Chapter I

The Problem and Its Scope

Introduction

Rationale of the Study

Education is the compilation and product of many and varied resources.

Among these, teachers stand out as key to realizing the high standards that

are increasingly emphasized in schools and school systems across the

country. Despite general agreement about the importance of high-quality

teachers, researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and the public have been

unable to reach a consensus about what specific qualities and characteristics

make a good teacher. Even more concerning is the array of policy

statements regarding teacher preparation that have been set forth in the

face of volumes of inconclusive and inconsistent evidence about what

teacher attributes which really contribute to the desired educational

outcomes. Policy makers are left with questions surrounding what counts as

a quality teacher—information that could be valuable in guiding policies

regarding whom to hire, whom to reward, and how best to distribute

teachers across schools and classrooms. Answers to these questions have

potentially important implications for the efficiency and equity of public

education.
 2

Teacher competence is an intellectual potency that exists in teacher’s mind

and which is realized in doing his/her job professionally. The ability of

teacher to help, guide, and counsel his/her students so that they (students)

can get good achievement are extremely important. In reality, to get good

competence is not an easy task. While taking too much burden on teaching

tasks at school, a teacher is sometimes faced with a lot of tasks outside

his/her daily routines at home or other places.

In all education system, the performance of teachers is one of the handfuls

of factors determining school effectiveness and learning outcomes. No

dynamic of teaching is possible without a dynamic teacher. So an effective

teacher is known through his/her effected and qualitative teaching (The

Special Issue on Social Science Research © Centre for Promoting Ideas, USA

www.ijbssnet.com218). Naik (1998) explains that teaching is noble, but a

demanding occupation. In order for teachers to maintain a high level of

professional performance under these conditions, they must assume

personal responsibility for their own performance, growth and development.

Mohanty (2000) explains that teacher performance is the most crucial input

in the field of education. Teachers are perhaps the most critical component

of any system of education. How well they teach depends on motivation,

qualification, experience, training, aptitude and a mass of other factors,

none the least of these being the environment and management structures

within which they perform their role. Teachers must be seen as part of the
 3

solution, not part of the problem. Poor pay, low status and morale are key

causes of poor performance and corrupt behavior in the public sector. Across

the world, millions of teachers, most of them women, are working tirelessly

for poverty wages educating the next generation. Smith and Glenn, (1994)

explain that internal factors have impact on teachers’ feeling of success and

a number of external forces can either aid or hinder teachers’ success. There

are number of factors that influence teacher performance. Increased duties

and demands on time, low pay, and disruptive students have a significant

impact on teachers’ attitudes toward their jobs. In addition, lack of support

from staff at all levels has an effect on teacher performance. Teachers are

no exception. Low pay and student-conduct problems in the classroom are

just a couple of issues that teachers face. Low morale among teachers is

another very important problem that must be addressed if the problem of

teacher shortages is going to change and ultimately improved. In order to

work toward a solution, the first step is to identify those factors that have

the greatest impact on morale levels, both negative and positive. In some

cases, to note with, say for an example, Pakistan, a developing country of

South Asia, like other developing countries on the main reasons for its

underdevelopment is the low quality education which has in turn great

impact on the country’s social, economical and political system.” Teaching is

a great profession and teachers have a great role in their students’

intellectual, personal and social development, thereby influencing the whole

 4

nation’s development. Teaching is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken

joy in creative expression and knowledge. Teachers can have influence more

profound than others. In fact, it is ideal for a teacher, at the climax of his

performance, to bring about a positive change in the overall behavior of his

students by leading them to a lofty character and to exemplary morals. In

Pakistan, a female teacher has the lowest representation in schools and

hence the absence of female role models in educational institutions is

included to be one of the contributing factors to lowest participation of girls

and gender-based discrimination in education. It is considered that the

shortage of the female teachers, the wider the enrolment, retention and

promoting gaps are between female and male students. In this situation, the

female teachers are only to support in saving the girls from deep neglected

imparting with the light of knowledge in schools. It’s a great obstacle of

educational progress in developing countries like Pakistan that the female

teachers are facing lots of hurdles. There are many internal and external

factors, which affect the performance of teachers. Reasonable salary is one

incentive to encourage teachers and in any profession to work harder and in

a more dedicated enthusiastic manner. Good pay helps them to concentrate

on their jobs without worrying about how to make ends meet every month.

But at the present scenario, pay does not favor the teacher. Teachers’ salary

packages are not adequate to minimum basic need for food, housing,

clothing, education and transport. Most teachers are therefore worried and
 5

disinterested due to low salary and large numbers of teachers have to go for

part-time jobs to meet their basic needs. The other external factors are lack

of gender justice, gender disparities/threat, posting at distant from their own

houses, transport problem, political instability and undue political

interference. Jabeen, (2001) explains that the “External factors as well as

internal factors, affect the performance of female teachers. This profession

does not garner the status. Teacher’s social status is low and held in low

esteem. International Journal of Business and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 19

[Special Issue -October2011]219 A teacher worried about heavy teaching

load and combined with frequent involvement in non-teaching tasks does not

allow sufficient time to prepare for teaching. Lack of encouragement

converts into (a) absenteeism (b) little opportunities for career advancement

in the teaching profession (c) low morale (d) job dissatisfaction (e) poor

incentives (f) lack of teacher motivation (g) ineffective management

information system (h) over crowded classes (i) inadequate teaching and

learning materials are also affecting the performance of teachers. These few

above mentioned and many other factors are affecting the performance of

teachers.

Sarital and Tomer (2004) view teaching as one of the most influential

profession in society. Teachers are the lifeblood of any education system.

School place, books, and classrooms are useless without teachers.

 6

Teaching Mathematics, to be specific, is a challenging role a teacher has to

tackle on. Mathematics as a subject pervades life at any age, in any

circumstance. Thus, its value goes beyond the classroom and the school;

and therefore, must be learned comprehensively and with much depth. In

teaching Mathematics, specific skills and processes are to be developed like

knowing and understanding; estimating, computing and solving; visualizing

and modelling; representing and communicating; conjecturing, reasoning,

proving and decision-making, and applying and connecting. Thus, this study

focuses on the interpersonal behavior and competencies of mathematics

teachers.
 7

Theoretical Background

This study determines the interpersonal behavior and competencies of

mathematics teachers which is anchored on the “Teachers’ Individual Action

Theories about Competence-Based Education: The Value of the Cognitive

Apprenticeship Model” advocated by Audrey Seezink, Rob F. Poell and Paul

A. Kirschner of the Department of Human Resource Studies, Tilburg

University, Tilburg, The Netherlands; Netherlands Laboratory for Lifelong

Learning (NeLLL), Open University of the Netherlands, Heerlen, The

Netherlands Taylor and Francis Ltd. RJVE_A_393495.sgm (Received 8

September 2008; final version received 12 December 2008) by Journal of

Vocational Education and Training Vol.61, no.2, June2009, 203-215;

The 21st Century, the Competency Era and Competency Theory” by

Homi Azemikhah, Open Learning Institute of TAFE (December 2005); and

“Theory of Interpersonal Needs” by Schutz, W.C. (2005). The postulate of

interpersonal Needs: Description. S. Friedley, (Ed.) Foundations of

Interpersonal Communication: A reader (pp. 3 –25). Reno, NV: Bent Tree

Press. The instrumentations used/employed in this study is

patterned/modelled with some revisions to fit on the focus of this study from

the American College of Healthcare Executives - Healthcare Executive

Competencies Assessment Tool and the list of competencies tested are

based from the revised Philippine K to 10 Curriculum Guide in Mathematics

(December 18, 2011).

 8

Teachers’ Individual Action Theories about Competence-Based Education:

The Value of the Cognitive Apprenticeship Model is a study that explores

teachers’ individual action regarding the introduction of competence-based

prevocational secondary education. The cognitive apprenticeship model

provides a conceptual framework for addressing this issue. The research

questions addressed here are: How do teachers value elements of the

cognitive apprenticeship model in designing and delivering competence-

based prevocational secondary education? and What individual action

theories do teachers have regarding competence-based prevocational

secondary education? The study was designed in two phases. In the

qualitative phase, interviews and concept map techniques were used, while

the quantitative phase employed a questionnaire. Teachers valued elements

of the cognitive apprenticeship model differently, and suggested two

additional features: a custom-made educational approach and the

professionalisation of teachers.

The Cognitive Apprenticeship Model specifies four dimensions for designing

powerful environments, namely: content, method, sequence, and sociology.

The first dimension, content, holds that it is important to differentiate

between different types of knowledge, such as conceptual, factual,

procedural, and strategic knowledge. To become a master within a certain

domain, it is important to pay attention to problem-solving strategies and

 9

heuristics, especially regarding how to acquire these types of knowledge.

The second dimension, method, provides guidelines for teaching methods

(i.e. modelling, coaching, scaffolding and fading, articulation, reflection, and

exploration) to help learners acquire and integrate cognitive and meta-

cognitive strategies for constructing, using, and managing knowledge. These

methods provide learners with the opportunity to observe, engage in, and

invent or discover expert strategies in their context. This enables them to

see how these strategies fit together with their factual and conceptual

knowledge and how to make use of the variety of resources in social and

physical contexts. Sequence, the third dimension, prescribes how to identify

changing learning needs and how to adjust the sequence and structure of

learning materials accordingly. There are three principles central to

sequencing, namely: increasing complexity, increasing diversity, and

acquiring global skills before local skills. These principles are important for

learners to help them integrate and generalise knowledge and complex

skills. The final dimension, sociology, refers to the sociology of the learning

environment, a critical dimension that has received increasing attention

lately (e.g. Loyens, Rikers and Schmidt 2006; Sluijsmans, Straetmans and

Merriënboer 2008). Important elements of this dimension are situated

learning, culture of expert practice, promoting intrinsic motivation, exploiting

cooperation, and exploiting competition. Here it is important that learners

encounter different levels of expertise in a situated and authentic

 10

environment; they need to engage immediately in the authentic context and

become part of the community of practitioners.

The 21st Century, the Competency Era and Competency Theory” by

Homi Azemikhah, Open Learning Institute of TAFE is comprised of two

stages as proposed in December 2005 at the 13th Annual International

Conference in Post Compulsory Education in Australia. The paper, by

revisiting the Competency Theory, explores its application to VET in the 21st

century. This paper argues that while the 20th century witnessed the closing

of the Contents Era, which placed more emphasis on the contents of the

courses, the 21st century started during the early decades of the

Competency Era in progressive education where the emphasis was stretched

to include all the constituents of competence and not merely the contents.

This paper further argues that, in the Competency Era, new theories, such

as Competency Theory, are required to provide the theoretical

understanding for such a shift in emphasis.

The American College of Healthcare Executives Healthcare Executive

Competencies Assessment Tool is offered as an instrument for healthcare

executives to use in assessing their expertise in critical areas of healthcare

management. ACHE updates the assessment annually to continually improve

its value. The competencies are derived from the Healthcare Leadership

Alliance* Competency Directory (www. healthcareleadershipalliance.org).

The competencies in this self-assessment tool comprise a subset relevant to

 11

management and leadership tasks typically performed by members of the

American College of Healthcare Executives, regardless of work setting or

years of experience. The self-assessment is designed to help identify areas

of strength and areas that might be included in the personal development

plan. It encourages choosing to have the immediate supervisor to use the

tool to assess, and then compare results from own self-assessment with

perceptions from the supervisor. Used in such a manner, the competency

self-assessment can be a powerful tool in facilitating feedback about gaps in

skills necessary for optimizing performance.

William Schutz (December 19, 1925 in Chicago, Illinois - November 9, 2002

in Muir Beach, California) was an American psychologist. Schutz practiced at

the Esalen Institute in the 1960s. He later became the president of

BConWSA International. He received his Ph.D. from UCLA. In the 1950s, he

was part of the peer-group at the University of Chicago's Counselling Center

that included Carl Rogers, Thomas Gordon, Abraham Maslow and Elias

Porter. He taught at Tufts University, Harvard University, University of

California, Berkeley and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and was

chairman of the holistic studies department at Antioch University until 1983.

In 1958, Schutz introduced a theory of interpersonal relations he called

Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation (FIRO). According to the

theory, three dimensions of interpersonal relations were deemed to be

necessary and sufficient to explain most human interaction: Inclusion,

 12

Control and Affection. These dimensions have been used to assess group

dynamics. Schutz also created FIRO-B, a measurement instrument with

scales that assess the behavioral aspects of the three dimensions. His

advancement of FIRO Theory beyond the FIRO-B tool was most obvious in

the change of the "Affection" scale to the "Openness" scale in the "FIRO

Element-B". This change highlighted his newer theory that behavior comes

from feelings ("FIRO Element-F") and the self-concept ("FIRO Element-S").

"Underlying the behavior of openness is the feeling of being likable or

unlikeable, lovable or unlovable. I find you likable if I like myself in your

presence, if you create an atmosphere within which I like myself."

There is an intense interest in teacher policy motivated by several

compelling factors. One factor relates to the high proportion of educational

budget devoted to teacher compensation. The single largest category of

educational spending is devoted to the purchase of teacher time. In the

Philippines today, several billion of pesos has been allocated to answer the

increasing demand in public education. Although this allocation is not

enough to completely support the entire educational system, the Philippine

Government still emphasizes that the bulk of the country’s money is spent

on education. In the United States of America, for example, a substantial

portion of the 1999-2000 national investment in public education, which

totalled over $360 billion, was used to employ almost 2.9 million teachers to

educate more than 46 million public elementary and secondary students (US
 13

National Center for Education Statistics 2000). Guthrie and Rothstein (1998)

assert that teacher salaries account for at least 50% of typical school district

expenditures. Further, in their analysis of spending in the New York City

public school system, Speakman et al. (1996) found that over 41% of the

total expenditures in this district were devoted to the salaries and benefits of

instructional teachers. An additional 6% was spent on other instructional

personnel such as substitutes and paraprofessionals. This high level of

investment mirrors the general sentiment among policy makers,

researchers, and the general public that teachers are perhaps the most

valuable resource allocated to student education.

Further, the enhancement of teacher quality is likely to be quite costly.

Increases in teacher salaries, incentives such as loan-forgiveness programs,

heightened teacher preparation requirements, and other efforts to prepare,

recruit, and retrain high-quality teachers are all associated with substantial

costs. These costs could be managed by targeting specific areas of need

where teacher shortages are most pronounced, such as particular subject

areas (e.g., mathematics and science), types of classrooms (e.g., special

education), and geographic areas (e.g., urban settings). Nevertheless, a

clear sense of which teacher attributes really lead to improved educational

outcomes should guide these important investment decisions, particularly

given the many competing policy options to enhance teacher quality, as well

as other attractive education policy proposals. In a context of limited

 14

resources, difficult policy choices must be made, and solid evidence should

be used to guide those decisions.

The willingness of policy makers and taxpayers to devote such a large

proportion of education budget to teachers highlights the undisputed

importance of teachers in realizing educational goals. A number of

researchers have argued that teacher quality is a powerful predictor of

student performance. In her analysis of teacher preparation and student

achievement across states, Darling-Hammond (2000) reports that

“measures of teacher preparation and certification are by far the strongest

correlates of student achievement in reading and mathematics, both before

and after controlling for student poverty and language status.” She contends

that measures of teacher quality are more strongly related to student

achievement than other kinds of educational investments such as reduced

class size, overall spending on education, and teacher salaries.

In contrast to the approach used by Darling-Hammond, which equates

teacher quality with specific qualifications, Rivkin, Hanushek, and Kain

(1998) identify teacher quality in terms of student performance outcomes.

Their research identifies teacher quality as the most important school-

related factor influencing student achievement. They conclude from their

analysis of 400,000 students in 3,000 schools that, while school quality is an

important determinant of student achievement, the most important predictor

 15

is teacher quality. In comparison, class size, teacher education, and teacher

experience play a small role.

Hanushek (1992) estimates that the difference between having a good

teacher and having a bad teacher can exceed one grade-level equivalent in

annual achievement growth. Likewise, Sanders (1998) and Sanders and

Rivers (1996) argue that the single most important factor affecting student

achievement is teachers, and the effects of teachers on student achievement

are both additive and cumulative. Further, they contend that lower achieving

students are the most likely to benefit from increases in teacher

effectiveness. Taken together, these multiple sources of evidence—however

different in nature—all conclude that quality teachers are a critical

determinant of student achievement. In the current policy climate of

standards-based reform, these findings make a strong case for gaining a

better understanding of what really accounts for these effects. In other

words, what is teacher quality?

The resource-intensive nature of teachers coupled with the empirical

evidence documenting the critical role of teacher quality in realizing student

achievement implies that teacher policy is a promising avenue toward better

realizing goals of efficiency, equity, and adequacy in public education.

Indeed, recommendations for reforming the preparation of teachers have

become commonplace in reports aimed at improving public education (Bush

1987). For instance, almost two decades ago in its call for improved teacher
 16

preparation, the National Commission on Excellence in Education (1983)

stated that “teacher preparation programs are too heavily weighted with

courses in educational methods at the expense of courses in subjects to be

taught.” The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

recommended that teacher education programs require a 3.0 grade point

average for admission, and that teachers complete courses in an academic-

core subject in four years before spending a fifth year learning about

education (Boyer 1983). Likewise, the Holmes Group (1986) advised that all

major universities with substantial enrolments of pre-service teachers (i.e.,

those who are preparing to enter the teaching profession but who are not

yet classroom teachers) should adopt the four-year liberal arts baccalaureate

as a prerequisite for acceptance into their teacher education programs. A

decade later the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future

proposed major changes in teacher preparation and licensure,

recommending that authority over these matters be shifted from public

officials to professional organizations (NCTAF 1996).

In the United States, the recent federal education legislation, No Child Left

Behind (NCLB), further underlines the importance of having a high-quality

teacher in every classroom in every school. The Bush Administration’s

proposal, which specifies what defines a “highly qualified” teacher, is based

on the premise that teacher excellence is vital to realizing improved student

achievement. This legislation, along with typical hiring and compensation

 17

systems, assumes that years of teaching experience, teacher certification,

engagement in certain types of coursework, and performance on

standardized assessments are indicators of high-quality teachers.

The purpose of this analysis is to review existing empirical evidence to draw

conclusions about the specific characteristics that are linked with teacher

performance. Greater clarity on the empirical evidence regarding teacher

quality can inform the wisdom of current practice, guide state efforts in the

struggle with NCLB compliance regarding teachers, and provide direction for

future teacher policy for a client organization, we meet with corporate

leaders and strategists to fully understand the company’s goals, mission,

values and strategies. After these are fully defined and understood, we work

directly with corporate leadership to identify and define the critical

competencies that drive the targeted business results. The majority of

competency models include 5-10 core competencies that all employees must

demonstrate for the company to achieve strategic goals and objectives.

With these, the researcher- teacher recognized that it is important to

determine the interpersonal behavior and competency of mathematics (in

specific) teachers since they are often perplexed about how to begin thinking

about the task to become effective teachers.

 18

The Philippine K to 10 Curriculum Guide in Mathematics focuses on the twin

goals in mathematics in the basic education levels which are the critical

thinking and problem-solving. Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined

process of actively and skilfully conceptualizing, applying, analysing,

synthesizing, and evaluating information gathered from or generated by

observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as guide

to belief and action (Scriven and Paul, 1987). Polya (1945 & 1962) defines

problem solving as finding a way around difficulty, around an obstacle, and a

solution to a problem that is unknown.

These two goals are to be achieved with an organized and rigorous

curriculum content, a well-defined set of high-level skills and processes,

desirable values and attitudes, and appropriate tools recognizing, as well as

the different contexts of Filipino learners.

The specific skills and processes to be developed among learners are:

knowing and understanding; estimating, computing and solving; visualizing

and modelling; representing and communicating; conjecturing, reasoning,

proving and decision-making, and applying and connecting. Values and

attitudes to be honed as well are accuracy, creativity, objectivity,

perseverance, and productivity. On the other hand, specific skills and

processes measured on the part of the teachers are demonstrating effective

planning skills in Mathematics subject, implementing lesson plan in

Mathematics effectively, communicating effectively with the students,

 19

preparing appropriate Mathematical Evaluation activities, providing students

with appropriate Mathematics evaluative feedback, displaying thorough

knowledge of Mathematics Curriculum and subject matter, selecting learning

contents congruent with the prescribed Mathematics Curriculum, and

providing opportunities for individual differences. Appropriate tools needed in

teaching mathematics include manipulative objects, measuring devices,

calculators and computers, Smartphones and tablet PCs, and the internet.

K to10 mathematics is a skills subject on quantities, shapes and figures,

functions, logic and reasoning. This curriculum provides a solid foundation

for mathematics at Grades 11 to 12. More importantly, it provides necessary

concepts and life skills needed by Filipino learners as they proceed to the

next stage in their lives as learners and as Filipino citizens.

 20

Theory of Philippine K to
Teachers’ Individual The 21st Century, the  10 Curriculum
Interpersonal
Action Theories about Competency Era and Guide in
Needs
Competence-Based Competency Theory Mathematics
Education: The Value of
Schutz, W.C.
the Cognitive Homi Azemikhah December 18,
Apprenticeship Model 2011
(December 2005) (2005)

Audrey Seezinka, Rob F.

Poell, & Paul A. Kirschner

Journal of Vocational
Education and Training
Vol.61, no.2, June2009,
203-215

Mabinay District II

Division of Negros Oriental

Teachers Competency in Mathematics

 Effective Planning skills

Interpersonal Behavior  Implementing lesson plan effectively
 Communicating effectively with the
 Accountability students
 Adaptability  Preparing appropriate mathematical
 Communication evaluation activities
 Customer/Quality Focus  Providing students with appropriate
 Inclusiveness Mathematics evaluative feedback
 Leadership  Displaying thorough knowledge of
 Occupational Mathematics Curriculum and subject
Knowledge/Technology matter
Orientation  Selecting learning content congruent
 Team Focus with the prescribed Mathematics
Curriculum
 Providing opportunities for individual
differences

Proposed Improvement Plan

Figure 1. Theoretical-Conceptual Framework

 21

THE PROBLEM

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study determines the interpersonal behavior and the

competencies of mathematics teachers of Mabinay District II, Division of

Negros Oriental. Findings of this study serve as bases for a proposed

improvement plan. Specifically, it answered the following questions:

1. What is the level of interpersonal behavior of the teachers in terms of:

1.1 Accountability

1.2 Adaptability

1.3 Communication

1.4 Customer/Quality Focus

1.5 Inclusiveness

1.6 Leadership

1.7 Occupational Knowledge/Technology Orientation

1.8 Team Focus

2. What is the level of teaching competency in mathematics of the teachers

in terms of:

2.1 demonstrating effective planning skills in Mathematics subject

2.2 implementing lesson plan in Mathematics effectively

2.3 Communicating effectively with the students

2.4 Preparing appropriate mathematical evaluation activities

2.5 Providing students with appropriate Mathematics evaluative feedback

2.6 Displaying thorough knowledge of Mathematics Curriculum and subject

matter
 22

2.7 Selecting learning content congruent with the prescribed Mathematics

Curriculum

2.8 Providing opportunities for individual differences

3. Is there a significant relationship between the two variables?

4. What are the problems encountered by the teachers in relation to:

4.1 Interpersonal behavior

4.2 Competencies in mathematics

5. What improvement plan can be proposed based on the findings of the

study?

STATEMENT OF THE NULL HYPOTHESIS

Ho: There is no relationship between interpersonal behavior and

competencies of mathematics teachers of Mabinay District II, Division of

Negros Oriental.
 23

SIGNIFCANCE OF THE STUDY

A harmonious workplace is what everyone longs for in every place of

endeavor. The ambience and amenities in a certain organization makes

everyone’s heart grow fonder and merrier. The continuous healthy and

meaningful interaction and acceptance of one’s existence in a workplace

would fill each other’s soul to stay more, to work more with full enthusiasm,

to give more of himself as to his expertise, skills, talent, intelligence, power,

and his other personal resources. Working with people in a harmonious

atmosphere is always the reason why people would seek more to give to

benefit their clients. It is said that when one is filled with inspirations, he

would feel like taking care of such momentum and even seek more to add

on. Thus, an encouraged worker like a teacher, is always expected to display

worthwhile productivity and performance that would benefit the entire

system. The efficacy and effectiveness of a teacher are always seen in his

products, the learners. Significant findings of this study will benefit the

following:

The public school pupils. They will reap the good fruits of a more aligned

and structured classroom instruction which will encourage them to strive

more as they were inspired by what they earn from their study.

The public school teachers. They will gain more confidence as they grow

in their career as professional teachers guided with the improved plan of

action to carry out tasks as they go along in their fields of expertise in a

 24

guided, more aligned structure of instructional processes, while displaying

more concern with the fellow workers in the school.

The school heads. They will benefit for the improved competence of their

teachers which will effect on the levels of performance of their subjects, the

pupils while improving the quality of interpersonal behavior among school

personnel and a lessen cases of quarrels in the workplace thereby saving

time, money, and effort to maintain healthy relations among school

personnel.

The school system. An improved quality of teachers in terms of

performance and interpersonal relationship; levels of pupils’ performance; a

more focus of the school heads toward the benefit of the entire school

system, etc. would mean, a school system performance.

The parents. The parents will also benefit with the improved performance

of their children thereby lessen their time of home tutorial and it would

mean saving from their time, effort, and money.

The district and the division. The improved performance in school level

will also connote that performance in the National Achievement Test will

improve.

The Department of Education. The depEd will benefit from the findings of

this study by which improved performance of schools would mean lesser

 25

spending in the national budget for further trainings and seminars thereby

focusing on advancement in the curriculum.

The researcher. Researcher will gain knowledge of the situation whereby

giving him the opportunity recommend further trainings and seminars and to

craft up an improvement plan.

The future researchers. Findings of this study will benefit other future

researchers to serve as basis in a similar nature of study.

Definition of Terms

Interpersonal Relationship

An interpersonal relationship is the nature of interaction that occurs between

two or more people. It exists between any two or more persons who interact

and fulfil one or more physical or emotional needs. People in an

interpersonal relationship may interact overtly, covertly, face-to-face or even

anonymously. It occurs between people who fill each other's explicit or

implicit physical or emotional needs in some way. Your interpersonal

relationships may occur with friends, family, co-workers, strangers, chat

room participants, doctors or clients

(http://www.livestrong.com/article/229362-what-is-the-meaning-of-

interpersonal-relationship/#ixzz2MCHAmW3A- MCHK5faw). According to a

 26

2010 article in Time magazine, challenges in life may feel less daunting to

people with close interpersonal relationships. The magazine notes that close

emotional connections and relationships may provide a sense of safety and

security that reduces stress and promotes good health

Strong Interpersonal Relationships

Strong interpersonal relationships exist between people who fill many of

each other's emotional and physical needs. For example, a mother may have

strong interpersonal relationships with her children, because she provides

her child's shelter, food, love and acceptance. The extent of needs that a

mother fills is greater than the extent of needs that are filled between, for

example, you and the cashier at the grocery store.

Weak Interpersonal Relationships

Mild interpersonal relationships exist when people fill modest needs. For

example, if the extent of your relationship with the clerk at the grocery store

is that he scans your items and you give him money, that is a weak

interpersonal relationship. You need to go through him to get your items at

the store, and he needs to collect money from you.

 27

Enhancing Interpersonal Relationships

Interpersonal relationships occur between people who fill each other's needs

in some way. According to Marriage Builders, needs that occur between

married couples include affection, sexual fulfilment, physical attractiveness

and conversation. You can control the strength of your interpersonal

relationships by acting or neglecting to act on the needs of the people that

you interact with. For example, you want to find out what significant others

expect from you on birthdays or other special occasions. You can enhance or

weaken the relationship by either filling those needs or neglecting to fill

them (http://www.livestrong.com/article/229362-what-is-the-meaning-of-

interpersonal-relationship/#ixzz2MCHWyl92). Interpersonal relationships

become problematic when one or more of the participants have needs that

are not met within the relationship. Someone who wishes to end a

relationship may intentionally neglect the needs of the other person, but

sometimes needs change and people fail to keep up with those changes. For

example, a spoiled child may have a strong relationship with his parents only

when his needs are met, but problems arise when the child does not get the

toy he wants. A mother may try to fill safety needs for her son by advising

against his desire for travel or adventure, although his need for safety may

not be as strong has his need for freedom and exploration

(http://www.livestrong.com/article/229362-what-is-the-meaning-of-

interpersonal-relationship/#ixzz2MCHhO700).
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Interpersonal Communication

The University of Northern Iowa defines interpersonal communication as

"communicating 'one on one' with other human beings" and describes

successful communication as including the ability to predict "how the other

person will understand and react to you." Interpersonal communication

contains nonverbal cues, including body language and eye contact, and

verbal cues, including language and emotional tone. Several approaches can

be taken to improve your interpersonal communication, whether you are

dealing with family, friends, co-workers or strangers.

Think About the Mood You Set

A simple "hello" can reflect your mood and attitude. When you talk to

someone on the telephone, you know what the other person's attitude or

mood is by the inflection in his voice, not just by his words. Think about how

your voice reflects your attitude towards your audience. Think about the

words you choose. You will alienate your audience if you are rude or use

inappropriate language.

An effective way to improve your verbal communication skills is to practice,

recording yourself digitally on a device such as a cell phone. Play back your

recording and listen carefully to how you sound. Does it match how you feel?

Is it appropriate for the feelings you are trying to convey?

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(http://www.livestrong.com/article/article/125173-improve-interpersonal-

communication/#ixzz2MCIIsSHE)

Interpersonal relations at work (and away, too) serve a critical role in the

development and maintenance of trust and positive feelings in an

organization. Although the quality of interpersonal relationships alone is not

enough to produce worker productivity, it can significantly contribute to it.

Basic Human Interaction

The most basic unit of wholesome human interaction is the stroke—a verbal

or physical way to acknowledge another person's value. A ritual is a mutual

exchange of strokes: a sort of reciprocal validation of each person's worth

promoting a sense of trust between people. The term "stroke" connotes

intimate contact, such as what is received by an infant who is caressed,

pinched, or patted.

As adults, people generally do not go around patting, caressing or pinching

other adults (except in the sports arena), but they may shake hands, wave,

or say hello. At work, most stroking takes place in the way of verbal

communication and body language. Examples may include waving, smiling,

a glance of understanding, shaking hands, saying hello, or even sending a

card or flowers.
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Physical strokes may include placing a hand on another person's shoulder,

elbow, or back. While some persons do not mind, others feel these gestures,

unlike the handshake, may be inappropriate. Some people may resent these

physical strokes, not necessarily because they are sexual in nature, but

because they often represent a show of superiority. Dexter, a supervisor,

tended to frequently put his arm around Laurie's shoulder. Dexter was

visibly uncomfortable when Laurie put her arm around his shoulder.

The need for personal validation is great. People may prefer negative

attention to being totally ignored. Try to imagine how awkward it would be

to meet a fellow supervisor and not greet him in any way, through either

gesture or word. The opposite of a stroke is the "cold shoulder" treatment.

An employer was so uncomfortable when his otherwise excellent workers

stopped talking to each other, that he was ready to fire them both. Before

job-related information is communicated, an exchange of strokes normally

takes place. At the same organizational level either person can initiate or

terminate a stroking exchange. In contrast, most workers understand it is

the supervisor who often controls the length of exchange. Even so, workers

expect some sort of greeting from their supervisor. For example, a manager

began to give orders to a farm worker but after his long explanation, the

employee simply responded, "¡Buenos días (good morning)!" In essence, the

worker was saying, "You forgot the ritual: I am not your horse, nor your

tractor; I am a person."
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Some strokes may be quite neutral or uncommitted, such as "I see." Others

show more care or interest: "I heard your daughter is getting married, that's

exciting!" Body language and tone of voice also play an important role in the

intensity of stroke exchanges. Generally, when individuals know each other

well, have not seen each other for a while, or when there has been a

catastrophe or other special circumstances, a more forceful stroke is

expected.

At times, the intensity of a stroke may make up for its brevity. For instance,

a herd manager may realize special circumstances call for a longer stroke

exchange, yet he may not be able to deliver at the moment. The herd

manager may enthusiastically welcome the employee returning from a

vacation, "Hey, I'm so glad you're back, you'll have to tell me everything

about your trip at lunch! I've got to be running now to get ready for the

veterinarian who is coming today." This stroking still validates the

employee's existence while simultaneously acknowledging more is owed. A

drastic change in ritual length or intensity, for no apparent reason, may

affect a person's self-esteem or make them wonder what is wrong with the

other.
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What is a Competency?

Competency: The combination of observable and measurable knowledge,

skills, abilities and personal attributes that contribute to enhanced employee

performance and ultimately result in organizational success. To understand

competencies, it is important to define the various components of

competencies.

Knowledge is the cognizance of facts, truths and principles gained from

formal training and/or experience. Application and sharing of one's

knowledge base is critical to individual and organizational success.

A skill is a developed proficiency or dexterity in mental operations or

physical processes that is often acquired through specialized training; the

execution of these skills results in successful performance.

Ability is the power or aptitude to perform physical or mental activities that

are often affiliated with a particular profession or trade such as computer

programming, plumbing, calculus, and so forth. Although organizations may

be adept at measuring results, skills and knowledge regarding one's

performance, they are often remiss in recognizing employees' abilities or

aptitudes, especially those outside of the traditional job design.

Individual attributes are properties, qualities or characteristics of

individuals that reflect one's unique personal makeup. Individual attributes

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are viewed as genetically developed or acquired from one's accumulated life

experiences. Although personal characteristics are the most subjective of the

components, a growing, significant body of research links specific personality

traits to successful individual and organizational performance.

Individually recognizing and rewarding any of these sources of expertise

provides a strong basis for individual performance engagement. However, it

is their combination that results in the unleashing of resources that are all

too frequently untapped.

When utilizing competencies, it is important to keep the following in mind:

Competencies do not establish baseline performance levels; rather they are

used to raise the bar on employee performance. They provide employees

with road maps to increase their capabilities incrementally.

Competencies focus on an organization's culture and values. Consequently

NU has selected a unique set or combination of competencies that support

and facilitate its mission.

Competencies reflect the organization's strategy; that is, they are aligned to

short- and long-term missions and goals.

Competencies focus on how results are achieved rather than merely the end

result. In this manner they bridge the gap between performance

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management and employee development and are an integral component of

personal development plans.

Competencies close skill gaps within the organization. Competency data can

be used for employee development, compensation, promotion, training and

new hire selection decisions.

List of Core Competencies

Accountability

Accepts responsibility for own actions and decisions and demonstrates

commitment to accomplish work in an ethical, efficient and cost-effective

manner.

Adaptability

Adjusts planned work by gathering relevant information and applying critical

thinking to address multiple demands and competing priorities in a changing

environment.

Communication

Effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts.

Demonstrates effective use of listening skills and displays openness to other

people's ideas and thoughts.

Customer/Quality Focus
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Anticipates, monitors and meets the needs of customers and responds to

them in an appropriate manner. Demonstrates a personal commitment to

identify customers' apparent and underlying needs and continually seeks to

provide the highest quality service and product to all customers.

Inclusiveness

Fosters respect for all individuals and points of view. Interacts appropriately

with all members of the campus community, campus visitors and business

and community partners without regard to individual characteristics.

Demonstrates a personal commitment to create a hospitable and welcoming

environment.

Leadership

Communicates the University's vision in ways that gain the support of

others. Mentors, motivates and guides others toward goals.

Occupational Knowledge/Technology Orientation

Demonstrates the appropriate level of proficiency in the principles and

practices of one's field or profession. Demonstrates a commitment to

continuous improvement, to include understanding and application of

technology (hardware, software, equipment and processes).

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Team Focus

Works cooperatively and effectively with others to achieve common goals.

Participates in building a group identity characterized by pride, trust and

commitment.

WHAT IS COMPETENCY MODELING?

Competency Modeling is a corporate initiative designed to align the skills,

knowledge, and abilities of employees with the company’s strategic goals

and objectives. The term competency refers to an ability, skill, or attribute

that is associated with superior job performance. Competencies are typically

defined in terms of behaviors. Examples include:

Decision Making: Ability and willingness to make tough decisions in a

timely manner which follows through on decisions and actions.

Customer Service: Maintains a consistent focus on meeting or exceeding

the customer’s expectations while staying in touch with changing customer

needs. The value of competency modeling lies in defining and implementing

the competencies that are critical to the success of an organization.

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CORE COMPETENCIES

Core competencies describe the behaviors that are key to the success of an

organization. In a sense, core competencies define the skills and abilities

that all employees must demonstrate in order to drive business results. Core

competencies are directly aligned with and support the primary goals and

strategies of the organization. The process of identifying core competencies

starts with the specification of primary goals and strategies. Questions might

include: What does the company hope to achieve? What are the critical

business results? What are the primary drivers of success? Where is the

company headed? What is the 1-year/3-year/5-year plan?

A corporation’s culture, mission, vision, and values should also be reflected

in the organizations core competencies. Before we create customized core

competencies

Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and

skilfully conceptualizing, applying, analysing, synthesizing, and evaluating

information gathered from or generated by observation, experience,

reflection, reasoning, or communication, as guide to belief and action

(Scriven and Paul, 1987)

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Problem solving means finding a way around difficulty, around an obstacle,

and a solution to a problem that is unknown.- Polya (1945 & 1962).