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This study aims to understand the effectiveness of online training for pre-service and in-service teachers by exploring any differences between pre-service and in-service teachers' satisfaction and learning following an online professional training video. Additionally, the study focused on evaluating any differences in satisfaction and learning of pre-service and in-service teachers based on age, experience, subject taught, and grade level, as well as nationality. An online 20-minute video session was shown to the participants and a survey questionnaire, based on the Kirkpatrick Model, was used to explore their reactions and learning. The study employed Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) with independent sample t-test and ANOVA techniques to compare the training outcomes in pre-service and in-service teachers' satisfaction and learning. The results showed that the teachers were highly satisfied with the video assessment, content, and content structure. Moreover, there was no significant difference found in satisfaction levels or learning between in-service and pre-service teachers. Furthermore, no impact of age, experience, grade taught, or subject taught was found, though nationality was found to impact satisfaction with the video. The study recommends the expansion of similar online professional development programs, considering the high levels of satisfaction among pre-service and in-service teachers alike. Personalization of content to accommodate diverse learner needs, learning preferences, and backgrounds is suggested to further enhance satisfaction and learning outcomes. Lastly, this study's findings emphasize the need to improve teacher training programs, especially in different geographic and cultural contexts, to increase teaching efficacy and address the unique challenges teachers face.

Purpose: The present study investigates the influence of demographic factors on the demand for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Pakistan. The government of Pakistan has implemented various skill enhancement programs to harness the demographic dividend. However, only a small portion of the workforce receives any form of TVET, contributing to a shortage of skilled workers in the country. Many industries, particularly in manufacturing and mining, face deficits in the skilled labour. Consequently, this study aims to examine the role of demographic factors in shaping the demand for TVET within the Pakistani context. Methods: For the TVET demand's estimation, this study employed the Pakistan Social and Living Standard Measurement (PSLM) dataset of 2018-19 by using binary logistic regression analysis (BLRA). The demographic variables include the household's income, household head's education, household size, male proportion of the target age group, household head's age, and region of the household. Findings: The findings indicate that households in the higher income category do not demand TVET. Moreover, if the head of the household is highly educated, then the household is less likely to participate in TEVT. So, the higher the socio-economic status, the lower the probability of demand for TVET from the better-off students. Further, this study also indicates that boys are more likely to participate in TVET-related degrees, while females are less likely to participate in TVET due to the non-availability of institutes and hostel facilities, poor transportation, the limited number of trades available for females, and security issues. Conclusion: The findings provide insightful evidence to support the idea that the higher the socio-economic status of households, the lower the probability of demand for a TVET degree or diploma. Similarly, children of parents with university education are less likely to pursue TVET-related degrees. The reason is likely attributed to the perception that TVET-associated degrees and diplomas are considered inferior due to their lower standing and prestige as compared to general or professional degrees. This study suggests that the attractiveness of TVET can be enhanced by improving the quality of TVET, improving labour market outcomes, and creating a pathway to general education. Overall, this study not only contributes to empirical analyses of socio-economic determinants in TVET demand but also suggests that its findings can be applied not only to South Asian countries but also to other comparable nations with similar cultural ties and affinities.

This qualitative case study examines the Education Faculty Perspectives (EFPs) of the Karakoram Public International University in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, on teachers' experiences of a recently introduced education reform (an Honor's Bachelor of Education program [B. Ed Hons] mandated by Pakistan's Higher Education Commission (HEC) in 2010. The B. Ed Hons has replaced the existing pre-service programs nationwide. Our analysis identified several paradoxical themes about borrowing of the B. Ed Hons: at the "talk"/rhetoric level, the program was welcomed as a transformative shift in teacher education; at the "walk"/implementation level, its practicality and sustainability became complicated; at the decolonisation level, the discourses on the colonial nature of knowledge and North-South dependency were muted. Implications for moving from borrowing external "best practices" to producing local solutions are highlighted. The analysis suggests the contextual realities and challenges should be addressed, individual and structural capacities developed, and an incremental, critical-constructive approach to both external and local ideas be pursued, and decolonization discourse included.

With more and more literature on international student mobility and migration (ISM), one area of focus has often been overlooked: the impacts of student visas and study permits. Examined through an institutionalist framework highlighting the influences of institutions on individuals and their agency, this study describes how visa and study permit policies pervades international students' lives in a variety of ways. Interview data collected from 40 international students who study in Australia, Canada, and the United States were analyzed to uncover themes from these host countries. Drawing on these interviews to outline the concept of ISM policy pervasion, the findings of this study show that visa policies affect international students in wide ranging ways. In addition to providing empirical evidence for ISM policy pervasion, this article also lays the groundwork for further studies that delve into the practical impacts of student visa and study permit policies around the world.

The proposed research aimed to examine abusive leadership and workplace ostracism as predictors of employee silence among school teachers in Sargodha, Pakistan. Studies further tend to examine the moderating role of power distance. Purposive sampling was employed to acquire the data. The research variables were quantified using the Abusive Supervision Scale (Mitchell & Ambrose, 2007), Workplace Exclusion Scale (Hitlan & Noel, 2009), Silence Scale (Van Dyne et al., 2003) and Power Distance Scale (Dorfman & Howell, 1988). Pearson correlation analysis revealed a significant relationship between abusive leadership, workplace ostracism, employee silence, and power distance. Results showed that abusive leadership, ostracism, silence, and power distance have a positive relationship with each other. The findings of linear regression revealed that abusive leadership, ostracism and power distance positively predicted employee silence. Moderation analysis revealed that power distance significantly moderated the relationship of abusive leadership and workplace ostracism with employee silence. The proposed research provides some recommendations and conclusions for future researchers who may be interested in examining the abuse that teachers experience in a high-power-distance culture that compels them to act silently.

One of the main objectives of international large-scale assessments is to make comparisons between different countries, education policies, education systems, or subgroups. One of the main criteria for making comparisons between different groups is to ensure measurement invariance. The purpose of this study was to test the measurement invariance of the mathematics intrinsic motivation scale across 14 countries. For this purpose, the "students like learning mathematics" scale, which measures intrinsic motivation for mathematics, was included in the TIMSS 2019 cycle. The study sample consisted of a total of 152992 students, 70192 4th grade and 82800 8th grade students from 14 different countries participating in the TIMSS 2019 cycle. Measurement invariance was tested with Multi-Group Confirmatory Factor Analysis (MG-CFA) and Alignment Method. The mathematics intrinsic motivation scale provides only configural invariance according to MG-CFA at the 4th grade level, whereas the scale provides approximate invariance according to the alignment method. At the 8th grade level, the scale provides configural and metric invariance according to MG-CFA, whereas the scale provides approximate invariance according to the alignment method. The results indicate that the mathematics intrinsic motivation scale provides approximate measurement invariance at both grade levels and that comparisons can be made between the scores of the identified countries.

Purpose -- Balochistan, which makes up roughly 44 percent of Pakistan's total land area, is home to 6 percent of the nation's inhabitants. Due to long distances and low population density, service delivery is particularly challenging. The province's educational services are impacted by natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, droughts, and migration. Disaster risk reduction is a widely recognized concept that emphasizes appropriate education to lower an individual's personal, familial, and communal vulnerability. The role of the school is crucial in Disaster Risk Reducation (DRR) education. As a result, the study's goal was to explore the approaches adopted for the inclusion of DDR through teaching in classroom and school activities. Methodology -- A focus group discussion with three groups of Pakistan studies and Geography teachers was conducted that consisted of 10 male and 14 female members. Findings -- Findings demonstrate that the current textbook continues to teach students less about disaster risk reduction; teachers include knowledge from their personal experience in planning lessons about DRR. School assemblies, child clubs and activities designed by school management, and social organizations play a prominent role in DRR education. Further, the role of teachers and school management was identified in psycho-social support during disasters and pandemics. Significance -- The study concludes that in addition to extracurricular activities and the teacher's role, prior disaster experience, school, and social organization played a significant role in DRR education in rural Balochistan. The study results will assist curriculum developers, policymakers, and education leadership in developing more effective school disaster management plans. The results will also clarify how schools and teachers can close the knowledge gap in disaster preparedness education. Organizations working on disaster risk education and education in emergencies will also benefit from additional research to respond to the need readily and effectively.

Open universities have provided quality higher education through open and distance education to serve learners who could not attend traditional in-person universities. While open universities vary in terms of providing their services to learners at a distance, many have shifted to e-learning using cost-effective platforms. A common platform that is essential for online teaching and learning is the learning management system (LMS). While there are common processes observed among open universities in the way they use their LMS, there are also subtle differences caused by each institution's unique and special context. Their contextual challenges often drive them to develop technologies or techniques that may easily be adopted by others. Thus, benchmarking activities are often recommended for mutual improvement. In this regard, a comparative study of open universities in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Pakistan was conducted for decision-makers to understand how they could improve in providing quality education to their learners through Moodle, which is their primary LMS. The Delone and Mclean Model was used to systematically compare system, information, and service quality in e-learning delivered through their LMS. The authors hope that the results and recommendations from this study may help other educational institutions overcome similar challenges in their learning platforms.

The current study aimed to see the relationship between psychological empowerment and employees' engagement in school teachers to enhance teaching quality and overall educational effectiveness. The study hypothesized that (a) there would be a positive relationship between psychological empowerment and employee engagement in public and private school teachers; (b)psychological empowerment would be a positive predictor of employee engagement in public and private school teachers;(c) there would be significant gender differences between psychological empowerment and employee engagement in public and private school teachers; and (d)there would be significant institutional differences in psychological empowerment and employee engagement in public and private school teachers. To test these hypotheses, a total of 100 school teachers, 50 men (n=25 from public school and n=25 from private school) and 50 women (n=25 from public school, n=25 from private school), were approached through a purposive sampling strategy. Psychological empowerment was measured using the Psychological Empowerment Scale (Spreitzer, 1995), and employee engagement was measured using the Work and Well-being Survey (UWES) (Schaufeli et al., 2002). The findings showed a positive relationship between psychological empowerment and employee engagement. Moreover, Simple linear regression showed that psychological empowerment significantly predicted employee engagement. This study will help educational experts devise strategies to enhance teachers' psychological empowerment and engagement.

Quality in research supervision is one of the main concerns among the institutions and stakeholders today especially those involved in open and distance learning (ODL). This research examined the supervision experiences of postgraduate research candidates during different stages of research at the biggest open and distance learning institution of Pakistan. The study was based on mixed-method approach using sequential design (Quan[right arrow]qual). Survey was conducted from the postgraduate research candidates enrolled under the four different faculties of Allama Iqbal Open University, Pakistan. An adapted version of Supervisor-Supervisee Relationship Questionnaire (Saleem, 2014) was administered along with autobiographical accounts of the research candidates selected through a multi-stage sampling design. The generated data were used to identify the supervision related experiences of research candidates with respect to the different personal and institutional factors. Further, to explore region specific supervision issues, their reasons with respect to the ethnic and cultural aspects focused group discussion was conducted at Provincial Head Quarters (PHQs) of the university. The findings implicated valuable academic and administrative adaptations for improving the quality of research supervision practices for open and distance learning institution.

This preliminary study was designed to probe the prevalence of two main 21st century higher order thinking skills which are creative and critical thinking skills. The sole objective of the study was to examine the perception regarding the current level of creative and critical thinking skills among prospective teachers. All terminal semesters' prospective teachers of public universities of the province Punjab from B.Ed. Honors and B.Ed. (1.5) were population of the study. The sample of the study was consisted of 311 prospective teachers of terminal semesters from two programs i.e. B.Ed. (1.5) and B.Ed. Honors. The convenient sampling technique was used to collect the data from five public sector universities. The instrument was a self-assessment scale based on two main higher-order thinking skills. Creative thinking skills were constructed on eight sub-factors and critical thinking skills on six sub-factors. Two instruments Creative Process Assessment Scale (CPAS), English and Urdu version by Schuler & Görlich (2007) and Critical Thinking Self-assessment Scale (CTSAS) short form by Payan et al., 2022 were adapted and merged for construction of a single self-assessment seven point likert-scale. The quantitative survey research was applied. The descriptive statistics were used to run the analysis. The study concluded the dominance of perception as low level of creative and critical thinking skills among prospective teachers.

This study aimed to investigate anxiety and school avoidance in individuals with and without learning disabilities. The study employed quantitative survey-based approach, with comparative research design. N= 160 participants between 8 till 18 years were selected via Purposive sampling technique. Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (Birmaher et al., 1999) was administered to measure anxiety and school avoidance and Learning Disabilities Checklist (National Centre for Learning Disabilities, 2007) was used to assess learning disabilities in participants. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Results were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Correlation and regression analysis were done to study the relationship and level of variance between the variables. Results indicated significant differences on the variable of anxiety (t=-3.95, df =140.71, p <0.01) and school avoidance (t=-3.80, df =131.38, p <0.01) in both groups. A significant relationship (p<0.01) between anxiety and school avoidance was also reported in learning disabled groups; providing a valuable insight regarding increased vulnerability of internalizing disorders particularly related to anxiety in younger population in Pakistan.

This study explores the interaction of four major factors at the workplace, namely, perceived organizational support, burnout, thriving at work and innovative work behavior, specifically in the setting of the private high schools of Karachi. The study looks at why some instructors in the same organization succeed under trying circumstances such as those engendered by the Covid 19 situation, while others struggle and eventually succumb to burnout. Data consists of responses of 196 teachers, collected through a questionnaire on Likert scale and SPSS is used for analysis. Results show that perceived organizational support has a positive impact on innovative work behavior, whereas burnout is negatively impacts teachers. It has been demonstrated that thriving at work is a powerful mediator.

This research analyzed and compared administrators' supervisory and teachers' pedagogical skills concerning quality education in Public and Punjab Education Foundation Funded Schools at the secondary level, in line with the Vision of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG-4) by 2025 (Minimum Standards for Quality Education in Pakistan, 2016). The research employed a descriptive method and adopted a quantitative approach. For this study, 248 head teachers were selected from public schools and 126 from Punjab Education Foundation Funded Schools via simple random sampling, making a total sample of 374 respondents. Data were collected using a five-response Likert scale and analyzed with SPSS, including mean, standard deviation, t-test, and f-test to assess the difference between administrators' supervisory and teachers' pedagogical skills towards quality education in both school types. The study concluded that administrators in public secondary schools exhibited better academic and professional qualifications and that both administrators' supervision and teachers' pedagogical skills were superior in public schools. Additionally, public schools were more aligned with the Minimum Quality Standards for Schooling to meet the vision of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG-4) by 2025 for quality education compared to Punjab Education Foundation Funded Schools. It is recommended that the heads of Punjab Education Foundation-funded schools enhance their supervisory skills, while teachers should improve their pedagogical skills to align with the vision of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG-4) by 2025.

For decades, Pakistan's government has continuously provided its citizens with accessible, universal, basic education; however, these efforts have not yielded any gains for the citizens. Consequently, Pakistan has a lower literacy rate, one of the lowest in South Asia and the rest of the world. Although such a substantial issue is daunting and weakens the country's educational system, there needs to be more evidence that proposes potential implications or interventions in identifying the most important in-school factors of primary school enrollment in Pakistan. Therefore, the present study derived a literature review-driven hypothesis and administered a rigour analysis using the 2018 school census from the Punjab government education commission, showing detailed information on 24,305 public primary schools. The finding of this study asserts that the medium of instruction has shown a considerable impact on primary school enrollment and the availability of qualified teachers. Single-sex schools, WASH facilities, and the security of schools have significant and diverse effects in determining student enrollment, which leads to forwarding possible implications to scholars, educators, and policymakers.

This article analysed gender disparities in Pakistan focusing on access to primary education and women's education in light of National Education policies from 1947 to 2017 to achieve universal primary education. This study aimed to trace the evolution of National Education policies (1947-2017) in the attainment of universal primary education and gender disparities in Primary education in Pakistan. A qualitative document analysis technique was employed to extract relevant data related to policy objectives, strategies, and targets of primary education, gender disparities, and women's education. The quantitative data was extracted from the Pakistan Economic Survey 2022-2023, Pakistan Education Statistics 2020-2021, and all National Census 1951, 1961, 1972, 1981, 1998, and 2017. The study found that education policies highlighted the importance of primary education but did not dedicate larger sections to women's education in the first 40 years. The recent education policies addressed the importance of women's education for achieving gender parity. These findings, which stem from a review of national education policies' documents, are in line with the findings drawn from the quantitative data extracted from authoritative reports which stated that significant gender disparities existed in the numbers of primary schools, access to primary education, and students' enrolments throughout the history of Pakistan. The study also found significant gender disparities in the number of primary schools per 100,000 children, with male students comparatively attending schools more than female students. The study found consistent gender disparities in primary education enrolment in Pakistan with notable progress in recent years but have not been able to eliminate these disparities. Gender disparity is evident in literacy rate, gross enrolment rate (GER), and net enrolment rate (NER). The study recommended that the revision of existing policies and formulation of new education policies should be based on comprehensive documentation on women's education and its impact on the economy, literacy rate, and universal primary education.

A recent surge in textbooks studies has revealed a closer link with neoliberalism and the way they construct neoliberal subjects. This paper uses Foucauldian governmentality as the conceptual lens to analyze the neoliberal discourses in EFL textbooks used in English Access Microscholarship (EAM)--one of the US-aided global ELT programs in Pakistan. English language learners' views on course outcomes and textbooks were also examined. The study shows that among others, English as a neoliberal life skill, celebrity culture, consumerism, entrepreneurship, and individual and corporate social responsibility dominate textbooks. It is thus found that textbooks play an important role in neoliberalizing learners. Moreover, English language learners perceive English as a key to economic success. They also value consumerism, branding, and personal responsibility. In light of the study findings, we suggest a decolonial option, reflective activism, and post-method pedagogy as possible alternatives at the micro-, meso-, and macro-levels to resist the discourses of neoliberalism and colonial power patterns entrenched in a postcolonial society like Pakistan.

The current study aimed to determine the predictive role of Psychological Capital (PsyCap) and Perceived Organizational Support (POS) on Innovative Work Behavior (IWB) among higher education teachers of Pakistan. A sample of 200 higher education teachers was recruited from various private and public sector institutes across Pakistan. The analysis revealed significant relationship between psychological capital and innovative work behavior (r= 0.700); and, perceived organizational support and innovative work behavior (r= 0.305). Also, psychological capital and perceived organizational support were found to be strong predictors of innovative work behavior (R= 0.700). In conclusion, when teachers possess psychological capital as their personal resource and perceived organizational support as social resource at workplace, they are more likely to demonstrate innovation into their work behavior.

In Pakistan, it is aimed at both national and international levels to promote and develop critical thinking among students and teachers at all educational levels (sustainable development goals, VISION 2025, national standards for teachers, national educational policies, etc.). However, little research has investigated teachers' critical thinking knowledge. The present study explored critical thinking knowledge of teacher educators from teacher training institutes. The teacher training institutes of the most populous and developed province of Pakistan were taken as the sample of the study. Exploratory survey method was used for data collection. The study found that the majority of teacher educators lack critical thinking knowledge. Teaching experience, qualification, job status, and training attended on critical thinking are significant predictors of critical thinking knowledge. The critical thinking knowledge of prospective teachers and their students is at risk.

Knowledge management has been a proven tool to foster organizational performance, innovations, and individual knowledge workers' productivity. A stream of empirical studies has demonstrated with contradictory results that each single organizational knowledge management process -- knowledge creation, knowledge sharing and utilization -- can enhance the knowledge workers' productivity in isolation. In contrast, our study argues with the support of Nonaka's theory and alignment theory that knowledge utilization is the only frontline and primary knowledge management process which can enhance knowledge workers' productivity while other knowledge management processes (knowledge creation and knowledge sharing) support and supplement each other as well as improve knowledge utilization. This means that shared and created knowledge will not enhance the productivity of knowledge workers until organizations strive for knowledge utilization. This study used data collected from 336 knowledge workers in the Telecom industry of Pakistan and examined it using partial least squares modelling. The findings indicated that knowledge utilization is the sole frontline and primary knowledge management to enhance the productivity of knowledge workers. Hence, knowledge utilization can only influence productivity indirectly by increasing the utilization of knowledge created and/or shared.

Academic institutions around the globe have shifted to online learning because of the unpredictable spread of COVID-19. The present study aimed to compare teachers' and students' attitudes towards online learning during the pandemic and to examine the effects of gender differences on their attitudes. In study 1, we adapted the Test of eLearning Related Attitudes for Pakistani students in three steps: expert review, piloting, and validation. The individual and collective expert review was performed to adapt the teacher version into the student version using the Technique for Research of Information by the Animation of a Group of Experts (TRIAGE). We tested three sets of measurement invariance models for participants' status and gender in study 2. Data were collected from 289 university teachers (men = 158, women = 131) and 444 undergraduate students (boys = 156, girls = 287). The results demonstrated that both groups had highly positive yet different attitudes towards online learning. Teachers were more satisfied than students. Model fit was poor, and the overall factor structure, factor loadings, and intercepts varied across groups. Intergroup gender invariance illustrated heterogeneity in attitudes towards online learning favoring men teachers and boy students. Study strengths and implications for the promotion of a positive experience of online learning are discussed.

This paper analyzes the risks to child development and school readiness among children under age 6 in Pakistan. Drawing on a nationally representative telephone survey conducted in the midst of a global pandemic, between December 2021 and February 2022, we present the first nationally representative estimates of child development for children under 3 years of age and school readiness for children 3-6 years of age, using internationally validated instruments. The paper examines how risk factors that were exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as parental distress, lack of psychosocial stimulation, food insecurity, low maternal education, no enrollment in early childhood education, and living in a rural area, are associated with children's outcomes. The data indicate that more than half (57 percent) of parents with children under age 3 were distressed and that 61 percent of households reported cutting down on the size of or skipping meals since the start of the pandemic. The data reveal that over half of parents fail to engage in adequate psychosocial stimulation with their child and enrollment in early childhood education is very low (39 percent). The paper finds that child development outcomes decline rapidly as the number of risks increase. Specifically, for children under 3 years, lack of psychosocial stimulation at home and higher levels of parental distress were most significantly associated with lower child development levels. For a child aged 3-6 years, early childhood education enrollment and the amount of psychosocial stimulation the child received at home had the strongest association with school readiness scores.

Purpose: The purpose of this exploratory case study was to investigate the role of School Leaders (SLs) in building Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in schools, as well as to expand a literature-driven PLC model within the Pakistani context. Design/methodology/approach: The study involved the purposive selection of two schools affiliated with a university. The sample comprised one school leader, one academic coordinator and five teachers from each school, altogether 14 participants. The participants shared similar demographic characteristics. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data, which were analysed thematically. Findings: The findings of the study revealed that both schools have created PLCs to some extent and that school goals and culture were contributing factors in building these communities. Additionally, the SLs played a key role in promoting PLCs by encouraging teacher collaboration. The study concludes that SLs have the potential to strategize their actions to foster positive professional relations among teachers and ensure their well-being. Research limitations/implications: The study contributes to the literature on professional communities in Pakistan by validating a literature-driven PLC model. The model emphasizes collaboration among teachers, which can be facilitated by SLs. As such, the study implicates SLs in prioritizing the professional development of teachers to enhance student learning and achieve school success. Originality/value: This study is unique in expanding a literature-driven PLC model within the Pakistani context, with a focus on teacher collaboration as facilitated by SLs. The model has the potential for replication in other contexts and can serve as a useful tool for future research.

Through this research work, the researcher studied the causes of dropouts in Government Secondary Schools of Punjab (Pakistan). Specifically, the researcher employed a descriptive design to examine and discuss the problems facing the educational institutions and to make recommendations that can be employed to increase the opportunity for student's success within the Province of Punjab. The objectives of this study were to investigate the trend of dropouts at Secondary Schools in Punjab. Several attempts were made by the Government of the Punjab to reverse this trend. The reason of dropouts was studied through the opinion of 32 boys Secondary School Teachers of Public sector along with 160 Parents and 160 Dropout Students from District Kasur, Punjab (Pakistan). Data collected were analyzed by using the SPSS. The class repetition, mismanagement, lack of basic facilities like drinking water, toilets, electricity, desks etc, cleanliness, communication gap between teachers and parents, harsh behavior of teachers and too much homework from school came out as major causes of dropout. The secondary school teachers fixed the responsibility of dropping out on parents and the children. The authorities should take vital steps to minimize the dropout rate by improving schools and by starting Parents awareness campaign about the importance of students' education.

Human rights contribute to peaceful coexistence among citizens, which leads to societal and national progress as well. The present research focused on the analysis of the human rights teaching practices at higher education level in Pakistan. Fifteen (15) heads of departments, 61 teachers, and 419 students of BS programs were selected as a sample from four departments of four public universities of the Punjab (Pakistan). Human Rights (HRs) was considered as an aggregate of nine values; which were here rearranged in descending order of their rank as per their prevalence in teaching practices of the sampled teachers -- truth, integrity, respect for human dignity, freedom and responsibility, equality and justice, acceptance/appreciation of diversity, cooperation, accountability, and honesty. 'Truth' was the most focused value, and 'honesty' was the least. Human Rights Values (HRVs) were being taught less than that of the expectations of the students and teachers. Therefore, HRVs should be taught to the university students more frequently. Keeping in view greater importance of civic engagement and citizenship, Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) can offer a distinct course regarding Human Rights Education in its guiding principles for universities in its sponsorships.

An emergency shift to online education after COVID-19 brought many challenges for students and teachers, especially the university students living in the rural areas of Pakistan. So this study has focused on assessing the problems students faced while acquiring online education with special reference to the theoretical background of digital divide. It is a quantitative study which employed Heckman's treatment effect model to analyze the impact of digital divide on university students' performance. The results of the study indicate that online education further increases an already existing digital divide between have and have nots. Online education is a good alternate of face-to-face education in many cases however for ensuring maximum benefits of online education requires proper availability of gadgets and internet access along with training. Existing online education system in developing countries like Pakistan may be more suitable to teach theoretical subjects like social sciences which are subjective in nature however it is not much appropriate for teaching numerical subjects. The findings of the study direct a positive impact of digital divide due to the scarcity of necessary gadgets, internet access, family income, gender, field of study, age and location.

Reflection plays an important role in the professional development of teachers. This study is analyzing the role of reflective practices in teaching practicum teachers. Reflection helps in learning from experience and taking corrective actions to change behavior positively. Objectives of this study include; the effect of reflective practices on the professional development of prospective teachers and exploring the effect of reflection on pedagogical strategies and instructional techniques of students. To explore teacher's perceptions and experiences qualitative research design is used. Interview schedules helped in analyzing the narratives of teachers. The findings show that teachers were ecstatic about using reflection to enhance their teaching practices and encourage students' learning but due to time shortages and extended curriculum in schools, they were confined and bound.

Within the scope of this study, a psychoeducation program based on multicultural competencies and Berry's acculturation model was developed to improve the adjustment process of international students. In this study, an explanatory sequential design was used. The study group consisted of 34 international students who volunteered for the study. The quantitative results of the study indicated that the Culture-Based Adjustment Program significantly affected the personal and social adjustment of international students. However, it did not significantly affect the adjustment to the university environment, emotional adjustment, dating relationships, and academic adjustment. The qualitative analysis yielded five major categories: (a) expectations, (b) contributions, (c) evaluation of the program, (d) leader, and (e) suggestions. The findings of this study highlight the importance of psychoeducation programs in the adjustment process of international students.

Globalization of education is widely contested in the current academic discussion due to its polarizing effects on the economy, society, and culture. Globalization and colonization have several commonalities because the origin of globalization can be traced to the colonial era. The privatization of education has also emerged with globalization. Applying a post-colonial critique and analysis, this paper will discuss how globalization is a colonial legacy that transforms Western educational policies in developing countries like Pakistan and how it creates Westernization, supremacy, and marginalization of teachers and students (Spring, 2008). Pakistan was formerly the colonized region of united India under Great Britain's empire. Globalization in education policies are rapidly changing the current educational landscape in several countries including Pakistan. The advancement of global forces enhanced standardization and privatization in the education system of Pakistan which has increased educational inequity along with the loss of indigenous language and culture. The post-colonial and indigenous scholarship in education will offer better frameworks of equitable access to quality education for all.

Although primary school enrollment in Pakistan has increased in the last two decades, schooling quality for girls and boys remains a central challenge. Furthermore, strides made toward gender parity are yet to address pervasive inequities in schooling outcomes. To provide insight on this matter, this paper interrogates girls' achievement in mathematics within the broader context of girls' access to quality schooling, asking: to what extent does gender influence mathematical achievement among grade four students in Pakistan? Building on Sen and Nussbaum's 'capability approach' and 'freedom as development' frameworks, we explore the extent to which girls' educational achievement represents what Nussbaum defines as 'instrumental freedom.' We conducted an OLS regression to analyze Pakistan's TIMSS 2019 data to examine the effect of gender on mathematical achievement. Results show that despite overall inequity in access to education for female students, girls outperform boys. However, while mathematics achievement might contribute to instrumental freedoms via the attainment of numeracy, discriminatory gender norms deny a vast majority of Pakistan's girls and young women the substantive freedoms central to their development. In Pakistan, the reality that young women are still 75 percent more likely to be disengaged from further education or employment presents a missed opportunity and significant cause for concern.

This paper explores student experiences of language-in-education policies through the lens of colonial processes and traces such logic as they operate through educational institutions. Drawing on semi-structured interviews of high school seniors and recent graduates, I investigate how students in Pakistani secondary schools interact with intersecting modern/colonial structures that rationalize existing hierarchies of power along colonial, racial/ethnic, and gendered lines. The findings suggest that students have internalized dominant colonial ideologies and they also constitute key sites for decolonial resistance at the same time. Student experiences of colonial hierarchies in the school were mediated by their socioeconomic class, gender, ethnic and linguistic background. However, despite internalizing dominant hierarchies, many students understood their experiences through the framing of colonial power structures, which simultaneously positioned them as potential actors for decolonial resistance. In this paper, I analyze their experiences in detail, and in doing so, this study adds to the growing voices in the field of international and comparative education that critically examine the role of modern/colonial formations in the structuring of education globally.

Grammar teaching and learning is an important component to get mastery over any language. English language is being taught as first, second or foreign language in many countries. Consider whether inductive or deductive teaching is more effective for learning English grammar as a second language is a topic for contemplation. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of inductive and deductive teaching for learning English grammar at undergraduate level. An experimental study was carried out through pre-test post-test control group design. Eighty male undergraduate Urdu speaking students were divided into two equal groups randomly. Group A was taught English grammar -- tenses and modal verbs through inductive teaching and group B through deductive teaching method. Pretest and post-test scores of both groups revealed that group A performed better than group B in learning English grammar -- tenses and modal verbs. It reveals that inductive teaching for learning English grammar -- tenses and modal verbs at undergraduate level is more effective than deductive teaching. Inductive teaching is recommended for teaching English grammar at undergraduate level.

The current research focused on the designing of questionnaire for factors that impact student learning outcomes in tertiary educational system in underdeveloped nation Pakistan. A pilot study was conducted for the designing of questionnaire to collect data on perceived factors that impact student learning outcomes. The selected Higher Education Commission (HEC) recognized private educational institutions were contacted and permission of data collection was obtained from the authorities. Ninety eight students of final semester from HEC recognized tertiary universities at Bachelors level from the department of Science were approached for this study. Participants were informed that the data will be kept in a laptop under password protection. There were 41 total items in the questionnaire. It has been divided into 2 sections. Section A includes the demographic characteristics of participants and includes 7 questions. Section B is divided into 6 subsections, each section capturing the true essence of independent and dependent variables. The results of the study concluded that student perception questionnaire has good to excellent intra rater reliability and indicates that all components have factor loading exceeding 0.50 that also shows the importance of all components. Thus, the questionnaire can be used for the assessment of factors that impact student learning outcomes from educational institutes.

Students have diverse learning needs and unique learning styles. Providing options in assessments to address those needs helps eliminate rote learning and also addresses learner diversity (Pauline & Collings,2018). This study aims to promote student learning by designing teaching activities and assessments to support all students. This experimental study addressed learners having different learning styles and investigated the impact of equitable assessment practice grounded on universal design for learning on the academic achievement of 64 9th graders in a Physics course at a Secondary School in Pakistan. The relationship of VARK learning style on academic achievement was also investigated. The results indicated a significant difference (p = 0.00 < 0.05; Mean difference = 4.031) between the academic achievement of the control and the experimental group supporting equitable assessments and the UDL approach. The correlation between the learning style and academic achievement was not significant. The outcomes of the study recommend that consideration of learning style and needs of students while designing the learning and assessment content can bring better learning outcomes. The results also showed that there is a moderately positive correlation between bimodal learning style and a moderately negative correlation between auditory learning style with the academic achievement of students. It is recommended that the learning style and individual needs of the students should be addressed during the learning and assessment phase.

While ChatGPT has recently become very popular, AI has a long history and philosophy. This paper intends to explore the promises and pitfalls of the Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) AI and potentially future technologies by adopting a speculative methodology. Speculative future narratives with a specific focus on educational contexts are provided in an attempt to identify emerging themes and discuss their implications for education in the 21st century. Affordances of (using) AI in Education (AIEd) and possible adverse effects are identified and discussed which emerge from the narratives. It is argued that now is the best of times to define human vs AI contribution to education because AI can accomplish more and more educational activities that used to be the prerogative of human educators. Therefore, it is imperative to rethink the respective roles of technology and human educators in education with a future-oriented mindset.

Prospective teachers' (PTs') ICT integration (ICTi) for learning math (LM) has been studied in the global context, however, it lacks in the local context. This study served to bridge the gap by exploring PTs': perceptions toward ICT competence and integration; reasons for relying on technology; and the challenges encountered while LM. The methodology was grounded in interpretivism, induction, mono-method-qualitative, case study, and cross-sectional components. The participants' selection was based on convenient and purposive techniques. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews (SSI) and focus group discussions (FGD) and were analyzed using thematic data analysis. The findings informed positive perceptions of PTs toward ICTi where the purpose of relying on technology varied across participants. Though ICTi was found important, still there are inherent challenges associated with its integration, for example, scanning online material, encoding math language, and limited awareness of mathematics application software. The recommendations necessitate the development of special programs to offer hands-on learning experiences along with mitigating challenges for the prospective teachers to integrate ICT for LM. Future researchers may focus on variables through the blended model of teaching and learning that impact the academic performance of students in a math course.

The present study was aimed to achieve two objectives: (a) translate and adapt the English version of Planned Happenstance Career Inventory (PHCI) in Urdu language, and (b) to establish its psychometric properties with respect to Pakistani culture. The study was divided into two phases. Phase I consisted of forward and backward translation of the scale and its initial statistical analysis, whereas Phase II was focused on establishing the psychometric properties. Results of the Phase I yielded reliable (Cronbach's [alpha] = 0.863) and valid (item-total r > 0.5, p < 0.01) results on a sample of 253 students (female= 147, males = 106). Phase II analysis yielded correlation (r = 0.732, p < 0.01), on a sample of (n=87), which suggests strong Test-Retest reliability whereas discriminant validity was proved with insignificant relationship of Counterproductive Work Behaviour Checklist and PHCI-Urdu version (r = 0.018, p > 0.05), and significant correlation with Urdu Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (r = 0.358, p < 0.01) proved the convergent validity of the two scales. This study concludes that PHCI-Urdu would be an effective tool for individual career counselling as well as trainings related to career counselling to prepare students for uncertain circumstances from public and private educational sectors.

Cheating in examinations across the globe is an issue of growing concern. This study argues that the culture of cheating in exams in Balochistan has reduced the efficiency of human resource and has resulted in producing students with high qualifications but less potential in the province. Therefore, it is very important to explore the factors contributing to cheating in exams and to suggest a course of action to mitigate the menace it poses. A quantitative research method was employed for this study. Similarly, statistical techniques such as correlation and logistic regression were conducted for statistical analysis and explanation of the study using SPSS. Theoretically, the study is inspired by rational choice theory. The findings of the study show a significant relationship between personal, institutional, and situational factors. Personal factors that contribute to cheating were found to be students' desire to excel, low GPA, and slow learning. Institutional factors include the weak administrative role of institutions, poor academic policies, overload on students, and weak performance of the teachers. Situational factors such as the poor management strategy of the examiner, time pressure, and technological tools were found to be instigating students towards cheating. The study suggests that an appropriate exam hall setting, effective monitoring, concept-oriented exams, and a strong honor code can decrease cheating.

Teaching practice gives a chance to prospective teachers to acquire professional skills, teaching methods, and different techniques of teaching. The main objectives of this study were to find out the effect of teaching practice in shaping prospective teachers' professional identities and to compare prospective teachers and cooperative teachers' perceptions about effects of teaching practice on professional identities. Research questions and hypothesis were formulated to achieve the main objectives of the research. Data were collected from 45 cooperative and 80 prospective teachers selected through the purposive random technique. Data were collected through a questionnaire based on six main components of teaching practice contributing to shaping professional identities. Mean score was calculated to answer the research questions and t-test was applied to compare prospective and cooperative teachers' perceptions. It is inferred from the findings that teaching practice plays an important role to overcome future classroom challenges. t-test results show a significant difference between prospective and cooperative teachers' perceptions about teaching practice components. It is recommended that proper evaluation of teaching practice must be done, and prospective teachers' feedback must be considered essential to overcome challenges of the teaching and learning process for future practices.

Despite recent efforts to examine the political outcomes of social media use, little is known about the reinforcement of political empowerment and moderating effect of political interest. It is vital to understand the elements that influence the level of political empowerment. Therefore, this paper used a sample of Pakistani voters (n=410) aged 18-29 to offer insight into how social media use alongside other political behaviors, such as partisanship, political expression, and political interest, affect political empowerment. Social Identity Theory (SIT) and rational choice theory provided the theoretical underpinning for the variables of this study. The statistical analyses were performed using Partial Least Squares (PLS) to assess the effects of four variables i.e., social media use, political partisanship, political expression, and political interest, on political empowerment. This study made a significant contribution to the research literature by combining SIT and rational choice theory in one framework. This study also expands the literature on political interest by introducing political interest as a moderator between the inconsistent relationship of political expression and political empowerment. Our results demonstrated that partisanship and social media use positively influenced political expression among young voters. Moreover, political interest positively moderated the relationship between political expression and political empowerment.

The true spirit of education involves psychosocial grooming and character building of learners. Teacher's efficacy plays a vital role in achieving educational objectives. The effectiveness of teachers is usually evaluated through the academic grades of their students. Teacher's efficacy, however, is originally the ability of a teacher to improve the cognitive functioning and humanistic values of students. The current study developed and validated a new scale entitled the Qualiquant Teacher's Efficacy Scale (QTES) by involving 147 teachers and 59 students. The sample was selected thru a mixed method that involved convenient and purposive sampling techniques. QTES reflected strong validity and excellent reliability thru exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha, item-scale, and item-total correlations. QTES is a unique measure for teacher's efficacy because it defines teacher's efficacy through cognitive functioning and humanistic values, offers two parallel and separate versions for teachers and students, and quantifies the qualitative data.

As more students from South Asia seek to study at overseas universities, they increasingly contract the services of local education agencies to facilitate their choice of institutions and their application process. This study seeks to better understand the nature of the relationship between South Asian education agencies and students who wish to study abroad. By using qualitative content analysis of education agency websites from five South Asian countries, this study identifies key issues of potentially unethical practices committed by these agencies. It also identifies the most prevalent "push/pull" factors that South Asian agencies use to encourage students to study overseas as well as the most common services that agencies use to support students. The findings indicate that there are widespread ethical issues amongst education agencies and that students are most motivated to study abroad for quality education that may lead to emigration. The implications of this study are then discussed.

Servant leadership is a type of leadership that encourages people to work together. A leader intends to help the institution's personnel favorably. The school leader interacts with teachers and administrative staff as a collegial friend rather than a boss and tries to make things as easy as possible for them. The major goal of this study was to see if there was a correlation between servant leadership and job satisfaction among secondary school teachers in Pakistani settings. The study's participants were male and female public sector secondary school teachers from the districts of Lahore and Kasur, of Punjab province, Pakistan. The sample was chosen using a stratified random sampling technique. A total of 510 teachers participated in the study as a sample. In this study, adapted questionnaires with responses measured on a five-point Likert type scale was used. Both variables, perceived servant leadership style of principals and work satisfaction of teachers showed a strong association. Further sub-factors correlations showed significant results. It is proposed that school principals adopt a servant leadership style as it would be more beneficial for them to ease and comfort the school employees that might improve the institutional performance.

We assessed the Association of Mental Health and different education systems among high school students. A total of 174 students (107 females and 67 males) from age 16-19 years studying in 11th and 12th grades or equivalent to A levels in Karachi, Pakistan were surveyed in this cross-sectional study. Data collection involved using a specially designed structured questionnaire through literature review as well as the patient Health Questionnaire, a validated tool for assessing depression. Our study found that majority of students suffered from mild depression (29.3%). This was followed by 27.5% of students with severe depression, 23.0% with moderate depression and 20.1 with no depression. It was also found that more females suffered from depression as compared to males. However, no significant correlation was found between the association of different education system on the mental health of adolescents.

Global education is a broad field associated with educational traditions rooted in the objective of preparing learners to engage with a complex and interdependent world, and to respond to the needs of the planet. This article explores existing pedagogical approaches to argue for the need, in non-Western contexts, to make greater connections with existing religio-cultural orientations -- specifically, to move beyond pedagogies of reason, that is, rational, linear, logical approaches that undervalue a range of human experiences and are independently insufficient in developing feelings of connection and commitment to issues of social justice in non-Western contexts. Examining an alternative pedagogical model, this article suggests that a framework for global education guided by the Islamic values of "rahma" (compassion and mercy) and "adl" (justice) in contexts such as that of Pakistan can prove valuable in developing commitment and encouraging action for social change.

Updated scientific material is needed to incorporate research-based COVID-19 interventions and strategies into basic education. This meta-analysis examined basic education students' COVID-19 Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) across the globe. This study identified KAPs needed to integrate COVID-19 into Basic Education after the meta-analysis. Thirteen published studies on basic education students' KAPs toward COVID-19 were analyzed using meta-analysis. PRISMA was utilized in this study. JBI and STROBE checklists assessed these studies' quality. Three low-quality and ten high-quality published studies were identified. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were used due to the studies' heterogeneity. Low-quality studies had higher KAP pooled levels. Although the pooled KAPs on COVID-19 between the study groups of elementary students only, elementary and high school students, and high school students only were only slightly different, more high school students had good and better KAPs toward COVID-19. Globally, basic education students had high COVID-19 KAPs. There were items in KAPs identified as essential topics for science lesson integration. These six items were identified as essential topics for lesson integration in knowledge, five in attitude, and four items in practice.

The current study aimed to explore the effect of Brain-Based Learning on students' intrinsic motivation (IM) to learn and perform in mathematics. Owing to the educational implications of Neuroscience, the researchers planned the mixed-methods experimental study with a convergent parallel research design. The participants were eighth-graders enrolled in a boy's public secondary school in the district Kasur of Pakistan in the academic year 2021-2022. Students were taught mathematics using the traditional lecture method in the baseline phase (A) and withdrawal phase (A). In contrast, in the treatment phase (B), they were taught mathematics with activities based on the BBL approaches and principles. The mathematics motivation scale and observation (field notes) were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data simultaneously. Data were analysed using one-way repeated measure ANOVA and thematic analysis. The researchers revealed that BBL significantly affects students' IM to learn and perform in mathematics. After qualitative analysis, it was found that visual story-telling, role-playing, i-Think maps, back-to-board, and Kick Me Poison Box are the most effective BBL-based activities which keep them engaged, provide emotional support and contribute to students' IM to learn and perform in mathematics. The teachers were suggested to develop BBL-based activities to teach mathematics and to influence students' psychology in the schools.

With the advancement of technologies, disabled students are being cared for to progress in their education through assistive technologies (AT). They ensure the inclusion of the target group to make them equal with their peers who do not suffer from disabilities. Unfortunately, there is only scarce research on this margin group in connection with technology. Therefore, the aim of the systematic review is to conduct research on the best practices, pedagogical implications, and limitations for the target group using AT. The results based on the review of empirical studies on the research topic conducted between 2013 and 2023 suggest that the best practices of AT are coming from recent years, specifically from 2017, and countries ranging from Europe to Indonesia and Thailand. Pedagogical implications suggest that the learners using AT are becoming more autonomous, independent and successful in academic achievements. Limitations within the study include the fact that AT needs to be more developed and accessible to learners along with more specialized training of specialists and teachers. Future research on the topic should be aimed at better equipment for these learners with AT.