TEACHER COMPETENCY IN RELATION TO OTHER TEACHER COMPETENCIES IN TEACHING GEOMETRY

Geometry is regarded as more complex even though it appears less abstract than the rest of mathematics to teach and learn. The main aims of geometry are the development of thinking abilities of spatial intuition about the world, knowledge necessary to study more mathematics as well as the ability to interpret mathematical arguments. Research highlights the direct relationship between teachers' competency in teaching geometry and quality of education. It is also argued that this relationship has more weight than any factor that impacts on education. Therefore, it is essential that professional learning as an important factor in teacher competency be given more attention if the quality of education is to be improved and achieved. In this regard, teacher competency is viewed as a pivotal link needed to ensure meaningful and sustainable change in high school mathematics teachers. This implies that teacher competency is the cornerstone for effective implementation of the teaching-learning plan that results in desirable teaching for learning outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate teacher's competency in relation to other teacher competencies in teaching geometry in high school, Further Education and Training phase. In collecting data, constructs of Geometry Teacher Self-Efficacy questionnaire were used which include teacher competency relative to others. Quantitative data was analysed using SPSS. Participants were 81 high school teachers in South Africa, Mpumalanga and North West Provinces. About 61.7% of the teachers were men. Teachers ages range from 25 to 58 years (M= 43.0, SD= 7.78%). In terms of internal consistency, teacher competency relative to other teachers was .70. The result shows that 87.7% of the teachers revealed that they were able to adjust the approach when students experienced difficulties understanding geometry concepts. Approximately, 85.1% of the teachers indicated that compared to other teachers in their school, they felt that they were very effective teacher in teaching geometry. It is recommended that high school geometry teachers be exposed to professional development that focuses on content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge as a way to enhance their competency perceptions in geometry teaching.