Shiksha Samvad

Author: Dr. Mohd Shakeel

DOI:-https://doi.org/10.64880/shikshasamvad.v3i2.43

Abstract

The present study is an investigation on the relationship between teacher professional development (TPD) and classroom teaching effectiveness of secondary school teachers in Kashmir valley. Data on standardized Teacher Professional Development Index (TPDI, α = .88) and Teacher Effectiveness Scale (TES, α = .91) were collected through Descriptive correlational survey design from stratified random sample of 300 secondary school teachers (N = 300) from three representative districts (Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag). The Pearson product-moment correlation analysis revealed a strong, positive, and statistically significant relationship between TPD participation and overall teaching effectiveness (r = .64, p < .01). Independent samples t-tests indicated that teachers with high professional development engagement had significantly higher instructional effectiveness than teachers with low engagement (t = 9.87, p <.001, d = 1.14). There was no statistically significant difference by teacher gender (p = .461), but a large performance gap favoring urban over rural teachers (t = 3.78, p < .001 . One-way ANOVA revealed statistically significant differences across teaching experience (F=7.24, p=.001) with mid-career educators (5–15 years) performing better than early-career educators. Multiple regression analysis revealed that TPD dimensions predicted 50.7% of the variance in teaching effectiveness (R2 = .507, p < .001). General pedagogical training was the strongest predictor (β = .412). The findings emphasize the need of decentralized school-based professional learning community, contextualized digital training and dedicated pedagogical support for rural secondary schools across Jammu and Kashmir.

Keywords: Teacher Professional Development, Teaching Effectiveness, Secondary Education, Rural-Urban Disparity, Kashmir, In-Service Training.