A Study of Attitude of Prospective Teachers Towards Teaching in Relation to Their Gender, Subject Stream, Locality and Self-Esteem

A Study of Attitude of Prospective Teachers Towards Teaching in Relation to Their Gender, Subject Stream, Locality and Self-Esteem

Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III Issue IV (Oct- 2015) Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III, Issue IV (Oct 2015) Website: www.eupstream.com Impact Factor: 0.725 : IC Value:6.48  

Ravinder Rathi  

    Assistant Professor  

                                   Tagore P.G. College of Education  Barwa, Siwani, (Bhiwani) 

Paper Submission Date : 26th Sep. 2015 

Paper Acceptance Date: 5 th Oct. 2015 

ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION 

Education is conceived as a powerful agency, which is instrumental in bringing about the desired changes in the social and cultural life of nation. The whole process of education is shaped and moulded by the human personality called the teacher who plays a pivotal role in any system of education. The Kothari Commission on Education (1964-66) has emphasized the role of school and teacher in shaping the future of the nation. The shape will undoubtedly depend on what goes in the classroom and how it goes on. This places a greater responsibility on the shoulders of the teacher as nation builders. In the contemporary world, the teacher‟s role is undergoing vast changes. Education has been envisioned as a process of all round development with a considerable emphasis on the emotional and personal spheres of the child as well. An effective teacher must have a positive attitude towards teaching as a profession and dedication to teaching. Attitude is an important aspect in quality teaching. An attitude is an important concept to understand human behaviour. It defines outward and 

 Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III Issue IV (Oct- 2015) Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III, Issue IV (Oct 2015) Website: www.eupstream.com Impact Factor: 0.725 : IC Value:6.48 

visible postures and human beliefs. Attitudes determine what each individual will see, hear, think and do. They are rooted in experience and do not become automatic routine conduct. Attitude means the individuals prevailing tendencies to respond favourably or unfavorably to an object, person or group of people, institutions or events. Attitudes can be positive (values) or negative (prejudice). People‟s attitudes towards their profession have an effect on their performance. This case is also valid for the profession of teaching. A teacher with a right attitude makes a lasting impact on students learning. A teacher with the right attitude puts students learning as the ultimate goal and will mix and match all the available tools and techniques to suit the teaching- learning process unique to a given subject or topic or class. Some good teachers may be born, but most of them are made, as products of a good teaching-learning process. This is because teaching is not a job but an inspired profession or passion. Even a single inspired teacher, whether at school, college or university lives a lasting impression on the minds of students, not only in terms of the knowledge and training imparted but also the values of teaching– learning and professional pride, and inspires a few students to emulate their teacher and take teaching as a profession. Someone has rightly said, attitude creates altitude in students. The teacher‟s attitude, his/her approach to life, to students and to teaching has a great deal to do with how his students will be. A positive classroom climate starts with the teacher‟s attitude towards his profession and ends with a student‟s attitude. Attitudes are not inborn tendencies they are the products of experiences a person encounters in his life. Attitude can be inculcated by providing conducive climate and stimulating experiences to the person. Attitude of teachers are developed during their passage of becoming teachers in their schools, colleges, university and especially in teacher training institutes. 

Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III Issue IV (Oct- 2015) Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III, Issue IV (Oct 2015) Website: www.eupstream.com Impact Factor: 0.725 : IC Value:6.48 Teacher training institutions should make pain-staking efforts to equip the prospective teachers not only with teaching skills but also promotion of positive attitudes towards teaching field; as their attitude will affect their performance in the classroom. 

1.2 

CONCEPT OF ATTITUDE

 Attitude, a broad term covering almost all the important fields of human knowledge; is especially prominent in the field of education. It is a guiding force behind all human factors. The Latin term “aptus” meaning „fitness‟ or “adaptness” gave origin to this word. Bogardus (1931) defined “Attitude as a tendency to act towards or against something in the environment, which becomes thereby a positive or negative value”. According to Kruger and Reckless (1931), “An attitude may be thought as acquired tendencies in specific way towards objects”. Allport (1935), defined “Attitude as a mental and neutral state of readiness, organized through experience exerting a directive and dynamic influence upon the individual‟s response to all objects and situations with which it is related”. Thurstone (1946), defined attitude as “The degree of positive or negative affect associated with some psychological object”. According to Newcomb (1948), “Attitude is not a response but a more or less persistent act to respond in a given way to an object or situation. It is organized and consistent manner of thinking, feeling and reaction with regard to one‟s environment”. Green (1954) makes a mention of four different dimensions of attitude, viz. (1) Favorableness; (2) Intensity; (3) Salience; (4) Generality. Guilford (1954), defined attitude as “Personal disposition common to individuals, but possessed to different degrees, which impels them to react to objects, situations or propositions in ways that can be called favorable or unfavorable”. Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III Issue IV (Oct- 2015) Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III, Issue IV (Oct 2015) Website: www.eupstream.com Impact Factor: 0.725 : IC Value:6.48 According to Smith and White (1956), “Attitude is a predisposition to experience to be motivated by and to act towards a class of objects in a predictable manner”. 

ATTITUDE TOWARDS TEACHING Attitude towards teaching is an enduring perceptual organization of teacher‟s belief and learned tendency, to react favorably and unfavorably in different degrees which determine his actual or potential response towards teaching. In order to understand teacher‟s attitude towards teaching in its correct perspective, it is important to ascertain various definitions of teaching. Highet (1950), views teaching as an act, which in turn is dependent on certain variables such as liking for and understanding of pupils knowledge for the subject matter along with planning and preparation for its presentation, the environment in which teaching and learning are taking place and certain other attributes of the teacher. The concept of teaching to him is a system of action intended to include or facilitate learning. Smith and Ennis’ (1961), model of teaching employs three variables namely teacher as the independent variable, the pupil as the intervening variable, and environment as the dependent variable, which are closely linked with the action which makes up the teaching-learning. Thus, the teaching encompasses the teacher‟s perception of pupils behavior, the teacher‟s diagnosis of the pupil‟s state of interest, aptitude, readiness and knowledge that can be gleaned from the behavior of the pupil, the action taken by the teacher in the light of his diagnosis, the pupils perception of teacher‟s behavior, the pupils diagnosis of the teacher state of interest from the teachers behavior and the reaction of pupils to actions of the teacher. The concepts of teaching as submitted above, make it obvious that teaching predominantly and essentially is an act, may be in the form of the decision making, instruction, guidance or direction, and also its ultimate aim is to achieve the desired educational goals. Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III Issue IV (Oct- 2015) Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III, Issue IV (Oct 2015) Website: www.eupstream.com Impact Factor: 0.725 : IC Value:6.48 Scriven (1974), concludes that good teaching must not only make significant contributions to meet the educational needs of students and society, but must also be reasonably effective as compared to available teaching alternatives. It is in this context that the attitude towards teaching assumes a significant relevance for the present study. Rama Krishnaiah and Bhaskara Rao (1998), included following dimensions of teaching while they developed attitude towards teaching inventory. a) Curriculum (b) Students (c) Teaching Methods (d) Teacher‟s Status (e) Merits and Demerits of Teaching Profession Ahluwalia’s (2001), Teacher Attitude Inventory has six aspects of teaching: a) Teaching Profession (b) Class-room Teaching (c) Child-centered Practices (d) Educational Process (e) Pupils (f) Teachers CONCEPT OF SELF-ESTEEM Self-esteem refers to the evaluation one makes of the self-concept description and more specifically, to the degree to which one is satisfied or dissatisfied with it, in whole or in part. For example, an individual might describe herself as tall (self-concept) and then go on to say that she is happy or unhappy about being tall. This latter judgment is an indicator of self-esteem since it indicates how the individual feels about the description. In other words, self-esteem involves the individual‟s sense of self-worth or self-regard manifested in such feelings as „I am happy with myself‟ or „I don‟t like myself‟. Thus when we refer to the self-esteem of others we may say it is positive or negative or neutral or use other terms that denote the quality of the self-esteem or the intensity of the individual‟s feelings. Self-esteem judgments are based on values or value indicator such as attitudes, beliefs or interests. For example, an adolescent might describe himself as a good student (self-concept), but may wish to change that (self-esteem) because he wants to be accepted Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III Issue IV (Oct- 2015) Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III, Issue IV (Oct 2015) Website: www.eupstream.com Impact Factor: 0.725 : IC Value:6.48 by peers who devalue school success a value indicator. Understanding the place of values in the formation of self-perceptions is of particular importance since it highlights the fact that self-judgment is personal and that inferring self-esteem from an individual‟s selfconcept is a risky venture. Self-esteem can best be defined as an objective and favorable impression of one‟s self that influences all of one‟s experiences. It is the bottom line for place of mind and personal satisfaction. It is evidenced in researches that the more positive self-esteem is a pervasive attitude that can make you feel good about yourself and appreciate yourself. It makes an individual feel safe and personally empowered STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The problem of the study has been stated as under: “A study of attitude of prospective teachers towards teaching in relation to their gender, subject-stream, locality and self-esteem” NEED AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY Attitude of the in-service teachers have been studied by a number of researchers in relation to several psychological and demographic variables. So, far the study of attitude of prospective teachers towards teaching is concerned, it has received a little attention from the researchers and in the study, an attempt has been made in the direction. Attitude of prospective teachers towards teaching has been studied in context of gender, subjectstream, locality and self-esteem. The findings of the study may act as a guide for designing the courses of teacher education with an emphasis on the development of positive attitude towards teaching and its various dimensions. Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III Issue IV (Oct- 2015) Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III, Issue IV (Oct 2015) Website: www.eupstream.com Impact Factor: 0.725 : IC Value:6.48 OBJECTIVES The objectives of the study were as follows: 1) To compare male and female prospective teachers on attitude towards teaching and its six dimensions. 2) To compare prospective teachers belonging to science and arts stream on attitude towards teaching and its six dimensions. 3) To compare prospective teachers belonging to rural and urban background on attitude towards teaching and its six dimensions. 4) To compare prospective teachers having high and low self-esteem on attitude towards teaching and its six dimensions. HYPOTHESES In order to achieve the objectives of the study following hypotheses were formulated: 1) Prospective male and female teachers exhibit significant differences in their attitude towards teaching and its six dimensions. 2) Prospective teachers of science and arts streams differ significantly in their attitude towards teaching and its six dimensions. 3) Prospective teachers belonging to rural and urban background show significant differences in their attitude towards teaching and its six dimensions. 4) Prospective teachers having high and low self-esteem show significant differences in their attitude towards teaching and its six dimensions. SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY The study belongs to Descriptive type of research. The study was conducted on attitude of prospective teachers‟ towards teaching. For this a sample of 200 was drawn from prospective teachers‟ of B.Ed colleges from Hissar (Haryana). The data was collected by Ahluwalia‟s Teacher Attitude Inventory. Gender, Subject-stream, Locality and Selfesteem were independent variables and the attitude towards teaching was the dependent Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III Issue IV (Oct- 2015) Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III, Issue IV (Oct 2015) Website: www.eupstream.com Impact Factor: 0.725 : IC Value:6.48 variable. Analysis was done by the„t‟ test for testing four non-directional researches hypotheses. Thus the scope of the study was delimited in terms of research method, objectives, hypotheses, variables, sample, tools and statistical techniques. 1.11 OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS OF KEY TERMS USED The operational definitions of the key terms used in the present study are as under: 1. Attitude towards Teaching refers to overall attitude as measured by S.P.Ahluwalia‟s Teacher Attitude Inventory. The six aspects of, attitude towards teaching deals with a) Teaching Profession (b) Class-room Teaching (c) Child-centered Practices (d)Educational Process (e) Pupils (f) Teachers 2. Prospective Teachers’ refers to B.Ed students. 3. Gender refers to Male and Female. 4. Subject Stream refers to Science and Arts. 5. Locality refers to Rural and Urban Area. 6. Self- Esteem refers to evaluation for self as measured by Rosenberg‟s Self-esteem Scale. RESEARCH METHOD The study has been conducted by Descriptive Research Method. POPULATION All the prospective teachers studying in two B.Ed colleges of Hissar have been comprised in the population. Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III Issue IV (Oct- 2015) Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III, Issue IV (Oct 2015) Website: www.eupstream.com Impact Factor: 0.725 : IC Value:6.48 SAMPLE A sample of 200 prospective teachers has been selected from the two randomly selected institutes by Random Cluster Method. Most of the educational phenomena consist of a large number of units. It would be impracticable to test, to interview or to observe each unit of the population under controlled conditions in order to arrive at principles having universal validity. Some populations are so large that their study would be expensive in terms of time, money, effort and man-power. Sampling is a process by which a relatively small number of individuals or measures of individuals, objects or events is selected and analyzed in order to find out something about the entire population from which it was selected. In the present study two B.Ed colleges- Shanti Niketan College of Education and Saraswati College of Education were selected followed by convenient sampling. Thereafter 90 prospective teachers from first institution and 110 prospective teachers were drawn by random cluster method. The sample of the present study consisted of 200 prospective teachers of Saraswati College of Education and Shanti Niketan College of Education. The structure of the sample is given in table 3.1 while gender-wise, stream-wise, locality-wise and selfesteem-wise structure of samples are shown from table 3.2 to 3.5. Table 3.1 Sample Structure S.No. Name of the Institution Total Students 1. Saraswati College of Education 110 2. Shanti Niketan College of Education 90 Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III Issue IV (Oct- 2015) Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III, Issue IV (Oct 2015) Website: www.eupstream.com Impact Factor: 0.725 : IC Value:6.48 Table 3.2 Gender-wise Structure of Sample Gender Number of Prospective Teachers (Percentage) Male 56 (28%) Female 144 (72%) Table 3.3 Stream-wise Structure of Sample Subject Stream Number of Prospective Teachers and Percentage Science 40 (20%) Arts 160 (80%) Table 3.4 Locality-wise Structure of Sample Table 3.5 Self-esteem-wise Structure of Sample Level of Self-esteem Number of Prospective Teachers and Percentage High 39 (19.5%) Low 32 (16%) Locality Number of Prospective Teachers and Percentage Rural 64 (32%) Urban 136 (68%) Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III Issue IV (Oct- 2015) Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III, Issue IV (Oct 2015) Website: www.eupstream.com Impact Factor: 0.725 : IC Value:6.48 VARIABLES Independent variables in the study were Gender, Subject stream, Locality and Selfesteem. Dependent Variable in this study was Attitude towards teaching and its six dimensions. TOOLS In the study, the following tools were used for data collection: (1) S.P. AHLUWALIA’S TEACHER ATTITUDE INVENTORY(T.A.I) (2) ROSENBERG’S SELF-ESTEEM SCALE SCOPE AND DELIMITATIONS The scope of the study was delimited in terms of its research method, objectives, hypotheses, variables, sample, tools and statistical techniques. CONCLUSIONS After the analysis and interpretation of data following conclusions were drawn: (1) Male and female prospective teachers do not differ significantly with regard to their attitude towards teaching and components thereof except child centred practices. On this component, female prospective teachers seem to have greater magnitude than their counterpart‟s male prospective teachers. (2) Prospective teachers belonging to science and arts stream are found to be similar with respect to their attitude towards teaching and components thereof. (3) Prospective teachers hailing from rural and urban background do not exhibit any significant difference in their attitude towards teaching and components thereof. (4) No significant difference is shown in the attitude towards teaching and components by the prospective teachers having high and low levels of self-esteem. Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III Issue IV (Oct- 2015) Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III, Issue IV (Oct 2015) Website: www.eupstream.com Impact Factor: 0.725 : IC Value:6.48 By synthesizing the above conclusions it may be inferred that the teaching attitude of prospective teachers do not seem to be significantly influenced by their gender, subject stream affinity, locality and level of self-esteem. EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS Findings of this study bears the educational implications that teacher educators at secondary level should try to develop attitude among prospective teachers irrespective of their gender, subject stream, locality and level of self- esteem. All prospective teachers may be treated at par with the treatment to be given. Various strategies may be adopted by teacher educators for enhancement of attitude among prospective teachers because teachers‟ attitude has been found to be strongly related to teaching effectiveness, work motivation, job commitment and job involvement. The teacher should bring desirable and essential changes in their methods of instruction for developing favourable attitude towards their subject. Group interaction plays a key role in attitude formation. He should try to develop group support for expression of particular attitude. Group discussions, seminars, skit, drama and other social or group activities may be chosen for developing in organizing group attitude. Interest should be generated in teaching towards teaching profession. The audio-visual aids and mass media may be utilized for developing desirable attitude among the pupils. The text books should be so written that they do not encourage negative or unfavourable attitudes example corruption, quarreling, and war. Similarly radio, films, newspapers and magazines etc. should be properly controlled for developing desirable attitude. In all, importance of teaching should be told in classroom as teaching is a unique profession and it has its own importance. Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III Issue IV (Oct- 2015) Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III, Issue IV (Oct 2015) Website: www.eupstream.com Impact Factor: 0.725 : IC Value:6.48 SUGGESTIONS The present study throws some research possibilities, so the following study can be carried out in the area concerned: (1) A study of attitude of prospective secondary teachers towards teaching may be conducted in relation to their teaching aptitude and personality. (2) An investigation may be undertaken to explore the attitude of prospective secondary teachers in relation to their level of creativity. (3) Relationship between attitude of prospective teachers and their teaching competency may be inquired into. (4) Attitude of secondary teachers may be studied in relation to their teaching effectiveness. (5) A study may be designed to find out the relationship between attitude of secondary teachers and their job commitment and job involvement. (6) A comparative study may be undertaken on attitude of elementary and secondary level prospective teachers. (7) Attitude of college and university teachers may be explored. (8) A differential study of attitude of regular teachers and teachers of distance education may be undertaken. (9) A study may be undertaken to investigate the effect of management of school attitude of teachers towards teaching profession. Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III Issue IV (Oct- 2015) Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III, Issue IV (Oct 2015) Website: www.eupstream.com Impact Factor: 0.725 : IC Value:6.48 BIBLIOGRAPHY Adaval, S.B. (ed.) (1968). Third Indian Year Book of Education: Educational Research. New Delhi: NCERT. Allport, B (1937) Personality; Psychological Interpretation, New York, Hott. Allport, G.W. (1935) Composition of Political Attitudes, A Handbook of Social Psychology, Clark University Press, 35, 220-238. Annamalai, A.R. (2000) Attitude of Teachers towards Teaching, Experiments in Education XXXVIII. Argyle, M.(1977). Psychological and Interpersonal Behaviour, London, Petican. Back, W.K. (1977). Social Psychology, John Willy and Sons. Beamer, G. C. and Ledbetter, E. W. (1975). The Relationship between Teacher Attitude and the Social Service Interest. J. Edu. Res., 50, 655-666. Beane, J.A. and Lipka, J.A. (1984) Self-concept, Self-esteem and the Curriculum, Boston, Allyn and Boston. Best, John W. and James, V. Kahn. (1992). Research in Education. New Delhi: PrenticeHall of India Pvt. Ltd. Bogardus, E.S. (1931) Fundamentals of Social Psychology, New York Century, 444. Browfeain, J. (1952) Sociability of the Self concept as a Dimension of Personality. J. Abnorm. Social, Psychol., 47, 597-606. Buch, M.B. (ed.) (1974). A Survey of Research in Education. Baroda: Centre of Advance Study in Education, M.S.University. Buch, M.B. (ed.) (1979). Second Survey of Research in Education. Baroda: Society for Educational Research and Development. Buch, M.B. (ed.) (1987). Third Survey of Research in Education. New Delhi: NCERT. Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III Issue IV (Oct- 2015) Upstream Research International Journal (URIJ) ISSN 2321 –0567 A Peer Reviewed Refereed Indexed Journal Vol. III, Issue IV (Oct 2015) Website: www.eupstream.com Impact Factor: 0.725 : IC Value:6.48 Buch, M.B. (ed.) (1991). Fourth Survey of Research in Education. Volume-I New Delhi: NCERT. Buch, M.B. (ed.) (1991). Fourth Survey of Research in Education. Volume-II New Delhi: NCERT. Cohan, A. (1959) Some Implications of Self-Esteem for Social Influence in Howland, C, and Jahis, J (eds) Personality and Pursuability; New Haven, Yale, University Press. Cottle, I.J. (1965) Self-concept, Ego Ideal and the Response to Action, Social, Soc. Res., 50, 78-88. Drever, J. (1958) A Dictionary in Psychology, Penguin Books, 23. Edwards, A..L. (1957). Techniques of Attitude Scale Construction, New York: Appleton Century Crofts, Inc. Fisherman, J.A. (1957). The MTAI in an American Minority Group School Setting (Differences between Test Characteristics for Norm and Norm Populations), J. Edu. Psychol: 48;41-51. Garrott, H.E. (1962). Statistics in Psychology and Education. Bombay: Allied Pacific Pvt. Ltd. Good, C.V. (1973) Dictionary of Education, New York, Mc. Graw Hill. Goyal, R.P. (1974) A Study of Some Personality Correlates of Creativity in Secondary School Teachers under Training, Ph.D thesis, Punjab University, Patiala. Green, B.F. (1954) Attitude Measurement in Handbook of Social Psychology, Ed. G. Lindzey, 1. Green, G. (1969) Instrumentality Theory of Work Motivation. Some Experimental Results and Suggestions Modification, Journal of Applied Psychology, 53, 1-12.  

Role of Teacher in the Twenty First Century

 The Importance of the Teacher

Manu’s Smriti pays a great tribute to teacher when it opines that of him who gives natural birth and of him, who gives knowledge, the latter is venerable. Teacher, since ages, has been called Guru, the dispeller of darkness. It is he who sets the whole teaching-learning process. It is he who builds up desirable attitudes

and approves or disapproves pupil’s behaviour. He influences his pupils by what he says and more by what he does. His attitude towards his world of work, his life in general, his practical

philosophy of education, his interests, ideas and attitudes condition learning, therefore, are important for pupil’s growth. No society can be more dynamic than its system of education

and no system of education can be more dynamic than its teachers. The quality of an educational system depends upon the quality of teachers who man it. More than any other factor, the failure of any

educational system can be attributed to the lack of professional zest and dedication among teachers. The Education Commission (1964-66) has rightly said, “Of all the different factors which influence the

quality of education and its contribution to national development, the quality, competence and character
of teachers are, undoubtedly the most important…’’ The National Policy on Education (1986) has also stressed the urgent need for the total reconstruction of Indian education system and in doing so it has expressed faith in teachers and has shouldered them with a great responsibility by saying,
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“Teachers will continue to play a crucial role in the formulation and implementation of education
programmes…Nothing is more important than securing a sufficient supply of high quality of
recruits to the teaching profession…” The importance of teacher becomes manifold when it is
believed that no society can rise above the level of its teachers and again when it is often blamed that our entire educational system is responsible for the prevalent negative values in the society. Society
has highly materialistic approach. ‘Mind pollution’, is surpassing all the pollutions. Corrupt norms of the society, ugly forces of communalism, separation, subversive tendencies, murders, riots,
selfishness, corruption, religious and social disputes, social and economic inequality, misuse of power etc. are corroding the value system of the children. Society calls the teacher to shoulder this
responsibility to check the progressive erosion of values. Whenever any reform in the society is anticipated, teacher’s participation becomes important in several ways. Man is the most precious source of national development and that it is not the number but the quality of people, which sets the
nation to the path of glory and progress. The National Policy on Education (1986) emphasised that human being is a positive asset and a precious national resource that needs to be cherished, nourished and developed with tenderness and care. Question arises: Who is the gardener to care this valuable asset of nation? Undoubtedly, ‘the teacher’ is the answer. Now we have entered the 21st century, which is the age of science and space. Drastic changes are occurring at global level which shows that man shall move forward by leaps instead of steps. Amidst the competitive world, India is emerging as a developing country. National development has remained our constant focus
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that is closely related to human resource development (HRD) which aims at making the existence of each and all people valuable. We need educated leaders, lawyers, judges, trained engineers, doctors,
teachers, managers, executors, administrators, artists, agriculturists, industrialists, writers, craftsmen, journalists, etc. to spur our country’s development. Only the quality teachers can produce educated populace to match the speed of development. So, it becomes very important to select the teacher trainees possessing those equipments and qualities which may help them in playing their new and challenging role.

 Role of Teacher in the Twenty First Century

The new age is caught in the web of GOLIT where globalization, open market economy, liberalization and information technology are directing the future course of the world and are breaking the geographical, financial and cultural boundaries information technology has opened the floodgates of knowledge and
presenting the same through millions of websites. The knowledge is
no more found only in books, captured in teacher’s mind or stored in
elder’s stories. Now it has also been stored in the computers which
can be accessed on demand in bulk when needed. The rate of
expansion of knowledge appears to be increasing and teaching has
enhanced access to information worldwide. Education for 21st
century, therefore, needs to enhance an individual’s ability to
assimilate, evaluate and apply the available information.
Globalization is affecting all fields of life. This is a challenge to the
system of education as well as to the teachers. Thus, globalisation
calls upon the teachers to change their roles to meet the future
demands of the society.
The twenty-first century is witnessing not only explosion of
knowledge in science and technology but also an explosion of
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student population. These scientific and technological changes make
a heavy demand on the knowledge and role the students are going to
play in the future, because in a progressive world the students
should develop the active adaptability. Changes in the societial set
up demand corresponding changes in education and the role to
teachers. In order to equip the child to face the challenges of the
century, the teacher needs to perform many roles.
In fact, the teacher plays some general roles which are
common to all individuals and plays those roles in life time
invariably. But he plays some specific roles also which are related to
his profession and are interrelated with his general roles. A number
of roles a teacher is to play are the following:

As an Inspirer

Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no
hold in the minds of learners. The teacher has to manipulate the
atmosphere in such a way so that he can inspire and imbibe in his
students an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. The revolution in
the computer age has lead many to question about the relevance of
the teacher in the learning process. The larger amount of
information available is likely to create confusion in the minds of
students and the guidance of teacher becomes more necessary.

As an Instructor

The most significant role which a teacher has to play is
providing instructional input as it determines and influences the
academic output of students. It refers to the knowledge, skills,
attitudes and values which students are required to acquire in
accordance with our national goals. In order to play this role
effectively, the teacher has to:
 update his own knowledge , develop appropriate attitudes and
values and improve his own skills,
 adopt appropriate and innovative teaching methods and practices
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keeping in view the age, grade and receptivity of students,
 come down to the level of students,
 emphasize on learning rather than on teaching,
 use a variety of teaching aids and improvise teaching aids with
great skill and efficiency, encourage students to interact and
participate in the teaching learning process,
 encourage students to review, rehearse and practice,
 conduct continuous evaluation and provide feedback,
 make diagnosis of student’s learning difficulties and
 provide remedial instruction to students who need it either before
or after the school hours.

As a Manager

The teacher has not only to teach different subjects in different
classes but also to play the role of a manager. As a manager he has
to ensure that the work assigned to him is done and is beneficial to
students and the organization. He has to:
 plan his work very carefully,
 set his short and long term objectives,
 organize and execute students and physical resources
systematically,
 control, monitor and evaluate the performances and progress of
the group continuously,
 follow the principles of democracy in classroom management,
 create a conductive learning environment,
 behave in accordance with the ideals of his profession,
 be approachable and understanding in nature and
 be a leader of the group under his charge.

As a Counsellor

As a counsellor teacher is not expected to solve problems of
students. Rather he creates situations where by students will be
6
able to develop insights into their problems and take their own
decisions to solve their problems. As a counsellor the teacher has to:
 help students to choose subjects in accordance with their needs,
interest and abilities,
 help students to choose streams-medical, non-medical and
humanities in accordance with their aptitudes and aspirations,
 assist students to take advantage of scholarships and financial
assistance,
 advise students on the procedure of admission in institutes of
higher education,
 help students to choose appropriate books and reference materials,
 assist students to know about institutions which provide
vocational and technical training, mode of selection for admission
to the course, fee structure, duration of training, stipends
available and placement opportunities,
 assist students solve their personal problems,
 help students to solve their health problems, and
 guide students to make proper use of leisure time.

As a Community Leader

The most fascinating role which the present day situation
demands is that the teacher has to be a community leader. In fact,
this role was also expected of a teacher in the past. But today, in
view of the rising social, economic and educational problems, the
thrust is more on teacher as a community leader than on any other
role of a teacher. As a community leader, the teacher has to :
 create awareness among community members about welfare
schemes,
 create awareness among students and community members
about developmental programs initiated by the government and
local bodies,
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 organize advocacy programs relating to their schemes and
programs, educational reforms and innovations,
 mobilize the community for participation in all such activities for
attainment of the goals set in the stipulated periods,
advise and guide the community for communal harmony, and
national integration,
 participate and lead the community in literacy campaign, Sarva
Siksha Abhiyan, population education, environment cleanliness,
immunization, tree plantation, crisis and disaster management
etc.,
 attend community meetings, festivals and functions which offer
opportunity to the teacher for establishing contact with
community members and rapport with the community leaders,
 interpret to the public the school’s programs, the country’s
developmental plans and educational policies and
 be familiar with all changes and developments in educational
policies and programs.

As a Social Engineer

Many pupils lack the requisite skills to cope with social life.

Their lack of confidence in themselves hampers them in handling a
variety of social encounters. In addition, nuclear and extended
family relationships obviously affect the development of social skills
among them. In schools children come from diverse cultures and
family backgrounds, so they may need help in bridging their social,
economic and cultural differences. At the same time he is required to
inculcate human and cultural values among the new generation.
Therefore, the role that a teacher plays in the child’s social
development must be recognized.
To perform all these roles the teachers should have many
qualities and traits. The teacher is required to improve his own
competence, technical skills and strategies. Professionalism for a
8
global society demands teachers to be innovative in their attitude,
flexible in their approach, inquisitive and reflective in their mind and
always refreshing themselves with the day to day increase of
knowledge in their subject area.                                                            ( Dr. Ravinder Rathi)

welcome friends

A Study of Personality Profile of Sh. Rajiv Gandhi

A Study of Personality Profile of Sh. Rajiv Gandhi and his Contribution in the Field of Education.

Ravinder Rathi

Assistant Professor

Tagore P.G. College of Education.

Abstract

A country strength or weakness depends upon its education system. If a country wants to raise progress and develop, it will have to arrange for a good education system for its citizens. If a country’s education system is defective, it can not progress. If we scan the human history, it shows that education has been a powerful and strong instrument for the development of a nation. Today every country wants to progress and does not want to remain backward. But it can only be possible if the citizens of that country are alert and enlightened, are sincere toward their country and are already to do their duty towards it.

In India, when Shri Rajiv Gandhi became the Prime Minister he felt the need of making India enter the twenty first century. It was his dream and to fulfill his dream he thought of improving the education system of our country. The present study is belong to Shri Rajiv Gandhi and his contribution in the field of education.

Keywords used – Personality, Sh. Rajiv Gandhi, Education (Science, Technical Education, NPE 1986.

Introduction

Nations are built by the imagination and untiring enthusiastic efforts of generations. One generation transfers the fruits of its tail to another which, then takes forward the mission. As the coming generation too has its dreams and aspirations for the nation future, it therefore adds something new form its side to the nation’s vision which the next generation strives hard to achieve. This process goes on and the nation climbs the steps of glory and gains higher strength.                 

The man who gave a vision for the twenty first century was Sh. Rajiv Gandhi. He was genius and known for his logic educational and technical temper with a sense of complete revolution to the country. His vision of India transcends all divisine lines of caste, gender, colors, cried, religion and region. India of his dreams is a techno-scientific knowledge super power in 21^st century. He was an Independent thinker and visionary. The pivotal role of education in shaping the destiny of this country had been realized ever since the days of the freedom struggle. After Independence Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru emphasized the need to revolutionize the whole education system. It resulted in the recommendation of many a committee and commission during the post Independence period. The Kothari Commission (1964-66) said “the destiny of India is now being shaped in her classrooms”.

The nations’ resolve to harness education for productive purpose, technical development, self-sufficiency in agriculture and defense and national well being had been continually reiterated by Late Prime Minister Sh. Rajiv Gandhi. He declared in his first address to the nation on January 5, 1985 that he has asked for a New Education policy to be drafted. He said, “Education must promote national cohesion and the work ethic”. The grandeur of our freedom struggle and its significance for national integration has to be brought home to enemy student. Our schools and colleges should acquaint the young generation with ancient heritage and culture, the curricula and text books should  curb parochial and communal interpretations of our composite culture.

He is formulating programmes to use, on a large scale, the new communication technology in our school system. De linking the degrees forms government jobs in under active consideration steps are being taken to open and rural university to bring higher education within early reaches of all. The central school organization will be expanded. These schools will function as clusters of excellence in every district of country. I would strongly emphasize education’s organic links with the production forces of a society.

Personality profile of Sh.Rajiv Gandhi

The man who gave a vision for the twenty first century was Sh Rajiv Gandhi. He was born on August 20, 1944 in Mumbai in India’s most famous political family. His grandfather Jawahar Lal Nehru played a stellar role in India’s Freedom Struggle and become independent India’s first Prime Minister. He has no blood relation to Mahatma Gandhi despite his name. The eledest son of India and Firoze Gandhi was raised at his grandfather’s home in Allahabad and Delhi with his younger brother Sanjay Gandhi where his mother lived separately from Firoze Gandhi. His parents were reconciled in 1958 but his Father died form heart attack in 1960. Rajiv Gandhi did his schooling from the elite Doon School and then studied at the University in London at Trinity College, Cambridge in Britain. At combridge, Rajiv Gandhi met and fell in love with an Itallian student Edvige Antonia Albina Maino and they got married in 1967, who was latter known as Sonia Gandhi.

Returning to India, Rajiv Gandhi becomes a commercial pilot in Indian Airlines while his mother becomes Prime Minister in 1966. He exhibited no interest in politics and did not live regularly with his mother in Delhi at the Prime Minister’s residence. In 1970, his wife Sonia Gandhi gave birth to Rahul, his first child and in 1972, Priyanka his second child and daughter. Even as Rajiv remained aloof in politics his younger brother Sanjay becomes a close advisor to his mother.

Rajiv Gandhi’s last public meeting was at Shri Perumbudar on May 21, 1991 a village approximately 30 miles from Chennai, where he was assassinated while campaining for the Shri Perumbudar Lok Sabha Congress candidate Mrs. Maragathan Chandrasekhar in Tamil Naidu. The assassination was carried out by the LTTE Suicide bomber Thenmuli Rajarathanam also known as Dhanu later real name of the suicide bomber came to be known as Gayatri. 

Justification of Study

In the post Independence India, many great educational philosophers and thinkers came on the scene and contribute their best in educational process. But their ideas either failed in Implementation or remained cofined to files only. This is the reason that education policy remained almost stagnant for a pretty long time. Despite such a scintillating and sterling contribution towards the philosophy of education, in a general very little research has been done in this regard by the modern day scholars on Rajiv Gandhi. It is shocking sad to note that even after more than eighteen years of his tragic death, no research scholar has bothered to take up and evaluate his contribution in Indian education system. It is not only injustice but also big disservices to education. This is the reason that present study has been undertaken to highlight the principle of Sh. Rajiv Gandhi’s Personality and his contribution in the field of Education.

Statement of the Problem

“A Study on  Personality Profile of Shri Rajiv Gandhi and his Contribution in the Field     of Education.”

Aims and Objectives of the Study-

1.      To study the contemporary education and social circumstances of Sh. Rajiv Gandhi time.

2.      To study personality aspects of Sh. Rajiv Gandhi.

3.      To study educational thoughts of Rajiv Gandhi.

4.      To study in detail contribution of Sh. Rajiv Gandhi’s in filed of science, technology and education system.

5.      To study the spirit of nationalism in his philosophy and thoughts.

6.      To study the educational philosophy of Shri. Rajiv Gandhi in development of the society.

7.      To find out the practicability of Rajiv Gandhi’s philosophy in modern educational thoughts and practice.

Delimitations

1.      The study is limited to Sh. Rajiv Gandhi’s innovative ideas and thoughts on education.

2.      The study is limited to personality aspect based on his philosophical thinking in a systematic way.

3.      The study is limited to educational philosophy as reflected practically in life actions of Sh. Rajiv Gandhi.

4.      The study is limited to ideas, studied from his speeches and writings, obtainable in printed form.

5.      The study is limited to relevance of educational philosophy in present Indian educational system.

Methodology-

In this study the content analysis method is adopted by the researcher both the primary and secondary sources are used to fulfill the mission. Besides this the investigator also collected and scanned relevant information by different educational institution, museums, public libraries and other sources. Consequently the compiled and collected study,material is systematically and methodically arranged and shaped into a well knit compact whole in the form of dissertation.

Educational Thoughts of Rajiv Gandhi                                      

A country strength or weakness depends upon its education system. If a country wants to rise, progress and develop, it will have to arrange for a good education system for its citizens. If a country’s education system is defective, it cannot progress. If we scan the human history, it shows that education has been a powerful and strong instrument for the development of a nation. Today every country wants to progress and does not want to remain backward. But it can only be possible if the citizens of that country are alert and enlightened, are sincere toward their country and are ready to do their duty towards it.

In India, when Shri Rajiv Gandhi became the Prime Minister he felt the need of making India enter the twenty first century. It was his dream and to fulfill his dream he thought of improving the education system of our country.

National System of Education

The concept of a national system of education implies that up to a given level all students irrespective of caste creed, location or sex, have access to education of a comparable quality. To achieve this government will initiate appropriately funded programmes. Effective measures will be taken in the direction of the common school system recommended in 1968 policy.

Education for Women Equality

Education will be used as on agent of basic change in the status of women. In order to neutralize the accumulated distortions of the post, there will be well- conceived edges in favour of women. The National Educations system will play a positive interventionist role in the empowerment of women. It will foster the development of new values through redesigned curricula, text-books the training and orientation of teachers, decision makes and administrators and the active involvement of educational institutions. This will be an act of faith and social engineering. Women studies will be institutions encouraged to take up active programmes to further women’s development.

The Education of Scheduled Tribes

The following measures will be taken urgently to being the scheduled tribes on par with others:

(1) The socio-cultural milieu of the ST has its distinctive characteristics including, in many cases, their own spoken languages. The underlines the need to develop the curricula and devise institutional materials in tribal languages at the initial stages with arrangements for switching over to the regional language.

(2) Educated and promising scheduled Tribes youths will be encouraged and trained to take up teaching in tribal areas.

(3) Residential schools, including Ashram Schools will be established on a large scale.

(4) Anganwades, Non-formal and Adult Education centers will be opened on a priority basis in areas predominantly inhabited by the Scheduled Tribes.

(5) The curriculum at all stages of education will be designed to create an awareness of the rich cultural identity of the tribal people as also of their enormous creative talent.

The Education of Scheduled Castes

1. Pre-metric scholarship scheme for children of families engaged in occupations such as scavenging flaying and tanning to be made applicable from class-I onwards. All children of such families regardless of incomes will be covered by this scheme.

2. The recruitment of teachers from scheduled castes.

3. The provision of facilities far SC students in hostels at district head quarters according to a phased programmed.

Reorganization of Education at Difference Stages

1. Early Childhood care and Education(ECCE). Early child hood care and education will receive high priority and be suitable integrated with the integrated child development services programme. Programme of ECCE will be child-oriented focused around play, and the individuality of the child, formal methods and the introduction of the 3 R’s will be couraged at this stage.

Pace –setting school

Pace-setting schools intended to serve this purpose will be established in various parts of the country on a given pattern. Their broad aims will be to serve the objective of excellence coupled with equity and social justice, to promote national integration by providing opportunities to talented children from different parts of the country. The schools will be residential and free-of-charge.

Open Universities and Distance Learning

The open Universities system has been intimated in order to augment opportunities for higher education and as an instrument of democratizing education. Continue the Indira Gandhi National Open University, established in 1985 in fulfillment of these objectives.

Implications of Sh. Rajiv Gandhi’s Ideas in Modern Indian Scenario

In the present chapter, the various points referred earlier shall be consolidated here in order to find out their implication to the modern age. Rajiv gave a particular scheme of education to be implemented in our schools and it is a reality that he had set the Indian youth or the right path and inspired millions of people with his vision. He realized that education is every potent factor to reform and remold the society. All revolutions begin in the minds of people and schools and colleges are the nurseries of fresh and dynamic ideas.

i) The youth of today is drifting aimlessly in the dark ocean of Indian. The education they are getting in schools and college is not providing them any direction. There is general unrest among the students. The see lack of character, discipline and sense of duty in the people around them.  They become undisciplined and agitation minded . They refuse to obey the authorities. Every wise man feels concerned about this degradation. The world is also facing with the similar crisis. Therefore , it is the responsibility of education to provide a healthy  change, a change which can bring  about human welfare. Is present education capable of it ?

ii)  In Sh. Rajiv Gandhi’s views on education that does not teach man something  deeper  than the mere knowledge of text books is completely worthless. If our education does not make us good men and women, it is of no value. All the knowledge of world can not bring us pleasure unless it brings us self realization. Education teaches us the right use of our body and brain. Education converts the animal existence of man into human excellence. The parents give to their children the physical birth. The second birth is the process of education.

References

Aggarwal,J.C (1925):             Eduction research :an introchiction, Arya Book Depot New Delhi.

Best,J.W.(1978):                    Research  in Education , Prentice Hall of India , New Delhi.

Chauhan, S.S (1978):             Advanced Education Psychology,Vikas Publishing House, New Delhi

Garrett, H.E., (1991)              Statistcs in Psychology and Education, Vakils Fefferand                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Simous Publication, Bombay.

Good, C.V. (1959):                 Dictionary of Education Mc Graw hill Book Co.

Gopal, A.K. (1972):                Differentiated the personality. Second Survey of Eduaction Research, NCERT, New Delhi.

Koual, L. (1979):                    Methodology of Educational Research, Vikas Publishing House, New Delhi

Rao (1972) :                            A Survey of Research in Psychology, Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi.

Rema, M (1993) :                   University of Calicut in her doctored research.

Jankar, S.B. (1994):               Conducted a study on ‘A cirtical appraisal of the educational ideas

Siddequi Mohd. Mahmood (1955): Marathwada University in his doctoral research.

Roy Sekhar Basu (2006):      The Leagacy of Rajiv Gandhi

Mahta Ved (2004):                Rajiv Gandhi & Rama’s Kingdom

Verma Shrikant (1985):         A portrait of Rajiv Gandhi

Aiyan mani Shankar (1992): Remembering Rajiv Gandhi

Gandhi Sonia (1992):             Rajiv

RAVINDER RATHI

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR,

TAGORE P.G. COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

BARWA, BHIWANI (HARYANA)