Are the future teachers apt for teaching Teachers

Are the future teachers apt for teaching? Teachers’ Aptitude Testing

WHAT IS APTITUDE? Intelligence Personality Achievement Exam

• Warren's Dictionary of Psychology defines aptitude as a • “condition or set of characteristics regarded as symptomatic of an individual’s ability to acquire training in some (usually specified) knowledge, skill, or set of responses such as the ability to speak a language, to produce music etc. ”

Choice of test

Choice of Test Occupational Aptitude Survey Vs. Teaching Aptitude test battery • ->Mental Ability • ->Attitude Towards Children • ->Interest in profession • ->Professional Information • ->Adaptability

What are DIETs? • District Institutes of Education and Training Teacher Training Institutes, set up under National Policy on Education ‘ 86 Focus on 1. Resource Support 2. Training 3. Action Research

Teaching Aptitude predicts • • Effectiveness Competency Students’ achievement IQ Input System Output Teachers Schools Students’ Outcomes

AIM • Comparative Analysis 1. Rural-Urban 2. UP Vs. Haryana 3. Male Vs. Female

Are the future teachers really apt to teach? A Case Analysis: DIET, Gurgaon

DIET, Gurgaon Sample Size: 154 Instrument: Teaching Aptitude Test Battery by Singh and Sharma Methodology: Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis

Number of Students (%) Where do pupil teachers want to teach? 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Gov. Schools Private Schools Others: Total Number of Students 1. Social Worker who responded: 135 2. “Whichever PAYS more” Mostly in Government run schools, few in Government Specified Schools

Why? • • More Pay No Incentive for performance; No accountability Hindi Speaking Population Job Security • Modeling • Teaching Motive • To give back to where I come from

Field Visit 1. Efficient Functioning 2. Interview Answers: “Proud to be in DIET, Gurgaon”

DIET, Gurgaon: Academic Achievement • • Admission on Merit; Cut off: 80% That’s why 43% of the students are from outside Gurgaon 120 100 % of students from gurgaon % of students from outside gurgaon % 80 60 40 20 0 Students of DIET, Gurgaon

Frequency Distribution of TEACHING APTITUDE of Students of DIET, Gurgaon Y AXIS 1 UNIT= 20 STUDENTS -2. 01 (z scores) -1. 25 -0. 50 0 0. 50 1. 25 2

Aptitude is positively correlated with Academic Achievement. Is it? Oh, well. There is something called “reservation”!

SCORES IN SUB AREAS • • • MENTAL ABILITY ATTITUDE TOWARDS CHILDREN ADAPTABILITY PROFESSIONAL INFORMATION INTEREST IN PROFESSION

Frequency Distribution of Mental Ability of Students of DIET, Gurgaon (z scores) -2. 01 -1. 25 -0. 50 1. 25 2. 01 Y AXIS 1 UNIT= 10 STUDENTS

Questions arise • What is the kind of teacher training in Haryana’s one of the best DIETs? • Does achievement tests in India make you able? • If teachers aren’t mentally able, how will they teach the children?

Adaptability of DIET, Gurgaon Students 60, 00 Relative frequency 50, 00 40, 00 30, 00 Adaptability 20, 00 Mean: 16. 25 S. D: 2. 09 10, 00 -2 -1, 25 -0, 5 1, 25 z scores 2 3

'Attitude towards Children' Professional Information z scores NEGATIVE SKEWNESS Interest in Profession z scores

ST ND 1 VS. 2 YEAR STUDENTS • More 2 nd years in the above average range OF Teaching Aptitude • But no such trend in Mental Ability.

Subjects Taught in D ed. • Education Philosophy – Education in Emerging -> Concentrated Experience (Lack of multiplicity of India experiences) • Education Psychology Study of Child Psychology and Teacher Function • Teacher Function (Role of teachers in primary education) -> Infation in • Hindi teaching aptitude • English through • Mathematics • Social Science (EVS I) “Coaching”/Social • Science (EVS II) Desirability • Physical Education (Games) -> TET Coaching • Art Education couldn’t affect Mental Ability

BOYS VS. GIRLS

RELATIVE FREQUENCY Frequency Distribution of TEACHING APTITUDE of boys and girls of DIET, Gurgaon -2. 01 -1. 25 -0. 50 0 0. 50 1. 25 (z scores) Female Male Girls: Boys Ratio=1: 5 Average: Female: 82. 01 Male: 81. 84 2 Sample Size: Female: 120 Male: 24

RELATIVE FREQUENCY Frequency Distribution of MENTAL ABILITY of boys and girls of DIET, Gurgaon (z scores) -2. 01 -1. 25 Female Male Average: Female: 18. 12 Male: 17. 27 -0. 50 0 0. 50 1. 25 2

BOYS > GIRLS Are they? More boys are mentally superior. Why?

Why? Age Distribution (DIET, Gurgaon) 80 % of students 70 60 50 40 BOYS (%) GIRLS (%) 30 20 10 0 17 -19 age 20 above

Why? Educational Qualification of the students 20 years or above (DIET, Gurgaon) 120 % of students 100 80 60 40 ? 20 0 12 th Pass HOLDS A DEGREE/DIPLOMA Educational Qualification BOYS (%) GIRLS (%)

Male Vs. Female Part Scores Girls>Boys Interest in Professional Information Boys>Girls Mental Ability Adaptability BOYS=GIRLS Interest in Profession

To Do • • Rural-Urban Comparative Study; Inter-state Comparative Study; Male-Female Comparative Study; Correlation between Aptitude and Achievement • ANSWER: ARE THE TEACHERS REALLY APT TO TEACH? • RECOMMENDATIONS: POLICY REFORMS 1. RTE’S TET: IS IT THE BEST INSTRUMENT? 2. TEACHING AS LEADERSHIP