A Gendered and Qualification-Based Study of Teacher Professional Attitude and Effective Teaching Skills

This study investigates the interplay of gender and professional qualifications in shaping the professional attitudes and effective teaching skills of secondary school teachers in Dera Ismail Khan, KPK, Pakistan. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was administered to 298 teachers, selected via multi-stage sampling from public and private schools. Data were collected using validated scales for professional attitude and teaching skills and analysed using t-tests, ANOVA, and Two-Way ANOVA. The results revealed that female teachers demonstrated significantly higher levels of effective teaching skills than their male counterparts; however, no significant gender difference was found in professional attitudes. Furthermore, professional qualifications were a critically substantial factor, with teachers holding an M.Ed. scoring highest on both constructs, followed by B.Ed. Holders, and then those with no professional qualification. Crucially, the analysis found no significant interaction effect between gender and qualification, indicating that the benefits of advanced training manifest consistently for both male and female teachers. The study concludes that both variables are independent predictors, with qualifications being a powerful lever for improving teacher quality. It is recommended that policymakers mandate and incentivise advanced professional qualifications and that targeted training programs, particularly for male teachers, be developed to address the skills gap.