1 Chapter 8: The Teaching Profession

C Ch ha ap pt te er r8 8: : T TH HE ET TE EA AC CH HIIN NG GP PR RO OF FE ES SS SIIO ON N
LEARNING OUTCOMES When you complete this chapter you should be able to: Define the attributes of a profession Differentiate between teacher preparation programmes adopted in different countries; Discuss the effort made to ensure the status of teachers is high Identify the reasons for deterioration of the status of teachers List the UNESCO resolutions on the status of teachers

CHAPTER OVERVIEW 8.1 Preamble 8.2 Characteristics of a profession 8.3 The teaching profession 8.4 Perception towards teaching 8.5 National Union of Teaching Profession 8.6 Social status of teachers o Taiwan o Nigeria 8.7 Choosing to teach
Key Words Summary References

PREAMBLE This chapter focuses on the teaching profession and whether the attributes of a profession applied to teaching. The status of teaching in relation to other occupations is discussed and reference is made to several countries to examine the status of teaching.

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SOME QUOTATIONS ABOUT TEACHING Teaching is the highest form of understanding Aristotle Every truth has four corners: as a teacher I give you one corner, and it is for you to find the other three Confucius No man can be a good teacher unless he has feelings of warm affection toward his pupils and a genuine desire to impart to them what he himself believes to be of value. Bertrand Russell If a doctor, lawyer, or dentist had 40 people in his office at one time, all of whom had different needs, and some of whom didn't want to be there and were causing trouble, and the doctor, lawyer, or dentist, without assistance, had to treat them all with professional excellence for nine months, then he might have some conception of the classroom teacher's job. Donald D. Quinn 8.1 Concept of a Profession

Today there are many different kinds of occupations that may be classifed as a profession who contribute to the well-being of society. Among them are doctors, engineers, accountants, architects, lawyers, teachers and others. What are the characteristics of a profession?

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Doctor

Engineer

Teacher

Dentist

Lawyer

Would you allow yourself to be treated by a doctor who does not have a degree in medicine? Would you appoint an unlicensed engineer to build a bridge? Would you allow your child to be taught by a teacher who does not have a qualification in education? Are you be brave enough to be treated by dentist who did not obtain not go to university? Would you want to be defended by a lawyer who does not have a bachelor in law degree?

Obviously, your answer to the above questions is a definite NO. Why?

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Profession originates form the Latin word profiteor which is divided into pro which generally means towards and fiteor which means to acknowledge, promise, tell all, take an oath. In the 19 century, the terms profession was reserved for occupations in religion, law and medicine only (see Figure 8.1). It is difficult to give an exact definition of the word profession. While a great deal has been written about the definition of a profession, there is still a lack of consensus on what is a profession. The definitions given in dictionaries has been accepted by some individuals while others argue that is is too general. Philosophers, legal experts and professional bodies have given their own definitions of a profession. The following are some definitions of a Figure 8.1 A doctor treating a profession: patent in the 19th century The Oxford English Dictionary defines a profession as jobs that are paid and involve a long duration of training and the conferment of a formal qualification. The Australian Council of Professions defines a profession as a disciplined group of individuals who adhere to high ethical standards and uphold themselves to, and are accepted by, the public as possessing special knowledge and skills in a widely recognised, organised body of learning derived from education and training at a high level, and who are prepared to exercise this knowledge and these skills in the interest of others. Gilley dan Eggland (1989) defines a profession as someone who possesses a specific body of knowledge, is a member of an organisation and whose knowledge and skills are required by society. Business.Dictionary.com defines a profession as jobs or occupations which requires complex knowledge and skills acquired thourgh a formal education system. Kamus Dewan (2005) defines a profession as an occupation that requires a period of education and high level skills though training. Cruess, R., Johnston S & Cruess, R (2004), defines a profession as an occupation that involves the acquision of a body of knowledge and skills. The members of a profession hold on to a code of ethics and are committed to providing a service to the community which is a contract between the individual and society.

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Lieberman (1956) defines a profession as an occupation that is intellectual, requires professional training, whose services required by society, has a code of conduct or code of ethics and an organisation that overseers the welfare of its members.

1.1 AKTIVITI LEARNING ACTIVITY PEMBELAJARAN

Referring Dengan merujuk to the various kepadadefinitions definisi profesion identifyyang the common disenaraikan, words or phrases kenal that pasti are perkataan similar or dan nearly frasa similar yang in sama each statement. dan hampir sama dalam setiap penyataan.

8.2

Characteristics of a Profession

Individuals who call themselves as professionals are involved in occupation for which they are paid, are experts in thier field and undergo a period of training. What the general characteristics of a profession? Based on the characteristics and attributes suggested by Greenwood (1957), Wilensky (1964), Lubell (1978) dan Bayles (1988), seven characteristics of a profession are identified (see Figure 1.2). 1. UNIQUE SERVICE A profession provides a unique service that is needed by society. Hence, only members of that profession are allowed to provide the service for the wellbeing of society. For example, only a doctor can provide medical services; a lawyer can provide legal services. 2. KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS All members of a profession are equipped with the facts, concepts, principles and theories of a body of knolwdge and high level skills which are applied in the respective occupations. For example, a lawyers needs to know the related laws, acts and rules. Professionals have oriented their occupation to be personally involved in their work and satisfaction is not only financial but also the attached symbols and titles. For examples, doctors carry the initials Dr and engineers carry the initials Ir in front of their names.

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Knowledge & Skills

Unique Service

Specialised Training

Autonomy

PROFESION

Responsibility

Body Controlling

Code of Ethics

Figure 8.2 Seven Characteristics of a Profession 3. SPECIALISED TRAINING Every professional has to undergo a period of education and training in a college or university. However, there are professions where a person can learn to be a professional through learning from home. For examplem a peron can become an accountant and become a professional by completing courses such as ACCA or CIMA without going to university. A professional has to show his or her ability to pass tests and examinations. Many professions require that its members have a license or certificates meeting the criteria of the profession. Members of a profession are given a license or certificate which states their the level of their authority and their influence. For example in the case of building project, it would not be approved without the signature of the consultant engineer, 4. AUTONOMY A professional enjoys autonomy and is responsible for the service given to the public who are unable to evaluate the quality of the service. For example when you are treated by a doctor, he or she has the autonomy or power to decide the type of treatment to be given to you. Because you do not have the relevant qualifications and experience, you are unable to determine the quality of the service provided and you have to rely on the professional.

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5. RESPONSIBILITY Even though a the members of a profession have autonomy, they also have a responsibility and are accountable for their action and decisions made. Because the service provided by a professional involves the welfare of human beings, their responsibility is heavy. For example, a doctor is responsible when a patient dies after an operation. Members of the family may take legal action if they are convinced there is malpractice or the doctor is suspected of being careless. 6. CODE OF ETHICS A professional follows closely the behaviour required by the profession in providing a service that is systematic and binding. Also specified is the relationship between members who cooperate and help each other which is enforced by their respective professional bodies. The integrity of a profession is maintained by holding on to a code of ethics. The code of ethics enable the monitoring a profession and built in is a mechanism for taking action against members who violate the code [This is discussed in more detail in Chapter 3]. 7. CONTROLLING BODIES Many professions have a body or organisation that is made up of several committees, action team and others which work towards achieving the objectives of the profession and enhancing its image. For example, the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) monitors the behaviour and actions of medical doctors; the Malaysian Bar Council monitors the actions of lawyers, while the Malaysian Architect Association monitors the behaviours and actions of architects.

[source: Sharifah Alwiah Alsagoff, 1984. Falsafah Pendidikan. Kuala Lumpur: Heinemann Asia]

LEARNING ACTIVITY

(a) To what extent do you agree with SEVEN attributes of a profession? (b) Are there other characteristics of a profession you would like to add?

8 Chapter 8: The Teaching Profession 8.3 Teaching Profession

Is the teacher a professional like a doctor or lawyer?

A question that is often asked, Is teaching a profession? or Is a teacher a professional?. This is question that has asked for decades. It cannot be denided that teaching that teaching is a challenging profession (Noriati Rashid, Boon Pong Ying & Wong Kiet Wah, 2010). Teachers are expected to know all about human behaviour and play several roles in order to be an effective professional. This awareness arose in the 1950s where the teacher besides having to have perfect behaviour is required to perform several different roles [see Chapter 3 which discusses the different roles of he teacher]. Coming back to the question, is teaching a profesion can be determined by referring to the SEVEN characteristics or attributes of a profession discussed earlier.

TO WHAT EXTENT IS TEACHING A PROFESSION? First relates to a Unique Service. Teaching is profession that provides a unique service needed by society. The uniqueness of the service is appreciated and known by those involved in the profession. Only the teacher is able to provide the best educational service to society in developing the personality, mental and physical abilities of students (Noran Fauziah dan Ahmad Mahdzan, 1993). The teaching profession is not only the oldest profession but is also unique and diverse. Teachers do not only present knowledge, they are also counsellor, administrator, motivator, substitute parents, leader, disciplinarian and instructional managers. Even though children may be educated by parents, television or the internet, the teacher is still the expert who has been trained to deliver knowledge and skills.

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Second relate to Knowledge and Skills. To become a qualified teacher a person must acquire specific knowledge and skills through a long period of training. According to Shulman (1987), the knowledge that teachers need include: Knowledge about history and philosophy of education Knowledge about the content of the subject areas (Content Knowledge) Knowledge about pedagogy (Pedagogical Content Knowledge) Knowledge about the Curriculum (ie. Syllabus, learning materials, teaching-learning aids and so forth) Knowledge about classroom management Knowledge about administration and school culture Third relates to Specialised Training. To be a teacher, a person must undergv a period of specialised training. Undergraduate Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) programmes offered by universities and Institutes of Teacher Education take a period of 4 years to complete which includes a practicum where students spend about a semester as student teachers. The Bachelor of Education programmes offer a variety of specialisations such a teaching English, Bahasa Melayu, science, mathematics and so forth. Also offered is a postgraduate diploma in education called KPLI (Kursus Perguruan Lepasan Ijazah) for candidates who have a degree in various disciplines and want to be qualified as a teacher. Previously, Institutes of Teacher Education offered a 3 year certificate and diploma programme is teacher education. While there are several specialised training programmes in education, there are thousands of teachers teaching in kindergartens who do not have a teaching qualification. Similarly, there are also temporary teachers called guru sandaran teaching in schools who do not have specialised training in education. Fourth relates to Autonomy, Though teachers have autonomy it is limited compared to other professions. For example, a lawyer or accountant can refuse and choose their clients (though this practice is not encouraged), a teacher cannot refuse not to teach the pupils in his or her charge. Similarly, the curriculum used is determined by others but the teacher is free to adopt appropriate teaching methods. Fifth relates to Responsibility. According to Tatasusila Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia (Code of Conduct), teachers are responsible to students, responsible to parents, responsible to their colleagues, and responsible to the profession and the nation.

Sixth related to Professional Bodies. With regards to professional bodies, unions and associations monitoring the behaviour and actions of members, it has been less effective. These organisations do not have the power to take action on members who violate the code of ethics unlike the Malaysian

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Medical Council. Also, it is not compulsory for teachers to be members of these associations. Also there are many such organisations with their own objectives which differ from each other. These organisations tend to emphasise issues related to servive matters such as salary revisions and other benefits. Seven is the Code of Ethics. The code of ethics for the teaching profession is determined by the Ikrar Guru and Tatasusila Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia. However, since most teachers (excluding the private sector) are govvernment employees, their behaviour and actions are monitored through the General Orders which specifies actions that are restricted and actions which require special permission. The General Orders also specifiy the punishment accorded for violation of the General Orders. Generally, the teaching profession meets the attributes of a profession, though they may be weak in meeting a few of the characteristics or attributes of a profession. For example, teachers who do not have a teaching qualification are allowed to teach in schools and kindergartens. This would not be permitted in legal, medical or engineering profesion. 8.4 Perception Towards the Teaching Profession

Table 8.1 show the number of teachers in Malaysia who teach about 5.4 million students. It is estimated that there are about 10,000 teachers teaching in kindergartens and preschools sponsored by the government and the private sector. Type Primary School Secondary School Total Male Female

70,600 55,571 126,171

159,849 119,696 279,545

230,449 175,267 405,716

Table 8.1 Number of Teachers in Malaysia (2010) Abdul Rahin Hamdan, Ahmad Johari Hj Sihes, Jamaluddin Ramli dan Rosliza Hamzah (2006) in their study title Perpsepsi Guru Terhadap Profesion Perguruan Masa Kini found that 100% of teacher studies felt that their job as a teachers is a noble profession. However, only 38% admitted that society highly regarded the teaching profession. It should be emphasised that these are the views of 100 teachers from a secondary in Kelantan who were involved in the study.

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A study conducted in Nigeria by Lawal (2012) found that the teaching profession was not highly regarded compared to to other professions such as law, engineering and medicine. They also stated that they do not wish their children to choose teaching a a career. On the other hand, Bih-Jen Fwu & Hsiou-Huai Wang (2002) discovered tht teacher in Taiwan enjoyed high prestige and high standard of living. Also, the majority of teachers interviewed were most satisfied with their job. According to the researchers, this is related to the culture, history and policy of the Taiwan government which has always given importance and priority to the teaching profession. However, it is interesting to note that in Malaysia, teaching seems to be a significant choice among 80,000 students who applied to be teachers in 2010. It is a large number considering that there only 6000 places available in teacher training instutions. It has been reported that those applying consists of candidates with very good grades in the SPM & STPM which is a good sign that qualified candidates are accepted into the profession. Also applicants for the Kursus Perguruan Lepasan Ijazah (KPLI) programme are made of professionals such as engineers, legal practitioners, accountants and others from local and foreign universities applying to be trained as teachers. Some of them already have jobs and earn high salaries. Why have they chosen to be teachers? [refer to Chapter 4 which discusses the Malaysian Teachers Standards specifying the need to ensure that good candidates are accepted into training training]. Hence, it may be concluded that more qualified individuals are interested in making teaching their career.

LEARNING ACTIVITY

In your opinion, does Malaysian society regard the teaching profession highly? Explain.

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The teaching profession is most important to any society because the education of the next generation depends on teachers. The teacher is father, mother and friend of the student. The teacher tirelessly gives advice and guides students. However, society is of the opinion that teachers have a lot of free time and holidays, the only work half a day, their duties are easy and the are secure in their job.

A Doctor who fails only one patient is in jeopardy but if a teacher fails a whole generation is destroyed.

8.5

National Union of Teaching Profession

The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP). or Kesatuan Perkhidmatan Perguruan Kebangsaan (KPPK) was established and officially registed on 27 Junr, 1974. It is the merger of of two teacher unions; i.e. The National Union of Teachers (NUT) dan Kesatuan Kebangsaan Guru-Guru Sekolah Kebangsaan (KKGSK).

Membership Members of NUTP are made of different catergories of teachers from all types of schools. NUTP is the largest teachers union in Malaysian with 160,000 members in 2010 and one of the largest in suth East Asia. The NUTP has 12 branches throughout the whole country Each branch has an office, a committee and a building of its own and conducts various activities at the branch level.

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Vision Enhance the Quality of the Teaching Profession Mission Plan and implement various programmers aimed at producing innovative, dynamic and progressive teachers according to the vision which seeks to enhance the standard and prestige of the teaching profession Objective Campion the basic rights of teachers and provide excellent and high quality services to members

As a union NUTP acts as an advocate for teachers and the teaching profession. NUTP works towards enhancing the welfare of members and helping them understand their role in realising the National Educational Philosophy. It is committed towards enhancing the image and prestige of the teaching profession and issues related to scheme fo service, salaries, promotions and others. [sumber: laman web Kesatuan Perkhidmatan Perguruan Kebangsaan, http://www.nutp.org]

LEARNING ACTIVITY

a) Are you member of NUTP? Explain b) Comment on the role of NUTP. Provide suggestions on how it can serve the teaching profession better,

8.6 SOCIAL STATUS OF TEACHERS

Until the twentieth century, teachers had very little formal preparation for their jobs and little voice in determining the conditions of their employment. Teacher training entailed only one or two years (and sometimes less) at a normal school or teachers college. The main thrust of this training centred on their public and private deportment. Teachers were enjoined to follow strict rules and regulations concerning their behaviour away from the school setting (Ornstein & Levine, 2003). Teachers unions were nonexistent, and teachers were isolated from one another in small schools and school districts. Teachers could be dismissed by the community for almost any reason with no recourse (Ornstein & Levine, 2003). Further, teachers were not allowed to teach any material that anyone in the community might find questionable

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(Ornstein & Levine, 2003). Times have changed. Today teachers aspire to be seen as true professionals with expert knowledge concerning the content and methods of instruction in their particular areas of study. Despite some gains, teaching retains an uncertain status in our society (Robb, 2004). Although it is often referred to as a profession, it does not command the same prestige as other established professions, such as law or medicine. Social status of teachers refers to the status of the teaching profession in the hierarchy of all other occupations. The status of an occupation is normally determined by certain social factors, such as wealth, authority, and prestige of those who are employed in that profession enjoys. The way teachers are recruited and trained have made them highly respected, especially in the developed economies. Even though candidates are screened before recruiting society tends but they do not perceived as having the same prestige as doctors and lawyers. This could be due to the fact that teachers are assigned schools in rural areas of the country and have to face children from low income group. However, this view may change as you improve your teaching qualifications. Professors in the university are highly regarded for their intellectual ability. The social status of teacher has been the subject of a notable segment of sociological research in the past four decades. In 1925, Counts gave a questionnaire to a selected group of 350 teachers, high school students and college students. He discovered that secondary school teachers were given a rank of 10 out of 45 occupations while primary school teachers were given a rank of 13. Similarly, in 1929, Wilkinson asked 861 college students to identify the members of which 30 occupations they would marry, which they would accept as neighbours, which they would admit to their clubs, and which they would admit to their church or religion. Teachers ranked first on the initial question and third on the latter three questions behind doctors and lawyers. [souce: Patrick J. Groff. (1962) The Social Status of Teachers. Journal of Educational Sociology, Vol. 36, No. 1, pp. 20-25] In a study conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) of more than 500 occupations, physicians and surgeons received the highest average score of 82 in the United States (Treiman, 1977). Elementary and secondary teachers scored 60 and 63 respectively, both of which were above the 90th percentile (Treiman, 1977). There are studies that claim 70 percent of U.S. respondents are of the opinion that high school teachers are very respected or fairly respected (Ornstein and Levine, 2003). One could clearly argue whether or not teachers feel respected in todays society. While teachers may be respected by some of the public, those with political power may not respect the teaching profession. How might we reconcile or explain this ambiguity? The relatively high ranking of teachers may be due to the public gratitude for the nobility of their work with youngsters, but that gratitude may not be equated with the same kind of prestige enjoyed by law, medicine, and the like. This is due to the fact that law and medicine are judged to be

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professions with a high degree of status. That teachers have increased their level of education over the past half century might be one reason why teachers have increased their occupational prestige. The complex nature of teaching might be another reason. Rowan (1994), comparing teachers work with other occupations, found that complexity of work was directly related to occupational prestige. Teaching ranked high in prestige, because it was more complex than 75 percent of all other occupations (Rowan, 1994). A teachers work requires them to apply logical principles or scientific analyses to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw conclusions (Rowan, 1994). Teachers must possess highly developed skills related to reading, writing, and speaking. Most importantly, teachers must develop positive relationships with many different constituencieschildren, adolescents, parents, colleagues, and superiors. Professions such as physicians, lawyers, and engineers are regarded as more complex, and because these professions require more rigorous academic preparation and licensure, society confers higher prestige and higher pay to them (Rowan, 1994). Even though teachers salaries have increased more than those of the average worker in industry, teacher pay is lower than the average college graduate, such as those in engineering, nursing, accounting, or business/finance in the United States. Thus teachers earn far less than lawyers, business executives, and other professionals with similar levels of higher education. There is no reason to think that teachers will not continue to make comparisons with other groups and, therefore, feel dissatisfied. This dissatisfaction has led some teachers to leave the profession and has been one of the reasons for teacher militancy towards public officials and a crucial factor in the union movement (Natale, 1993). The educational reform movement will continue to put teachers in the limelight and pressure on the school system to increase salaries. As is apparent from recent past history, few optimistic projections and promises have been fulfilled (Ornstein, 1990). The earnings gap between teachers and other highly educated professional groups must continue to close if teaching is to realise full status as a profession. Teachers should continue to experience increased status with the help from their own professional organizations as well as continued improvement of educational standards (Ornstein & Levine, 2003). On the other hand, in Japan, the teaching profession has always been highly respected and they are called sensei meaning great respect and this applies to teachers at all levels, including university. Because of this status teachers are paid 10 percent higher than other government servants of the same level. The average Japanese teacher earns the same as the average engineer. In France, similar treatment is awarded to teachers at the primary, secondary and universities where they are referred to as professeurs. In Germany, teachers are ranked 11 on the occupational scale. As such, teachers in France and Germany are among the highly paid, highranking government servants. In Germany, teachers pay includes allowances for spouses, children, and housing. We will now examine the social status of teachers in two countries to gauge why certain countries placed higher social status on their teachers compared to others.

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Case Study #1: TAIWAN Taiwan is an island inhabited by Chinese who migrated from mainland China. During the Sino-Japanese War (1895-95) Taiwan was under Japanese occupation. In 1949 it was taken over by China. Today, Taiwan has among the fastest growing economy in the Asian region along with Hong Kong, Singapore, and South Korea. With such an economic growth, education has played a major role in producing highly trained workforce needed to generate its economic development. As a result, teacher education is placed as an important profession to manage this output of skilled manpower. Teachers in Taiwan are highly trained in their profession (Fwu & Wang, 2002). They are awarded high prestige, wealth, and authority by the public and this reflects the importance attached to education and the degree of respect the Taiwanese society placed on their teachers. In a survey on 26 occupations in Taiwan (Lin, 1971, 1980, 1992), teaching was placed in the middle of those occupations perceived as professionals, higher than dentistry and accounting. Secondary school teachers were ranked 9th and primary school teachers as 11th in comparison with other occupations. Why are Taiwanese teachers highly regarded? Taiwanese teachers reported a high level of job satisfaction; more than 80% of primary and secondary school teachers are happy with the intrinsic and extrinsic aspects of their teaching; handsome compensation packages, low stress, strong on teacher-parent-community relationships; and lower social origin, female dominance, a large working force, quality academic qualifications, public image and status of training are perceived positive. The academic qualifications of teachers in Taiwan are generally high. Primary school teachers are trained at normal and junior teachers colleges. They are recruited from the top 10% of junior high school graduates and they have to sit for an extremely competitive entrance examination (Mao, 1991) to enter the normal junior colleges. The three universities which produced the majority of the Taiwanese secondary school teachers have high academic reputations. Similar universities have also been set up to train secondary school teachers. Due to the high academic recognition given to the teaching profession by the government and public, teacher training programmes are therefore at equal par with other fields in higher education institutions in Taiwan. Case Study #2; NIGERIA The National Policy on Education (1998) of the Republic of Nigeria stressed that no education system can emerge above the quality of its teachers. Thus, the government had given top priority in all educational planning and development, including teacher training. The government intends to ensure that all teachers are professionally trained. With such support from the government, however, teaching programmes at the university is still not on the list of top chosen programs by students (The Nigerian Observer, July 11, 2002). The following are some possible reasons why the teaching profession is not favoured in Nigeria: Poor motivation strategies prevalent in the teaching profession in Nigeria Low salary scheme and poor conditions of service Poor quality of English Language teaching in many secondary schools in Nigeria

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Teaching attracts low calibre people because of the high rate of qualified teachers resigning Low morale, lack of job satisfaction, inadequate remuneration, teachers lack of confidence in the teaching profession, and lack of promotion

There is the belief among politicians and government officials that anybody can teach; and that students join the teaching programme because they did not qualify for specialised programmes such as medicine, engineering and administration. The teaching profession was only popular in Nigeria in the mid 19th century. However, after independence in 1960, employment opportunities were plenty and this had encouraged teachers to leave school and seek for other professions with better pay.

LEARNING ACTIVITY

The teaching profession lags behind other professions such as law and medicine in four significant areas. One is having a defined body of knowledge and skills. The second is control over licensing standards and/or entry requirements. The third is autonomy in making decisions about selected spheres of work. The fourth is high prestige and economic standing. That teaching does not possess these four characteristics is a factor pertaining to why teaching has such an ambiguous status as a profession. [source: Kevin, C. Robb (2004). An Uncertain Position: Examining the Status of Teaching as a Profession. Upper Iowa University]. Discuss the above statement with reference to the teaching profession in your country. How do you think the status of teachers can be raised?

8.7 WHY CHOOSE TO BE A TEACHER?

There are people who tend to assume that those who enter the teaching profession are less keen in making money compared to other professions such as doctors, lawyers and engineers. Similarly, these teachers are seen as less creative in ideas as compared to professions such as scientist and academic specialties. But they are the ones who love being with kids. Studies have shown that 80 percent of teachers derived job satisfaction by just being able to make a difference in the childs life

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(Kottkamp, Provenso, & Cohn, 1986; Lortie, 1975). In 1998, Soh discovered that selfactualization and service conditions were the main reasons for taking up teaching in Singapore. In a later study, Goh and Atputhasamy found that altruistic motives such as love to work with children stood out as the main reason for getting into teaching in Singapore. Reid and Caudwell (1997) found that in Britain the two most common reasons for joining the teacher profession was enjoy working with children and the feeling that teaching would bring about high job satisfaction. On the other hand, trainee teachers in Brunei Darussalam chose teaching because it job security, good salary and benefits. Case Study: MALAYSIA Choong (2006) in a study of 546 trainee teachers in a college, found that the five most popular motives for choosing the teaching profession were: 1. Love working with children, 2. Love teaching, 3. Influence young lives, 4. teaching is intellectually stimulating, and 5. Teaching is a noble profession. These five reasons are essentially altruistic motives reflecting a liking for children and the teaching profession. The set of reasons are: secure job, inspired by a model teacher, inborn talent for teaching, immediate employment upon completion of training, high status profession, and many fringe benefits. This group of reasons are more related to service conditions, the nature of the teaching profession, internal as well as external influences (Choong, 2006). Of lesser importance is the long vacation, friends encouragement, attractive training pay, good prospects, many job possibilities, high salaries, easy promotion, and parent/sibling a teacher. The least important motives are no other choice, and relatively easy job. According to Choong (2006), interestingly, these findings reveal that pre-service teachers did not enter the teaching profession out of desperation; they also seemed to understand that teaching is not an easy job compared to others.
LEARNING ACTIVITY

a) What are your reasons for being an teacher / instructor or educator? b) Do you think the status of teachers will improve?

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SUMMARY

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a profession as jobs that are paid and involve a long duration of training and the conferment of a formal qualification. A professional follows closely the behaviour required by the profession in providing a service that is systematic and binding. Though teachers have autonomi it is limited compared to other professions such as lawyers and accountants. Generally, the teaching profession meets the attributes of a profession, though they may be weak in meeting a few of the characteristics or attributes of a profession. A professional enjoys autonomy and is responsible for the service given to the public who are unable to evaluate the quality of the service. It may be concluded that more qualified individuals are interested in making teaching their career in Malaysia. Every professional has to undergo a period of education and training in a college or university. The poem by Usman Awang describes the sacrifices of a teacher. The code of ethics for the teaching profession is determined by the Ikrar Guru and Tatasusila Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia. NUTP is the largest teachers union in Malaysian with 160,000 members in 2010 and one of the largest in suth East Asia.

KEY WORDS Profession Knowledge Autonomy Code of ethics Responsibility Professional bodies Training Prestige Status Unique service Prestige of the profession Panggilan keramat Teaching license National Union of Teaching Profession

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REFERENCES Charters, W.W., & Waples, D. (1929). The Commonwealth teacher-training study. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Coleman, J.S., Hoffer, T., & Kilgore, S. (1982). High school achievement: Public, Catholic and private schools compared. New York: Basic Books. Corwin, R.G. (1965). A sociology of education: Emerging patterns of class, status, and power in the public schools. New York, NY: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Choong Lean Keow, (2006). Motives for Choosing the Teaching Profession: Voices of Pre-service Teachers. Maktab Perguruan Ipoh Perak

Darling-Hammond, L. & Cobb, V. (1995). Teacher preparation and professional development in APEC members: A comparative study. APEC-95-HR-01; ED/OUS95-22. Earle, S. (1991). What is a profession? New York: Stone Place Publishers
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