Articles

Proposed Human Capital Management Strategy to Improve Elementary School Teachers’ Competencies in Rahuning, North Sumatra, Indonesia (Case Study of SDIT Ar-Rahmah)

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The issue of low teacher competence in Indonesian schools outside of the big cities requires solutions from the outside and inside of the school. From within the organization, Human Capital Management (HCM) provides a beneficial framework for improving teachers’ competence and overall school quality. This study aims to understand the low competency issues and the HCM system in Ar-Rahmah Rahuning Integrated Islamic Elementary School (SDIT Ar-Rahmah) and formulates competency development programs using Lifelong Learning (LLL) approach. In this mixed method research, a survey conducted on teachers’ competency in SDIT Ar-Rahmah using the Teacher’s Competence model outlined by the Director General of Teachers and Education Personnel in 2023 to evaluate four teacher’s primary competence (pedagogic, personal, social, and professional competence), followed by a qualitative study on the HCM system, focusing on the competency development program. The study reveals that the average teachers in SDIT Ar-Rahmah indicate the need to improve pedagogic and social competence. Further, the HCM system in SDIT Ar-Rahmah lacks Professional Development and Performance Management for its teachers. The HCM system is highly reliant on the School Principal, which causes issues in developing Professional Development and Performance Management. A competency development program is formulated using Lifelong Learning approach to ensure continuous improvement throughout the teachers’ employment. The program focuses on six key elements: 1) formal and nonformal education, 2) introspection and self-assessment, 3) self-motivated learning, 4) application of knowledge and skills, 5) evaluation and improvement steps, and 6) provision of facilities and tools that foster Lifelong Learning habits.

Exploratory Factor Analysis of the Perceptions of Secondary School Heads of Departments on Teacher Trainees’ Pedagogical Practices in Three Districts of Zambia

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Preparing a 21st-century classroom teacher has become necessary in teacher training and practice if considerable retains in education could be realized. While some content knowledge awareness efforts have materialized in the teachers’ movement, the pedagogical aspect of training needs much to be desired. This study aimed to establish the secondary school heads of departments’ perceptions of teacher trainees’ pedagogical Practices. The study design used was a quantitative exploratory factor analysis to examine an eight-factor structure of the instrument and analyze the association between variables. The study population constituted of all secondary schools’ heads of departments in three districts of Zambia. A total sample of (n=120) participants comprising heads of departments from 20 secondary schools participated in the study. The sampling technique used was purposive sampling to identify respondents since the study depended on researchers’ sense of judgment in selecting participants from the population. The 20 schools provided all the standard criteria for the choice of participants needed for the study. The instrument used in the study was a survey questionnaire adapted from Barron (2015). A pilot study on (n=43) heads of departments conducted on heads of departments who were not part of the study. The reliability of the instrument was deemed reliable after subjecting it to SPSS and gave reliability of .930. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 26. The study’s significant findings showed evidence of acquisition of content knowledge among trainee teachers, implying the emphasis on training, and showed a severe lack of professional ethics among trainee teachers. However, the findings showed that the various factors extracted are near related; hence, there is a close relationship between teacher training curriculum and the pedagogical skills that trainee teachers use in classrooms. Given the nature of the 21st-century learners that teachers come in contact with, the pedagogical predicament becomes paramount for emphasis in teacher training institutions.