Work Ethics and Technical Skills of Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE) Teachers of Batangas National High School

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Education is a dynamic process of increasing one's knowledge and skills. It also develops desired attitudes for a productive and skilled individual. It is a must for individuals considering the problems, trends, and innovations in the educational system. Taking into consideration the global environment, people view education not only as a way of developing people's skills but also as a way of preparing students to be globally competitive. If the schools were able to produce quality graduates it will be reflected in the quality of work they will provide in their respective workplace. The individual teachers should be provided with common skills, and be assisted to become adaptive to the changes as they participate in planning at the instructional level, otherwise, a new curriculum would have little worthwhile impact until teachers have time to understand and assimilate it. This research was conducted to evaluate the work ethics and technical skills of teachers and to determine the opportunities for growth and career development provided and the problems and issues.

METHODS

The descriptive design was utilized with the aid of the researcher-made questionnaire as the main data gathering instrument. Interview and Focus Group Discussion were also done to further solicit substantial answers to the questions. The respondents of the study were two administrators and 28 Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE) teachers.

RESULTS

The findings revealed that TLE teachers moderately manifested the personal and professional characteristics relative to work ethics but they are competent when it comes to their technical skills. However, the personal and professional characteristics of TLE teachers differ significantly when they are group according to age and field of specialization. As to continuing professional growth and development, learning initiatives and technical assistance are provided to TLE teachers. The study also disclosed that teachers' inability to pursue post-graduate studies and inadequate laboratory rooms and facilities are the problems and issues in TLE Department.

DISCUSSIONS

The results establish the need for a comprehensive program that contains different activities and strategies designed to provide more opportunities for growth and development of teachers which focused on work ethics and technical skills enhancement. This is designed for teachers to become effective, efficient and competent which will help them to deal with the rapid changes and shifting paradigms in basic education.