QUALITY OF TEACHER EDUCATION AND THE ROLE OF TEACHER ELIGIBILITY TESTS IN SHAPING TEACHER COMPETENCE IN HILL DISTRICTS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v4.i2.2023.3188Keywords:
Teacher Eligibility Test, Quality, Teacher Education and Hill DistrictAbstract [English]
The present study focuses on the perceptions about Teacher Eligibility Tests (TETs) amongst student-teachers in Hill District Teacher Training Institutes. TETs ensure the quality of education through testing candidate teachers on their knowledge and skills. However, less has been researched in relation to how student-teachers perceive such tests, especially in context of geographically difficult areas such a hill districts. Using a mixed-methods approach of surveys and interviews, this study explored the attitudes, concerns, and preparedness of student-teachers in regard to TETs. The data were collected from 200 student-teachers of five teacher training institutes situated in hill districts. Findings show that although most participants believe TETs are necessary, they experience high levels of anxiety regarding the testing process and results. Limited access to preparation resources and urban bias in test content were prevalent themes of concern. The study also found a discrepancy in the curriculum being taught in these institutes and the skills being tested through TETs. The implications of this study are manifold as the cycle of poor TET performance among student-teachers in hill districts can contribute to a broader trend of underperforming teachers, which in turn may affect the educational landscape in these regions and policies aimed at promoting equitable access to quality education for all students.
References
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191-215. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037//0033-295X.84.2.191
Beteille, T., & Evans, D. K. (2019). Successful teachers, successful students: Recruiting and supporting society's most crucial profession. World Bank Group.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674028845
Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2017). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Darling-Hammond, L. (2000). Teacher quality and student achievement: A review of state policy evidence. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 8(1), 1-44. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.v8n1.2000
Goldhaber, D., & Anthony, E. (2007). Can teacher quality be effectively assessed? National board certification as a signal of effective teaching. Review of Economics and Statistics, 89(1), 134-150. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1162/rest.89.1.134
Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. Routledge.
Kingdon, G. G. (2020). The private schooling phenomenon in India: A review. The Journal of Development Studies, 56(10), 1795-1817. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2020.1715943
Klassen, R. M., & Kim, L. E. (2019). Selecting teachers and prospective teachers: A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 26, 32-51. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2018.12.003
Krejcie, R. V., & Morgan, D. W. (1970). Determining sample size for research activities. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30(3), 607-610. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/001316447003000308
Kumar, K., & Wiseman, A. W. (2021). Teacher accountability in India: A review of policies and practices. In A. W. Wiseman (Ed.), Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2020 (pp. 171-189). Emerald Publishing Limited. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-3679202140
Kumar, S., Dutta, J., & Sindhwani, G. (2018). Teacher education in the hill regions of North-East India: Challenges and opportunities. Journal of Education and Practice, 9(15), 76-83.
Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). (2011). Guidelines for conducting teacher eligibility test (TET). Government of India.
Mishra, L. (2020). A study of teacher education in the hill districts of Uttarakhand: Issues and challenges. International Journal of Education and Management Studies, 10(3), 270-274.
OECD. (2005). Teachers matter: Attracting, developing and retaining effective teachers. OECD Publishing. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264018044-en
Patel, R. (2022). Voices from the margins: Student-teachers' perceptions of TETs in rural India. Journal of Education for Teaching, 48(1), 92-105.
Sharma, R., & Ramachandran, V. (2019). Teacher performance in India: Evidence and policies. Routledge.
Singh, J., & Kaur, G. (2021). Perception of student-teachers towards Teacher Eligibility Test (TET): A study of Punjab. International Journal of Education, 9(2), 67-78.
Wiseman, A. W., & Al-Bakr, F. (2013). The elusiveness of teacher quality: A comparative analysis of teacher certification and student achievement in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Prospects, 43(3), 289-309. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-013-9272-z
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Thuishim Kashung, Dr. Laisom Sharmeswar Singh
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
With the licence CC-BY, authors retain the copyright, allowing anyone to download, reuse, re-print, modify, distribute, and/or copy their contribution. The work must be properly attributed to its author.
It is not necessary to ask for further permission from the author or journal board.
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
