Abstract

The present study intended to investigate the perception of teacher educators about professional conduct and ethics and its relationship with the academic performance of the students. There were 29 government colleges for elementary teachers. 90 teacher educators and 220 students were selected using a convenient sampling technique. Data was collected from teacher educators with the help of a questionnaire having five points rating scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree. To investigate the perceptions of teacher educators, measures of central tendency were used. To analyze perceptions of teacher educators on a gender basis, a t-test was applied. To find out the relationship between the perception of teacher educators about professional conduct and ethics and students' academic performance, a coefficient of correlation was applied using a statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). Findings demonstrated that teacher educators showed their agreement towards professional conduct and ethics. There was found significant difference between the perception of male and female teacher educators about professional conduct and ethics. The relationship between teacher educators' perception of professional conduct and ethics and students' academic performance was found statistically significant.

Introduction

Perception, Professional Conduct and Ethics, Teacher Educators

Introduction

The teaching field is thought to be the earliest and most prestigious in the entire globe. It is crucial that what happens in the classrooms is indeed a real representation of what learning is and ought to be to maintain the public's perspective of the profession. However, some teachers' behaviour and conduct could have a significant effect on the academic performance of the students. The goal of this debate is to discuss the issue of teachers' behaviour and responsibility to improve students' outstanding academic performance and, in doing so, confront the issues of the twenty-first century. 




Conceptual Interpretations

Teaching

The art of teaching is transferring knowledge to the student. To properly transmit lessons to the students, a teacher, who has undergone a prescribed term of training, is primarily responsible for this. Educating cannot be a profession that is available to "all newcomers," so not everyone who tries to find a career beyond education and is unable, to simply becomes a teacher. The fact that there are so many inexperienced and inadequately trained teachers in the classrooms could be among the reasons why students are failing. Teaching is a noble vocation, and to avoid being teased by his or her students, every teacher whose job it is to convey knowledge must also be well-versed in the subject.




Conduct and Ethics

The term 'conduct & ethics refers to the components of human virtue that are obvious from behaviour, attitudes, doings, and their sayings. In the routine activity of teachers as a group and as professionals, it is the acknowledgement of good and awareness of negative. Teachers will genuinely rely on ethics to ensure objectivity and decency in their teaching careers. A teacher must discuss the material in class while bringing their own moral principles and misgivings. Ethics illuminate the real-world repercussions of the teacher's saying or doing—not in perplexing and crucial circumstances, but during regular class periods also.

Conduct and ethics play a crucial role in the academic community and in the profession of teaching as well. Professionals in the field of education utilise educational ethics. Ethics is regarded as a subfield of philosophy that deals with the idea of right and wrong. The way human beings behave is their ethical behaviour. Morality and ethics are two of the many topics that fall within a teacher's responsibility. Practising morality and ethical values, the application of ethical standards, perceptions of behaviour, and appropriate teacher dispositions constitute teaching ethics (Sultana, 2014). Everyone agrees that having a code of professional conduct and ethics for the teaching profession, like for all other professions, is essential to maintain the self-respect and honour of the profession.

It is not simple to separate a teacher's career from their devotion to a code of conduct and ethics. Teachers are generally trained and qualified professionals who uphold high moral standards and professional ethics in the performance of their honourable profession. They also possess technical and professional aptitude. It shows that teachers' commitment to the standards of professional conduct and ethics and the word 'teacher' are the same thing. 




Professional Conduct and Ethics

Professional bodies, operating under legal or contractual authority, are responsible for regulating matters of professional conduct and ethics. In the past, professional associations handled all aspects of professional conduct and ethics; as a result, the only kind of legislative body was one that was contractual. For the benefit of their members, these organizations formulate a code of conduct and ethical standards. In many circumstances, rules and laws have been adopted that substitute statutory law for professional regulation (Wikipedia, 2015).

Ruairs and Griola (2011) said, educators must act in a way that is deemed appropriate for advancing education and learning, as shown below:

• Protect the prestige and status of the occupation. 

• All practical measures are taken to safeguard the well-being and security of students under their supervision.

• Execute within the limits of the guidelines provided by the institution. 

• Respect established rules, regulations and standards of the country and the institution that are intended to advance student well-being, education, and fortification.

• Recognize circumstances or situations that may have an impact on students' welfare and act accordingly. 

• Have professional and effective interaction with students, their parents, coworkers, institutional administration, and with other members of the institution.

• Keep up-to-date knowledge and expertise. 

• Analyze and evaluate critically your professional skills. 

• Using the chances for developing lifelong professional growth.




Academic Performance

The outcome of teaching and learning is academic performance, which measures how well the students, teachers, and educational institutions have done in achieving their educational objectives. This is frequently assessed through exams or ongoing evaluation but what are the most effective methods of doing it (Wikipedia 2015)?

Regrettably, there is less focus on showing the necessary skills, particularly among Pakistani teachers. which explains why after passing an exam on a topic, pupils rarely try to recall what they learned. Most of them only study to successfully pass a test or an exam, after which the information and techniques are disregarded.

According to the literature, there are some aspects of teachers that have impacts on the academic performance of the students (Wasanga, 2010). Craig (2009) presents five key lessons on the types of skills and competencies that students will find more useful in the twenty-first century. Those are as under:

• A certificate or degree of technical training and skilful education that enables the students to support their families in maintaining a better lifestyle.

• Acquiring conventional information and skills in disciplines like science, language arts, and math without having those talents replaced by new ones.

• Academic greatness is demonstrated by students' ability the application the learning they have in the disciplines to tackle problems of the world rather than just examining educational brilliance.

• Students who acquire a somewhat wider range of most demanding skills, such as the capacity to analyze information critically, come up with unique solutions to issues, cooperate on new initiatives, and embrace change.

Teacher’s Conduct & Ethics: Its Effect on Students’ Academic Performance 

For teaching and learning to be successful, a teacher's demeanour is crucial. Having a positive attitude, creating a pleasant sociocultural environment in the classroom, instructional quality, organizational skills, powerful instructional lecturing, the application of a range of instructional approaches, encompassing pupils' concepts, and applying suitable and diverse inquisitive techniques are all characteristics of an effective teacher (Creamers, 1994).

According to Smith (1995), regardless of gender, an effective teaching style promotes pleasant student engagement and inspires students to study even challenging material. The student is aroused and alerted by facial expressions. The way students look at their teachers encourages their focus, engagement, and respect for them. Babalola (2000) outlines four visible characteristics that include bodily movement, speech projection, gestures, and amusement.

A teacher through his teaching techniques, his sacrifices, and his love for students show the way by which nations are built. A teacher should perform virtuous behaviour and moral actions if he is ethical in his activities (Berry, 2010). 




Statement of Problem 

Since teachers are one of the major pillars in achieving educational objectives, the quality of learning in every country greatly depends upon the calibre of its educators. Planning, entering the classroom, and reporting on student performance are not enough to ensure that the learners are learning. What takes place in the classroom when the teacher carries out the curriculum sounds more interesting. Such queries are believed to reflect a teacher's commitment to upholding their professional code of conduct and ethics.

Does the question arise that how devoted is a teacher to upholding the code of ethics? It goes without saying that each teacher will have a different response to this issue. Among numerous other elements influencing the diversity in answers, this study was designed. The linkage between teachers' professional conduct and ethics with the students' performance was also the topic of the present study. 

Objectives of the study

General Objective

The present study was designed to investigate the perceptions of Teacher Educators about professional conduct and ethics and their impact on the academic performance of the students.




Specific Objectives 

The present study was thoroughly designed and was intended:

1. To investigate the perceptions of Teacher Educators of GCETs of Punjab Province about Professional Conduct and Ethics.

2. To find out the relationship between Teacher Educators’ perception of Professional conduct and ethics with students’ academic performance. 

3. To state whether there is a significant difference between perceptions of male and female teacher educators about professional conduct and ethics. 

Methodology

Design of the Study

The study involved investigating teacher educators' perception of professional conduct and ethics and its relationship with students' academic performance. It was a correlation design because it included examining the link between the variables.




Population and Sample

The target population of the present study were all teacher educators and students of B.Ed. from all GCETs of Punjab Province of Pakistan. A convenient sampling technique was adopted to select the participants from Govt. Colleges for Elementary Teachers of Punjab Province. A sample of 90 teacher educators and 220 students has selected in the way that the sample represented the whole of the population.




Research Instruments

Gay (2012) claims that a survey is a method for gathering information that identifies some or even more features of a particular populace. Surveys are often reasonably inexpensive and allow for the data to be gathered from considerably bigger samples as compared to other research instrument. The data regarding the perception of teacher educators about professional conduct and ethics were gathered through a questionnaire. The researcher developed the items of the questionnaire herself and with the help of some educationists in the city. Categories were created to gauge all sources that instructors believe to be relevant to their professional ethics. Academic results were taken as the academic performance of the students.




Data Analysis 

Data analysis was conducted with the help of descriptive and inferential statistics. To find out the perceptions of teacher educators about professional conduct and ethics, measures of central tendency were used. To investigate the perception of teacher educators on a gender basis, a t-test was implied. To identify the relationship between the perception of teacher educators about professional conduct and ethics and the academic performance of the students, a coefficient of correlation was applied using a statistical package for social sciences (SPSS).

Analysis and Interpretation of Results

Teachers’ Perception of Professional Conduct & Ethics

Table 1. Perception of Teacher Educators about Professional Conduct and Ethics

S. No	Professional Conduct & Ethics	Item	SD	D	N	A	SA
1	professional ethics for Institution	“I uphold the reputation and standing of the profession”.	-	1 (1.1%)		52 (57.8%)	37 (41.1%)
2		"I fulfil my professional duties and responsibilities in adherence to institutional rules and regulations".	-	-	1 (1.1%)	64 (71.1%)	25 (27.8%)
3		“I do not adopt any other employment which is likely to interfere with my professional responsibilities”.	-	2 (2.2%)	13 (14.4%)	57 (63.3%)	18 (20.0%)
4		I cooperate with authorities for the betterment of institutions in accordance with the dignity of the profession.	-	-	9 (10.0%)	61 (67.8%)	20 (22.2%)
5	Conduct with colleagues	My behaviour with my colleagues is respectful.	-	2 (2.2%)	20 (22.2%)	57 (63.3%)	11 (12.2%)
6		I assist my colleagues for professional betterment.	-	-	19 (21.2%)	60 (66.7%)	11 (12.2%)
7		“I avoid talking about caste, creed, religion, race, or sex with my colleagues”.	-	-	22 (24.4%)	60 (66.7%)	8 (8.9%)
8	My conduct for students	"I respect the rights and dignity of students in expressing their opinion".	-	1 (1.1%)	19 (21.1%)	61 (67.8%)	9 (10.0%)
9		“I deal impartially with students”.	1 (1.1%)	-	22 (24.4%)	59 (65.6%)	8 (8.9%)
10		“I motivate and encourage students to improve their capabilities”	-	2 (2.2%)	18 (20.0%)	54 (60%)	16 (17.8%)
11		“I try to make myself available for students even after class hours”.	-	-	9 (10.0%)	48 (53.3%)	33 (36.7%)
12		“I do not involve myself to instigate students against other students, colleagues, or administration”.	8 (8.9%)	18 (20%)	10 (11.1%)	43 (47.8%)	11 (12.2%)

Note: SD = Strongly Disagree, D = Disagree, N = Neutral, A = Agree, SA = Strongly Agree

 




1.     Table 1 shows the perception of teacher educators about professional conduct and ethics. It depicts that 1.1% of the teacher educators disagreed with the statement "I uphold the reputation and standing of the profession" 57.8% of the teacher educators were found to agree while 41.1% of the teacher educators strongly agree.

2.     1.1% of the teacher educators were found neutral about the statement "I fulfil my professional duties and responsibilities in adherence to institutional rules and regulations" and 71.1% of the teacher educators were found to agree while 27.8% of the teacher educators were found to agree and 27.8% of the teacher educators were strongly agree.

3.     2.2% of the teacher educators were found to disagree with the statement "I do not adopt any other employment which is likely to interfere with my professional responsibilities" and 14.4% of the teacher educators were found neutral, 63.3% of the teacher educators were found agree while 20% of the teacher educators were found strongly agree.

4.     10% of the teacher educators were found neutral for the statement “I co-operate authorities for betterment of institutions in accordance with the dignity of the profession", 67.8% of the teacher educators were found to agree while 22.2% of the teacher educators were found strongly agree with this statement.

5.     2.2% of the teacher educators were found to disagree with the statement "My behaviour with my colleagues is respectful "and 22.2% of the teacher educators were found neutral. 63.3% of the teacher educators were found to agree while 12.2% of the teacher educators were found strongly agree with the statement.

6.     21.2% of the teacher educators were found neutral for the statement "I assist my colleagues for professional betterment", 66.7% of the teacher educators were found to agree while 12.2% of the teacher educators were found strongly agree with the statement.

7.     24.4% of the teacher educators were found neutral for this statement "I avoid talking about caste, creed, religion, race, or sex with my colleagues", 66.7% of the teacher educators were found to agree while 8.9% of the teacher educators were found strongly agree for this statement.

8.     1.1% of the teacher educators were found

disagree with the statement "I respect rights and dignity of students in expressing their opinion" and 21.1% of the teacher educators were found neutral. 67.8% of the teacher educators were found to agree while 10% of the teacher educators were found strongly agree with this statement.

9.     1.1% of the teacher educators were found strongly disagree with the statement "I deal impartially with students", 24.4% of the teacher educators were found neutral. 65.6% of the teacher educators were found to agree while 8.9% of the respondents were found strongly agree with this statement.

10.   2.2% of the teacher educators were found to disagree with the statement "I motivate and encourage students to improve their capabilities", 20% of the teacher educators were found neutral. 60% of the teacher educators were found to agree while 17.8% of the teacher educators were found strongly agree with the statement.

11.   10% of the teacher educators were found neutral for the statement "I try to make myself available for students even after class hours", 53.3% of the teacher educators were found to agree while 36.7% of the teacher educators were found strongly agree about the statement.

12.   8.9% of the teacher educators were found strongly disagree with the statement "I do not involve myself to instigate students against other students, colleagues, or administration", 20% of the teacher educators were found to disagree, 11.1% of the teacher educators were found neutral and 47.8% of the teacher educators were found agree while 12.2% of the teacher educators were found strongly agree with the statement.




 

Table 2. Comparison between Perceptions of Male and Female Teacher Educators about Implementation of Human Resource Standards.

Variable	Male Mean (SD)	Female Mean (SD)	MD	t-value	p-value
Prof. Conduct	3.95, (0.33)	4.12, (0.38)	-0.17	-2.02	0.047

 




Table 2 shows a significant difference between the perceptions of male and female teacher educators about the implementation of professional conduct and ethics policy as the value of t= -2.02, p=0.047 (p ? 0.05). The mean value of the males was (M = 3.95) and the mean value for females was (M = 4.12). The mean score is statistically different which shows the difference between the perception of teacher educators about professional conduct and ethics policy in GCETs of Punjab Province on the basis of gender.




 

Table 3. Relationship of Perception of Teacher Educators and Students' Academic Performance

		Stu_R_S	Prof. Condt.
Stu R_S	Pearson Correlation	1	.617**
	Sig. (2-tailed)		.000
	N	90	90

*. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).

**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

 




Table 3 shows that it is a significant, strong, and positive correlation between the Professional Conduct and Ethics of Teacher Educators and the Academic Scores of the students (r =0.00, p < .01). This correlation indicates that the higher the professional conduct and ethics of teacher educators, the higher the students' academic performance. The relationship between the variables is stated as 0.617 which further reinforces the relatively strong positive relationship between professional conduct and Ethics and students' academic performance.

Discussions

The main aim of the study was to find out the perceptions of teacher educators about professional conduct and ethics and to investigate the relationship between the perception of teacher educators and the academic performance of the students at Govt. Colleges for Elementary Teachers of Punjab Province.

Literature tends to define professional ethics in a variety of ways. Professional ethics and academic performances go together (Davis & Walton, 2014). The results of the present study are closely like those (Pring, 2019) where he highlighted the fact that education and teaching are both professionally and morally important. This demonstrates that taking a professional and moral posture in education and teaching is inseparable. However, other research connected it to behaviours and choices in the classroom that had moral and spiritual underpinnings (Campbell, 2018). 

Another finding of the study was a significant and positive correlation between the Professional Conduct and Ethics of Teacher Educators and the Academic Scores of the students (r =0.00, p < .01). The relationship between the variables is stated as 0.617 which further reinforces the relatively strong positive relationship between professional conduct and Ethics and students' academic performance. This finding is similar to the findings of Ayeni (2018) who explored that there is a significant relationship between teachers' professional development and instructional performance resulting in higher students' academic achievement [r (88) = 0.79, p<0.05]. The study by Amadi & Amadi (2019) revealed the same findings. They stated that all elements of ethics and training contribute to enhancing the academic achievement of students at the public secondary school of Phalga.

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