Do Academic Achievement in Professional Education, Major and Field Study Courses Relate to Pre-service Teachers’ Teaching Performance

Academic achievement may not predict teaching performance. This is the conclusion of a descriptive-correlational study which attempted to establish the relationship of achievement in professional education, major, and field study courses to pre-service physical science teachers’ teaching performance. The pre-service physical science teachers of the College of Education of Northern Negros State College of Science and Technology were grouped as to sex, age and scholarship status. Grades sourced from the files of Registrar’s Office were used to represent their academic achievement that revealed three major findings. The academic achievement of pre-service physical science teachers was “Very Good” in professional education courses, “Good” in major courses, and “Superior” in field study courses. Using the Pre-service Teacher’s Actual Teaching Checklist during the in-campus, off-campus, and final teaching demonstration, the teaching performance of pre-service physical science teachers was found only “Very Satisfactory”. The results imply that pre-service physical science teachers’ grades in the identified courses are not determinants of success in their actual teaching practice in which they can maximize application of accumulated learning. It is safe to assume that preparation of pre-service physical science teachers is incongruent with the standards of the teaching profession. Therefore, the teacher training institution reserves the opportunity to upgrade pre-service preparation of physical science teachers.

Keywords: Academic achievement, Pre-service teachers, Teaching performance