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PHILIPPINE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS: IMPACT,

CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS

A Dissertation presented to
The Faculty of the Graduate School
University of Caloocan City

In partial fulfilment
of the requirements for the Degree
of Doctor of Philosophy
Major in Educational Management

By:

ELMER VISAYA
2019
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Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

The rapid changes and increased complexity of today’s education

present new challenges on the part of the teaching profession. The

improvement of technology, new trends in the teaching and learning process,

social changes and dealing with the 21st century learners are some of the

challenges that teachers facing today. The implementation of professional

standards for teachers is one way of improving the teacher quality of the

country.

Teachers play a crucial role in nation building. Through quality

teachers, the Philippines can develop holistic learners who are steeped

in values, equipped with 21st century skills, and able to propel the

country to development and progress. This is in consonance with the

Department of Education vision of producing: “Filipinos who passionately

love their country and whose values and competencies enable them to

realize their full potential and contribute meaningfully to building the

nation” (DepED Order No. 36, s. 2013).

In accordance with this, the Department of Education through the

Teacher Education Council issued the DepEd Order No. 42, series 2017 or the

National Adoption and Implementation of the Philippine Professional

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Standards for Teachers (PPST).The PPST targets to produce quality and

better teachers in the country by improving the qualification of educators and

increasing their level of knowledge, practice and professional engagement.

This will also serve as the basis for all learning and development of teachers in

order to ensure that teachers are properly equipped to effectively implement

the K to 12 program. The new standards for teachers basically aims to: 1) set

the clear expectations of teaches along well-defined career stages of

professional development from beginning to distinguished practice; 2) engage

teachers to actively embrace a continuing effort in attaining proficiency; and 3)

apply uniform measure to assess teacher 8performance, identify needs, and

provide support for professional development. The six modules of PPST are all

anchored on the seven domains that quality teachers should exhibit: 1)

Content knowledge and pedagogy; 2) Learning Environment; 3) Diversity of

Learners; 4) Curriculum and Planning; 5) Assessment and Reporting; 6)

Community Linkages and Professional Engagement; and 7) Personal growth

and Professional Development.

The PPST will be a great help for the development and improvement of quality

teachers in the country. And this will ensure better instruction in the teaching

and learning process that will greatly contribute in producing knowledgeable,

skilled, equipped and globally competitive learners.

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The Philippine Government has consistently pursued teacher quality

reforms through a number of initiatives. As a framework of teacher

quality, the National Competency-Based Teacher Standards (NCBTS)

was institutionalized through CHED Memorandum Order No. 52, s. 2007

and DepED Order No. 32, s. 2009. It emerged as part of the

implementation of the Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda (BESRA),

and was facilitated by drawing on the learning considerations of

programs, such as the Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao

(BEAM), the Strengthening Implementation of Visayas Education

(STRIVE) project and the Third Elementary Education Project (TEEP).

The K to 12 Reform (R.A. 10533) in 2013 has changed the landscape of

teacher quality requirements in the Philippines. The reform process

warrants an equivalent supportive focus on teacher quality – high quality

teachers who are properly equipped and prepared to assume the roles

and functions of a K to 12 teacher.

The Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers, which is built

on NCBTS, complements the reform initiatives on teacher quality from

pre-service education to in-service training. It articulates what constitutes

teacher quality in the K to 12 Reform through well-defined domains,

strands, and indicators that provide measures of professional learning,

competent practice, and effective engagement. This set of standards

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makes explicit what teachers should know, be able to do and value to

achieve competence, improved student learning outcomes, and

eventually quality education. It is founded on teaching philosophies of

learner-centeredness, lifelong learning, and inclusivity/inclusiveness,

among others. The professional standards, therefore, become a public

statement of professional accountability that can help teachers reflect on

and assess their own practices as they aspire for personal growth and

professional development.

The following describes the breadth of 7 Domains that are required by

teachers to be effective in the 21st Century in the Philippines. Quality

teachers in the Philippines need to possess the following characteristics:

1.) recognize the importance of mastery of content knowledge and its

interconnectedness within and across curriculum areas, coupled with a

sound and critical understanding of the application of theories and

principles of teaching and learning. They apply developmentally

appropriate and meaningful pedagogy grounded on content knowledge

and current research. They display proficiency in Mother Tongue, Filipino

and English to facilitate the teaching and learning process, as well as

exhibit the needed skills in the use of communication strategies, teaching

strategies and technologies to promote high-quality learning outcomes.

2.) provide learning environments that are safe, secure, fair and
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supportive in order to promote learner responsibility and achievement.

They create an environment that is learning-focused and they efficiently

manage learner behavior in a physical and virtual space. They utilize a

range of resources and provide intellectually challenging and stimulating

activities to encourage constructive classroom interactions geared

towards the attainment of high standards of learning. 3.) establish

learning environments that are responsive to learner diversity. They

respect learners’ diverse characteristics and experiences as inputs to the

planning and design of learning opportunities. They encourage the

celebration of diversity in the classroom and the need for teaching

practices that are differentiated to encourage all learners to be

successful citizens in a changing local and global environment. 4.)

interact with the national and local curriculum requirements. They

translate curriculum content into learning activities that are relevant to

learners and based on the principles of effective teaching and learning.

They apply their professional knowledge to plan and design, individually

or in collaboration with colleagues, well-structured and sequenced

lessons that are contextually relevant, responsive to learners’ needs and

incorporate a range of teaching and learning resources. They

communicate learning goals to support learner participation,

understanding and achievement. 5.) apply a variety of assessment tools

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and strategies in monitoring, evaluating, documenting and reporting

learners’ needs, progress and achievement. They use assessment data

in a variety of ways to inform and enhance the teaching and learning

process and programs. They provide learners with the necessary

feedback about learning outcomes that informs the reporting cycle and

enables teachers to select, organize and use sound assessment

processes. 6.) establish school-community partnerships aimed at

enriching the learning environment, as well as the community’s

engagement in the educative process. They identify and respond to

opportunities that link teaching and learning in the classroom to the

experiences, interests and aspirations of the wider school community and

other key stakeholders. They understand and fulfill their obligations in

upholding professional ethics, accountability and transparency to

promote professional and harmonious relationships with learners,

parents, schools and the wider community. 7.) value personal growth and

professional development and exhibit high personal regard for the

profession by maintaining qualities that uphold the dignity of teaching

such as caring attitude, respect and integrity. They value personal and

professional reflection and learning to improve their practice. They

assume responsibility for personal growth and professional development

for lifelong learning.

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The Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers defines

teacher quality in the Philippines. The standards describe the

expectations of teachers’ increasing levels of knowledge, practice and

professional engagement. At the same time, the standards allow for

teachers’ growing understanding, applied with increasing sophistication

across a broader and more complex range of teaching/learning

situations.

The changes brought about by various national and global

frameworks such as the K to 12 Reform and the ASEAN integration,

globalization, and the changing character of the 21st century learners

necessitate improvement and adaptability of education, and a call for the

rethinking of the current teacher standards.

Statement of the Problem

It is with great relevance to be able to describe the Philippine

Professional Standard for teachers to cater the 21 st century education.

Hence, this study sheds light on the following questions.

1. What is the profile of the teacher-respondents in terms of the

following:

1.1. age;

1.2. gender;
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1.3. lenth of service;

1.4. position;

1.5. career stages based on PPST; and

1.6. highest educational attainment?

2. What is the level of acceptability as assessed by the school heads

and teacher respondents on the following domains?

2.1. content knowledge;

2.2. learning environment;

2.3. diversity of learners;

2.4. curriculum and planning;

2.5. assessment and reporting;

2.6. community linkages and professional engagement; and

2.7. personal growth?

3. Is there a significant difference between the assessment of the two

groups of respondents based on the above mentioned domains?

4. What are the problems and challenges encountered by teacher-

respondents in the implementation of PPST?

5. What teacher development program may be proposed based on

the findings of the study?

Research Hypothesis

The hypothesis will be tested using 0.05 level of significance.

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H0: There is no significant difference between the assessment of the

two groups of respondents based on the domains of PPST

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The study focused on describing the Philippine Professional Standards

for Teachers: Impacts, Challenges and Prodpects of the Division of Caloocan

City. The respondents of this study will be the Sixty (60) Elementary School

Heads and Sixty (60) Selected Elementary Public Teachers of Caloocan City

Schools Division School Year 2019-2020.

Significance of the Study

This study is beneficial to the following group of individuals:

Pupils. The results of this study may yield a positive impact in

developing and elevating the academic and non-academic performances of

the pupils. They may be able to meet adjust with standard that the teachers

are setting.

Teachers. This study may help the teachers achieve the domains of

Philippine professional standards for teachers that will enable them to deliver

quality education. It may also allow them to innovate pedagogical strategies

that will raise the holistic capability of the pupils.

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School Administrators. The study may serve as a basis for providing

adequate facilities and materials of the school administrators that will help the

teachers meet professional standards set for them in the edcative process. It

will also help them to identify the needs of the teachers to increase their

performance.

Curriculum Planners. Those who are engaged in enhancing

curriculum should further improve the teaching strategy of every teacher.

Through describing the Philippine standard for professional teachers, they will

be able to provide or design curriculum that will satisfy the standards set for

the teachers.

Future Researchers. The future researchers are encouraged to

provide further studies on the variables which are not explored in the study.
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Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter presents a review of related literature and studies both

local and foreign that can be valuable to the present study. Since the

researcher perceived the importance in giving insights that could of help in the

preparation of their studies and in supporting his findings, the outdated

researches were included.

Literatures are readings of related taken from and utilized in present

study in both local and foreign in order to complete the conceptual and

theoretical framework of the study.

Related Literature

Professional standards for teachers can be traced back to the 1946

formation of the National Commission on Teacher Education and Professional

Standards in the US. Their primary objective was to “…upgrade the status of

teaching to a profession” (Cochran-Smith & Zeichner, 2015, p.74). This body

might well have begun the Professional Standards Movement within

education, but it appears that some 70 years later there is still debate over the

place of professional standards for teachers. Discussions range from

questioning their necessity, to debating their content and formats, all of which

are often underpinned by questions of how they should, might or will be used
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by those within and outside the profession. Hudson (2015) and Tuinamuana

(2011) identify that there is lack of empirical evidence to demonstrate that

professional standards will in fact raise the quality of teaching. Whilst

conversely, professional standards have been considered by some as a way of

providing learning and quality assurance in teaching (Tang, Cheng & So,

2016). However, Darling Hammond (2012) expressed that standards are not a

magic bullet to solving educational issues and Hargreaves (2010) warns that:

…defining professional standards in high-status, scientific and technical ways

as standards of knowledge and skill, can downgrade, neglect or crowd out the

equally important emotional dimensions of teachers’ work in terms of being

passionate about teaching, and caring for students’ learning and lives. (p.152)

Regardless of the sentiment, professional standards for teachers are

being considered, developed and implemented globally in various forms and

they are often justified by the argument that they raise the quality of teaching

and that in turn raises student outcomes (Danielson & McGreal, 2010: Darling-

Hammond, 2011).

Teaching in particular has long been a vulnerable profession. The play

Man and Superman by George Bernard Shaw (1903) brought about the widely

quoted phrase, he who can, does; he who can’t, teaches. Fairly or unfairly, this

phrase, coined at the turn of last century, underscores how, in the west, the

position of a teacher can be undermined and devalued. In many so called first

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world countries there is little status afforded to teachers, they are often

maligned in the media and by politicians who question the quality of teachers

and blame them for “many social ills and national failures” (Block, 2012.

p.135). In fact, recent surveys in Australia point to high quality graduate

teachers making the decision not to enter the profession due in part to its poor

status (Ingvarson, Reid, Buckley, Kleinhenz, Masters & Rowley, 2014). With

the best graduates shying away from teaching, teacher aptitude witnessing a

decline (Leigh & Ryan, 2018) and clear associations now made between low

teacher quality and low student achievement (Darling-Hammond, 2011), it

appears that there is a deficit in teaching that needs to be rectified.

Professional standards and their potential to raise teacher quality, are being

proposed as an important part of the solution.

Since the McKinsey Report (McKinsey & Company, 2017) used the

subsequently widely quoted idiom, “The quality of an education system cannot

exceed the quality of its teachers.” (p.19), high quality teaching has been

adopted as an underlying principle in the development of top performing

educational systems (Husbands, 2013). High quality teaching and its impact

on improved student results is now a focus of countries who participate in

international testing (Baird, Isaacs, Johnson, Stobart, Yu, Sprague &

Daugherty, 2011). The Programme for International Student Assessment

(PISA), is a triannual survey of students undertaken by the Organisation for

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Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that tests the competencies

of 15 year olds in reading, maths and science. The OECD (2016) have stated

that the aims of their international surveys are to provide reliable data on the

knowledge and skills of students and their performance in tests of that

knowledge and skill. When the first test was implemented in 2000, 42

economies participated. Since then there have been 5 further iterations with

the number of participating countries now standing at 72. The increase in

participation has been attributed to a variety of factors, from countries wanting

to measure themselves against other OECD countries (Grek, 2009) to low and

middle income countries being forced to participate as a means of accessing

foreign aid (Lockheed, 2013; Chung, 2010). There is also empirical research

by Addey (2015) that suggests participation is part of a global ritual of

belonging. Whatever their motivation, more and more countries are

participating in PISA testing and politicians are using the results to drive

educational reform (Baird, et.al. 2011).

After the 2009 PISA results were released the newly elected

Conservative/Liberal government in the UK declared that the results were a

consequence of “…the mess left by the previous government” (Baird, et.al.

2011, p.14). This sentiment was echoed in Australia, which was the only

country to witness a significant decline in PISA results. The Minister for

Education at the time, the Honourable Christopher Pyne, voiced concern that
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the Australian PISA results indicated that the previous governments Education

Revolution had failed in its attempts to increase student outcomes regardless

of the extra 44% funding that had been gifted to education over the previous

decade (Pyne, 2013). In the midst of national media asking rhetorical

questions about the quality of the Australian teaching profession, Pyne also

asserted that improving the quality of teaching was a crucial factor in lifting

student outcomes.

Pyne’s analysis of the need for improving the quality of teaching was

validated when in 2015 Andreas Schleicher, the Education Director of the

OECD singled out Australian schools for falling behind international standards.

Again, in March 2016, in his speech to the Global Education and Skills Forum

in Dubai, Schleicher argued that Australia has made a mistake in not placing

more emphasis on the professional development of teachers (Bagshaw, 2016).

This message did not bode well for the 2015 PISA results, which when

released in December 2016, caused a flurry of media consternation, public

debate and political rhetoric. Australia again saw a decline in results both

relative to other countries and in absolute sense (Thompson, Bortoli &

Underwood, 2016). Dr Sue Thompson, from the Australian Council for

Education Research (ACER) clarified that the results for Australia indicted a

decline in both the strongest students and the weakest students (Hunjan &

Blumer, 2016). Simon Birmingham, the current Federal Education Minister

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placed the blame firmly on teacher quality, and stated that Australia cannot

afford to “continue to slip behind” other participating countries (Hunjan &

Blumer, 2016, para.7).

The OECD (2016) insists that their results should be used to help

achieve excellence in education, rather than create a type of educational

league table. Unfortunately the global media tends to focus on who tops the

table in test results in the above mentioned categories rather than on the rich

data that is supplied about other educational outcomes, such as; satisfaction

rates with the type of education students experience, group work and

collaboration among students, problem solving and career aspirations. The

OECD’s concern with the unintended consequence in PISA results is that

rather than inspiring teachers it can lead to teachers to focus on preparing

their students for testing regimes and the recollection of facts, rather than on

developing their deep understanding of subject matter (Ewing, 2012; Smeed,

2010). Furthermore, Dinham (2013) argues that national and international

testing of students does not necessarily demonstrate the big picture of

educational successes or failures.

As a result of Australia’s declining PISA results for 2009, 2012 and 2015

significant focus has been placed on what Australia can do to increase its

international educational standing. A number of researchers have analysed

what top performing economies have in common and it appears that PISA
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success comes with placing greatest significance on recruiting, developing and

retaining high quality teachers (Ingvarson, et.al., 2014). It is understood that

those countries who have adopted stringent policies on high quality teaching

correspondingly demonstrate high levels of student performance (Masters,

2015).

The increased focus on high quality teaching over the past two decades

is a reflection of shifts in economic understanding. Whilst in the past economic

growth was seen in terms of product, knowledge is now understood to be

crucial to economic progress and power (Dowrick, 2012; Johnson, 2015).

Countries must now focus on developing their knowledge economy, and

ensuring high quality teaching is one way to achieve this. Both Darling

Hammond (2010) and Hattie (2013) have shown the impact of high quality

teaching on improved student outcomes. Hattie (2013) identified that whilst

students have the highest impact on their own learning, teachers play the next

significant role. This, he asserts, is where intervention should lie, a point

reiterated by Ingvarson and Rowe (2017) who argue that investing in teacher

quality and professionalism is essential for improved outcomes. With an

increased focus on the quality of teaching and levels of professionalism, calls

for definitions of professionalism and measures to demonstrate quality

performance have increased the appetite and momentum for professional

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standards for teachers (Kleinhenz & Ingvarson, 2017; Delandshere &

Petrosky, 2014).

The OECD’s comparative study entitled Learning Standards, Teaching

Standards and Standards for School Principals (OECD, 2013) provides an

overview of the use of teaching standards within national and sub-national

education systems. Here it identifies that Australia, along with England,

Germany, USA and New Zealand have national standards for teachers whilst

Canada, Norway and South Korea has not. New Zealand adopted a set of

teaching standards in 2006 which teachers must use and evidence meeting

when gaining and maintaining full registration to “protect the quality of teaching

in new Zealand” (Education Council of New Zealand, 2017). Canada has a set

of performance standards set at the provincial level, whilst South Korea have a

national set of performance standards for reporting results from national

testing of students, not their teachers (Clark, 2013). Norway does not have a

national set of standards for their teachers and whilst the OECD (2011) state

that there is strong political will to develop such a framework, there is as yet no

evidence that it is to be enacted.

In contrast, the UK has adopted a national set of teaching standards

that address teacher competencies and skills but also their attitudes and

pedagogical practices (Department for Education, 2014). These standards

apply to Initial Teacher Education (ITE), early career teachers leading up to

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induction as well as by practicing teachers. The Standards are used

predominantly to assess teacher performance, but they are also used when

hearing cases of serious misconduct (Department for Education, 2014). The

UK government states that the introduction of teaching standards across

England and Wales was expected to establish and ensure a minimum

standard of teaching and conduct (Department of Education, 2014). However,

according to a report from the Daily Telegraph some school principals have

adopted a culture of fear in order to raise teaching standards (Paton, 2014).

This authoritarian interpretation of the values underpinning teaching standards

is certainly a cause for concern and such an approach could well be the

undoing of all good intentions, with heavy-handed regulatory responses by

leadership serving only to have a de-professionalizing effect on teachers

(Leonard, 2012). As noted by Alexander (2010), “In many primary schools a

professional culture of excitement, inventiveness and healthy scepticism has

been replaced by one of dependency, compliance and even fear…and in some

cases have depressed both standards of learning and the quality of teaching’

(p.7). Tuinamuana (2011) argues that this top down approach leads to

teachers “playing the game” (p.78). Whilst Thomas (2014) found that teachers

silently sabotage leadership directives.

Conversely, Japan has high levels of regulatory practices related to

ensuring high quality teaching but they do not have a national set of standards
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for teachers. Regardless of this, Japan has dominated the top levels of

international assessment tables since participating in the First International

Mathematics Study (FIMS) in 1964, when they “stood out as a leader in

education” (OECD, 2012. p.36). They consistently rank highly in PISA survey

results and their focus on targeted funding, high expectations and quality

teachers can in part be attributed to this success (OECD, 2012). Whilst their

PISA position has been high, there have also been occasions where PISA

outcomes, and the resulting media coverage, have resulted in the Japanese

government abandoning education programs due to perceived decline in the

PISA score (Takayama, 2008; Aoki, 2016). International test results were used

as a way of legitimising a shift away from child centred pedagogical

approaches and towards a back to basics form of education and a market

driven neoliberal global norm of governance (Takayama, 2012). Through

revisions to laws dating back to 1947, the Japanese government have set in

place changes to their Educational Law that enables their economic demands

to be inserted into their educational policy (Katsuno, 2011). For a country that

lacks natural resources Japan has placed emphasis on ensuring that the

Japanese knowledge economy has the best chance of competing both

nationally and internationally (Katsuno, 2012). The focus on high student

outcomes is reflected in the high expectations placed on the standards of

teachers. As a highly respected profession only 14% of applicants are placed

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in ITE programs and only 30-40% of those who graduate gain employment as

teachers after a rigorous postgraduation testing schedule. Teachers who gain

final certification must then prove that their skills and practices remain

contemporary through ten yearly testing cycles (NCEE, 2016). Whilst

standards per say are not in place for practicing teachers, rigorous approaches

to the quality of teachers entering and remaining in the profession

In the US professional standards for teachers can be traced back to the

1946 formation of the National certainly are. Commission on Teacher

Education and Professional Standards. They established ideas about

professional self-discipline, expertise and autonomy (Cochran-Smith &

Zeichner, 2015). Yet by 1962 Don Davis, was calling for a shift from ideas to

action (Davis, 1962) and in 2011 Darling-Hammond pointed out that there was

no cohesive approach across the US towards professional standards for

teachers (Darling-Hammond, 2011). At the ITE level, the Interstate New

Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC), adopted by almost

40 states, outlines the knowledge, dispositions and performance levels

deemed essential for beginning teachers (Chung and Kim, 2010). For

practicing teachers, professional standards are addressed at the state level

through teacher licenses known as Board-certification. Countrywide, the

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) have developed

a set of standards, based around five core propositions to improve the quality
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of teaching. However, acquiring Board-certification from the NBPTS is

voluntary and currently only 3% of US teachers have opted to do this (NBPTS,

2017) and there appears to be little evidence that NBPTS certified teacher’s

impact on student outcomes (Harris and Sass, 2009;Chung and Kim, 2010).

In China, another consistently top PISA survey performer, teachers

spend several hours a week in another teacher’s classroom carrying out

observations or engaging in professional learning (National Centre on

Education and the Economy (NCEE, 2016). Teachers in China also participate

in weekly research groups with a focus on teacher quality for improved

classroom practice (Asia Society, 2006). The quality of teaching in China is

judged by individual performance in tests and observations, and within a

competitive environment of promotion and job security (Guo & Yong, 2013).

China features in the top five PISA results for all three subject domains and

since the 1980’s their teachers have been considered within Chinese society

and law to be professionals, a fact embedded into Teacher Law in 1993 (Guo

& Yong, 2013). Whilst all teachers in China are bestowed with a high level of

status within the community, becoming a Master Teacher is considered to be

an extraordinary honour, with 0.1% of teachers sitting within this category.

China places significant importance on life-long learning and define stages for

teacher professional development (Zeng, 2012). However, it has been argued

that the focus on professional development is usually about “…changing the

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knowledge, skills, beliefs, and attitudes of teachers without necessarily

expecting these changes to have a direct impact or immediate impact on their

students” (Timperley, Wilson, Barrar & Fung, 2013. p. 19). In Shanghai

teachers sit within a hierarchical system of professional levels; Novice,

Intermediate, Advanced and Master Teachers. Transition from one level to the

next is not automatic but rather it is bestowed by district leaders for

distinguished practice.

Finland also regularly reside in the top echelons of the PISA charts and

have done since its inception in 2000. In response to their demonstrated high

levels of student outcomes in the 2009 PISA surveys the OECD identified that

is was their approach to teacher development and creativity that played a

significant part in their success (Bagshaw, 2016). Subsequently, countries

have looked to this small nation to determine the reasons for their success. In

his book, Finnish Lessons: What can the world learn from Educational change

in Finland? Sahlberg (2011) identifies that their road to success began with a

softer approach than has been adopted elsewhere. This relies heavily on their

teaching community having a high level of professional knowledge from a high

degree of training (Sahlberg, 2011). Finland has maintained that all of their

teachers must have a teaching qualification at the Masters level and that this

degree must contain a significant percentage of study that is related to the

development of pedagogy (Sahlberg, 2010). Teachers have also been allowed

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greater freedoms and trusted to carry out their jobs, and whilst school

inspectors may visit this is far from the heavy handed accountability practices

that are seen in the UK and the US (Tuinamuana, 2011).

Singapore, currently leading the PISA league tables, introduced

professional standards as part of their membership of the intergovernmental

Southeast Asian Ministers Education Organisation (SEAMEO). Within this

organisation Singapore has implemented the SEAMEO INNOTECH

Competency Framework used to develop professional teaching standards that

promote high quality teaching. Sitting within this framework is an Educational

Professional Management System (EPMS) that “…spells out the requisite

knowledge, skills and competencies a teacher should possess” (SEAMEO,

2010, p.26). Teachers within Singapore must demonstrate “subject mastery,

analytical thinking, initiative and teaching creatively” (SEAMEO, 2010, p.26).

This is perhaps made manageable by the fact that Singapore has a single

teacher education facility, The National Institute of Education, which would

impact on the way in which teacher education can be managed and controlled,

providing uniformity and conformity in approaches to education across the

small sovereign city/state. Whilst Singapore’s set of professional standards are

applied to teachers, they are not embedded within law by the national

government. This is stark contrast to the UK, where national standards are

explicitly connected to education acts and the UK government provided a

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document entitled Teachers’ Standards – Guidance for school leaders, staff

and governing bodies (Department of Education, 2011) to demonstrate where

these connections lie.

It is clear that approaches to professional standards for teachers varies

across countries. Sachs (2015) determines that they fit into two categories;

either regulatory or developmental. Regulatory standards set out to

standardise professional practice but run the risk of eliminating professional

judgement (Sacks, 2015). Whilst developmental standards actively seek to

develop a teacher’s professional judgement at the individual level, providing

opportunity for pedagogy and classroom practice to be discussed (Sacks,

2015). Developmental approaches focus on lifelong learning and are student

centred, regulatory approaches focus on accountability, monitoring

performance and compliance (Sacks, 2015). When combined, an approach

adopted in the UK, teachers and their leaders are theoretically provided with a

roadmap for effective teaching (Mahony & Hextall, 2012). The potential issue

here is that this form of regulatory control polarises teachers, “…into those

who are good, right and strong and those who are bad, weak and wrong”

(Hargreaves, 2003. p.138). However Tuinamuana (2011) boldly asks “who

would not want schools and universities to uphold professional teaching

standards of some sort?” (p.74). Whilst most would argue that raising teaching

standards is a good thing, for those countries embarking on developing sets of

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professional standards for their teachers, the task will be to ensure that they

not only contain the desired components but that they are used as intended.

The Philippine Government has consistently pursued teacher quality

reforms through a number of initiatives. As a framework of teacher quality, the

National Competency-Based Teacher Standards (NCBTS) was

institutionalized through CHED Memorandum Order No. 52, s. 2007 and

DepED Order No. 32, s. 2009. It emerged as part of the implementation of the

Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda (BESRA), and was facilitated by

drawing on the learning considerations of programs, such as the Basic

Education Assistance for Mindanao (BEAM), the Strengthening

Implementation of Visayas Education (STRIVE) project and the Third

Elementary Education Project (TEEP). The K to 12 Reform (R.A. 10533) in

2013 has changed the landscape of teacher quality requirements in the

Philippines. The reform process warrants an equivalent supportive focus on

teacher quality – high quality teachers who are properly equipped and

prepared to assume the roles and functions of a K to 12 teacher (PPST, 2017).

The Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers, which is built on

NCBTS, complements the reform initiatives on teacher quality from pre-service

education to in-service training. It articulates what constitutes teacher quality in

the K to 12 Reform through well-defined domains, strands, and indicators that

provide measures of professional learning, competent practice, and effective

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engagement. This set of standards makes explicit what teachers should know,

be able to do and value to achieve competence, improved student learning

outcomes, and eventually quality education. It is founded on teaching

philosophies of learner-centeredness, lifelong learning, and

inclusivity/inclusiveness, among others. The professional standards, therefore,

become a public statement of professional accountability that can help

teachers reflect on and assess their own practices as they aspire for personal

growth and professional development.

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Chapter 3

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the technique involved in gathering the necessary

data and ways of analyzing and interpreting thereof. It includes the research

design, respondents, sampling techniques, instruments used with their

construction, validation, administration and retrieval and statistical tools used.

Research Design

This study will be utilizing the Descriptive Method of research to

describe the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers at City Schools

division of Caloocan City.

According to Calmorin (2014), this design is concerned with describing

the characteristics and properties of a group of persons, places or things which

involves gathering, organizing, presenting and describing data. It describes

and interprets “What is”. It is concerned with conditions or relationships that

exists, practices that prevail, beliefs, points of view or attitudes that are held,

processes that are going on, effects that are being felt and trends that are

developing.

Population of the Study

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The population of the study will be the Sixty (60) School Heads and

Sixty (60) Selected Elementary Public Teachers from the Division of City

Schools Caloocan City.

Research Instrument

The researcher will be using survey questionnaires to gather data for

the study. The first part reflects the demographic profile which specifically

identified the age, gender, length of service, position, career stages based on

PPST and highest educational attainment. The second part includes the level

of acceptability as assessed by the school heads and teachers respondents on

the following domains: content and knowledge; learning environment; diversity

of learners; curriculum and planning; assessment and reporting; community

linkages and professional engagement; and personal growth. The third part

shows the problems and challenges encountered by the school heads and

teachers respondents in the implementation of PPST.

Validation of the Research Instrument

In the pursuit of this study, various readings will be undertaken by the

researcher in gathering information pertinent to the problem under study. The

researcher will formulate the concept of his study by reading articles, literature,

bulletins and studies related to the subject of the study. From the readings, the
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researcher was able to determine the variables, indications and framework of

the study.

The researcher will draft the questionnaire and show it to the professors

in Master’s Program for comment and suggestions. He will consider all these

as revised initial draft. Then show it to his Dissertation adviser who in turn will

give suggestions on what item needed revision or improvement. The

researcher will also be trying the questionnaires to five (15) teachers who are

not part of the study.

Data Gathering Procedure

The researcher will secure an endorsement letter from the University of

Caloocan City Graduate School to commence the conduct of the study. Also a

permission to conduct the research study will be secured from the Division

Office of Caloocan City.

After the approval, the researcher will personally administer the survey

questionnaires to the respondents through the help of the school heads. The

respondents will answer the survey questionnaire beyond their official time but

still within the school campus only. The survey questionnaire will be retrieved

on the same day of its administration. Data which will be retrieved will be

classified, organized and tabulated accordingly. The analysis and

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interpretation of data will help to formulate findings, conclusions and

recommendations.

Statistical Treatment

The study will utilize the following statistical treatments of data or

information that will be gathered from the respondents through survey

questionnaires.

Frequency and Percentage Distribution. This was used to present

the composition of each domain identified in the survey questionnaire. This will

give a clear summary of SOP numbers 1,2 and 4.

P- Percentage

f- Frequency of response

n- total number of respondents

Weighted Mean and Ranking. This will be used to describe and rank

the level of acceptability of the domains of the Philippine professional

standards for teachers including the probleams and challenges

encountered in its implementation.

x- weighted mean
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∑fx- sum of all the products of f (frequency) and each weight.

n- total number of respondents

t-test. This parametric will be applied to determine the significant

difference between the assessment of the two groups of respondent in the

level of acceptability of the Philippine professional standard for teacehrs.

t=

wherein:

t – statistics

d – mean of the difference between the n match pair of measures

sd – standard deviation

Four – Point Likert Scale. This is utilized to identify the level of acceptability

of the Philippine professional standards for teachers and the challenges and

promblems encountered in the implementation of it.

Verbal Interpretation Scale Range

Highly Acceptable 4 3.26 - 4.00

Acceptable 3 2.51- 3.25

Moderately Acceptable 2 1.76 – 2.50

Not Acceptable 1 1.00 - 1.75

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