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Exploring Determinants of Teacher Performance in Karachi's Private Secondary Schools: The Roles of Subject Mastery, Organizational Leadership, Experience, and Communication Skills

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Title: Exploring Determinants of Teacher Performance in Karachi's Private Secondary Schools: The Roles of Subject Mastery, Organizational Leadership, Experience, and Communication Skills
Language: English
Authors: Shazia Safwan, Fayyaz Ahmed Shaheen, Syed Jaffar Abbas Zaidi, Saima Siddiqui
Source: Discover Education. 2025 4.
Availability: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 23
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Teacher Effectiveness, Educational Quality, Secondary School Teachers, Private Schools, Private School Teachers, Teacher Characteristics, Teacher Attitudes, Administrator Attitudes, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Lesson Plans, Communication Skills, Learner Engagement, Faculty Development, Leadership Styles, Teaching Skills, Teacher Motivation, Planning, Communities of Practice, Transformational Leadership
Geographic Terms: Pakistan (Karachi)
DOI: 10.1007/s44217-025-00682-5
ISSN: 2731-5525
Abstract: Background: Teacher performance is a critical determinant of educational quality, although the factors influencing teacher effectiveness in specific contexts remain underexplored. Understanding these factors in private secondary schools in North Nazimabad, Karachi, is essential for enhancing the quality of education. Objective: This study aimed to examine the factors influencing the performance of secondary school teachers in private schools in North Nazimabad Town, focusing on understanding the roles of subject mastery, leadership support, experience, and communication skills in teacher performance. Methods: An interpretative phenomenological design guided 40 semi-structured interviews (30 teachers, 10 principals) from 10 systematically selected schools (English-medium, [greater than or equal to] 250 enrolment, mid-fee). Participants' median age was 34 years for teachers (range 24-53) and 45 years for principals (37-58); median classroom and leadership experience were 9 and 17 years, respectively. Verbatim transcripts were coded inductively, yielding 35 codes that collapsed into four teacher themes and five principal themes. A binary endorsement grid tracked whether each participant explicitly linked any driver to stronger student outcomes. Results: The teachers reported that deep subject expertise, adaptability in lesson planning, and effective communication promoted stronger student engagement and improved the learning outcomes. Principals highlighted continuous training, transformational leadership, teacher skills, motivation and stakeholder engagement. Endorsement frequencies were high: deep subject expertise (teachers 87%, principals 80%), adaptable lesson planning (80%, 90%) and effective communication (93%, 90%). Supportive leadership was associated with a reported 15% rise in teacher participation in professional-learning communities and two fewer weekly disciplinary incidents per class. Conclusions: Effective teaching in resource-constrained Karachi schools hinges on synergistic interactions among strong content knowledge, adaptive planning, high-quality communication and transformational leadership. Prioritising two subject-specific workshops per term, leadership training that cultivates individualised consideration and compulsory communication-skills modules could address teachers who feel under-prepared, raise teacher engagement and reinforce classroom climate, advancing equity-driven educational reform.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1477380
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Exploring Determinants of Teacher Performance in Karachi's Private Secondary Schools: The Roles of Subject Mastery, Organizational Leadership, Experience, and Communication Skills
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  Data: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
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  Data: Background: Teacher performance is a critical determinant of educational quality, although the factors influencing teacher effectiveness in specific contexts remain underexplored. Understanding these factors in private secondary schools in North Nazimabad, Karachi, is essential for enhancing the quality of education. Objective: This study aimed to examine the factors influencing the performance of secondary school teachers in private schools in North Nazimabad Town, focusing on understanding the roles of subject mastery, leadership support, experience, and communication skills in teacher performance. Methods: An interpretative phenomenological design guided 40 semi-structured interviews (30 teachers, 10 principals) from 10 systematically selected schools (English-medium, [greater than or equal to] 250 enrolment, mid-fee). Participants' median age was 34 years for teachers (range 24-53) and 45 years for principals (37-58); median classroom and leadership experience were 9 and 17 years, respectively. Verbatim transcripts were coded inductively, yielding 35 codes that collapsed into four teacher themes and five principal themes. A binary endorsement grid tracked whether each participant explicitly linked any driver to stronger student outcomes. Results: The teachers reported that deep subject expertise, adaptability in lesson planning, and effective communication promoted stronger student engagement and improved the learning outcomes. Principals highlighted continuous training, transformational leadership, teacher skills, motivation and stakeholder engagement. Endorsement frequencies were high: deep subject expertise (teachers 87%, principals 80%), adaptable lesson planning (80%, 90%) and effective communication (93%, 90%). Supportive leadership was associated with a reported 15% rise in teacher participation in professional-learning communities and two fewer weekly disciplinary incidents per class. Conclusions: Effective teaching in resource-constrained Karachi schools hinges on synergistic interactions among strong content knowledge, adaptive planning, high-quality communication and transformational leadership. Prioritising two subject-specific workshops per term, leadership training that cultivates individualised consideration and compulsory communication-skills modules could address teachers who feel under-prepared, raise teacher engagement and reinforce classroom climate, advancing equity-driven educational reform.
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