choice based credit semester system (cbcss) and...

Choice based credit semester system (CBCSS) and professionalism

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CCHHOOIICCEE BBAASSEEDD CCRREEDDIITT SSEEMMEESSTTEERR SSYYSSTTEEMM ((CCBBCCSSSS)) AANNDD PPRROOFFEESSSSIIOONNAALLIISSMM

9.1 CBCSS and Professionalism 9.2 Changes in Educational System and Professionalism 9.3 Age and CBCSS 9.4 Years of Experience and CBCSS 9.5 Nature of College and CBCSS 9.6 Working Hours in College per Day and CBCSS 9.7 Job Satisfaction and CBCSS 9.8 Work Pressure and CBCSS 9.9 CBCSS and Levels of Professionalism 9.10 Conclusion

The Indian system of higher education is both enormous and

complex. Established in the image of British universities in the mid

nineteenth century, it has now acquired a more hybrid form, influenced

after independence by both the Soviet and American traditions. India has

begun to interpret its higher education system as inextricably located

within a global framework, contributing to universities around the world

and also benefiting from their intellectual input. It has recognized the

need to respond to the complex requirements of the globalizing context

and to the opportunities created by the increasing levels of global

interconnectedness. It is attempting to align this logic of globalization

with responses to local pressures: growth in demand and greater access

to higher education; diversification and privatization of institutions; and

the need to reform not only institutional governance but also curriculum

and pedagogy. A new policy discourse is emerging, more open to

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external input, which seeks to reconcile exogenous pressures of

globalization and the knowledge economy with India’s distinctive

endogenous policy traditions.

The Indian system of higher education has unleashed a major

program of reforms. Many of these reforms can be traced back to a policy

template provided by the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) set up

by the Prime Minister in 2005, and chaired by a diasporic Indian

entrepreneur, Sam Pitroda. The Commission’s template for reform has been

highly influential, responding, as it did, to the set of policy anxieties

discussed above. Based on what the NKC saw as ‘global imperatives’,

many of its forty recommendations for reform in higher education drew

heavily on neo-liberal policy ideas circulating around the world (Srivastva,

2007; Rizvi & Lingard, 2010).

In purview with such reforms, the University Grants Commission

(UGC) has made concurrent changes with regard to the higher education

system. One such change was the introduction of CBCSS or ‘Choice based

Credit Semester and grading pattern’. The UGC directed all the

Universities in the country to restructure undergraduate courses on ‘Choice

based Credit Semester and Grading pattern’ in 2009-10 academic year.

Mahatma Gandhi University regulations are framed in accordance with

UGC guidelines on restructuring undergraduate education. Accordingly, all

affiliated colleges have restructured the regular non-professional

undergraduate and Post graduate courses on the Choice Based Credit

Semester System (CBCSS), a combination of internal and external

evaluation with grading.


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General Features When CBCSS was launched in 2009, it had the following features-

The three year undergraduate programme will be divided into 6

semesters, each semester consisting of a minimum of 90 working

days, inclusive of examinations, distributed over 18 five-day

academic weeks. The duration of the odd semesters will be from June

to October and even semesters from December to April. There will be

2 semester breaks of one month duration in November and May.

The time table shall be set according to the Day order system to

provide proper distribution of working days for all courses. There will

be a common calendar giving schedule of admission, classes, Internal

and External examinations, evaluation and publication of results.

The structure of the semester system will be as follows:

Common Courses: which will include compulsory courses in

English and additional Languages.

Core Courses: which include methodology courses and courses on

the subject of specialisation, one elective and one project which will

be compulsory for all students doing a particular programme.

Complementary Courses: which include courses the study of which

would complement the study of the subject of specialisation, which

will be compulsory for all students doing a particular programme.

Open Courses: which include all courses other than courses in

the area of specialisation of the student concerned, the choice

which will be decided by preferences of students and

availability of teachers.

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Terminology

Credit: is a unit of academic input measured in terms of weekly

contact hours assigned to a course. There could be 4 credit, 3 credit

and 2 credit courses. The number of courses could vary from 30 to 38

depending on the credits assigned to different courses. At least 120

credits is needed for securing an under graduate degree in a

programme.

Grace Grade: means upgraded grades awarded to courses in

recognition of meritorious achievements in NCC, NSS, sports and

arts.

Extra credits: are additional credits awarded to a student over and

above the minimum credits required for a programme for

achievements in co-curricular activities carried out outside the class

hours as decided by the University.

Attendance: 75% attendance is compulsory for appearing external

examinations.

Examination: There shall be both continuous Internal Evaluation and

end semester examinations .

External Evaluation. The ratio between Internal and External

examinations will be 1:3.

Evaluation: The Evaluation of both Internal and External

Examinations will be carried out using direct grading system on a 5

point scale (A, B, C, D and E). Over all certification of a programme

will be carried out using 7 point scale (A+, A, B+, B, C+, C and D).


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A separate minimum of grade D for Internal and External are required

for a pass for a course. For a pass in a programme, a separate

minimum of grade D is required for all the courses and must score a

minimum cumulated credit 120 and minimum Cumulated Grade Point

Average (CGPA) of 2.00 (or an overall grade of C+) and above.

There will be no supplementary examinations. For reappearance/

improvement, students can appear along with the next batch. Students

who are not eligible for condonation of shortage of attendance should

repeat the course along with the next batch.

A student who register his/her name for the external examination of a

semester (i.e., having a minimum of grade D in the Internals for all

courses and a minimum of 75% attendance.) will be eligible for

promotion to the next semester.

The following 5 point scale is adopted for grading the answers in an

examination-

Letter Grade Performance Grade point Range

A Excellent 4 3.5 - 4.00

B Very Good 3 2.5 - 3.49

C Good 2 1.5 – 2.49

D Average 1 0.5 – 1.49

E Poor 0 – 0.49

The overall grade for certification will be based on CGPA with 7

point scale.

However, in 2013, M.G. University made the decision to switch to

the indirect grading system based on a seven point scale instead of the

existing direct grading pattern based on the five point scale. The move

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comes following the University Syndicate’s decision to implement the Prof.

B. Hridayakumari committee report on CBCSS submitted before the Kerala

State Higher Education Council and later ratified by the government. As

per recommendations of the committee, mark system should be introduced

instead of grading for each question. However, notional grading on the

basis of marks will be indicated for each semester. Overall gradation will

be on Seven Point Scale and it will be awarded only at the end of the

academic programme. The Seven point scale is as follows-

Letter Grade Performance Range

A+ Outstanding 90 and Above

A Excellent 80 to 89

B Very Good 70 to 79

C Good 60 to 69

D Satisfactory 50 to 59

E Adequate 40 to 49

F Failure Below 40

The committee’s report had pointed out that the five point scale

direct grading system would not ensure an impartial assessment of

students’ performance due to the wide range for which the evaluation

was made.

With the implementation of the Hridayakumari Report, the vacation

pattern will also switch to April- May instead of one month breaks in

November and May. For Internal Assessment, 10 marks will be awarded

for test paper, five for seminar and assignment and five for attendance. The

University will conduct examinations for core subjects and compulsory

language papers, which will be centrally evaluated at the end of the second,


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fourth and sixth semester for external assessment. All practical examinations

will be conducted at the end of second, fourth and sixth semesters. The

examination for complementary subjects, electives, open courses and

additional languages, will be conducted at the end of all semesters by the

University. Odd semester examination answer sheets will be assessed

through home evaluation and semester examination sheets will be assessed

through centralized valuation.

In this chapter, an attempt has been made to investigate whether the

introduction of CBCSS has had any impact on the professionalism of the

respondents.

9.1 CBCSS and Professionalism

Table 9.1 CBCSS has Affected Professionalism

Responses Frequency Percent

Yes 225 64.3

No 125 35.7

Total 350 100 Source: Primary Data

The data in Table 9.1 points out that the teachers have not yet fully

accepted the CBCSS in their mind set (64.3%). In order to understand it

further, the elements of the system was delineated and asked to the

respondents. The responses are presented in Table 9.2 below.

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9.2 Changes in Educational System and Professionalism

Table 9.2 Changes in Educational System has affected Professionalism

Responses Changes in Educational System

Yes No

Internal Assessment System 312 (89.1%)

38 (10.9%)

Semester System 254 (72.6%)

96 (27.4%)

Grading System 278 (79.4%)

72 (20.6%)

Digital Campus

326 (93.1%)

24 (6.9%)

Time Constraints

270 (77.1%)

80 (22.9%)

Syllabi Oriented Teaching 286 (81.7%)

64 (18.3%)

Source: Primary Data

In Table 9.1, a vast majority of respondents (64.3%) have said that

CBCSS has affected their professionalism in a depressing manner. The

rapid changes and increased complexity of today’s world present new

challenges and put new demands on our education system. There has been

generally a growing awareness of the necessity to change and improve the

preparation of students for productive functioning in the continually

changing and highly demanding environment. CBCSS has been one such

response to the changing educational scenario. However, the figures in

Table 9.2 gives the impression that the respondents have not yet imbibed

this change to its full extent. All the figures point out that the different

changes that have come up in the form of Internal Assessment system,

Semester system, Grading system, Digital campus and Syllabi oriented


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teaching has affected the professionalism of the respondents to a

considerable extent. The respondents claimed that the semester system was

implemented in a hasty manner and no adequate time was given for the

colleges to implement it in a comprehensive manner. Many respondents

claimed that the semester system was successful only if the student ratio is

small; in most of the colleges the student strength in undergraduate classes

is big. The respondents added that the effective teaching time in a semester

is very less, that is around 4 months, owing to holidays and exams coming

in between. They said that the students have also literally stopped going to

the library to consult books because they just don’t have the time. There is

not enough time to attend to the weaker students and give them extra

coaching. Different published research works also indicate that due to the

changes in educational system, teachers lack sufficient time to attend to

their responsibilities and this frustrating overload causes exhaustion

(Helsby, 1999).

In Table 9.2, it can be seen that majority of respondents (93.1%) have

said that digitalization of campus wherein all the academic and

administrative process have become automated or semi-automated is one of

major factor which has affected their professionalism to a great extent. The

process of teaching and learning with technology is still in its early stages

that teachers are only starting to come to grips with the changes in pedagogy

required to engage students in technology-rich learning environments. For

many teachers, curriculum remains an un-problematically static body of

knowledge that must be “covered”, “transmitted” and tested. The genuinely

creative and effective use of technology for learning challenges this basic

mindset. Currently, we see that only a few percentage of teachers are only

beginning to learn how to think and work in new ways with technology,

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and to consider pedagogical, social and ethical issues in their techno-based

planning and teaching. Data from Table 9.2 substantiates the finding by La

Grange and Foulkes, who say that technological change has been so rapid

and its implications for teaching and learning so profound, that faculties of

education have not yet “fully considered or understood the best ways to

proceed in teacher preparation in a digital world” (La Grange & Foulke,

2004).

In Table 9.2 also we can see that the respondents (89.1%) are not in

tune with the internal assessment system. Internal Assessment systems,

including classroom and large-scale assessment, are organized around the

primary purpose of improving student learning. Assessment systems

provide useful information about whether students have reached important

learning goals and about the progress of each student. Teachers employ

practices and methods that are consistent with learning goals, curriculum,

instruction, and current knowledge of how students learn. Classroom

assessment that is integrated with curriculum and instruction is the primary

means of assessment. Educators assess student learning through such

methods as structured and informal observations and interviews, projects

and tasks, tests, performances and exhibitions, experiments, etc. Thus, the

tasks associated with internal assessment are cumbersome. This maybe the

reason why the respondents feel that internal assessment system has

influenced the professionalism in a negative manner. But the fact remains

that however burdensome the tasks are, it is inevitable in the new

educational scenario, and its benefits are enormous for the student

community. If done in the right perspective, the internal assessment

provides the students with knowledge enhancement coupled with skilful

creativity and novel experiences.


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9.3 Age and CBCSS

Table 9.3 Age and CBCSS

Responses to whether CBCSS has affected

professionalism Age

Yes No

Total

<30 69 (62.7%)

41 (37.3%)

110 (100%)

31 - 40 87 (67.4%)

42 (32.6%)

129 (100%)

41 – 50 47 (63.5%)

27 (36.5%)

74 (100%)

>51 22 (59.4%)

15 (40.5%)

37 (100%)

Total

225 (64.3%)

125 (35.7%)

350 (100%)


In Table 9.3, it is found that majority of younger respondents belonging to

categories less than 30 years (62.7%) and between 31-40 years (67.4%) have

said that CBCSS system has affected their professionalism. They said during the

interview that, the job they envisioned, in which they thought they were so

capable, had changed beyond all recognition. This actually reflects disorientation

caused in the respondents due to the inevitable changes in the educational

system. The lack of enough experience and skill sets, along with time constraints

to learn in a comprehensive manner contributed to the decreased adjustment of

the younger respondents. The category above forty years seems to have taken

the changes well in their stride because of the enhanced skills and talents they

have acquired over the years. Hence we can see that among those who have said

that CBCSS has affected their professionalism; those belonging to the age group

of more than fifty one years represent the lowest percentage (59.4%). It may be

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due to the increased skill sets they have gained through the years that instilled in

them the maturity to perceive all changes with unparalleled equanimity.

9.4 Years of Experience and CBCSS

Table 9.4 Years of Experience and CBCSS

Responses to whether CBCSS has affected professionalism Years of

Experience Yes No

Total

5 77

(61.1%) 49

(38.9%) 126

(100%)

6 - 10 59

(66.3%) 30

(33.7%) 89

(100%)

11-15 35

(71.4%) 14

(28.6%) 49

(100%)

16 - 20 18

(60%) 12

(40%) 30

(100%)

21-30 27

(65.9%) 14

(34.1%) 41

(100%)

>31 9

(60%) 6

(40%) 15

(100%)

Total 225

(64.3%) 125

(35.7%) 350

(100%) Source: Primary Data

In Table 9.4, the respondents with 16-20 years of experience (60%) and

more than thirty one years of experience (60%) represent the least percentage in

all the categories who have said CBCSS has affected their professionalism. One

point that is becoming consistently clear in this regard is the nature of

professional accountability. Professional accountability generates from the

personal motivation of teachers, which help them to keep up with innovations in

curricula, pedagogy and the development of digital resources. The figures in the


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table actually represent this motivation level of the respondents, and confirms

that, the number of years of experience is not a contributory factor in the matter

of true professionalism. No matter what changes come, the persons with

professional accountability develop adequate skills to conform themselves with

these changes, and develop in their professional attributes. Corroborating this

viewpoint, Boyd, Banilower, Pasley, & Weiss (2003) has also highlighted the

critical role of teacher motivation in professional development.

9.5 Nature of College and CBCSS

Table 9.5 Nature of College and CBCSS

Responses to whether CBCSS has affected professionalism Nature of

College Yes No

Total

Aided 94 (62.7%)

56 (37.3%)

150 (100%)

Unaided

92 (61.3%)

58 (38.7%)

150 (100%)

Government

39 (78%)

1 (22%)

50 (100%)

Total

225 (64.3%)

125 (35.7%)

350 (100%)


Majority of respondents from the government colleges (78%) has said

that CBCSS has affected their professionalism when compared to

respondents from aided (62.7%) and unaided colleges (61.3%). It connotes

that the sweeping changes in the higher education system is imbibed by

government colleges in a gradual manner. It is said that there is no system

in place to motivate teachers to improve academic achievement and very

little training to strengthen teaching practices (Gretchen, Ruzzi, &

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Muralidharan, 2006). This is especially true with regard to government

colleges where there are even no stringent monitoring systems to enhance

the professional qualities of the teachers. In aided and unaided colleges, the

management makes sure that there is a basic minimum of professional

accountability among all teachers to keep their institutions at the top. This

maybe the reason that the respondents in the government colleges lag

behind the respondents in the aided and unaided colleges to accept the

changes in a fast paced manner.

9.6 Working Hours in College per Day and CBCSS

Table 9.6 Working Hours in College per Day and CBCSS

Responses to whether CBCSS has affected professionalism Working Hours in

College Per Day Yes No

Total

5 63 (67.7%)

30 (32.3%)

93 (100%)

6 74 (64.3%)

41 (35.7%)

115 (100%)

7 56 (64.4%)

31 (35.6%)

87 (100%)

8 27 (58.7%)

19 (41.3%)

46 (100%)

9 4 (80%)

1 (20%)

5 (100%)

10 0 -

1 (100%)

1 (100%)

>10 1 (33.3%)

2 (66.7%)

3 (100%)

Total 225 (64.3%)

125 (35.7%)

350 (100%)



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Table 9.6 illustrates that those respondents who work more than nine

hours in college (80%) say that CBCSS has affected their professionalism.

At the same time, those who work more than ten hours in college, (who

constitute a minority) is least affected by the CBCSS (33.3%). The

importance of teachers learning continuously in order to develop their

knowledge and skills, and adapt and develop their roles, especially through

classroom inquiry, is very vital in the enhancement of professionalism. The

data from the Table, however, presents us with a dismal picture, wherein

those respondents who even work nine hours have not imbibed this notion

of continuous development. But, the minority who works more than ten

hours have put in adequate levels of effort to adapt themselves with the

high paced changes of CBCSS (66.7%). On the contrary, the respondents

who work for just five hours a day say that CBCSS has affected their

professionalism (67.7%). In this context, it really needs to be introspected

whether CBCSS is the real problem or the attitude of the respondents to

imbibe the changes in the educational system. Evidence is accumulating

from around the world that the single most significant means of improving

the performance of national educational systems is through excellent

teaching (e.g.: (Barber & Mourshed, 2007; OECD, 2005). The respondents

need to go a long way in this regard to inculcate in themselves thorough

professional attributes and fully embrace all the positive changes in the

educational scenario, and make their teaching exemplary.

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9.7 Job Satisfaction and CBCSS

Table 9.7 Job Satisfaction and CBCSS

Responses to whether CBCSS has affected Professionalism Job Satisfaction

Yes No Total

Highly Satisfied 99 (60.7%)

64 (39.3%)

163 (100%)

Moderately Satisfied 115 (67.3%)

56 (32.7%)

171 (100%)

Undecided 9 (64.3%)

5 (35.7%)

14 (100%)

Unsatisfied 2 (100%)

0 -

2 (100%)

Total 225 (64.3%)

125 (35.7%)

350 (100%)


In Table 9.7, majority of the respondents belonging to the unsatisfied

category (100%) have said that CBCSS has affected their professionalism.

Teaching is a professional activity underpinned by qualifications, standards

and accountabilities. It is characterised by complex specialist knowledge

and expertise-in-action. It also embodies particular kinds of values, to do

with furthering individual and social development, fulfilment and

emancipation. Hence it requires a highly committed mind set with an

obsession for professional excellence. Those who are already unsatisfied

with the profession can never achieve these lofty goals, and they will be

always experiencing a mental block for all kinds of changes happening

around them. The unsatisfied respondents in this study, thus seems to be

impervious to the changes happening around them. At the same time, the

highly satisfied category (60.7%) shows the least resistance among the


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different categories as a result of their personal motivation to reach the

elevated goal of professional excellence.

9.8 Work Pressure and CBCSS

Table 9.8 Work Pressure and CBCSS

Responses to whether CBCSS has affected

Professionalism Work Pressure

Yes No

Total

Never 27 (40.3%)

40 (59.7%)

67 (100%)

Rarely 61 (60.4%)

40 (39.6%)

101 (100%)

Sometimes 108 (73.5%)

39 (26.5%)

147 (100%)

Often 29 (82.9%)

6 (17.1%)

35 (100%)

Total

225 (64.3%)

125 (35.7%)

350 (100%)


Table 9.8 also denotes that the respondents miss quality time with

family/ friends often because of work pressure, and CBCSS system has

contributed to the same (82.9%). The inevitable tension between day to day

work and personal investment – a tension that is defining of

professionalism – has always existed. Indeed professional bodies,

regulations and rules were a set of mechanisms designed to make that

tension bearable. But as teachers become much more diverse as a group and

face some difficult challenges, professionalism is under strain and can no

longer fulfil this bridging function. The data from Table 9.8 demonstrates

this fact and inherent in it is the notion that there is an urgent need to re-

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connect teachers’ with their changing professionalism and to show how it

increasingly lives in their everyday habits, relationships and values. From

here, teachers themselves can be helped to build new professional

structures and support.Corroborating this perception, Cox & Heames

(1999) defend the thesis that today one of the most important social skills

of the teachers’ is the ability to manage the pressures in teaching.

9.9 CBCSS and Levels of Professionalism

Table 9.9 CBCSS and Levels of Professionalism

Levels of Professionalism Do you think CBCSS has affected your

professionalism Moderate High Total

Yes 218 (96.9%)

7 (3.1%)

225 (100%)

No 113 (90.4%)

12 (9.6%)

125 (100%)

Total 331 (94.6%)

19 (5.4%)

350 (100%)

X2= 2.661; Degrees of Freedom = 3; Level of Significance= 0.447 Source: Primary Data

The hypothesis that was generated with regard to CBCSS and levels

of professionalism was that,

H8: ‘There is no relationship between CBCSS and levels of Professionalism

of married women teachers’.

The Table 9.9 shows that the high level of professionalism is

demonstrated by the respondents who said that CBCSS has not affected

their professionalism (9.6%). The figures portray that concrete professional

investments are immune to all kinds of adverse effects. It gives testimony


273

to the reality that the changes in the educational system can be seen as

opportunities for improvement rather than barriers in the paths of

development. However, the highest percentage of respondents who belong

to the moderate level of professionalism (96.9%) say that CBCSS has

affected their professionalism. This finding is supported by Day (1999)

who asserts that the current wave of educational reform has hindered

teachers’ professionalism ‘caught in the midst of new worlds of reform’,

teachers in many countries have cited ways in which their ability and

motivation to behave as professionals have been negatively affected.

Furthermore, he reminds us that our energies could be exhausted because of

constant change and restructuring.

The level of significance was measured by using chi square test. Test

is significant at 5% (.05) level. The Calculated X2 for 3 degree of freedom

is 2.661 and the p value is 0.447. Since p> .05, there is no significant

relation between CBCSS and levels of professionalism of married women

teachers.

9.10 Conclusion

Contemporary educational reform has resulted in a period of

significant change for teachers. To teach today is a very different activity to

that of twenty years ago. It is very much more difficult to deal with mixed-

ability classes that comprise hundred per cent of the students of the area

with all the social and psychological conflicts of our present societies, than

it was to teach more or less homogeneous classes of students selected for

their academic ability. This then, is the root cause of the initial

disenchantment of many of our teachers. Moreover, in recent years,

teachers are continually asked to assume more and more responsibilities. At

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the present time, teachers cannot insist that their tasks are limited only to

developing the cognitive skills of their pupils. In addition to knowing their

subjects well, today teachers are expected to facilitate learning, be an

efficient educator and organise work groups. Teachers must also teach, care

for the psychological equilibrium of the students, help their social

integration and attend to their sexual education. They are asked to cater

intercultural education, education for health, and prevention of drugs

taking. Often, they have to care for a pair of students with special needs

who are integrated into the class and who need very special attention. The

new problems in teaching are born of technical, social and moral changes

and to resolve it will need new standards of pre-service and in-service

training to cope with the new demands of colleges. Moreover, there is an

increasing tendency for parents, and the general public, to believe that all

aspects of education should be dealt with at school, even the teaching of

those human, emotional and moral values, because the children are not

being taught at home (Durning, 1999).

CBCSS is just an instance of the increased responsibilities of college

teachers today. The importance of the role of the teacher as an agent of

change, promoting understanding and tolerance, is likely to become even

more critical in the twenty-first century. The need for change, from narrow

nationalism to universalism, from ethnic and cultural prejudice to tolerance,

understanding and pluralism, from autocracy to democracy in its various

manifestations, and from a technologically divided world where high

technology is the privilege of the few to a technologically united world,

places enormous responsibilities on teachers who participate in the

moulding of the characters and minds of the new generation. The

challenges facing education systems and teachers continue to intensify. In


275

modern knowledge-based economies, where the demand for high-level

skills will continue to grow substantially, the task in many countries is to

transform traditional models of teaching, which have been effective at

distinguishing those who are more academically talented from those who

are less so, into customised learning systems that identify and develop the

talents of all students. This will require the creation of “knowledge-rich”,

evidence-based education systems, in which teachers act as a professional

community with the authority to act, the necessary information to do so

wisely, and the access to effective support systems to assist them in

implementing change.

In this scenario of inevitable changes, it is imperative that teachers

should accommodate their professional roles with greater degree of

accountability and perseverance. The data from the study, however, points

out that the educational reforms are not wholeheartedly accepted by the

respondents. The most important reason for this can be attributed to the

professional level of the respondents which is in a moderate level. The

reluctance to accept changes connotes the lack of a strong professional

investment and the impaired vision of a knowledge based society where

teachers turn as facilitators and generators of knowledge, rather than

‘pouring knowledge into empty vessels’. The major point to be

remembered in this context is that teacher professionalism is a dynamic

phenomenon that needs to have structuring and restructuring constantly. In

the words of Hilferty, “Teacher professionalism is a socially constructed

term that is permanently being defined and redefined through educational

theory, policy and practice” (Hilferty, 2008).

Teacher professionalism has relevant significance in education in that

it affects the role of the teacher and his or her pedagogy, which in return

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affects the student’s ability to learn effectively. It can be defined as the

ability to teach students in a meaningful way, developing innovative

approaches to mandated content while motivating, engaging, and inspiring

young adult minds to prepare for ever advancing technology. This entails

the need to reshape one’s professional attributes to changing educational

scenario including the student community. Many researchers have

incorporated the teacher’s adeptness to accommodate to changing

professional demands as one of the basic criteria for professional

development. Boyt, Lusch, & Naylor (2001) emphasis, for example, is on

the capacity of the professional her/himself to shape professionalism:

‘Professionalism consists of the attitudes and behavior one possesses

toward one’s profession. It is an attitudinal and behavioural orientation that

individuals possess toward their occupations.’ Helsby (1995) makes the

same point in relation to teacher professionalism: ‘If the notion of

“professionalism” is socially constructed, then teachers are potentially key

players in that construction, accepting or resisting external control and

asserting or denying their autonomy”.

Hence, we can affirmatively say that, changes in the educational

system, which is viewed with a plethora of concerns by the respondents, is

a temporary phase. If professional development has to take place, all the

changes should be evaluated with a positive stroke in an uncompromising

manner. As Hansen & Simonsen (2001) state, “the development and

improvement of education is dependent on the professional development of

teachers”.

….. …..

choice based credit semester system (cbcss) and...

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