Teacher’s Involvement Level in Co-Curricular Activities in the Schools of Thimphu

This research primarily aims to examine teacher’s involvement level in co-curricular activities as co-curricular activities are considered one of the core components of the Bhutanese education system, where co-curricular activities promote enthusiasm, vitality, positive thinking, and team spirit which in turn, contribute to personality development [1]. Understanding teacher’s perspective and their work situation would strengthen the co-curricular activities in schools through proper directions and supports. Therefore, this research work was intended to see teacher’s involvement, interest, and training aspects in co-curricular activities. The report on “teacher’s involvement in co-curricular activities in the schools of Thimphu” consists of six chapters. Chapter1 states the importance of co-curricular activities in the education system and the rationale for conducting this study. It also highlights the importance of teachers in the education system. Chapter 2 talks about the background information on the research work through intensive literature review focusing on three objectives of the research. A similar kind of study, which was conducted in different countries is also reviewed and it was found that it has a strong correlation to our setting of the education system. Adequate evidence was brought into the discussion from various sources although such kinds of study weren’t conducted in Bhutan before. Through rigorous literature review, it was able to structure the research question and theoretical framework for this study. Chapter 3 discusses the research design, methodology, and analysis. For this study, a descriptive method was undertaken with a quantitative approach using survey questionnaires. The questionnaire was pre-tested and a reliability test for internal consistency was also carried out. The survey questionnaire was administered to about 120 teachers from eight different schools of Thimphu. Data analysis was carried out mostly through SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) and a Microsoft Excel sheet was also used for preparing tables and graphs for interpretation. Chapter 4 provides the main findings of the study. The summaries of the findings from this study are: Firstly, the demographic detail shows that 70.8% female and 29.2% male participated in this research and from which 56.7% of the teachers were from the age group of 31-40. The majority of respondents were B.Ed teachers and representation of school level was maintained somewhat equal. Secondly, the involvement in co-curricular activities was found very impressive as the mean score was recorded at 4.1. It also showed that 90.9% of teachers are very familiar with co-curricular activities in school. Thirdly it was also found that the teachers do adequate planning and devote their time to co-curricular programs. However, it was found that they desire motivation and reward systems to be in place as they were not motivated by the current situation. Fourthly the findings showed that the teachers are in dire need of more training and workshops to upgrade their knowledge and skills in co-curricular activities. Around 86.6% stated that they need specialized tutors to to carry out co-curricular activities in schools. Chapter 5 provides some practical recommendations based on the findings. The recommendations are particularly made on the areas like; empowerment in carrying out the co-curricular activities, motivation & reward system, provide enough training & workshops , create suitable timing for co-curricular activities and ministry to carry out study on the relevancy of co-curricular activities in schools. Chapter 6 discusses the limitations, significance & scope of the study, and ethical considerations. Finally, chapter 7 provides the conclusion.