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CHAPTER 1
THE PROBLEM

Introduction
Time is non-renewable factor for development. Everything else can
be recreated with varying costs but time is irretrievable. The sun and the
stars wait for none. No morning can be repeated, no noon and no evening
can come again. Time is the soundest and the most reliable yardstick for
measuring human as well as organizational achievements. Targets,
inputs, objectives, productivity and performances are all time related
concepts (Shahzad and Khurshid, 2011).
An indispensable element in successful accomplishment in any
activity is time. It has universal applications and is one of the scarcest
resources. It enables meaning to the activity. Time in this context refers
to a particular period. Thus, the realization of educational goal despite
the amount resources involved remains ineffective without good time
management. Time management helps to prioritize activities and avoid
wastage (Ugwulashi, 2011). Taking appropriate decisions concerning set
out goals and objectives in any organization require good time
management despite cost. Stoner, Freeman and Gilbert (1997) on the

other relevance of time study pointed out that time and human
relationships are crucial elements in the process of making decision.
School administrator must consider proper time management in
regulating their decision making style. School administration involves lot
of decision making to manage the scarce resources available to the
advantage of the common good. No matter the quantum of human,
material and financial resources available anytime, time management is
important to harness these potentialities. Good time management
enables the right things to be done than doing things right. For instance,
the time table process is significant to facilitate internal administrative
process.
According to Nonye (2010) many educational administrators and
managers have for a long time refused to recognized time as an important
educational source. Indeed, time is very important educational resource.
Each school activity is guided by the time. Educational managers spend
a lot of time each day planning, organizing, controlling, holding meetings,
and communication. There onerous task calls for systematic approach
the managing of time and clear identification and allocation of duties. For
effective classroom management and control, time management skills
must be imbibed.

Jay highlights the following as some of the reasons for time

management; it reduces misunderstanding and confusion about carrying
out essential duties, it reduces conflict in schedule, activities, and
interpersonal relations, it facilitates delegation of duties of the staff; it
increases productivity of staff; and it makes it easy for staff to meet
deadlines.
Time is the most important elemental factor that governs the
successes or failures of the most undertaking and ventures. Educational
organization deal with human knowledge, activities and intelligences
required much time to accomplish. Judicious use of time is important in
educational setting which makes time budgeting

as indispensable

management tool (Okoronkwo, 2005).

Gingoog City Comprehensive National High School (GCCNHS), the
biggest public secondary school in the Division of Gingoog City is having
a two thousand seventy (2,070) number of students, and one Hundred
Three (103), number of teachers. The researcher being the principal of
the said school is a time conscious administrator. For her, time is crucial,
time is embodied in every employees working attitude, behaviors and
their commitment and dedication to work tasks entrusted to them. Time
is the most precious treasure owned by each individual or mentor and

once wasted the much-ended-expected results will be affected. In this

contrast, these are the students achievements, teachers performance
and parents involvement.
GCCNHS is considered a progressive institution in this division in
terms of human resources such as teachers qualification, educational
experience and expertise and school facilities. Government and nongovernment institutions continue to offer support to this institution as
showcase for their programs and projects considering the schools
geographical location.
However,

as

supports

flourish

every

year,

the

academic

performances of students increase only for its minimal margin of

percentage. The NAT results compared to other secondary schools is very
alarming which include its Division Achievement Test (DAT) and the
periodical grades of students too. For the past three school years the NAT
result increase were: 38.57 for the SY 2009-2010; 39.69 for the SY 20102011; 39.78 for the SY 2011-2012. These results do not jibe with the
educational expertise of teachers. The problem compounded when the
researcher found out that only few faculty members received the
outstanding performances rating in the last three years using NCBTS
rating scale.

The researcher pondered fervently on these problems. She had

observed that there were teachers who practiced dishonesty in their use
of their official time. In times to making of instructional materials (as
embodied in their official time) and conducting their class or students
consultation, they were not around. Some of them were out to attend to
personal problems, spent their time in chit-chat with co-teachers,
watching television, doing personal business and reading materials not
related to their task in school. This could be the reason for low students
achievement rate, teachers performance and parents involvement in this
institution.

Conceptual Framework
This study theorized that time management among teachers will
have its influence on teachers performance. This theory in anchored by
the theorist, experts and educators herein:
Effective management forms the base for educational and noneducational institutions. Management is responsible for minimizing
wastage, chaos, and disturbance. It also preserves human and material
resources. Thus it achieves its objectives. Management is the activity that

seeks the achievement of productive, economic, political, and social

goals. As a result of the third millennium with all challenges, the
importance of management increased and became a necessity for any
human society. Management importance increased due to economic
development and social and technological advancements in addition to
huge increase in population (Mahmoud, 2003 as cited by Mansour,
2011).
Al-kayed (1991) as cited by Mansour in 2011 stated that time
management means self-management and the management of position
appears in a way that guarantees specified goals at the available time. It
is one of the samples that enable the achievement of goals and tasks.
Managing time is directed towards the future and it explores its horizons
and predicts it. It also stands on its requirements and trends. The good
future management is taking advantage of the present times.
Time represents one of the most prominent management aspects.
It is also the main factor that the project success depends on. Time is
rare because it cannot be stored or preserved unlike other resources
(Pedes, 1995).
Time management has become an art and a science according to
the appropriate and wise use of time. It is the science of time investment

effectively as well as the process based on planning and organizing, and

directing. It is quantitative and civilized process in the light of changes
and developments that need time investment in the managing process in
order to achieve its goals properly (Mansour, 2011).
School

management

is

the

responsible

entity

of

drawing,

preparing, and accomplishing scholastic plans as well as accomplishing

school programs and selecting teachers in addition to providing
appropriate school atmosphere in order to achieve goals easily (Masad,
2005). Effective school management as theorized by Ahmad and Hafez in
2003 needs rational and conscious leadership of effective principal who
is able to exercise good human relationships and develops scientific
thinking for students achievements and teachers performance. Shahzad
& Khurzid (2011) stated that time is the non-renewable factor for
development. Everything else can be recreated with varying costs but
time is irreplaceable. Time is the soundest and most reliable yardstick for
measuring human as well as organizational achievement.
According to McKenzie (1975, 1993) time is probably the most
valuable asset available to people and organizations. Understanding how
to manage ones time can add success to personal and professional lives.
However, time seems to be least understood and the most mismanaged. It

is the scarcest resource, unless it is managed, nothing else can be

managed.
Different theories of effective time management stated that in order
to utilize time effectively, the individual must first be able to predict how
much time is needed for the activity (Kelly, 2001). An individual will
become effective in using time only when the individual clearly knows
what they want to do, what they need to do, and for which specified
target date. Individuals need to be more disciplined in their use of time
by respecting their established priorities while minimizing distractions
from other as well as from situation that have the ability to displace
priorities in terms of time and energy (Soucie, 1986).
Maduagwu and Nwogu (2006) admitted that every school activity is
located some frames within which the activities are to be accomplished.
Within the school, there is time for morning devotion, time for first and
last lessons, break time, mid break, holiday, etc. Time is utilized to
maintain facilities, delegate functions or even spend fiscal cash.

Taylor

(1964) in his effort to understand time and efficient management

proposed six principles as reflected in his Time Study Principle. This
principle says that: all productive efforts should be measured by
accurate time study; a standard time should be established for all work

done in the organization; and each person should have a clear defined
daily task that should require a fall days works to complete.
Sanberg (2004) has proposed the following elements of increasing
time: find out which aspects of teaching day time we can control;
schedule solid blocks of teaching time for each day; plan for smooth
transition between lessons and always try to have materials ready for
each lesson or activity, consider how and when we schedule breaks for
maximum efficiency; and improve students attendance has a big effect
on teaching and learning time.
The concept of time has been discussed in variety of ways by
experts throughout ages. Plato stated that time is the principle of order
in natures world, while Aristotle perceived time as the simplest
measurement of motion (Sherover, 1975).
Moreover, psychologists believe that parental involvement in their
childrens school activities would lead to better academic performance,
especially family is the key to academic access (Chua, 2008 as cited by
Aljas in 2010).
Figure 1 illustrates the research paradigm of the study following
the systems approach. It shows that the profile of the teacher
respondents in terms of age, gender, marital status, length of service,

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teaching specialization, nature of job, and time spent in teaching along

with teachers management of official time, perceived time wasters, and
their performance level are considered in this study as the inputs.
Meanwhile, the process involved: the survey on teachers profile and time
management; secondary data gathering of teachers performance level;
data processing and data analysis. From the results, a training program
for teachers effective time management was designed and considered as
the output of the study.

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INPUT
Profile of the

OUTPUT

Respondents

age
gender
marital status
length of
service
teaching
specialization
nature of job
time spent in

PROCESS

Survey on
Teachers Profile
and Time
Management

Secondary Data
Gathering of
Teachers
Performance
Level
Teachers
Time

Wasters
Data Processing

Teachers
Performance
Teachers
Level
Management of
Official Time

Training
Program for
Teachers
Effective Time
Management

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Figure 1. Schema of the Study

Statement of the Problem

This study aimed to determine the time management skills and
performance of teachers of Gingoog City Comprehensive National High
School (GCCNHS).
Specifically, this sought to answer the following question:
1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of age, gender,
marital status, length of service, teaching specialization, nature of
job, time spent in teaching, and general information about their
job?
2. How do the teacher respondents manage their work time?
3. What do the teacher respondents consider as time wasters?
4. Is there a relationship between teachers time management skill
and performance level?
5. From the findings, what training program for effective time
management can be proposed for the teacher respondents?

Significance of Study

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This study would be beneficial to the following persons:

School Administrators. This will serve as the basis for all policy
makers or administrators to formulate effective measures, policy or
memorandum on how to use the official time wisely among government
employees and officials. Furthermore, this will serve as an avenue for the
new approaches and scheme in dealing with with time management
problems.
Teachers. This will enlighten their minds on how to optimize their
official time through improved work habits and through managing time
wisely in order to accomplish the tasks entrusted to them effectively and
efficiently, thus, improving the academic achievements of the students.
Students. To the students, they will be the direct persons or
stakeholders to receive the benefits of the government officials time
management skills. Such improvement will result to their good
educational performance, thus failure and dropout rate will be minimized
if not eliminated.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

This study covered the time management skills of GCCNHS
teachers and their teaching performance for SY 2013-2014. The school is

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the biggest public secondary school in the Division of Gingoog City. It is

administered by a School Principal II. It has eight (8) department heads
for English, Math, Science, Filipino, Araling Panlipunan, Technology and
Livelihood Education, MAPEH and Edukasyon sa Pagpapahalaga.
Data were gathered from 94 teacher respondents using a survey
questionnaire. The respondents comprised the total population of
teachers of GCCNHS at the time of the study.
Moreover, this study shares with the limitation of the descriptive
design such as the lack of control variables which made it less reliable in
terms of actual hypothesis testing. Statistical tests may yield different
results when applied to different samples of the same population. Also,
conclusions from descriptive designs are at best tentative (Padua, 2000).

Definition of Terms
The following terms are operationally defined in this study.
GCCNHS. This means Gingoog City Comprehensive National High
School found within the city proper of the city and considered the biggest
secondary school in the said division.
GCCNHS Faculty Members. This term is operationally defined as
the

teachers who spend their teaching career at

Gingoog City

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Comprehensive National High School with specialization in English,

Filipino, Math, Science, Arapan, TLE, Mapeh, and EPP.
Implication. Refers to the result or outcome of time management
skills of teachers to the teachers` and students` performance.
Official Time. This term refers to the time required by GCCNHS
faculty members in discharging their duties sanctioned by the civil
service. This further refers to the eight (8)-hour requirement within the
day for every GCCNHS mentors.
Respondents Profile.

This refers to GCCNHS teachers` age,

gender, marital status, field of specification, designation, length of

service, hours` spent in teaching job and nature of work.
Teachers Performance Rating.

This term refers to GCCNHS

teachers performance for SY 2012-2013 having descriptive rating of

below basic, proficient and highly proficient.
Time Management Skills Training Matrix. This refers to the
proposed training program designed by the researcher to enhance
teachers time management skills and performance.
Time Management Skills. This refers to the way the GCCNHS
teachers used their official time wisely in delivering their service to their
clienteles.

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Time Wasters. This refers to the any factor that hinders the
respondents to perform effectively their official time for the day resulting
to an efficient delivery of time management.