Impact of Professional Development Programs on Teachers' Performance in Multi-Grade Teaching

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of CPD and FLN trainings on primary school teachers in Tehsil Paharpur, District D.I. Khan, Pakistan on the four dimensions of teacher performance: classroom management, instructional skills, teaching practices and classroom assessment, and compared the two training programs on the basis of their impact. The study used a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches known as concurrent triangulation. From government primary schools in the area of interest, 430 primary school teachers (252 males and 178 females) were drawn from a strata random sampling frame. A Likert scale questionnaire of 40 items was used to collect data. The reliability of the instrument was established at (Cronbach’s α = 0.86). Sessions of semi-structured interviews were also conducted. Data were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative techniques, i.e., descriptive and thematic analysis, and t-tests. The positive effect of both CPD and FLN trainings on teacher performance was established by the results obtained from the analysis of training impact. Of the participating teachers, 39.33% of females and 39.68% males responded that they had improved their performance ‘Often’ from CPD, and 22.62% males stated that they had improved their performance ‘Always.’ From the qualitative interviews, differentiated instruction, effective use of time and increased participation of students were cited. The performance of teachers who received the CPD was compared to the performance of teachers who received the FLN, and the results of the comparative analysis (t-test) showed that there was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05), thus supporting the null hypothesis. Both training models are effective in improving multi-grade teacher performance in the defined domains.

Keywords: Continuous Professional Development, Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, multi‑grade teaching, teacher performance, classroom management, pedagogical skills, Pakistan