Characteristics of Effective Teachers in the Classroom Context: A Case of the Malaysian Post-Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) TFM Fellows
Universiti Utara Malaysia
ABSTRACT
This study seeks to establish the characteristics important for effective secondary teacher education in the 21st century. It deals with the initial and in-service education of secondary school teachers undergoing the Teach for Malaysia (TFM) programme. The study is based on the theoretical underpinning that effective teachers should display a wide range of skills and abilities that lead to creating a learning environment where all students feel comfortable and are sure that they can succeed both academically and personally. Generally, all the TFM fellows were found to have higher levels of pedagogical knowledge, pedagogical skills and affective attributes, all of which are vital for them to be effective teachers and which would subsequently ensure effective teaching and learning process in the classroom. Interestingly, the findings of this study were found to be in line with those conducted in numerous countries throughout the world and particularly in the Asian region, e.g. Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Yemen, Iran, Korea, Thailand and Singapore. Finally, it is hoped that the findings of this study would serve as a checklist for improving the existing TFM teacher education programme, and offer a frame of reference for education policy makers and teacher educators in the world at large.
KEYWORDS
Characteristics, Effective, Teach for Malaysia programme, Pedagogical knowledge, Pedagogical skills, Affective attributes