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TEACHERS’ PROFESSIONALISM AS PERCEIVED BY EFL TEACHERS : A Study on EFL Teachers’ Perceptions and Classroom Practices.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

DISSERTATION APPROVAL ii

DECLARATION iv

PAGE OF DEDICATION v

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vi

ABSTRACT vii

TABLE OF CONTENTS viii

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1. Background 1

1.2. Research Questions 4

1.3. Research Hyphotheses 4

1.4. The Aims of the Research 5

1.5. Research Significance 5

1.6. Limitations of the Study 6

1.7. Operational Definitions of Terms 6

1.8. Research Validity and Justification 8

1.9. The Organization of the Dissertation 9

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1. The Nature of Perception, Belief, and Attitude 11

2.2. The Concept of Teaching as a Profession 14

2.2.1.Knowledge of Learners 16

2.2.2 Knowledge of Subject Matter 18

2.2.3.Knowledge of Teaching 18

2.3. Factors AffectingTeaching Professionalism 29 2.3.1.General Knowledge Ability 30 2.3.2. Focused-Training 30

2.3.3. Teaching Experience 31

2.3.4. Knowledge of Subject Matter 33

2.3.5. Certification 34

2.3.6. Academic Degree 34 2.4. The Role of Teachers’ Beliefs in Classroom Practices 39

2.5. Research Context: Studies on Professional Teachers 40

2.5.1. Studies on the Characteristics of Professional Teachers 40

2.5.2. Studies on Teachers’ Beliefs 42

2.6. Conception of Professional Teachers in Indonesian Context 44

2.7. The Influence of Language Teaching Theories in Conceptualizing Good Foreign Language Teachers 47 2.8. Synthesis 48

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1. Assumptions and Research Variables 49 3.1.1. Assumptions 49 3.1.2. Research Variables 49 3.2. Research Design 50

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3.5. Instrumentation 52

3.6. Instrument Validity 55 3.7. Instrument Reliability 57 3.8. Method of Data Collection 58

3.9. Research Authorization and Ethical Consideration 59 3.10. Method of Data Analysis 60 3.11. Research Site 61

3.11.1. Geographical Condition 62

3.11.2. Education Condition of Kota Cimahi 62

CHAPTER FOUR: THE FINDINGS 4.1. EFL Teachers’ Perceptions About the Characteristics of Professional EFL Teachers 64 4.1.1. Description of Each Variable 66

4.1.1.1. Variable 1 (Professional Competency) 66

4.1.1.2. Variable 2 (Pedagogical Competency) 68

4.1.1.3. Variable 3 (Personal Competency) 71

4.1.1.4. Variable 4 (Social Competency) 73

4..1.2. The Degree of Importance of Each Variable 75

4.2. Differences of Perceptions Between (a) Inexperienced and Experienced Teachers and Between (b) Certified and Non-Certified Teachers 76

4.2.1. Normality and Homogeneity Tests of Data of Each Variable 77

4.2.2. The Results of Hypotheses Tests 78

4.2.2.1. The Result of ANOVA Test of Variables Based on Teaching Experience 78

4.2.2.1.1.The Mean Difference of Each Indicator of Variable 1 (Professional Competency) by Teaching Experience 82

4.2.2.1.2. The Mean Difference of Each Indicator of Variable 2 (Pedagogical Competency) by Teaching Experience 86

4.2.2.1.3. The Mean Difference of Each Indicator of Variable 3 (Personal Competency) by Teaching Experience 91

4.2.2.1.4. The Mean Difference of Each Indicator of Variable 4 (Social Competency) by Teaching Experience 95

4.2.2.2. The Result of Statistical Test of Each Variable Based on Certification Qualification 99

4.2.2.2.1. The Result of Hyphothesis Test of Each Variable 99

4.2.2.2.2.The Result of ANNOVA Test of Each Indicator of Variable 3 (Personal Competency) by Certification 101

4.3. EFL Teachers’ Perceptions About Factors Affecting Professionalism 4.3.1. Response to the Factors Affecting Teachers’ Professionalism 103

4.3.2. The Degree of Importance of Each Factor 104

4.4. Observed Classroom Actions That Reflect Teachers’ Percepions 105

4.4.1. Observed Classroom Behaviors of T04 106

4.4.1.1. The Classroom Context 108

4.4.1.2. The Process Occurrence 108

4.4.2. Observed Classroom Behaviors of T48 111

4.4.2.1. The Classroom Context 112

4.4.2.2. The Process Occurrence 112

4.4.3. Observed Classroom Behaviors of T15 116

4.4.3.1. The Classroom Context 117

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4.4.4. Observed Classroom Behaviors of T76 121

4.4.4.1. The Classroom Context 122

4.4.4.2. The Process Occurrence 122

4.5. Conclusion of Chapter Four 123

CHAPTER FIVE: THE DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS 5.1. On the Finding of Teachers’ Perceptions on Characterisrics of Professional EFL Teachers 124

5.2. On the Differences Between Inexperienced and Experienced Teachers and Between Certified and Non-Certified Teachers 129

5.3. On the Aspects Affecting Teachers’ Professionalism 136

5.4. On the Observed Classroom Actions 140

5.5. Conclusion of Chapter Five 143

CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 6.1. Conclusions 145

6.2. Suggestions 149

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LIST OF APPENDIXES 158

Appendix 1: Survey Questionnaire 159

Appendix 2: Data of Variable 1 (Professional Competency) 163

Appendix 3: Data of Variable 2 (Pedagogical Competency) 166

Appendix 4: Data of Variable 3 (Personal Competency) 169

Appendix 5: Data of Variable 4 (Social Competency) 172

Appendix 6: Data of Rank of Importance of Variable 1-4 175

Appendix 7: The Result of Data Normality Test of Each variable 178

Appendix 8: The Result of Variance Homogeneity Test of Each Variable by Teaching Experience 179

Appendix 9: The Result of Variance Homogeneity Test of Each Variable by Certification Qualification 180

Appendix 10: The Result of ANOVA Test of Each Variable Based on Teaching Experience 181

Appendix 11: The Result of ANOVA Test of Each Indicator of Variable 1 184

(Professional Competency) Based on Teaching Experience Appendix 12: The Result of ANOVA Test of Each Indicator of Variable 2 (Pedagogical Competency) Based on Teaching Experience 191

Appendix 13: The Result of ANOVA Test of Each Indicator of Variable 3 (Personal Competency) Based on Teaching Experience 199

Appendix 14: The Result of ANOVA Test of Each Indicator of Variable 4 (Social Competency) Based on Teaching Experience 205

Appendix 15: The Result of ANOVA Test of Each Variable based on Certification Qualification 212

Appendix 16: The Result of ANOVA Test of Each Indicator of Variable 3 (Personal Competency) Based on Certification Qualification 214

Appendix 17: Data of factors Influencing Teachers’ Professionalism 215

Appendix 18: Data of Rank Value of Each Factors 218

Appendix 19: Interview Questions 219

Appendix 20: Transcript of Interview of Selected Subjects 220

Appendix 21: Data of Teachers’ Talk and Classroom Activities 226 Appendix 22: Instrument of Classroom Observation 236

Appendix 23: Schools and Teachers Database 237

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Flow of sequentially organized process from environmental process

leading to response 13

Figure 2: Framework for Understanding of Teaching and Learning 16

Figure 3: Jenkins’ Tetrahedral Model of Teaching Variables 19

Figure 4: The Cycle of Theory Building, Practice, and Reflection 32

Figure 5: Map of West Java and the Location of Cimahi City 62

Figure 6: General Tendency of Teachers’ Perceptions 65

Figure 7: Mean of Each Indicator of Variable 1 (Professional Competency) 66

Figure 8: Mean of Each Indicator of Variable 2 (Pedagogical Competency) 69

Figure 9: Mean of Each Indicator of Variable 3 (Personal Competency) 71

Figure 10: Mean of Each Indicator of Variable 4 (Social Competency) 73

Figure 11: Degree of Importance of Each Variable 75

Figure 12: Factors Affecting EFL Teachers’ Professionalism 103

Figure 13: The Value Degree of Each Factor of Teachers’ Professionalism 104

Figure 14: Mean difference of indicators 1.2, 1.3, 1.7, and 1,8 of variable 1 (Professional Competency) by teaching experience 130

Figure 15: Mean difference of indicators 2.1, 2.4, 2.8, 2.9, 2.10, 2.11, 2.12, 2.15, 132

and 2.16 of variable 2 (Pedagogical Competency) by teaching experience Figure 16: Mean difference of indicators 3.5, 3.7, 3.9, and 3.11 of variable 3 (Personal Competency) by teaching experience 133

Figure 17: Mean difference of indicators 4.1, 4.6, 4.8, 4.9, 4.11, and 4.12 of variable 4 (Social Competency) by teaching experience. 134

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: The Result of Validity Test of Variable 1 55

Table 2: The Result of Validity Test of Variable 2 56

Table 3: The Result of Validity Test of Variable 3 56

Table 4: The Result of Validity Test of Variable 4 57

Table 5: Interpretation of Correlation Coefficient 58

Table 6: The Result of Reliability Test Variable 1-4 58

Table 7: The Result of Normality Test of Data Distribution 77 Table 8: The Result of Homogeneity Variance of Each Variable 77 Table 9 The Result of ANOVA test on each variable based on

teaching experience 79

Table 10: The Result of Post ANOVA test of each variable based on

teaching experience 80

Table 11: The result of ANOVA test of each indicator of variable 1

(Professional Competency) based on teaching experience 82 Table 12: The result of Post ANOVA test of each indicator on variable 1

(Professional Competency) based on teaching experience 83 Table 13: The result of ANOVA test for each indicator of variable 2

(Pedagogical Competency) based on teaching experience 86 Table 14: The result of Post ANOVA test of Each indicator on variable 2

(Pedagogical Competency) based on teaching experience 87 Table 15: The Result of ANOVA Test of Each Indicator of Variable 3

(Personal Competency) based on teaching experience 92 Table 16: The result of Post ANOVA test of Each indicator on variable 3

(Personal Competency) based on teaching experience 93 Table 17: The Result of ANOVA Test on Each Indicator of Variable 4

(Social Competency) based on Teaching Experience 95 Table 18: The result of Post ANOVA test of each indicator on variable 4

(Social Competency) based on teaching experience 96 Table 19: The result of ANOVA test of each variable based on

certification qualification 99

Table 20: The result of Post ANOVA Test of Each Variable based on

Certification Qualification 100

Table 21: The Result of ANOVA Test on Indicators of Variable 3

(Personal Competency) based on certification qualification 101

Table 22: Data of Classroom Behaviors of T04 106

Table 23: Data of Classroom Bahaviors of T48 111

Table 24: Data of Classroom Behaviors of T15 116

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CHAPTER ONE:

INTRODUCTION

1.1.Background

The quality of education in any country determines the progress and the quality of the development in the country. Therefore, it is imperative for a country to improve its education to support its development. Currently, teacher quality is one of the national issues in Indonesia. This is due to the low quality of teachers, which since the stipulation of Law No. 14, 2005 has been one of the national important issues. One of the efforts that the Ministry of Education has made is the establishment of the four areas of competencies for teachers (PP No. 74/2008).

Teachers’ competency has been a crucial issue in education as successful teaching happens if teachers are competent (Alatis, 2007; Whitehurst, 2002;). Thus, teachers’ competency matters in the success of education. Hattie (2003) also argues that teachers make the second most significant contribution to students’ achievement. According to Hattie, the first factor that affects students’ achievement is students themselves (account for about 50%) while teachers account for about 30%. Hattie claims that of 30 sources that influence students’ achievement, 21 sources are the domain of teachers.

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Considering that teachers are the ones who play the most direct role in the process of education, the Indonesian Government has acknowledged teaching as a profession (Law No. 14 /2005). Teaching as a profession entails that the job can only be handled or be done efficiently by a person who holds academic qualification, who has competencies, and who holds a teaching license based on the prescribed requirements for a certain level of education (Explanation of Article no. 2, Law No. 14, 2005).

The issue of teachers’ qualification is one of the major problems of education in Indonesia. As stipulated in Law No. 14/2005 on Teachers and Lecturers, the academic qualification of teachers shall be a four-year college degree. This has been a serious problem as most teachers have not met this qualification (Hamied, 2011). According to Hamied, only less than 35% of English teachers comply with teaching qualification. Jalal et al., (2009) also mention that of the total number of 2,783,321 teachers in Indonesia, 62.4% of them (1,739,484) do not comply with the academic qualification.

Competencies that a teacher must possess, according to this Law, comprise professional competency, pedagogical competency, personal competency, and social competency (Government Regulation No. 19/2005, Article 28:3).

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Of the four categories of competency, the professional competency is believed to be the most contributing aspect to the success of learning (Suherdi, 2007). Thus, improving the professional competency must be prioritized. With regard to the importance of professional competency, an important question arising is what factors constitute professional competency. A number of studies on teachers’ characteristics have been conducted (Beishuizen et al., 2001; Grierson, 2006; Moskowitz, 1976; Noble and Odgerel, 2011). Beishuizen et al. (2001) and Grierson (2006) found that good teachers were perceived as teachers who have good personalities such as being patient, humorous, calm, and honest. Noble and Odgerel (2011) found that good teachers were perceived as those who were knowledgeable, smart, caring, nurturing, responsible, hard-working, diligent, fair, honest, and self-confident, while Moskowitz (1976) found that good teachers performed outstanding verbal and non-verbal behaviors, have good personal attitudes, and have ability to present materials.

Although these studies have found a number of professional teachers’ characteristics, the findings also have revealed neither specific characteristics of EFL teachers nor their classroom behaviors that may reflect the characteristics. Moreover, research findings on the characteristics of good teachers that have been identified, have not specifically described EFL situations. Therefore, the previous studies have left the following problems:

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Keeping the above problems in view, the writer upholds that a study on EFL teachers’ perceptions about the characteristics of professional EFL teachers need to be conducted to reveal more practical findings.

1.2. Research Questions

This research was intended to answer the following questions:

1. What are EFL teachers’ perceptions about the characteristics of professional EFL teachers?

2. Are there significant differences of perceptions between inexperienced and experienced teachers and between certified and non-certified teachers?

3. What are EFL teachers’ perceptions about factors affecting the acquisition of EFL teachers’ professionalism?

4. What observable classroom actions reflect teachers’ perceptions ?

1.3. Research Hypotheses

Bearing on the problems and the research questions above, the hypotheses of this study were formulated as follows:

H1 = Teachers have positive perceptions towards professional characteristics as mentioned in the instrument of this study (See Appendix 1)

H2 = Experienced teachers’ perceptions towards the characteristics of professional EFL teachers are significantly different from those of inexperienced teachers. H3 = Certified teachers’ perceptions towards the characteristics of professional

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1.4. The Aims of the Research

The aims of this research were:

 to investigate EFL teachers’ perceptions of the characteristics of professional EFL teachers.

 to investigate whether or not there are significant differences in perceptions between inexperienced and experienced teachers and between certified and non-certified teachers.

 to investigate EFL teachers’ opinion towards factors affecting the acquisition of EFL teachers’ professionalism.

 to describe observable classroom actions that reflect teachers’ perceptions.

1.5. The Significance of the Research

This study provides researchers of English language education, EFL teachers, and education policy makers with the following aspects:

 For researchers, this study offers insight into teachers’ beliefs on what they think of specific professional characteristics of EFL teachers. The findings of this study enhance the previous studies, which tended to be more generic, on good teachers’ characteristics.

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 For education policy makers, this study provides information on EFL teachers’ perceptions towards the factors that influence teachers’ professionalism. This finding can be used as the basis of teachers’ quality development.

1.6. Limitations of the Study

Considering the complexity of the topic and time constraint in conducting this study, the writer acknowledges a number of limitations of this study, as follows:

 The subjects of this study has not included other parties whose perceptions may have an important role in defining standard characteristics of professional EFL teachers.

 The observations for classroom actions were conducted in a small number of subjects compared to the number of subjects participating in the survey.  The observations for classroom actions for each of the selected teachers lasted

only for one teaching unit, thus the results of the observations may not reflect the whole teaching behaviors of the observed teachers.

1.7. Operational Definitions of Terms

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Teachers’ perceptions are the opinion of English teachers about the professional characteristics used in this study as elaborated in the instrument of this study (See Appendix 1).

Professional characteristics are qualities that a professional foreign language

teacher should comply with as described in the instruments used in this study which is elaborated in the instrument of this study (See Appendix 1)

Inexperienced teachers are teachers having been in service between 1 -7 years of

teaching. In Indonesian system of teacher ranks, a teacher with 1-7 years in service is normally in the rank of IIIa/IIIb or Guru Madya / Guru Madya Tk.1. These ranks are considered as adjunct mature teachers (Minister of State Apparatus Decree No. 84/1993 on Teacher Position Level).

Relatively experienced teachers are teachers having been in service between 8

15 years of teaching. This group of teachers normally has achieved the position of IIIc/IIId or Guru Dewasa/Guru Deawasa Tk.1 (Mature Teachers).

Very experienced teachers are teachers having been in service above 15 years of

teaching. This group of teachers are normally in rank of IVa or Pembina (Senior Teacher/Counselor).

Certified teachers are teachers who have passed formal certification program

administered by the Indonesian Ministry of National Education.

Factors influencing professionalism are aspects or events that have an important

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1.8. Research Validity and Research Justification

To gain research validity and research justification, a number of steps were employed in this study:

 The study was based on current issues on teacher professional development.  The theories used are relatively up-to-date.

 Variables were designed based on current theories and government policy on teachers’ quality improvement in Indonesia.

 Data were taken through triangulation (Survey, Interviews, Classroom Observations, and Tape-Recording).

 To gain strong foundation, the first set of data was taken through a survey using a quantitative design.

 The findings of the survey were used as the basis for interviews and classroom observations.

 The selection of respondents used proportional-random sampling for the survey and purposive sampling for the interviews and for the classroom observations.  Data analysis used three stages (descriptive analysis, inferential analysis, and

discussion).

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1.9. The Organization of the Dissertation

This dissertation is written in six chapters. Chapter One (Introduction) presents the background of the study, the research questions, the hypotheses of the study, the aims of the study, the significance of the study, limitations of the study, the operational definitions of terms, research validity and research justification, and the organization of the dissertation.

Chapter Two (Literature Review) explores theoretical issues. This consists of eight sections: the nature of perception, belief, and attitude; the concept of teaching as a profession; factors affecting teaching professionalism; the role of teachers’ beliefs in

classroom practices; research context; the concept of professional teachers in Indonesian context; the influence of language teaching theories in conceptualizing good foreign language teachers; and the synthesis.

Chapter Three (Research Methodology) describes eleven aspects consisting of the assumptions and the variables used in the study, the research hypotheses, the design of the study, the population, the sampling, instrumentation, validity test of instrument, reliability test of instrument, method of data collection, method of data analysis, and research site.

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CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1. Assumptions and Research Variables

Based on the research problems mentioned in the background of the study and theories on perception elaborated in literature review, the assumptions and the variables of this study are formulated as follows:

3.1.1. Assumptions

 Teachers act on the basis of what they believe to be true, unless the conditions say otherwise.

 Teachers’ belief is, in most cases, derived from their perceptions.  Teaching experience differentiates teachers’ perceptions.

 Teachers’ perceptions affect teachers’ classroom actions.

 Teachers’ professionalism affects students’ learning achievement.

 In order to change teachers’ actions we need to change their perceptions.

3.1.2. Research Variables

Teachers’ Characteristics:

Teaching Experience (X1)

Inexperienced (X1.1)

Relatively Experienced (X1.2)

Very Experinced (X1.3)

Certification (X2)

Certified (X 2.1)

Non-certified (X 2.2)

Perceptions Towards Professional Characteristics:

Professional Competency (Y1) Pedagogical Competency (Y2) Personal Competency (Y3) Social Competency (Y4)

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3.2. Research Design

This study was designed in a combination of quantitative and qualitative frameworks. Data were taken through a survey, interviews, and classroom observations. The survey data were taken through questionnaire. The survey data become the primary data and were used as the basis for interviews and classroom observations. The purpose of using quantitative framework was to make sure that data gathered were sufficient and valid, while the use of qualitative framework was aimed at achieving in- depth analysis of the findings and validating the quantitative data findings (Jackson, 1995).

3.3. Population

The population of this study consisted of all English teachers of secondary schools in Cimahi, West Java with a total number of 232 English teachers. The total number of secondary schools (junior and senior high schools) in Cimahi is 77 schools (Dinas Pendidikan Kota Cimahi, 2010). These consist of 36 SMPs (13 public schools and 23 private schools), 8 MTs (1 public school and 7 private schools), 15 SMAs (6 public schools and 7 private schools), 17 SMKs (3 public schools and 14 private schools), and 1 MA (a public school). Schools and teachers data can be seen in Appendix 23.

3.4. The Sampling

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are male; 63 (52.94%) are certified and 56 (47.06%) are non-certified; and 24 (20.17%) are inexperienced, 43 (36.13%) are relatively experienced, and 52 (43.70%) are very experienced.

The sample was taken from 31 schools (40.02%) of the total secondary schools in Cimahi. The sample was formulated using a combination of multi-stage area sample and proportional random sampling (Jackson, 1995), by considering a number of school characteristics (level of school, status of school, number of school, location of school, and classification of school). Accordingly, the surveyed schools consisted of 11 SMPs (8 public schools and 3 private schools), 3 MTs (1 public school and 2 private schools), 9 SMAs (5 public schools and 4 private schools), 7 SMKs (2 public schools and 5 private schools), and 1 MA (public school). All teachers from those 31 schools were surveyed. For more detail information on schools characteristics, a list of the secondary schools is attached (See Appendix 23).

After conducting a survey to 119 respondents, interviews on selected respondents were conducted. Of 119 respondents, 10 were chosen for interviews. The interviews used Semi-Structured Interview model (Jackson, 1995). By using this model, a number of

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topic. Accordingly, 2 teachers were observed for two teaching sections, while two teachers were observed for one teaching section.

3.5. Instrumentation

There were three main instruments used in this research. These were a questionnaire for survey data collection, a number of prepared questions for interviews, and a classroom observation sheet for classroom observations (See Appendix 1, Appendix 19, Appendix 22 respectively).

The questionnaire has three sections. First section deals with personal and academic backgrounds of the respondents. Academic and personal information is crucial in this instrument since this provides various perspectives of perceptions from different groups as between inexperienced and experienced teachers and between certified and non-certified teachers. The second part of the questionnaire deals with teachers’ perceptions towards the characteristics of professional teachers. Four variables were used in the questionnaire. The four variables were taken from Law No. 14/2005 on teachers and lecturers and from Permendiknas No. 16/2007 on the competency standards of teachers and lecturers which consist of professional competency, pedagogical competency, personal competency, and social competency. The indicators for each variable were taken from Brown’s (2001) theory on Good Language-Teaching Characteristics and from the Government Regulation No. 74/2008 on Teachers. Brown’s

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which directly deals with language teachers’ qualities. These detailed aspects then become the indicators for each variable with some modifications and additions. An open-ended question was also provided to make sure that characteristics that have not been included in the four variables and are considered as important characteristics can be gathered. The variables and the indicators of each variable used in this instrument are as follows:

Aspects of Competency

(Based on Law No. 14/2005 on Teachers and Lecturers)

Indicators

(Based on Brown’s 2001 on Good

Language-Teaching Characteristics) and Government Regulation No. 74/2008 on Teachers

1. Professional Competency  Has the mastery of English sound systems

 Has the mastery of English Grammar

 Has the mastery of English morphology

 Has the mastery of English vocabulary

 Speaks English fluently, accurately, and acceptably

 Is able to write in English

 Has good ability of listening in English

 Is able to read advanced text in English

 Is knowledgeable in English cultures and literature

 Understands the relation between language and culture

 Is always well-informed with the development of English language teaching

 Holds a TOEFL score of 525 for general secondary high school teachers

 Holds a TOIEC score of 625 for vocational secondary high school teachers.

2. Pedagogical Competency  Has the mastery of foreign language teaching theories

 Has the ability of applying language teaching theories into practice

 Has the knowledge of feedback theories

 Has the practical knowledge of giving feedback

 Creates interactive teaching environment

 Creates learning cooperation amongst students.

 Uses effective teaching techniques

 Is skillful in using teaching media technology

 Knows the objectives of teaching English

 Has the knowledge of language teaching plan

 Has the knowledge of material design

 Has the knowledge of language teaching evaluation

 Is creative in designing interesting teaching materials

 Has the knowledge of learning motivation of their students

 Has the knowledge of students’ learning ability

 Has the knowledge of students’ learning development 3. Personal Competency  Believes in the existence of God

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 Is tolerant

 Is responsible

 Is open-minded

 Maintains positive thinking

 Is honest

 Is orderly

 Maintains discipline behavior

 Is flexible when things go awry

 Is committed to achieve goal

 Maintains high moral and ethic standard 4. Social Competency  Is sensitive in student’s cultural background

 Is enthusiastic to students

 Has a sense of humor

 Respects student’s opinions

 Respects student’s ability

 Provides challenges to students with outstanding ability

 Maintains harmonious cooperation with colleagues

 Maintains harmonious cooperation with parents

 Has good communication skills with colleagues

 Is able to communicate well with parents

 Is able to communicate well with education practitioners

 Has the knowledge of student’s cultural background

 Is well-informed with student’s economic background

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questionnaire of this instrument is attached (See Appendix 1). The interview instrument consists of 7 questions which were designed based on the general findings of the survey (See Appendix 19), while instrument indicators for classroom observation data were taken and simplified from Moskowitz (cited in Allen and Valette, 1994), as attached in Appendix 22. In addition to observations, tape-recording was also used for classroom practices data. Transcript of the tape-recording is attached (See Appendix 21).

3.6. Instrument Validity

Validity test of instrument was employed to make sure that items used were valid. The technique used is item-total product moment (Arikunto, 2002:72). An item is valid if the Correlation Coefficient r Table (Sugiono, 2008). The result of validity test of each variable is presented as follows:

Table 1: Result of Validity Test of Variable 1

Item Correlation Cofficient r Table Remark

1.1 0.606 0.300 Valid

1.2 0.615 0.300 Valid

1.3 0.720 0.300 Valid

1.4 0.632 0.300 Valid

1.5 0.696 0.300 Valid

1.6 0.716 0.300 Valid

1.7 0.666 0.300 Valid

1.8 0.626 0.300 Valid

1.9 0.616 0.300 Valid

1.10 0.569 0.300 Valid

1.11 0.661 0.300 Valid

1.12 0.503 0.300 Valid

1.13 0.485 0.300 Valid

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Table 2: Result of Validity Test of Variable 2

Item Correlation Coefficient r Table Remark

2.1 0.665 0.300 Valid

2.2 0.663 0.300 Valid

2.3 0.613 0.300 Valid

2.4 0.690 0.300 Valid

2.5 0.678 0.300 Valid

2.6 0.595 0.300 Valid

2.7 0.721 0.300 Valid

2.8 0.615 0.300 Valid

2.9 0.644 0.300 Valid

2.10 0.718 0.300 Valid

2.11 0.764 0.300 Valid

2.12 0.774 0.300 Valid

2.13 0.714 0.300 Valid

2.14 0.698 0.300 Valid

2.15 0.716 0.300 Valid

2.16 0.727 0.300 Valid

Note: all 16 items of variable 2 are valid as the Correlation Coeffiient is bigger than 0.30

Table 3: Result of Validity Test of Variable 3

Item Correlation Coefficient r Table Remark

4.1 0.459 0.300 Valid

4.2 0.554 0.300 Valid

4.3 0.637 0.300 Valid

4.4 0.698 0.300 Valid

4.5 0.697 0.300 Valid

4.6 0.718 0.300 Valid

4.7 0.728 0.300 Valid

4.8 0.645 0.300 Valid

4.9 0.666 0.300 Valid

4.10 0.527 0.300 Valid

4.11 0.678 0.300 Valid

4.12 0.663 0.300 Valid

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Table 4: Result of Validity Test of Variable 4

Item Correlation Coefficient r Table Remark

4.1 0.609 0.300 Valid

4.2 0.617 0.300 Valid

4.3 0.507 0.300 Valid

4.4 0.638 0.300 Valid

4.5 0.704 0.300 Valid

4.6 0.584 0.300 Valid

4.7 0.578 0.300 Valid

4.8 0.663 0.300 Valid

4.9 0.713 0.300 Valid

4.10 0.672 0.300 Valid

4.11 0.628 0.300 Valid

4.12 0.610 0.300 Valid

4.13 0.536 0.300 Valid

Note: all 13 items of variable 4 are valid as the Correlation Coeffiient is bigger than 0.30

Based on Tables 1-4 above, all items used in the four variables are valid as the correlation coefficient of each item of each variable is > r table (0.30).

3.7. Instrument Reliability

Following the validity test, reliability test was employed to make sure that the instrument is reliable. A reliable instrument will result in convincing data. The reliability test was conducted using internal consistency approach (Jackson, 1995) and was measured with Cronbach’s Alpha () with the following criteria (Sugiyono, 2008 :

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Table 5: Interpretation of Correlation Coefficient

Coefficient Interval Degree of Correlation

0.00 – 0.199 0.20 – 0.399 0.40 – 0.599 0.60 – 0.799 0.80 – 1.000

Very Weak Weak Medium

Strong Very Strong

The result of the reliability test is as follows:

Table 6: The result of reliability test of variable 1-4

No. Variable Correlation Coefficient Degree of Correlation

1 Variable 1 0.905 Very Strong

2 Variable 2 0.940 Very Strong

3 Variable 3 0.906 Very Strong

4 Variable 4 0.903 Very Strong

Based on the above correlation coefficient criteria, it can be said that the reliability of instrument is very strong as the correlation coefficient in all variable is within 0.80-1.00 interval.

3.8. Method of Data Collection

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questionnaire within one day. Of the 124 respondents given the questionnaire, 119 (95.67%) completed it. To carry out the survey, the researcher visited each school three-five times. The first visit was to introduce the purpose of the study and to get permission from school, the second visit was for instrument distribution, and the third visit was for collecting the completed questionnaire.

The interviews were conducted in person to 10 selected respondents from 1 to 20 September, 2011. Each interview took one to two hours for one respondent. The schedule for interview was organized based on the agreement with each of the selected subjects.

Classroom observations of 4 teachers were conducted from September 26 to October 7, 2011. The 4 teachers were taken from the interviewed respondents. The choice of the four respondents to be observed was based on school and district representation. Two teachers were from North Cimahi District, one teacher was selected from Central Cimahi District, and one teacher was taken from South Cimahi District. The schedule for observation was made based on the agreement by the respondents. Observations were focused on two aspects: teaching contexts and occurrence process (Dunkin & Biddle, 1974).

3.9. Research Authorization and Ethical Consideration

In this research, authorization and ethical issues were taken into consideration. On

authorization matter, a letter of official statement was issued by the vice director of

academic affairs of post graduate studies of Indonesia University of Education. This letter

then was used to get permission from Education Office of Cimahi (Dinas Pendidikan

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With regard to ethical consideration, there were some clarifications given to all

respondents. For the survey, all respondents were informed that their personal identities

were not disclosed. This clarification was part of letter of permission given to each

respondents. For interviews and classroom observations, respondents’ participation was

voluntary. Names of participants, schools were kept confidential and schedule for

interviews and classroom observations were on the decision of the participants, and not

from the researcher. It was also explained verbally that all respondents would be allowed

to know any information about the findings.

3.10. Method of Data Analysis

Data were classified in three general categories. The first data were data gathered from survey which consist of data on teachers’ perceptions on the characteristics of professional EFL teachers (Appendixes 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6), data on teachers’ perceptions on the aspects that affect of teachers’ professionalism (Appendixes 17 and 18), and data on personal and academic backgrounds of the respondents (Appendix 1). The data gathered from the survey were analyzed in two stages. The first stage is a general description of the findings which is the level of agreement given by the respondents on the characteristics of professional teachers and on the triggers of teachers’ professionalism acquisition. To get a general description, the following formula were used:

Mean of Variable = Total Mean of Each Case Divided by Number of Cases.

Mean of Each Indicator of Each Variable = Total Score of Indicators Divided by Number of Subjects

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certification qualification. To do so, data were analyzed using ONE-WAY ANOVA Test with an SPSS 18 software. The ONE-WAY ANOVA was used as data were taken on the basis of non-experimental design (Reksoatmodjo, 2006). Results of The ANOVA Tests can be seen in Appendixes 7 to 16.

The second category of data were data obtained from interviews of selected respondents (10 teachers from 10 different schools). These data consist of teachers’ response on the general findings of this study (Appendix 20). Teachers’ responses to the findings were used to enrich the discussion of the findings on the general description and on the statistical test. This was to provide a thick description of the findings. (See Chapter 5: Discussion of the Findings)

The third category of data were data of teachers’ classroom actions which include records of teaching actions and teachers’ talk (See Appendix 21). From the observations, teaching actions were analyzed to describe the relationship between teachers’ perceptions and teachers’ actions. The description consists of classroom context and teaching process (Dunkin & Biddle, 1974).

3.11. Research Site

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3.11.1. Geographical Condition

Cimahi is a city located in West Java province. It lies on the west site of Bandung city. Cimahi used to be part of Bandung city, but later on was developed into so called as Kota Administratif on January 29, 1976. On June 21, 2001 Cimahi was established as Kota Otonom. The City of Cimahi consists of three districts (Kecamatan): district of

North Cimahi, district of Central Cimahi, and district of South Cimahi. North Cimahi has 4 sub-district (Kelurahan), Central Cimahi district has 6 sub-districts, and South Cimahi district has 5 sub-districts. In Sundanese, the word cimahi means plenty of water. In the year of 2010 the population of Cimahi was 483.000 (Dinas Kependudukan Kota Cimahi, 2010). Currently, Cimahi becomes one of the developing cities in West Java. The location of Cimahi can be seen from the following map of West Java Province.

Figure 5: Map of West Java and the Location of Cimahi City

(The City of Cimahi)

3.11.2. Education Condition of Kota Cimahi

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this number, 49,597 pupils are registered in 112 elementary schools. This number makes up of 73.10% of the total children within this age go to schools.

At the junior high school level (13-15 years), the number of children within this age is 29,130. Of this number, 12,972 enter school. This means only 44.53% of the total children of this age go to school. Thus more than 50% of total children within this age do not enter schools. There are 35 SMPs (13 state schools and 22 private schools), 9 MTs (1 state school and 8 private schools) with a total naumber of teachers of 873.

At the senior high school level (16-18), the number of population within this age is 27,723 while the number of students of senior high schools is 22,389. Thus, 80.75% of the population group enter senior high schools. There are 15 SMAs (6 state schools and 9 private schools), 17 SMKs (3 state schools and 14 private schools), and 1 MA ( a state school) with a total number of teachers of 1,638. The ratio between teachers and students is: Kindergarten 1:12, Elementary School 1:24, junior high school 1:15, and senior high school 1:14.

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CHAPTER V:

THE DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS

5.1. On the Finding of Teachers’ Perceptions on Characteristics of Professional EFL Teachers

In general, respondents have positive agreement to the four variables used in this study (Professional Competency, Pedagogical Competency, Personal Competency, and Social Competency). This indicates that teachers believe that being professional must be justified by the four components of competency. All four variables are considered as important aspects that characterize professional teachers.

On variable 1 (Professional Competency) two indicators get the highest agreement. The two indicators are indicator 1.4. (Has the mastery of English vocabulary) and indicator 1.2. (Has the mastery of English grammar). Respondents believe that mastering vocabulary

and grammar as two most important aspects of EFL teachers’ characteristics. This finding

confirms the arguments by Stewart et al., (1985) and Cahyono & Widiati (2008). According

to Stewart et al., ‘words are the basic medium of communication’ (p.45). Cahyono and

Widiati (ibid p.1) also claim that “vocabulary, in addition to grammar and pronunciation, is

one language element considered necessary for language mastery’ (p.1). This finding also confirms the importance of grammar in teaching foreign language (Brown, 2001). Here, Brown argues that grammar is one of three interconnected dimensions of language (grammar, semantics, and pragmatics). Thus, the teaching of vocabulary and grammar is an integral part of communicative language teaching.

According to the respondents, mastering vocabulary and grammar is important for two reasons. The mastery on the two aspects is the key to mastering other skills. It also shows

a teacher’s intellect. The belief that vocabulary and grammar are keys to other skills can be

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bahasa (T01); kosakata sebagai syarat membuat kalimat (T04); tatabahasa dan kosakata

harus kita kuasai (T15); karena berbicara harus dengan aturan dan tanpa kosakata tidak

mungkin bisa berbicara lancar (T14); kalau gurunya itu sendiri kurang kosakatanya ... susah

menyampaikan ilmunya (T48); kosakata digunakan sebagai referensi saat kita bicara (T90);

kedua kompetensi ini yang akan menunjang keberhasilan mempelajari bahasa Inggris...

(T29); merupakan kunci kebersilan penguasaan bahasa Inggris (T27).

Another reason for believing the importance of vocabulary and grammar is that the

mastery of both aspects shows a teacher’s intellect, as narrated by T79 „bahasa Inggris kita

bahasa Inggris berpendidikan bukan bahasa Inggris pasaran...kita bisa melihat orang itu

berpendidikan atau tidak dari bahasanya gitu...dari grammarnya...kosakata terkait dengan

ketrampilan bahasa lainnya‟.

From these arguments, it can be said that most teachers still uphold the importance of teaching explicit grammar and vocabulary. Teachers believe that the teaching of English should take into account the central role of the two aspects of language (word and structure) in order to support other skills. This belief influences teachers in making decision in their class and in turn it influences their practices. From the findings, it can also be said that teachers still believe the effectiveness of teaching vocabulary and grammar explicitly regardless of new approaches introduced by the education policy makers such as Genre Based Approach which stresses on the importance of the function of language.

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interviewed. Those who believe the importance of TOEFL score have a number of reasons,

as narrated by T01, T15, T27. First, having a high TOEFL score improves teachers’

professional competence as it increases teachers’ confidence in teaching. ‘Skor TOEFL yang

tinggi dapat meningkatkan guru menjadi lebih profesional dan kepercayaan guru dalam

mengajar (T01); jangan sampai skor siswa lebih tinggi, menurut saya sama pentingnya

dengan aspek lain (T15); menurut saya aspk tersebut penting (27). Other respondents think

that TOEFL score is important only for specific purposes such as for a requirement of study but not important for teaching as described by T79, T14, and T04, as follows: „TOEFL penting tergantung kebutuhan misalnya untuk melanjutkan studi, tapi untuk komunikasi tidak

ada jaminan (T79). TOEFL is important but not as important as vocabulary and grammar

(T14); TOEFL penting karena bisa mengukur individu tetapi tidak sepenting menguasai vocabulary dan grammar (T04).

Other respondents think that having high TOEFL score is not important for EFL

teachers, as can be seen from T48 and T90’s comments “kayaknya TOEFL nggak terlalu

penting, kadang-kadang untung-untungan (T48), TOEFL tidak diaplikasikan dalam

pengajaran sehari-hari (T90).

On variable 2 (Pedagogical Competency) majority of teachers believe that teachers’

ability to create interactive classroom and teachers’ ability in providing interesting teaching

materials are two most important skills of professional EFL teachers. Respondents believe the importance of these two aspects for a number of reasons. First, interactive teaching and

interesting materials motivate students to learn. ‘Anak akan tertarik dalam belajar bahasa

Inggris...seorang guru dituntut untuk mencari metode dan strategi belajar yang

menyenangkan (T01); yaa supaya anak-anak itu tertarik sama pelajaran yang kita

sampaikan ...(T04); mengajar harus menggunakan cara-cara yang menarik...kalau tidak jika

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dan situasi kelas yang menarik bisa memotivasi siswa dalam belajar (T90); karena situasi

yang interaktif dapat menyamankan siswa dalam belajar apalagi ditunjang dengan bahan

ajar yang menarik membuat siswa lebih tertarik (T90); merupakan daya tarik tersendiri

untuk mencintai bahasa Inggris (T27).

Another reason for the importance of interactive teaching and interesting materials is that being innovative is a basic skill for teacher. This is because books do not talk but teachers do (T79); teacher is the source person (T14), and it creates interactive classroom (T48). This finding is in line with a study by Moskowitz (cited in Allen & Valette, 1994) on outstanding behaviors of foreign language teachers. Moskowitz found that good foreign language teachers are skillful in presenting materials. They are able to personalize teaching

materials to meet students’ needs.

On variable 3 (Personal Competency), most respondents strongly agree that belief in the existence of God and practice accordingly are important characteristics of professional

EFL teachers. Teachers’ belief in the existence of God triggers their discipline and positive

behavior. ‘meyakini adanya Tuhan dan rajin beribadah membuat kita akan lebih disiplin

(T01); karena dengan ajaran agama yang bagus kita akan on time dan menghargai waktu

(T14); Believing in the existence of God also guides teachers to have good behaviors (T90);

it guides our actions (T04, T15). ‘It is part of professionalism and taken for granted (T48).

Believing in the existence of God and practicing religion are compulsory as the God is the ultimate decision-maker (T79, T90).

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argues that the teaching of religious value is important for multicultural, multi-religious, and multi-ethnic countries such as Indonesia in order to build mutual understanding.

From the findings, it can also be said that all the 12 indicators got very positive perceptions by respondents. The highest mean is in indicator 3.1 (believing in the existence of God ) with a mean of 4.92, and the lowest mean is in indicator 3.5 (is open-minded) with a mean of 4.58. This signifies that personal competency is considered as a very important

aspect of teachers’ professionalism. This finding also confirms Sockett’s ( 2009) argument on

the role of attitudes and dispositions.

The very positive response given by respondents on personal competency indicates

teachers’ positive attitudes about the importance of character building in education. Character

education is a crucial aspect of education since it is through character teaching that we can

transform what we believe to be right, care about what is right, and do accordingly (Lickona,

1991). In Indonesian context, the importance of teaching for good character has been

acknowledged by policy and law makers (Law No. 20/2003) in which education is stated as a

conscious effort that makes it possible for students to gain spiritual of religious values,

self-control, personalities, intelligence, and good character.

On variable 4 (Social Competency) most respondents strongly agree that respecting students‟ opinion and respecting students‟ ability are two most important characteristics of

professional EFL teachers. Respecting students’ opinion and their ability motivates students

to learn. Doing otherwise will hinder their classroom engagement as commented by the following teachers: harus menghargai pendapat siswa dan kemampuannya agar lebih berkreasi dan termotivasi untuk lebih belajar giat (T01); itu membuat anak lebih

bersemangat (T04); yaa kita harus menghargai pendapat siswa dan secara individu kita

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free and to avoid them from getting bored (T48, T79). Respecting their ability and their opinion also allows students to make progress in their learning (T29, T27).

5.2. On the Differences Between Inexperienced and Experienced Teachers and Between Certified and Non-certified Teachers

The findings of this study also reveal that by teaching experience, there is significant mean difference on all four variables (Professional Competency, Pedagogical Competency, Personal Competency, and Social Competency) while by certification qualification, the significant mean difference was found only for variable 3 (Personal Competency). This

indicates that teaching experience is more influential than certification on teachers’

perceptions about professional characteristics of EFL teachers. One of the possible explanations on this phenomenon is that teaching experience is a long process and may consist of many aspects of characteristics, while certification is relatively a short process and does not cover as many aspects as those of teaching experience. Another possibility is that teaching experience is more individual in nature which different teachers may have different experience, while certification is an external factor in which all teachers undergo the same process.

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There are a number of reasons for relatively experienced teachers and very experienced teachers to have stronger agreement on the characteristics described in each variable. First, experienced teachers have gained more practical knowledge and experience than inexperienced teachers. Thus, they appreciate their knowledge and experience. Such a reason was expressed by a number of teachers when interviewed. According to T10, a senior teacher is more experienced in teaching practices because he/she is quite well-equipped with background on how to cope with problems faced. Novice teachers have less experience on teaching practices so they do not have enough knowledge to overcome the problems faced (T04). Experienced teachers have acquired more knowledge and therefore, they are well-informed (T14). Second, the longer they teach the more knowledgeable on the four

competencies (T90). “I think it is reasonable when experienced teachers and inexperienced

teachers have different thoughts on the four competencies (T27). The affirmation given by respondents on the difference thoughts between inexperienced and experienced teachers confirms Whitehurst’s theory on aspects that contribute to teachers’ professionalism.

Whitehurst (2002) argues that teaching experience contributes to teachers’ qualities.

[image:40.595.113.483.632.766.2]

To discuss the mean difference based on teaching experience between inexperienced teacher group, relatively experienced teachers group, and very experienced teacher group, figures showing indicators whose mean is significantly different are presented in the following sections.

Figure 14: Mean difference of indicators 1.2, 1.3, 1.7, and 1,8 of variable 1 (Professional Competency) by teaching experience.

3 3.5 4 4.5 5

Inexperienced Rel. Experienced Very Experienced

Ind. 1.2.

Ind. 1.3.

Ind. 1.7.

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Figure 14 presents the mean difference of four indicators of variable 1 (Professional Competency); indicator 1.2. (Has the mastery of English grammar), indicator 1.3. (Has the mastery of English morphology), indicator 1.7. (Has good ability of listening in English), and indicator 1.8. (Is able to read advanced text in English) which have significantly different mean between inexperienced teachers and experienced teachers. Of 13 indicators on variable 1 (Professional Competency), 4 of them have significantly mean difference. Thus, 30% of the indicators of variable 1 (Personal Competency) have significant mean difference. The figure shows that in all of the four indicators, relatively experienced teachers group (with teaching experienced between 8 to 15 years) has the strongest agreement on the importance of the four indicators of professional competency. The inexperienced teachers group has the lowest agreement, and the very experienced teachers group is in the middle between inexperienced

and relatively experienced teachers groups. This means that the strongest teachers’ belief on

he importance of the four indicators is the domain of the middle group.

When teachers have been teaching for more than 16 years their agreement on the four characteristics gets lower. In other words, it can be said that the idealism of getting more knowledge on the four indicators is stronger for the middle group than for the other two groups. However, the difference of mean between relatively experienced teachers group and very experienced teachers group is not significant statistically. This means that the decrease on their agreement from relatively experienced group to very experienced group is not as much as the increase from inexperienced group to relatively experienced group. This is congruent to the opinion of a number of teachers where very experienced teachers are more

concerned on the building characteristics that belong to attitude as respecting student’s

individual background and understanding student’s individual achievement.

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they are more concerned on building knowledge and on achieving broader unit teaching goal rather than on achieving unit teaching goal. Tsui also argues that experience teachers use their past experience and see things from different perspectives. She also argues that expertise in teaching may require collaborative work between teachers.

[image:42.595.106.525.239.509.2]

On variable 2 (Pedagogical Competency), significant mean different was found in a number of indicator. This can be seen from Figure 15 below.

Figure 15: Mean difference of indicators 2.1, 2.4, 2.8, 2.9, 2.10, 2.11, 2.12, 2.15, and 2.16 of variable 2 (Pedagogical Competency) by teaching experience

Figure 15 shows that of 16 indicators of variable 2 (Pedagogical Competency), 9 indicators (56.26%) have significant mean different based on teaching experience. Similar with the tendency on variable 2 (Professional Competency), the inexperienced teachers group has the lowest agreement and the relatively experienced teachers group has the strongest agreement, while the very experienced teachers group has weaker agreement than the relatively experienced teachers group. Unlike in variable 1 (Professional Competency) where there are only 4 of 13 indicators (30.76%) whose mean based on teaching experience is significantly different, in variable 2 (Pedagogical Competency) there are 56.26% indicators which have significantly different mean based on teaching experience. The high range of difference between inexperienced teachers group and relatively experienced teachers group

3 3.2 3.4 3.6 3.8 4 4.2 4.4 4.6 4.8 5

Inexperienced Rel. Experienced Very Experienced

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and between inexperienced teachers group and very experienced teachers group on variable 2 (Pedagogical Competency) suggests that there are significantly different classroom actions between the two groups because they have acquired different knowledge of teaching.

According to El-Okda (2005), experienced teachers have tacit knowledge resulted from their teaching experience. He claims that the main determinant of teachers’ behavior is their theory-in-action or personal practical theory and this is conceptualized in different ways. Furthermore, he adds that a major component of teachers' personal practical theory is their tacit beliefs and values about what constitutes effective foreign language teaching and

learning which is formed throughout and is rooted from teachers’ past experience. El-Okda’s

[image:43.595.74.520.227.627.2]

argument is in line with that of Tsui (2003). She argues that experienced teachers make use of their experienced in achieving their teaching goal. The mean difference based on teaching experience also happens on a number of indicators of variable 3 (Personal Competency) as can be seen from the following figure.

Figure 16: Mean difference of indicators 3.5, 3.7, 3.9, and 3.11 of variable 3 (Personal Competency) by teaching experience.

Of twelve indicators provided in variable 3 (Personal Competency), four of them have significantly different mean by teaching experience between inexperienced teachers, relatively experienced teachers, and very experienced teachers. The indicators whose mean is different by teaching experience are indicator 3.5 (Maintains positive thinking), indicator 3.7

3 3.5 4 4.5 5

Inexperienced Rel. Experienced Very Experienced

Ind. 3.5.

Ind. 3.7.

Ind. 3.9.

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(Is orderly), indicator 3.9 (Is flexible when things go awry), and indicator 3.11 (Is committed to achieve goal). These four indicators make up of 33% of indicators in variable 4. Unlike the pattern found in variable 1 (Professional Competency) and in variable 2 (Pedagogical Competency) where Relatively Experienced teachers group has the strongest agreement, in this variable Very Experienced teachers group has the strongest agreement.

According to Tsui (2003), experienced teachers involve serious awareness of deliberation in their teaching actions and envisage things from different perspectives. In addition, experienced teachers recall their past experiences and relate them to new teaching situations. She also argues that professional growth is essentially a collaborative endeavor of many aspects. She believes that in accomplishing a task at an expert level often, a teacher requires the sources expertise from other teachers (Tsui, 2003).

[image:44.595.84.513.449.651.2]

By teaching experience, a mean difference also happens on a number of indicators of variable 4 (Social Competency), as presented in the following figure.

Figure 17: Mean difference of indicators 4.1, 4.6, 4.8, 4.9, 4.11, and 4.12 of variable 4 (Social Competency) by teaching experience.

As has been mentioned in previous section, there are 13 indicators in variable 4 (Social Competency). Of the 13 indicators, six of them have significant mean difference by

teaching experience. This happens to indicators 4.1 (Is sensitive to students’ personal 3

3.5 4 4.5 5

Inexper. Rel. Exper. Very Exper.

Ind.4.1.

Ind.4.6.

Ind.4.8.

Ind.4.9.

Ind.4.11.

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cooperation with parents), 4.9 (Has good communication skills with colleagues), 4.11 (Is able

to communicate well with education practitioners), and 4.12 (Has the knowledge of students’

cultural background). The pattern of the mean difference on the indicators of this variable is similar to that of indicators in variable 2 (Professional Competency) and in variable 3 (Pedagogical Competency) in which the significant mean difference happens between inexperienced teachers group and relatively experienced teachers group and between inexperienced teachers group and very experienced teachers group but not between relatively experienced teachers group and very experienced teachers group. Thus, the increase of mean between inexperienced teachers group and relatively experienced teachers group is stronger than the decrease of mean between relatively experienced teachers group and very experienced teachers group.

[image:45.595.82.518.250.704.2]

The study also found that significant mean difference happened to variable 3 (Personal Competency) by certification qualification for a number of indicators, as can be seen from the following figure.

Figure 18: Mean difference of indicators 3.5, 3.7, 3.8, 4.9, 3.10, and 3.12 of variable 3 (Personal Competency) by certification qualification.

From the above figure it can be said that 6 indicators (50% of indicators in this variable) have significant mean difference by certification qualification. These are indicator

4 4.2 4.4 4.6 4.8 5

Certified Non-Certified

Ind.3.5.

Ind.3.7.

Ind.3.8

Ind.3.9

Ind.3.10

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3.5 (Maintains positive thinking), indicator 3.7 (Is orderly), indicator 3.8 (Maintains discipline behavior), indicator 3.9 (Is flexible when things go awry), indicator 3.10 (Is committed to achieve goal), and indicator 3.12 (Maintains high moral and ethic standard). The mean difference between certified and non-certified teachers group also shows that the non-certified teachers have stronger agreement on each indicator. This suggests that after being certified, their agreement on the six aspects in variable 3 (Personal Competency) declines. However, the agreement of both groups in most indicators is above the score of 4.5 which can be categorized as strongly agree, although non-certified teachers have stronger agreement. This also suggests that both groups agree on the importance of personal competency as part of professional characteristics of EFL teachers. This finding is congruent with Whitehurst (2002) and Darling-Hammond et al., (1999) on the positive contribution of

teacher certification on students’ learning achievement.

5.3. On the Factors Affecting Teachers’ Professionalism

On aspects affecting teachers’ professionalism, respondents agree on the contribution

of the six aspects used in this study. Of the six aspects, knowledge of subject matter is believed to be the most important affecting aspect and certification qualification is believed to be the least important aspect. There is no controversy over the contribution of knowledge of subject matter but controversy exists over the importance of certification qualification as

triggers of teachers’ professionalism acquisition.

Respondents agree on the mastery of knowledge of subject matter as the most contributing aspect of professional EFL teachers because of two reasons. First, knowledge of subject matter is the essence of teachers’ qualities. It is the reason for a teacher’s presence in

the class. ‘Penguasaan bidang ilmu merupakan modal utama seorang guru (T01); yaa kalau

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sudah keharusan bagi guru untuk menguasai ilmu yang diajarkan (T48). Another reason is

that teachers without subject knowledge mastery will not be innovative (T79). This finding confirms a number of theories (Whitehurst, 2002; Grossman et a., 2005). Both Whitehurst

and Grossman et al., claim that knowledge of subject matter affects students’ learning

achievement.

The controversy over the importance of certification on teacher professional acquisition is due to a number of reasons. Those who believe the contribution of certification have two supporting arguments. First, it motivates teachers to work better. „...sertifikasi merupakan penyemangat kerja... (T01). Second, certification qualification reminds teacher to

work better „yaa memberikan semangat...kadang-kadang malu aja kalau ngajar nggak bener sudah sertifikasi gitu (T14); ingat sudah sertifikasi ...malu dong kalau ngajarnya

seenaknya...(T79). „Sertifikasi juga penting pak...dari mana kita tahu guru professional...dari

berkas setidaknya kita mengetahui.. memang kontroversi seperti UN juga kontroversi (T15).

T15 also added that having been certified reminds her to teach better ‘kita sudah sertifikasi

loh coba memahami anak ... mengingatkanlah’. In spite of her positive justification about

certification, she also acknowledged that certification is a controversial program. For her, certification is also a reward that should have been given automatically without taking a test of it.

Teachers who believe that certification does not contribute significant professionalism

for teachers also have a number of reasons. For them, certification does not change teachers’

personalities, as expressed by T04, T48, T29, and T27, which can be seen from their opinions about certification, as follows:

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Writer‟s translation: “I don‟t think that certification really helps, those who are lazy keep on being lazy .... we can see them in practice (T04); I am sorry to sa

Gambar

Table 1: Result of Validity Test of Variable 1
Table 2: Result of Validity Test of Variable 2
Table 4: Result of Validity Test of Variable 4
Table 6: The result of reliability test of variable 1-4
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