Bulletin of Education and Research

A Study to Explore the Teachers’ Reflective Practices to Improve the Teaching for Students with Different Needs

Afshan Naseem — 2025-12-03

This study aims to explore the effective teaching methodologies of teachers to improve the teaching of students with different needs. In this study, 12 teachers who were teaching 7th and 8th grades in their schools were interviewed. These teachers were from six private schools and in each school two teachers were taken as a sample. A qualitative approach was used in this study. Researchers developed the semi-structured interview protocol through an intensive literature review. The instrument was validated by three experts in the related field. Research data were collected through face-to-face interviews with the participants. Teachers were also asked about writing a diary to reflect on their teaching and learning process. Teachers were given four weeks to reflect on their actions and these teachers were interviewed after four weeks of writing diaries regarding the reflection of their teaching. Qualitative descriptive analysis was applied to analyze the data. The qualitative descriptive study describes the phenomenon rather than an explanation of the phenomenon. Data explored that teachers are not familiar with the use of reflective practices to improve the teaching-learning process. Teachers considered the lesson planning to be enough for them. Moreover, school authorities do not motivate teachers to be engaged in reflection on their teaching. After analyzing the diaries, it was concluded that teachers did not manage properly their reflective journals or they did not use these diaries daily. However, they thought that the process of reflection required a lot of time. Recommendations for future research have been incorporated in the article.

Navigating the Complex Intersection of Doctoral Degree Requirements: Results from a Qualitative Analysis

Farooq Ahmad — 2025-12-03

This qualitative study explores the multifaceted dynamics within higher education institutions (HEIs) in Pakistan, focusing on doctoral candidates’ experiences of addressing degree requirements. To gain their comprehensive and rich insights, the researchers conducted in-depth interviews with purposively selected twenty doctoral students and organized three focus groups, involving a total of 33 participants. Through thematic analysis, three key themes emerged that intertwine to shape the doctoral experiences including mandatory publication requirement for doctoral degree completion, personal and professional conflicts among faculty members and the effect of evaluators’ situations on theses reviewing and completion. The results revealed that mandatory publication of the research paper, personal and professional conflicts among the faculty and administration, and challenges in reviewing the dissertation from international evaluators shape the dynamics of doctoral degree completion that hamper the doctoral journey. By connecting these themes, this study provides a nuanced understanding of the complex intersection of doctoral degree requirements offering valuable insights for academic institutions seeking to enhance the doctoral experience and improve program quality and degree completion.

Interactive Class Talk and the Development of Transversal Competencies among Seventh Grade Science Students

Lubna Shaheen — 2025-12-03

Development of transversal competencies is crucial for employee’s endurance in the 21st century job market. The education system promises the development of these skills. It is vital to explore the classroom talks suitable for the development of transversal competencies at school level. This study aimed at exploring the talk in science classroom and respective developed transversal competencies among 7th grade students (11-12 years age). It was mix-method sequential design to achieve the devised objective. The population was science teachers teaching at grades 6-8 and their students. Ten teachers teaching through interactive talk were purposively selected along with their students (255). The nature of teacher’s talk used in the classroom was marked on the observation sheet during their teaching. Students were assessed of skills, reflective thinking skills, communication skills and teamwork via observation sheet. Both teachers and students were interviewed to explore the underlying reasons certain initiation, student-initiation, response and feedback with some other moves were observed during teaching. While interviewing teachers reported student’s active involvement, in classroom discussions, is enriched source of student’s as well as teacher’s development. However, they highlighted administrative constraints, overcrowded classes, workload of teachers, lack of time and trainings. It is found that exploratory and explanatory talks develop communication skills, responsibility and organizational skills among students. While questioning and involvement in discussions cause reflective thinking, teamwork and communication skills development. It is concluded that interactive class talks are suitable for development of transversal competencies at elementary school level. The students should be engaged in collaborative classroom activities and develop a culture to involve them personally in the process of holistic development.

Analysis of Alignment between Single National Curriculum Standards 2022 and Punjab Examination Commission Assessment 2023 in Pakistan

Adeel Khurshid — 2025-12-03

Standard-based curriculum enhances quality and coherence of educational outcomes to gauge the alignment between standards and assessment to meet the diverse needs of learners. The Single National Curriculum (SNC) 2022 was developed and implemented to provide quality education aimed at unifying and standardizing education across Pakistan in line with the fourth goal of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The current study was descriptive to explore the alignment between curriculum standards and assessment of 8th-grade science. The sources of data were SNC 2022 science grade VI-VIII, a textbook of Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB) and Punjab Examination Commission (PEC) assessment test. The Webb Alignment Tool was used to measure the level of alignment on four criteria: categorical concurrence, range of knowledge, Depth of Knowledge (DOK) consistency, and balance of representation. The results of the study revealed that the assessment met the criteria of categorical concurrence whereas depth of knowledge consistency was at an acceptable level. The assessment slightly meets the criteria of balance of representation and range of knowledge even at a minimum acceptable level. Furthermore, there is a less good degree of alignment between SNC 2022 science SLOs and PEC assessment 2023. Furthermore, 84% of assessment items were of DOK level-l and level-2 and only 16% of items of DOK level-3 and level-4 were included.

Performance Appraisal Practices in Public and Private Secondary Schools: A Comparative Analysis

Rizwana Shaheen — 2025-12-03

The effectiveness of an organization depends highly on the performance of its employees. Performance appraisal is an instrument used to evaluate and enhance employee performance. This study aimed to compare performance appraisal practices in private and public secondary schools, focusing on aspects like appraiser’s attitude, motivation, feedback, appraiser’s bias, and system effectiveness. A questionnaire was adopted for data collection from a sample of 286 teachers (137 males and 149 females). Data was analyzed through SPSS to make different comparisons using t-tests and ANOVA. The findings showed no significant differences between private and public school teachers’ perceptions of appraisers’ attitudes and appraisers ‘biases. Significant differences were found between the perceptions of private and public secondary school teachers on feedback, motivation, and system effectiveness dimensions. Public school teachers were dissatisfied with the feedback they were receiving, as compared to private school teachers. They considered that the current PER form needs to match the contents of their job description. It is suggested that valuable feedback may be provided to teachers. PER form should be constructed according to job description contents, and teachers should be involved in setting standards for performance appraisal.