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The purpose of this paper was to assess college teachers’ attitudes towards reflective practice and knowing their beliefs about promoting reflective practice to improve institutional and professional growth. The study was mixed-method in nature. The population was comprised of 203 college teachers and a sample of 132 teachers was randomly selected by using a sample selection table. An adapted Reflective Attitude Questionnaire (RAQ) constructed by Young (1989) consisting of 15 Likert items was used to assess the attitude of the college teachers. Semi structure interviews were also taken from the 10 college teachers to know their beliefs about how reflective practice could be promoted for teachers’ professional growth and institutional development. The RAQ had an alpha reliability of .90 which meant the instrument was reliable. Content validity was observed to verify the interview statements suggested by experts. Findings disclosed that teachers considered reflective practice useful for their teaching performance and professional growth. However, college principals did not facilitate reflection among teachers that impeded teachers' professional development as well as institutional growth.

Several factors are important determinants of students achievement. Students positive perceptions about these factors contribute to their achievement. Considering importance of students perceptions about themselves, teachers support, and institutional climate in influencing their academic achievement, this study specifically examines students perceptions about themselves as learners, teachers support, and institutional climate for predicting their achievement. This research employed survey and correlational research designs. For this research, 372 students were randomly selected as a sample using cluster and stratified random sampling techniques. For data collection in this study, a questionnaire was adapted from Donahue (1994). For data analysis, both descriptive and inferential statistics were used, with help of SPSS. It was concluded from multiple regression analysis that university students achievement (i.e., dependent variable) can be significantly predicted from their self-perceptions, teachers support and institutional climate (i.e., independent variables).

Conceptions of learning determine students’ ways to learn, motivations and expectations in schools. Conceptions have potential to understand and mold their learning behaviors at schools. Certain types of conceptions of learning appear obvious feature of students performing poorly in schools. Literature suggests that students’ conceptions of learning are affected by students’ social and cultural backgrounds. Students in underdeveloped, minority and Asian social and cultures have quite different conceptions than the students in developed countries. In Pakistani public school, most students are from the lower socio-economic background. Available literature reports drill, memorization, and external regulation of learning and lack of adequate motivation to learn in students of these schools, which signpost undesired conceptions of learning. The current study deals with the students studying in Pakistani schools to determine and understand their conception of learning. A qualitative data collection approach was used to collect the data from the respondents. An approach of applied thematic analysis used reduced qualitative data into themes, sub-themes and into sub-sub-themes. The thematic analysis corroborated Pakistani secondary school science students’ intake of knowledge and cooperation conceptions of learning. The findings were in line to various studies on Asian students. The high failing rate at secondary school level in science education in Pakistani schools is congruent to presence of intake of knowledge and cooperation conceptions of learning.

Didactical strategies are one of the most influential vehicles that directly contribute to transforming knowledge. Varying types of didactical approaches are being adopted and implemented in the preparation of future teachers in the initial teacher education set up. The current conceptual paper is based on rigorous literature review on the typologies of didactical strategies adopted in the initial teacher education. The purpose of this conceptual and theoretical study is to evaluate and contrast varying didactical approaches while navigating through literature. The study also aims at exploring the interrelationship of didactical approaches with teacher cognitions i.e., teacher pedagogical beliefs. The methodology of this study based on the selection of six types of didactical strategies by Van De Grift (2007) and to compare and contrast them with other typologies available in literature and to explore the interrelationship with teachers’ pedagogical beliefs. The study concludes that the varying typologies of didactical strategies are being adopted and implemented in the ITE set up and these strategies have strong relationship with teacher’s pedagogical beliefs. The study recommends that the teachers’ cognitions i.e., teachers’ pedagogical beliefs may be included in the curriculum when preparing future teachers in the initial teacher education setting. These findings are substantial for policy makers, curriculum developers, head teachers, and other stakeholders in the initial teacher education.

The present study was conducted to investigate teachers’ use of classroom motivationalstrategies during their teaching to secondary school science classes. Motivationalstrategies are always helpful for the teachers in the classroom to achieve their goals. Themain objective of the study was to determine the motivational classroom strategies usedby secondary school science teachers during their science lessons. The study was limitedto collect data from secondary school science teachers who were teaching to grade 9thand 10th science students. The study was descriptive and a questionnaire comprising 25closed ended statements was developed on 5 point Likert type scale to collect the datafrom 256 secondary school science teachers teaching science subjects in secondaryschools of two districts of Multan division; Multan and district Vehari. The results ofpresent study showed that teacher motivation is related to teachers’ use of motivatingstrategies, which in turn are related to student motivation. It was also noticed thatEnglish medium school teachers use these strategies more frequently as compared toUrdu medium schools teachers. Gender wise analysis also revealed that male teachersare more frequent and enthusiastic to use motivational strategies in their scienceclassroom as compared to female science teachers.