ASSESSING THE NEED FOR TEACHER TRAINING AMONG PRIVATE SCHOOL TEACHERS: SELF-REPORTED INSTRUCTIONAL BEHAVIORS

This study analyzed the training needs of teachers in private schools in Pakistan with regard to two aspects of professional competence: personal skills and pedagogical skills. The quantitative survey design was used and the number of teachers in the private schools sampled was 350. A structured questionnaire was used to gather data which were analyzed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). A majority of the teachers were found to be female, urban, and moderately experienced, with most of them having master's degrees and professional degrees in education. Analysis of personal skills showed that teachers were relatively strong in attending to student concerns, remaining calm and motivating students, but weaker in empathy, avoiding bias and being punctual. The pedagogical skills analysis revealed good competence in all other areas of pedagogical skill, except for the areas of classroom discipline, individual attention to students, and managing the course content over the academic year. Results indicate that while private school teachers may possess formal qualifications that align with the required teacher competencies, there is a clear need for private school teachers to have specific affective and instructional competencies that can be addressed through targeted training. The study helps to understand the professional development context in the private education sector in Pakistan.