Beliefs and practices in taking licensure examination for teachers as spectrum of teachers’ moral principles: a case probe

The study employed Appreciative Inquiry framework to have an in-depth investigation in the personal lives of the participants and to draw connections between their beliefs and practices in taking Licensure Examination for Teachers and how these superstitions reflect and affect their moral principles. Specifically, it aimed to 1) determine the superstitious beliefs followed by the examinees before, during, and after taking the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET); 2) determine the positive and negative impact of these superstitions in the aspect of taking LET; and, 3) identify the effects of these superstitions in the characters and principles of the teachers. Semi-structured interview and focus group discussion were used and the data-sources were triangulated to come-up with a stronger analysis. Audit trail and member checking were followed to ensure that there were no biases in the interpretation of the data and to establish the validity of the results. Findings revealed that the student examinees followed different superstitious beliefs before, during and after the exam which have positive and negative effects. The motive of avoiding failure in the examination predominates over the motive of achieving success. The positive and negative effects of superstitions vary from one person’s experience to another. Moreover, the assertion and personal disposition to pass the exam became the product of student examinees’ projection. The superstitious notions were initiated to discard the student examinees’ fears and to safeguard their emotional sphere against negative feelings and any untoward possibilities. Meanwhile, in the development of moral principle, the student examinees’ family, peers and the society are important factors in the establishment of their belief system which later on reflects the moral principles they uphold.