ABSTRACT
This study aimed to determine the teachers’ work ethic, classroom management profile, classroom management and positive discipline practices of Senior High School teachers (n=184) in the Division of Paranaque City to come up with a professional development program. Descriptive quantitative design and total enumeration sampling were utilized. Descriptive statistics was used. Results show that majority of the respondents are single (48.91%), less than five years in service (30.43%), family income of below Php 5,000 (90.7%), earned some units in master’s degree (43.48%), and Teacher 1 (30.98%). On work ethics, work habits (WM=3.55) and work surroundings (WM=3.79) are perceived as highly ethical. Classroom management profile in terms of work authoritative (WM=3.67) as highly practiced, work authoritarian (WM=2.86) and laissez-faire (WM=2.97) as practiced, and indifferent style (WM=2.36) as less likely practiced. In majority, authoritative style of classroom management (145 or 78.80%) is used. Classroom management practices: rules and procedures (WM=3.74), disciplinary intervention (WM=3.51), and teacher-student relationship (WM=3.77) are in a large extent while mental set (WM=3.03) to an extent. Positive discipline practices: holistic (WM=3.67), strength-based (WM=3.65), conclusive (WM=3.86), inclusive (WM= 3.84), pro-active (WM=3.80), and participatory (WM=3.85) were to a large extent. Null hypothesis on teacher work ethics when grouped according to profile: work habits is accepted but rejected in teachers’ position. In terms of work surroundings, null hypothesis is accepted. Overall, the null hypothesis on significant input among respondents’ profile, classroom management profile, classroom management practices, and positive discipline practices is accepted.
Keywords: Teacher, Work Ethic, Classroom Management, Positive Discipline Practices, Positive Discipline, Educational Management, Professional Development Program
INTRODUCTION
Work ethic is a principle that diligence and hard work creates a moral advantage that strengthen the values and character of a person. For many, it is the belief that inherent attitude an individual person has which permits him or her to make decisions and do his obligations accompanied with positive moral values responsibility, humility, integrity, discipline, high quality and even teamwork. An individual who possesses a good and quality work ethic is a prized member in any organization because often a team member with good work ethic translates his or her output into better efficiency and high dependability that all things that are needed to be done shall be done on time and on budget. That's in addition to the fact that people who have great work ethics would think about the moral consequences of their actions and set clear boundaries between the proper and the inappropriate, which is in keeping with their beliefs or ideals (Airaksinen, 2018).
Teachers work ethic is a term that can be understood or classified under the term “Professional ethics”. Firstly, professional ethics is a system of values and norms to guide professionals of practical decisions at work and in their daily lives. Thus, professional ethics is an unequivocal and sensible determinant of action. Secondly, professional ethics is completely an unrealistic set of values to purposefully explain a world wherein professionals can be working at their finest. Thus, through Republic Act 7836, the Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers applicable to all in the teaching professions in the country was adopted by the Board for Professional Teachers.
There are several guidelines in the Code of Ethics on how teachers would conduct themselves in relation to themselves, their students, the persons in authority in education sector including their bosses, their fellow teachers and other school personnel, to their community in which they live and work, and to the state in which they have pledged their allegiance to serve and protect. A specific provision (Article 11) in the Code of ethics wherein teachers are always obligated to live with dignity whether in school, in the home, or elsewhere. They must always set the best self-discipline upon themselves as their personal behavior in their entire relationships with others; a paragon worthy of imitation by peers, learners, and all everyone.
“Premium upon self-discipline” is the basis of righteousness on how to conduct one-self in a profession. The teachers themselves must enforce such discipline not only to themselves but to their students as well. Thus, the need for classroom management and the enforcement of positive discipline among its learners. There is little or more traditional understanding of effective classroom management that centers exclusively to compliance of rules and strategies in which teachers may use to make sure that students are properly seated in their respective seats, follows instructions, and listens attentively. Hence, there is a more modernized and extensive picture of classroom management.
The more encompassing view of classroom management includes the teacher’s (1) ability to improve factors of behavior by applying positive discipline to students by (2) providing a conducive learning environment by (3) giving materials and activities that stimulates intellectual curiosity, and sparks students interest and passion, and finally, (4) setting high expectations on student’s academic output and how they behave properly towards their students and teachers.
Certain class instructional materials such as lessons that are designed poorly or having vague expectations are examples that could higher the chance for a student to be disinterested. Other factors could also increase behavioral problems is an unruly or disorganized classes. Therefore, classroom management cannot be simply left out as a decision from all the others that teachers make. In a more all-inclusive point of view of classroom management, suitable teaching and proper classroom management turn out to be, to some extent ambiguous, thus enforcing positive discipline.
A program called Positive Discipline aims to teach young people how to be responsible, respectful, and competent members of society. This stemmed from the works of Dr. Jane Nelsen, who authored more than 10 books about the subject, Lynn Cott, and Cheryl Ewin among others in the United States. They believed that discipline must be taught to children and particularly to students so that they could learn necessary social and life skills. The works of Jane Nelsen and Lynn Lott in the 1980’s were the extensions of the pioneering work on the subject by Dr. Alfred Adler and Rudolf Dreikurs in the 1920s who promoted that treating children should be with respect, and that giving too much of indulging and coddling were not encouraging and often times these could result to social and behavioral problems. Adler and Dreikurs and others (cited by Nelson and Lott, 2015) are espousing the Positive Discipline and Classroom Management Models that this method is primarily to develop mutual respect and adheres to responsible relationships.
The instruments and notions in the Positive Discipline and Classroom Management models include: (1) mutual respect, (2) identification of the belief behind the behavior, because changing those beliefs is more important than changing the behavior directly, (3) effectual communication and operational problem-solving skills, (4) focusing on solutions instead of punishments, and finally (5) giving encouragement instead of praise. The proponent believes that giving encouragement on efforts and improvement, no matter how small, brings success and, thus, giving the students confidence and empowerment.
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