School Education Department Research Articles

The State of Sex Education in Pakistan: The Way Forward

Sex education has been found to be associated with informed sexual decision making and enhanced sexual well-being. But in Pakistan, sex education has been remained a subject of taboo and stigma and has been associated with a number of myths. This article tries to discuss the current state of sex education in Pakistan by justifying the need for the sex education and uncovering the factors responsible for the non-implementation of sex education on mass level in Pakistan. Two major factors considered responsible for a lack of implementation of sex education are several myths associated with the sex education and portrayal of sex education as fundamentally non-Islamic. This article analyzes the scientific validity of several myths associated with the sex education and proposes that sex education is not against the Islamic traditions and values. The sex education needs to be embedded in existing cultural and educational setup of Pakistan so that it may be accepted. This study highlights the comprehensive nature of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) guidelines in the development and implementation of sex education and explores the implementation of sex education under the umbrella of Life Skills Based Education (LSBE) developed by the School Education and Literacy Department of Government of Sindh. This article further proposes steps to implement LSBE on mass level by involving parents, religious leaders, teachers, provincial education boards, and universities. It is further suggested that LSBE should be delivered as part of traditional educational system in a step by step manner and should be in accordance with the cultural norms of Pakistan.

OBSTACLES FACED BY PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN IMPLEMENTING STEM EDUCATION: A CAUSE FOR CONCERN

Societies are empowering individuals with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in the 21st century and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable, and prosperous future. The need for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics; STEM education is a multifaceted concept that plays an important role in preparing students in a complex and technology-driven world. Despite numerous benefits, certain obstacles exist that impede its effective implementation and widespread adaptation. The current qualitative research was structured to explore the obstacles faced by teachers in implementing STEM education in Kasur, Punjab-Pakistan. The authors conducted an interview protocol from randomly selected 20 teachers working in public sector schools. The results of the thematic analysis confirm that the struggle to implement STEM education schools’ councils’ poor involvement, low availability of computers and internet, lack of teachers’ training, poor application of innovative teaching methods, deficiency of science teachers, non-availability of STEM curriculum, administration constraints, availability of funds and laboratories were the main hurdles faced by teachers in implementing STEM education. It is recommended based on the findings that the School Education Department; SED hires science teachers, establishes laboratories, conducts teachers’ training, and invests a handsome amount to fulfill the deficiency of STEM hurdles, a cause for concern.

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.

Development and validation of headteachers' leadership behavior questionnaire (HLBQ)

The leadership behavior of the headteachers is associated with institutional worth. This study intended to develop and validate a headteachers’ leadership behavior questionnaire (HLBQ) to measure the leadership behavior of headteachers. The questionnaire encompassed two sub-dimensions viz: people-oriented leadership behavior and task-oriented leadership behavior as per Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid. After a rigorous literature review followed by focus group discussions, the preliminary draft of the tool encompassed forty-three (43) items on the five (5) points Likert Scale. Based on the content and face validity, the items with CVR values less than 0.42 were dropped. The revised questionnaire was pilot tested on three hundred and ten (310) public secondary school teachers employed in the school education department. The data were processed through Smart PLS version 4, which provided the questionnaire’s validity, reliability, and model fit. After deleting the unfit items, the questionnaire was further reduced to thirty-one (31) items. AVE values of the items related to people-oriented leadership behavior were 0.658 > 0.5, and for task-oriented were 0.686 > 0.5. Fornell-Lacker criterion value (0.828) was more than the correlations with other latent constructs, i.e., 0.811 and 0.831. The Heterotrait-Monotrait ratio (HTMT) value was 0.859 < 0.9, which is acceptable. Cronbach alpha for people-oriented leadership behavior was 0.967 > 0.7, and task-oriented leadership behavior was 0.658 > 0.7. Similarly, the composite reliability (CR) values for people-oriented leadership behavior were 0.970 > 0.7, and task-oriented leadership behavior was 0.963 > 0.7. Thus, the headteachers’ leadership behavior questionnaire (HTLB) was internally consistent, valid, and reliable. The findings of the entire study supported using the headteachers’ leadership behavior questionnaire (HLBQ) to explore and measure the leadership behavior of the headteachers.

Role of museums as a resource in learning of history at elementary level

The purpose of this research was to highlight the importance of museums as a resource in learning history at the elementary level. Museums are institutions used as evidence of historical activities. It was recognized in the 15th century to describe the concept of evidence in a form of a permanent non-profit institute. They reveal the diversity of the culture and society. Museums are the authentic source to interpret historical indications. They are used to educate people about their diversity in cultural traits, science, and history. How the museums are utilized as educational institutions. They preserved the historical happenings to explain the real picture of history. The study targets the role of museums as a resource in learning history at the elementary level. The objective of the study was to explore the academic performance of elementary school students before and after using museums as a resource. The public elementary school students were the population of research. One public school was chosen to conduct the research. The researcher adopted a quantitative approach to collect the parametric data. The research procedure consisted of three phases i.e. planning, development, and implementation phase. One group pretest-posttest design was used to conduct research. The researcher prepared a subject-based test with the help of subject specialists working in the Punjab School Education Department. A pretest was conducted before visiting the museum and a posttest was conducted after visiting the museum. Paired t-test was used to measure the academic performance of the participants. The results of the pretest-posttest indicated that museums can be utilized as a resource in learning history at the elementary level.

Sustainable Development Goal-4 with the Perspective of Public Schools in Punjab

This qualitative study aimed to examine the practical implications of Sustainable Development Goal-4 (SDGs) in public schools of Punjab. SDG-4 targets were analyzed through an educational plan framework (Asghar, 2016). Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA) was deployed to analyze the status of implementation of SDG-4 and key gaps between the settled targets of SDG-4 and initiatives taken by the School Education Department Govt. of Punjab by organizing textual data and producing codes, and themes. Findings revealed that the School Education Department is managing three projects ie. Punjab Human Capital Investment Project (PHCIP), Actions to Strengthen Performance for Inclusive and Responsive Education (ASPIRE), and Transformation in Access, Learning, Equity & Education Management" (TALEEM) funded by World Bank and UNICEF respectively by its attached organization Punjab Monitoring and Implementation Unit-Punjab Education Sector Reforms (PMIU-PESRP). The findings of the present study are very informative as well as useful for researchers, School Education Department, and donor-funded agencies. Key recommendations include continuous teachers training; provision of resources to access quality and inclusive education; targeted interventions and societal awareness for removal of language and gender disparities in order to ensure equal learning opportunities for all.

Sınıf Öğretmenlerinin Müzik Okuryazarlık Düzeylerinin İncelenmesi

The aim of this study is to examine the music literacy levels of primary teachers. In line with this objective, it is considered that assessing the music literacy levels of primary teachers according to diverse factors is crucial for enhancing the quality of the education provided. The study employed the relational survey model, which is one of the non-experimental quantitative research methods. The research sample consisted of 337 primary teachers who work in the urban and rural areas of Ağrı, Ardahan, Iğdır, and Kars provinces, located in the Eastern Anatolia region. Data were collected through the “Music Literacy Scale to Preschool and Elementary School Education Department” and a personal information form. The results showed that the music literacy of primary teachers was at an intermediate level. Demographically, the variables of gender, employment province, and the number of semesters involving music education in their undergraduate studies did not make a statistically significant difference. However, the variables of age, seniority, adequacy of music education received in the undergraduate period, having extracurricular music education beyond the undergraduate study, and receiving a music certificate during or after the undergraduate study made significant differences.

TEACHERS’ PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND THEIR CORRESPONDING SCHOOL CLIMATES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PROFESSIONALLY QUALIFIED AND NON-QUALIFIED TEACHERS

This research study gives a comparative analysis of professionally qualified and non-qualified teachers (PNQTs) regarding their professional skills and their relevant school climates. The quantitative, causal-comparative design was suitable to determine professional qualification as a cause of varying school climates. The data was collected from 112 teachers (56 PQT and 56 PNQT) and their 224 students from public schools of Punjab province. One observation sheet to measure teachers’ professional skills and one questionnaire on the Likert scale were developed to measure school climates. The observation sheet was derived from National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPSTs) in Pakistan and school climate was based on four domains given by Wang and Degol (2016). These instruments were validated by calculating CVI and reliability was ensured to greater than 0.7 Cronbach Alpha. Descriptive (Mean, SD) and inferential statistics (t-test and correlation) were employed for data analysis. The results revealed PQTs exhibit better skills under seven delimited standards of NPSTs including subject matter knowledge, human growth and development, Islamic and ethical practice, instructional planning, assessment, learning environment, and collaboration in schools than PNQTs. However, diversity has been found in the skills and school climates of PNQTs indicating a varying effect of professional qualification. There is enough empirical evidence that professional education may be a pre-requisite for teachers’ appointments in Punjab School Education Department.

Ph.D. Graduates are in Schools as K-12 Teachers: A Phenomenological Study

This study explored the experience of Ph.D. graduates as K-12 school teachers in Pakistan. Pakistan is confronting significant challenges in the early and late stages of K-12 education. Therefore, the presence of Ph.D.s in schools can be appreciative regarding quality assurance matters and employment opportunities but create a question mark regarding their future progress and adjustment in the school system. In this current research, the researchers addressed the main themes: How is it possible for a Ph.D. graduate to become a K-12 teacher in a school? How do Ph.D.s think and reflect themselves while teaching as K-12 teachers? The researchers collected the experiences of Ph.D. graduate teachers by interviewing them under the umbrella of phenomenological studies of qualitative research design. Eleven Ph.D. graduate teachers from different schools in Punjab province, Pakistan, were selected as research participants through a snowball sampling technique The researchers analysed data using phenomenological studies and developed different themes to address Ph.D. graduate teachers’ feelings, thinking, and reflections within the school environment. After drawing results and creating conclusions, this study suggested various recommendations for the school education department and stakeholders to improve their policies and working environment to cope with the Ph.D. graduate teachers. The study's implications revealed that the governance system must implement the various provisions concerned with Ph.D. graduate teachers present in schools. These provisions include recognizing their work, financial satisfaction, teacher education sector reforms, and proper utilization in the education system.

Development and Validation of Teachers' Classroom Management Questionnaire (TCMQ)

This research paper aims to outline the development and validation process of the Teachers' Classroom Management Questionnaire (TCMQ), a new psychometric tool designed to measure and evaluate teachers' classroom management skills. The instrument has undergone rigorous testing for its reliability and validity, thus demonstrating its efficacy as an evaluative measure for pedagogical efficacy in classroom management. The preliminary draft of the tool was developed, which consisted of twenty-five (25) items on the five (5) points Likert Scale, which was pilot-tested on three hundred ten (310) public secondary school teachers working in the school education department. Statistical software PLS Smart version 4 was used for the data analysis, validity, reliability, and model fit. CVR of each item was calculated by using the XLStats version 2019. The Teachers' Classroom Management Questionnaire (TCMQ) was developed and validated, exhibiting robust psychometric properties. It may serve as a valuable tool for systematically evaluating classroom management skills in teachers and offers promising avenues for future research and pedagogical interventions. The study findings may help secondary school teachers revisit their classroom management components. This study may open new doors to conduct research for future researchers. The final report elucidates the methodology, findings, and implications for educational research and pedagogical practice. Researchers may use this tool to get data on Classroom Management by using it.

Managing Public Elementary School Classrooms in Lahore: Physical Facilities Related Challenges for Novice Teachers

This study aimed to develop an understanding of the physical facility-related challenges that novice teachers in public elementary schools have faced during classroom management in their first three years. The semi-structured interview research design was employed, and the data was collected from a purposive sample of twenty novice public school teachers who had less than three years of experience.Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the interview data. Most participants reported the absence of basic facilities such as small class sizes, rough and inadequate furniture, the absence of audio-visual aids, a shortage of electricity in the summer, and inadequate water and sanitation facilities in schools. Most novice teachers reported that teaching in the absence of these facilities was very difficult. It is suggested that the school education department should provide all the essential physical facilities in schools so that teachers can manage and teach effectively in their classrooms.

Need of Guidance and Counselling Framework for Improvement of Students' Learning Outcomes

The study aimed to identify the need of guidance and counselling framework for achieving improved learning outcomes in public sector secondary schools in Larkana. The teachers use corporal punishment to students for achieving academic results. This study determines how learners in public secondary schools in Larkana conceptualized the function of GC in academic achievement. We recruited 167 learners in this paper. The qualitative as well as quantitative method was adopted. The findings showed that most of the students were unaware of the counselling services' availability, they hardly ever used them. The study concluded that secondary schools in Larkana division faced a dearth of proper guidance and counselling framework. According to conclusions, the School Education and Literacy Department Sindh should implement a proper framework of Guidance and Counselling framework.

Study about the Effects of Consolidation Policy on School Development Plan of School Education Department in Punjab

Many problems did embrace in foundational education in Pakistan including the shortage of teachers. Community Model Schools at primary level were introduced to address this problem in Punjab. Teachers of both sexes were inducted inclusive of the head teacher. Many factors were affecting educational system but most serious was low performance in administration and poor academic outcomes. So objectives of the study were, to investigate the administrative performance of consolidated schools after consolidation in Punjab and to explore the academic development made by the consolidated schools after consolidation in Punjab. All the Teachers, Head teachers, AEOs and Students of consolidated schools in division Gujranwala were the population. Total sample was 380 in which 38 Head Teachers, 76 Teachers, 228 Students and 38 AEOs from the selected schools. A questionnaire on 5-point Lickert scale was used to collect data. Descriptive and Inferential Statistics were applied. Administrative and academic performance becomes better than before.

Construction and Validation of the Teachers' Motivation Questionnaire (TMQ): A Detailed Exploration

The teachers' motivation is crucial to the institutional value and accomplishment of goals; it greatly influences the success of institutions, particularly in educational institutions. This study aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire to assess teachers' motivation and named it as Teachers' Motivation Questionnaire (TMQ). The questionnaire contained two motivation dimensions provided by Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory of Motivation (i.e., Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation). The preliminary draft of the questionnaire was created after a focus group discussion on the forty-four (44) item, five (5) point Likert Scale. After ensuring content and face validity by having the items reviewed by experts and removing any items with CVR scores of less than 0.42, the questionnaire's items were whittled down to just thirty (30). Two hundred twenty-six teachers working for the school education department participated in a pilot study of the revised questionnaire. The data were processed using PLS Smart version 4, which determined the questionnaire's validity, reliability, and model fit. After removing the unsuitable items, the questionnaire was reduced to eighteen (18) items. The AVE values for extrinsic motivation items were 0.575 > 0.5, while for intrinsic motivation items were 0.633> 0.5. The Fornell-Lacker criterion value (0.828) was greater than the correlations with other latent components, 0.778 and 0.828, respectively. The Heterotrait-Monotrait ratio (HTMT) was 0.895 0.9, which is considered good. Cronbach alpha values for extrinsic motivation were 0.917 > 0.7, while for intrinsic motivation were 0.916 > 0.7. Similarly, the composite reliability (CR) values for extrinsic motivation were 0.931 > 0.7 and 0.932 > 0.7, respectively. So, the Teachers' Motivation Questionnaire (TMQ) was internally consistent, valid, and reliable. The overall study's findings approved using TMQ to investigate teachers' motivation.

Teachers’ Perceived Gender Equality in Educational Opportunities at Secondary School Level

The aim of this study was to highlight teacher’s perceived gender equality in educational opportunities at secondary level. Female education in Pakistan is critical for achieving quality learning because there is a significant gender gap in education, particularly in the rural sector. The design chosen for this study was descriptive. The population for this study included all secondary school teachers and Subject Specialists in the Multan district who worked in the school education department. The sample was chosen using a stratified sampling procedure and a sample of 508 teachers representing all four tehsils of Multan district was selected. This study examined factors affecting female and male secondary education, including girls' limited course choices, gender differences in course selection, social violence against women and girls' education, period poverty, and stigma. It was recommended that regular in-service training for the management of need and utilization of computer in special school and special advocacy/awareness campaigns should be launched to increase the awareness about gender equality in educational opportunities at secondary level.

An Investigation of Preschool Teacher Candidates' Lifelong Learning Tendencies

This research aims to determine the preschool teacher candidates’ lifelong learning tendencies and preschool teacher candidates’ opinions about lifelong learning. The study group of this research is first, second, third and fourth grade students of preschool teaching in the primary school education department of a public university in Turkey. A mixed-method was used in this research. Data were gathered via the “Lifelong Learning Tendency Scale” which is developed by Diker-Coşkun and via the “Interview Form” which is developed by researchers. The lifelong learning tendency scale is applied to 362 students, and interviews are done with 27 students. Results show that the students’ lifelong tendencies are above the average point of the scale. There is no significant difference in lifelong learning tendencies between grade levels. There is a significant difference in lifelong learning tendencies between the different levels of academic success and whether or not students desire to get postgrad education.

Consciousness and Awareness: Quality Drive Initiative (QDI) Program in Punjab, Pakistan

Quality drive initiative (QDI) was taken by Primary School Education Department of Punjab in order to develop the quality standards for the students of class one, two and three who were continuously being ignored by teachers. Owing to it the base of the students was very week which could not be covered till advanced class. In a survey conducted by CM ROAD MAP TEAM in 2021, it was observed that only 38% students were capable to recognize the things with words. Students of class one, two and three did not know how to read and write. Even they were unable to write their own names and match the things with words. So for making this initiative better this decision was taken to improve the standards of education for quality of early childhood education. Agenda of this program was to improve reading, writing, phonological and comprehension skills in Urdu and English and numeracy skills in mathematics. Guidelines were established for District Teacher Educators (DTEs) and Assistant Education Officers (AEOs) to provide guidance to teachers in fields for the improvements of results and to teach the students in natural and friendly environment. According to this initiative basic focus was given on three subjects English, Urdu and mathematics. Study aimed at what is the Quality Drive Initiative (QDI) and how they are improving the performance of primary students, in order to check the effectiveness of the program. To find out the perceptions of teachers on quality drive initiative program a questionnaire set for teachers, AEOs & DTEs. A test was also conducted before starting the QDI program. Results of the tests and response of the respondents show that QDI program meets its 80% target. For rural areas, this program shows better results as compared to urban areas. Interesting suggestions were made based on the findings.```

Role of Pattern Practices in Teaching Mother Tongue at School Level

The school curriculum maintains the quality learning through various innovative methods of language teaching; it comprises the practices usually followed for the betterment of students who are expected to understand the basic knowledge of their mother tongue. To ensures the quality of such valuable practices the students are made to learn how to write and speak making use of these practices in an acquisition rich atmosphere. The school education department of Tamilnadu has made it mandatory that every student at primary level must have the fluency in reading and writing, and the expected capability of using their mother tongue before they enter the middle school. It is a highly challenging task for the teachers teaching mother tongue to make the students master their language skills, particularly that of reading and writing. The role of pattern practice is mainly to focus on teaching mother tongue with creative method and make the students learn the mother tongue easily adhering to the precepts of school curriculum. In this way, designing syllabus requires a huge change in ensuring the effective teaching of mother tongue at primary level. When we follow the simple pattern practices in teaching mother tongue at school level, the constructive and promising results are quite discernible. Pattern practice teaching comprises the basic language and grammatical structures through which the students manifest substantial capability in reading and writing skills.

Pandemic and Online Learning: Is it for protection from Covid-19 or Health destruction? Voice of Indian parents

Background: Globally, 1.2 billion children are out of the classroom due to schools shut across the world owing to the covid -19 pandemic. Besides children, parents too struggled to embrace this sudden change and adapt to online learning. The present study aimed to assess parental perception towards children's online learning during the covid-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey was carried out among 550 parents of children attending classes online during the covid-19 pandemic. Data were collected after obtaining ethical approval using a self-report questionnaire on parental perception of children's online learning and online class characteristics. Collected data were analyzed using R software. Results: Out of 550 parents approached online, only 300 had responded to the survey with a response rate of 55%. More than half of the children attended online classes using an android mobile phone (71.1%), in the Zoom app (52.2%) with an average duration of online classes was 180±30 minutes/day. Mean parental perception towards online learning score was16±6.3. Parents (80.3%) were concerned about children's general health, including vision, due to continuous exposure to screen in online classes quandary, they agreed (93.3%) online learning protects children from covid infection. Parents were interested in traditional classroom teaching and only 26.1% perceived online learning was effective. Conclusion: Parents, students are eagerly waiting to get rid of home-schooling. The success of online learning relies upon the cooperation of the school authority, teachers, parents, and students. The school education department has a great scope to understand and attend to parental concerns, also maintaining healthy schooling once shut down get relaxed. Also, it should focus on strengthening and supporting home-schooling and helping children balance physical and psychological health.

Need Analysis of Quality Education Indicators at Secondary Level in Pakistan: A Prospective Study

The quality of education is becoming important in this age of progress. This study investigated the situation analysis of quality education at the secondary level in Pakistan. The sample of the study was 306 teachers working in the school education department in tehsil Haroonabad and Bahawalnagar.Teachers were asked to fill out a questionnaire to gather information. The data was analyzed using SPSS. A t-test and a one-way ANOVA were used to indicate how teachers' views differed depending on their demographic features, and frequencies and percentages were utilized to show demographic items and questions. Based on the data, it can be stated that obtaining high-quality secondary education is not difficult. There are some ways to improve education in Pakistan that are discussed in this study. It was a good conversation amongst scholars and specialists in education on this issue. It was proposed that the government should make policies according to the needs of the moment so that secondary-level education difficulties may be reduced.