Bridging the Gaps in Misaligned Teachers with Mismatched Teaching Loads through Project TOPS (Tethering and Optimizing Professional Skills)

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Over the years, the quality of teachers has become one of the most widely talked about issues in the field of education. The main problem that has caught the attention of educators is the misalignment of teachers and the subjects that they are teaching, specifically in high schools. This is in violation of the Department of Education policy, outlined in DO 13, s. 1994 -Guidelines for Matching Specialization in Teaching Preparation with Teaching Assignments for Public School Teachers. This study aimed to bridge the gaps being experienced by misaligned teachers who teach subjects out of their field of expertise through Project TOPS and its effects on the improvement of the performance of the teachers and students.

METHODS

The descriptive-survey method was employed in this study. The researcher conducted interviews through a standardized questionnaire. The results of the interviews with misaligned teachers identified the common problems being encountered by them in handling out of their field subjects or teaching loads. The result of the first periodical test was then compared with the result of the second periodical test, after making the respondents undergo technical assistance (TA) through Project TOPS.

RESULTS

The variable "Teachers think that their teaching strategy is not effective for the mismatched subjects" which yielded a mean of 3.87 interpreted is ranked number 1. The second ranked variable is "Teachers think that they are not capable to share their knowledge and expertise in the mismatched subjects". The third ranked variable is "Teachers do not find themselves effective in teaching the mismatched subjects." The last-ranked variable is "Teachers think that the mismatched subjects are more difficult than their major subject" with the mean score of 2.93.

DISCUSSIONS

The general weighted mean of 3.49 or sometimes shows that the misaligned teachers sometimes feel unlikely to be more effective than those who are experts on the particular subject areas. The researcher also took the results of the first and second quarterly tests of the students under the supervision of the misaligned teachers. It can be noticed that there is a remarkable increase in the MPS of the result from their periodical exams. Some improvements will then be considered in some areas where there was a decrease in the result of their tests, particularly in Filipino.