FROM CURRICULUM TO CLASSROOM: PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES OF SCIENCE TEACHERS AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL IN PUNJAB

Abstract

This descriptive study investigated the pedagogical practices of elementary school science teachers in public and registered private schools of Lahore and Kasur districts. The population comprised all public and private elementary school teachers and students in these districts. A sample of 299 teachers and 2,351 students was selected through two-stage random sampling. Data were collected using two researchers-developed instruments based on the National Curriculum for General Science (Grades IV–VIII, 2006): the Science Teaching Practices Questionnaire (STPQ) for teachers and the STPQ for students. Both questionnaires were pilot tested with 30 teachers and 50 students from four public and four private schools. Validity was established through expert review, while reliability analysis yielded Cronbach’s alpha values of .94 for teachers’ STPQ and .92 for students’ STPQ, indicating strong internal consistency.The quantitative findings revealed that teachers’ self-reported responses on the STPQ indicated a greater emphasis on constructivist pedagogies. However, students’ responses reflected that classroom practices were largely traditional and teacher-centered. Chi-square tests further highlighted variations in teaching practices between public and private schools, as well as between male and female teachers in public schools. This discrepancy suggests a gap between teachers’ claimed practices and students’ observed experiences, with science instruction still dominated by teacher-centered approaches. It is recommended that professional development programs be strengthened to equip science teachers with practical strategies for implementing constructivist approaches, ensuring alignment between intended and enacted pedagogies in the classroom.

Keywords: Science teaching practices, pedagogical approaches, constructivist pedagogy, traditional teaching, public and private schools.

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18102780