacher’s duties performance (TDP) and the type of school in which the examined teachers work

  *p<0,05

The next factor in the context of which the TDP results were analysed was the place of work of the examined teachers (Tab. 5). Similarly to the previously analysed variables no statistically significant relationship has been found in the examined groups (except for the type of school in the case of teachers of physical education) between the place of work and the level of teacher’s duties performance.

Table 5. The level of teacher’s duties performance (TDP) and the place of work of the examined teachers

Statistical analysis: PE - chi2  = 3,232, p=0,519 OS - chi2  = 2,119, p=0,713				TDP						Total
				Low		Medium		High
				N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Subject	PE	Place of work	Village	26	37,1	28	40,0	16	22,9	70	100
			Small town	19	41,3	18	39,1	9	19,6	46	100
			Medium town	19	27,9	28	41,2	21	30,9	68	100
		Total		64	34,8	74	40,2	46	25,0	184	100
	OS	Place of work	Village	34	27,9	48	39,3	40	32,8	122	100
			Small town	11	25,6	15	34,9	17	39,5	43	100
			Medium town	15	25,9	18	31,0	25	43,1	58	100
		Total		60	26,9	81	36,3	82	36,8	223	100

Summary and conclusions

The research results have shown that among teachers of physical education, similarly to teachers of other subjects, the instrumental standard of performing the profession dominates. In spite of it, however, the differences between the two examined groups are statistically significant, which means that more teachers of physical education in comparison to teachers of other subjects have a tendency to perform their professional duties following the instrumental standard.

Undoubtedly, what contributes to the instrumental performance of the teacher’s duties, irrespective of the subject taught, are the conservative inclinations of the teachers. As the results of numerous studies show teachers’ attitudes and behaviours lack readiness for and ability to act in an unconventional and innovative way [3, 7, 9]. They often limit the process of teaching to core curriculum and repetitive content [4, 9], as well as use defensive strategies and mechanisms, which allow for their survival and safety at work [7]. In physical education such attitudes are certainly facilitated by the principles of biotechnical concept of this sphere of education, which are deep-rooted in practice and mentality of teachers of physical education. The said concept limits the responsibilities of a teacher of physical education to acting as an instructor and technician of exercises, ignoring the fact that the fascination for a merely instrumental orientation of teacher training is over in many teacher training systems. At present “the concept of a teacher – specialist who limits his / her qualifications to trained structure of professional activities is commonly questioned”, on the contrary the significance of “intellectual vitality” of a teacher is particularly emphasised [6].

The standard of performing teacher’s duties, which is placed between the two opposed ways of performing the profession, i.e. instrumental and autonomous, does not depend on demographic and social variables, such as gender, type of school in which a teacher works (except for PC teachers), professional experience and place of work. The fact whether a teacher works in a village or town does not affect the type of activities (creative or mechanical) dominating in his / her performing teacher’s duties. Professional experience, experience gained at this time are not equivalent to professional maturity. In each interval of years of service there are teachers representing very different levels of performing teacher’s duties. There are among them teachers who will never leave the conventional or even pre-conventional stage of development, but there are also those who in the beginning of their professional career show not only high professional and pedagogical awareness but also the need for independent and non-standard activity in the profession, and they efficiently satisfy these needs. Moreover, the lack of relationship between TDP and professional experience in the profession suggests that the way a teacher has to go from the stage of entering the teacher’s duties and full adaptation to this duties (teachers with low and medium TDP) to complete autonomy in the profession (teachers with high TDP) “is not a way of slow evolution, resulting from the process of understanding social phenomena, growth of professional awareness, gradual crossing the thresholds of particular stages” [7]. 

A statistically significant relationship occurred only between performing teacher’s duties and type of school and concerned only teachers of physical education. teachers of physical education at primary schools in comparison to post lower secondary and lower secondary school teachers more frequently tend to perform their professional duties in the instrumental way. However, no dependency was found between the type of school and TDP among teachers of other subjects.

The results of the research resulted in the following conclusions:

1. Among teachers, irrespective of the subject taught, the instrumental way of performing teacher’s duties dominates, and blocks in teacher professional development appear most frequently when they have achieved full adaptation to their professional duties, i.e. at the conventional stage of professional development.

2. The way that teachers have to go from entering the professional duties to complete autonomy in these duties is not a way of slow evolution but rather a way of individual character, a way of liberating personal mental activity and independence. 

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Author’s contacts: vladimir.lyakh@awf.krakow.pl