Pakistani Schools Research Articles

Gender Differences in Cognitive Learning Strategies in Pakistani Schools: Implications for Educational Practices

Gender Differences in Cognitive Learning Strategies in Pakistani Schools: Implications for Educational Practices

Effectiveness of school-based physical activity programs in enhancing attention, academic performance, and social relationships among children with intellectual disabilities: evidence from Pakistani schools.

Physical activity (PA) offers extensive benefits for all children, including those with intellectual disabilities (ID), who face significant challenges in behavioral management and psycho-social well-being. This study investigates the effects of school-based PA on attention, academic performance, and relationships with teachers and parents in children with ID. A 12-week single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted with 102 children with ID, aged 6 to 12 years (71 boys and 31 girls) from grades 1 to 5. Participants were divided into three groups: MVPA (moderate to vigorous PA), MPA (mild PA), and NPA (no PA). Each group engaged in PA three times a week for 45 min per session, with activities planned by a fitness trainer and supervised by the researcher. Outcome measures were assessed using SNAP-IV, STRS, CPRS, and APRS scales before and after the intervention. The results indicated that MVPA had a more significant positive impact on all outcomes compared to MPA and NPA. MPA also produced notable improvements relative to NPA. These findings underscore the importance of integrating PA into educational settings as a comprehensive strategy to enhance attention, academic performance, and social interactions for children with ID. This research highlights PA as a vital tool for addressing behavioral challenges and fostering better developmental outcomes in this population.

Grammaticality in Writing Skills of L2 English Learners: Challenges in Pakistani Academic Setting

This study examines how second-language English learners' grammar issues differ in rural and urban Pakistani schools. This study is quasi-experimental. The study uses a quantitative approach and SPSS-analyzed writing test samples. The key findings reveal that pupils struggle to understand complicated syntactic structures like qualifiers, adjectives, adverbs, and adjunct and complement categories, even though they understand subject-verb agreement. Lack of resources and poor language education exacerbate these issues in rural areas. Teachers emphasize the need for the government to improve English grammar education and the necessity for custom learning aids to help rural students with their particular issues in grammar and syntax. Teachers also want enhanced professional development to master advanced grammar teaching methods. Students expressed mixed confidence in their grammatical skills since they were unsure how well they comprehended complex grammar principles. To assist students in comprehending and using grammar rules, the study recommends adding more interactive and relevant grammar assignments to courses and using the process-genre technique. The results also demonstrate the need for teachers to continue to study and have support networks to ensure good language sessions. Policy suggestions include equipping schools, especially rural ones, modifying the curriculum, and funding teacher training. This study enhances Pakistani second language learners' academic and employment prospects by identifying grammar issues and providing writing tips. Thus, it expands ESL instruction.

Inclusive Education and Mental Health: Addressing the Psychological Needs of Students in Pakistani Schools

This discussion paper examines the intersection of inclusive education and mental health in Pakistani schools with a special reference to the psychological needs of students. Although much attention has been paid to mental health, Pakistan's educational institutions might not fully address the needs of every student with psychological problems. In light of the current status of Pakistan's inclusive education practices, the paper outlines the challenges of implementing mental health support and suggests strategies for promoting an inclusive and psychologically safe environment at school. Based on the current literature and the specific context of the country of study, the discussion highlights such priorities as the necessity of teacher training, reduction of stigma, and cohesion between education and mental health workers. This paper also examines the impact of cultural factors, socio-economic differences, and government policies on the provision of inclusive education and mental health support to students in Pakistani schools. By expounding these critical issues, this paper attempts to extend knowledge and best practices for a more inclusive, psychologically safe learning environment in Pakistan to enhance students' learning and well-being.

Bloom’s Taxonomy and Prospective Teachers’ Preparation in Pakistan

The analysis of application of Bloom's Taxonomy in the future teachers’ preparation of Pakistan is the aim of this study where gender differences, program differences and semester effects are considered. The researchers developed questionnaire and examined the data using IBM SPSS statistics software. The results point to the fact that female participants are more likely than men to display mastery of lower-level skills as defined by Bloom's taxonomy, such as "remembering" and "understanding, and males tend to excel at thinking critically and analytically, i.e. "analyzing" and "evaluating" according to Bloom's taxonomy. On the other hand, the students of the first, second and third years of the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) program were found to be scoring higher than M.Phil. participants. Additionally, freshman students were shown to have stronger achievements at the earlier levels of Bloom's Taxonomy compared to later-year students. These inferences, therefore, indicate the necessity of personalized educational strategies as well as staff development programs to raise the standards of education in Pakistani schools

Navigating Educational Leadership: Insights into the Effective Practices in Pakistani Schools

Today, educational leadership is extensively investigated, with an focus on the most common styles. The scale of effective educational leadership behavior depicts a visionary, proactive, knowledgeable, and change-agent leader in an academic setting. The current studyn investigates school teachers' perspectives on the effectiveness of their principal's leadership behavior in the school Education department in Punjab. It also examines the extent of disparity in the perception of participants due to gender and sector. The results indicated that these factors play a significant role in how teachers perceive the effectiveness of the educational behavior of head teachers. The head teachers were found to have effective educational leadership behavior as described by their relevant school teachers.

Inclusive Education and Rehabilitation of Students with Neurological and Developmental Disabilities: A Case of Pakistani Schools- Community Collaboration

The study was carried out to explore the nature of collaboration between the schools of students with neurological and developmental disabilities(SWNDDs)and the community institutions including family, health, general education, and social welfare. The study is carried out through a quantitative survey. The population of the study was teachers, and the parents of students with neurological and developmental disabilities studying in different schools in Punjab. A total number of 100 teachers (both male and female) and 31 parents(Mothers & fathers ) were selected through a simple random sampling technique. Two structured questionnaires, one for teachers and one for parents, were used to collect the data. Each questionnaire consisted of two sections; demographic information and close-ended statements. The validity of the questionnaires was estimated from experts in special education. The reliability of the questionnaires was .83 and .80(Cronbach’s Alpha). The data analysis shows that schools had a low level of collaboration with health and social welfare departments but a moderate level of collaboration with regular education and families of students with NDDs.The need for strong and effective school-community collaboration for the welfare and uplift of students with neurological and developmental disabilities and their parents is recommended.

Revolutionary Teaching Approaches

Particular emphasis on the Outcome-Based Education (OBE) paradigm, this research aims to investigate the innovative teaching approaches used in Pakistan's educational system. Pakistan is encountering several obstacles to preparing its educational system for the 21st century's demands. As a result, there is a crucial need for innovative methods of instruction. To solve the inadequacies associated with conventional learning methods that rely on memory, transformative pedagogies emphasise student-centred modern ideas and practices. This research investigates the adoption of online learning environments (OBE) in Pakistani schools and its impact on learner participation, critical thinking, and adaptability. The document acknowledges both possibilities and problems, especially about incorporating technology. Some of the constraints include limited resources and cultural expectations. A methodology that utilises many methods, including interviews, observations, and document analysis, was used during an academic year to contribute to the results. The findings of the study indicate that there are a variety of ways in which OBE is implemented, that there is a positive connection between transformational pedagogies and learner engagement, and that there are disparate effects on students at various educational levels. Among the suggestions that have been made in light of the findings are establishing a uniform OBE framework, developing faculty, and including technology. The long-term impacts and the influence of technology and community participation will be the prime focus of study in the future. The findings of this study provide essential insights that may be used to develop a dynamic educational system in Pakistan that can accommodate the demanding requirements of the changing global scene.

Role of school leaders in cultivating professional learning communities and culture in Pakistani schools: an exploratory case study

PurposeThe purpose of this exploratory case study was to investigate the role of School Leaders (SLs) in building Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in schools, as well as to expand a literature-driven PLC model within the Pakistani context.Design/methodology/approachThe study involved the purposive selection of two schools affiliated with a university. The sample comprised one school leader, one academic coordinator and five teachers from each school, altogether 14 participants. The participants shared similar demographic characteristics. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data, which were analysed thematically.FindingsThe findings of the study revealed that both schools have created PLCs to some extent and that school goals and culture were contributing factors in building these communities. Additionally, the SLs played a key role in promoting PLCs by encouraging teacher collaboration. The study concludes that SLs have the potential to strategize their actions to foster positive professional relations among teachers and ensure their well-being.Research limitations/implicationsThe study contributes to the literature on professional communities in Pakistan by validating a literature-driven PLC model. The model emphasizes collaboration among teachers, which can be facilitated by SLs. As such, the study implicates SLs in prioritizing the professional development of teachers to enhance student learning and achieve school success.Originality/valueThis study is unique in expanding a literature-driven PLC model within the Pakistani context, with a focus on teacher collaboration as facilitated by SLs. The model has the potential for replication in other contexts and can serve as a useful tool for future research.

Identifications of Barriers in Implementation of Digital Technology in Secondary schools of Punjab

The objective of this study was to discuss the benefits of digitization in Pakistani schools. After identifying barriers related with infrastructure, teacher and students, the aim of this study was to encourage students for the tackling of these barriers. As these barriers are main hindrances to get quality education. Quantitative approach was used in the study. Survey method was applied. The accessible population of the study was school teachers from various Public sector schools of Punjab, Pakistan. Convenience sampling technique was used to obtain sample of the study. The sample of the study was 300 school teachers. A questionnaire was developed for the collection of data. The validity of the questionnaire was obtained through expert opinion while reliability was obtained through cronbach alpha. The alpha value was .75. Descriptive statistical techniques were used for data analysis. The findings of the study were that key barriers in implementation of digital technology include inadequate infrastructure, limited access to technology, insufficient teacher training, resistance to change, concerns about privacy and security, and disparities in digital literacy among students. Furthermore, the research delves into the socio-economic, cultural, and policy-related factors that contribute to the complexity of these barriers. It also investigates potential strategies and solutions to overcome these obstacles, emphasizing the importance of collaborative efforts between stakeholders, policy-makers, educators, and technology developers. The findings of this study contribute to the ongoing discourse on technology in education and provide valuable insights for creating more inclusive, effective, and sustainable digital learning environments.

Identifying an educational praxis of culturally relevant female school leadership in urban Pakistani schools

ABSTRACT Using a culturally relevant leadership lens, this phenomenological study looks at the lived experiences of two female urban school leaders in Pakistani private schools. It highlights the structural enablements and barriers they faced across two different periods – the 1990s and the 2020s providing reflectively-nuanced insight into female school leadership in a Pakistani context. The findings from this small-scale study recommend further enhancing and developing female school leaders’ skills through targeted leadership development programmes and mentoring experiences that assist in developing their strong educational praxis as they create their own practice architectures. The findings contribute towards current educational leadership literature through a feminist approach to understanding how Pakistani female school teachers and leaders can exercise educational praxis within their school systems. It is anticipated that this approach will contribute towards the discourse on improving the working conditions for female teachers and school leaders working within this developing world context.

An Investigation of English Children’s Literature in Pakistani Schools (PreK—Grade 3)

An Investigation of English Children’s Literature in Pakistani Schools (PreK—Grade 3)

Coloniality, Resistance, and Reimagining the Future: Exploring the Influence of Language Policies on Learner Identities in Pakistani Schools

This paper explores student experiences of language-in-education policies through the lens of colonial processes and traces such logic as they operate through educational institutions. Drawing on semi-structured interviews of high school seniors and recent graduates, I investigate how students in Pakistani secondary schools interact with intersecting modern/colonial structures that rationalize existing hierarchies of power along colonial, racial/ethnic, and gendered lines. The findings suggest that students have internalized dominant colonial ideologies and they also constitute key sites for decolonial resistance at the same time. Student experiences of colonial hierarchies in the school were mediated by their socioeconomic class, gender, ethnic and linguistic background. However, despite internalizing dominant hierarchies, many students understood their experiences through the framing of colonial power structures, which simultaneously positioned them as potential actors for decolonial resistance. In this paper, I analyze their experiences in detail, and in doing so, this study adds to the growing voices in the field of international and comparative education that critically examine the role of modern/colonial formations in the structuring of education globally.

Exploring the Need of Career Counselling for Choosing the Career at School Level in Pakistan: Parents and Teachers' Perception

This paper examines the current state of career counselling services in Pakistani schools and explores students' and parents' perceptions of these services. This paper provides an understanding of the challenges and opportunities related to career counselling in schools and recommends strategies to improve the delivery of these services. The paper highlights the limited availability of trained career counsellors in schools, the lack of awareness among students and parents about the benefits of career counselling, and the focus of the academic curriculum on traditional subjects rather than career guidance. The recommendations investing in training career counsellors, establishing dedicated career counselling centres in schools, revising the curriculum to include career guidance, launching awareness campaigns to educate students and parents, and involving parents in the career counselling process. By implementing these recommendations, stakeholders can work together to provide students with the necessary guidance and support to make informed decisions about their future careers and contribute to the country's economic growth and overall well-being.

Gender Disparity in English Textbooks by Baluchistan Textbook Board

Gender inequality worldwide has worked its way into many Asian societies, including Pakistan (Ali et al., 2011). In Pakistani schools, textbooks are generally the sole teaching/learning resource the teachers and students rely on for all learning. The stereotypical representation of gender in these textbooks is likely to encourage school-going girls and boys to adopt the gendered roles depicted in their textbooks later in life (Dean, 2007). Although numerous researchers have undertaken the content analysis of English textbooks within the context of Pakistan, there is a severe dearth of research focusing on gender disparity in the English textbooks taught in the province of Baluchistan, while the social importance of these textbooks cannot be ignored considering the cultural context and values of Baluchistan. The current study has tapped the research gap by investigating gender depiction in the English textbooks by the Baluchistan textbook Board through a qualitative analysis using Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG), precisely the Transitivity Analysis model given by M. A. K. Halliday (1976). The study has precisely explored the process-participant transitivity patterns in the contents of the selected textbooks to investigate the relative presence of both genders, their relative positioning and interaction in texts, the roles they are assigned, the activities they are engaged in, their social standing as well as the sexist language used in the contents of the textbooks. The study found gender disparity reflected in all these aspects in the selected textbooks.

Representation of indigenous languages employing a religious screen for the discursive construction of students' postcolonial national identities: A curious case of ‘internal colonisation’ and ‘cultural invasion’ in Pakistani schools

AbstractThis study problematises the discourses of Pakistan's national curriculum textbooks to investigate how they represent Pakistan's indigenous languages/cultures through the prism of religion to constitute secondary school students' particular postcolonial linguistic identities. It also draws on the perspectives of 12 teachers and 424 students to record their responses. Taking insights from Paulo Freire's cultural invasion, Robert Blauner's internal colonisation and selected postcolonial perspectives, the study notes a dynamic interplay of the sampled textbooks, schoolteachers and the school as a site of discursive social practices. Jointly, they position students within an exclusionary homogenous Urdu‐loving group—a language which is represented as Arabic's tributary. Indigenous languages are recognised, however, as an adjunct to Arabic and Urdu, emphasising their role in the proselytisation of Islam in the region. Similarly, fine arts and indigenous cultural festivals are represented from a particular religious lens. The students strongly identify with this curious case of internal colonisation and cultural invasion, and support it. They exhibit self‐righteousness and aversion towards linguistic/cultural pluralism and minorities, which entails implications for Pakistan's national cohesion and educational parlance of equity and inclusivity.

Effects of bullying on the mental health of adolescents.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of bullying on the mental effect of adolescents. Study Design: Cross Sectional study. Setting: Sacred Heart Convent School and Ibn e Sina School in Lahore. The data was compiled and analyzed at CMH Lahore Medical College. Period: November 2019-January 2020. Material & Methods: Three hundred and eighty one participants were selected from both schools and the severity of bullying was analyzed by using a Performa. The scores were calculated and compared with Victimization scale and WHO wellbeing index respectively. Results: The Victimization scale had a score range from 54 to 0. The mean was 8.04 with a Std. Deviation of 9.12. For the WHO well Being Index, 42.8% of total students scored less than 13, indicating negative impacts on mental health. 57.2% of students scored 13 or more. The correlation between Victimization Scale and WHO positive Wellbeing Index had a p-value of 0.844 which is insignificant, showing no correlation between the two variables. Conclusion: In Pakistan, traditional bullying is common and is clearly related with lower general happiness and higher depression. There is a need to incorporate the promotion of anti-bullying programs and promote positive health as an integral part of the curriculums of Pakistani Schools.

Academic and Cultural Capital of Students in Pakistani Schools: The Role of Field

Within a field, capital and habitus of individuals has great impact in structuring their future practices. Therefore, it can be connoted that field, capital, and habitus all are relational terms and it is not possible to understand these terms by separating them from one another. This study was conducted to explore the role of field in social reproduction among students. This study was qualitative and phenomenological design was used as it examines human experiences through the descriptions provided by the people involved. Teachers teaching at secondary and higher secondary in the two streams of schools (ICT-based public and private) were the population for the study. A total of 24 teachers were randomly selected by using the sample selection rule of Gay and Diehl (1992) as a sample of the study. Data were collected in three rounds through self- constructed in-depth interview guide. The data were analyzed through thematic analysis. Findings indicate that effective instructional practices of teachers can enable students to improve the cultural capital of students coming from diverse cultures/backgrounds. Furthermore, it was found that by improving the critical thinking, problem-solving, and reasoning skills of students, both types of schools are trying their level best to improve the academic performance of students that leads to strengthening their academic capital. The paper suggests that to further strengthen the role of field in the academic and cultural capital of students in Pakistani schools teachers need to deal effectively with students of diverse cultures.

Analyzing The Contemporary Developments and Challenges in Teaching English Language in Pakistani Schools

English phraseology is a required subject taught at the Pakistan graduate level. Even after surveying the English terminology for over 14 years, the plurality of learners arriving from non-elite organizations, need the basic grip in English language skills to maintain their elevated schooling and proficient fields. With this reasoning, the recent investigation concentrated on developing English composition and assignment techniques, and in Karachi private non-elite organizations confronted the difficulties while developing these techniques at the SSC (Secondary School Certificate) level. Qualitative as well as quantitative method has been used. The variety of the investigation included 20 SSC level students, 12 SSC level English language teachers of non-elite private schools, and 5 student notebooks. Characteristics were composed through open-ended votes, committees’ consultations, and tablet examination. Data were examined adopting subjective analysis. The conclusions disclosed that developing English language assignment strategies involve reading the passage aloud, paraphrasing the passage, furnishing the basic suggestion and significance of tough phrases to the students. The prominent difficulties struggled by the instructors in instructing reading skills are learners’ absence of attention in reading, absence of pursuit, and soft reading cognition skills. The investigation also indicated methods of teaching writing skills such as the requirement of standard texts and appropriate terminology sections. The main dilemmas while developing writing skills include a shortage of pre-writing recreations, beginners’ deficient grip over vocabulary, punctuation, grammar, and spelling, voluble syllabus, and restricted time.

A STUDY OF ISSUES IN EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT AT HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL AT PUNJAB

The school management is regarded as one of the most important managements in perspective of Pakistani schools. Educational management is a discipline with respect to the management of educational organizations was established to develop disciplines at schools. The present study comprises on to find out the issues in existing school management in education system at high school level in Punjab through survey method. The main objectives of this study were to study some existing school management models, to find out the issues in school department at secondary level and to find out the need for school management improvement. This study has a qualitative approach. The data was collected through a structured interview from four schools of district Bahawalnagar and analyzed data was expressed in detail. The conditions of the public sector school were far different from those of private sector. The schools lacked basic physical infrastructure to carry out daily routine tasks Keywords: Management, School heads, Quality education