Interaction of Competencies and Commitment of Higher Education Teachers

Teachers have a significant role in influencing the belief and thought process of students and in shaping their personality. Students while in higher education begin to think for themselves and decide regarding their life and work. It is essential for the teachers, in the higher education sector who deal with these students who are in their maturing phase to explore the real world. This demands that the teachers need to be not only competent but also committed. There are very less research focussing on the interaction of these two characteristics of teachers. The focus of this paper is to find the existing level of commitment and competence of the educators and to find if there is any significant relationship between these variables. This would help the administrators to focus on those competencies that would result in desired commitment that enhances their performance as a teacher. Competence includes a broad range of knowledge, attitudes and observable patterns of behaviour which together account for the ability to deliver a specified professional service. Three dimensions of competence as professional competence, teaching competence and managerial competence were measured. Commitment was measured as affective commitment, continuance commitment and normative commitment. Simple random sampling technique was employed in selecting 185 educators from various higher institutes. The data was collected by using self evaluated statements comprising 59 items for competency and 22 items for commitment. Statistical techniques including ANOVA, correlation and regression were used. The study shows that professional competence of the educator has an important role in developing the affective and normative commitment of educators. The educators' professional competence increases as according to their occupational status. Institutions have to focus on strategies that would enhance professional competences so as to increase the level of commitment of educators.