Self-Efficacy And Pedagogical Practices Of General Education School Teachers For Teaching Students With Diversity In Regular Classroom

Abstract

The growing diversity of learners in regular elementary classrooms has increased the need for teachers who are both confident in their ability to teach diverse learners and able to use effective pedagogical practices in everyday classroom work. In Pakistan, inclusive education has gained policy attention, yet classroom-level practice still depends greatly on what teachers believe they can do and what they actually do in regular classrooms. Against this background, the present study examined the self-efficacy of general education elementary school teachers, the pedagogical practices they employ for teaching diverse learners, and the relationship between these two variables. The study was guided by three objectives: to determine the level of teachers’ self-efficacy, to investigate the pedagogical practices used by teachers, and to examine the relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy and their pedagogical practices in regular classrooms. A quantitative survey research design was used. The population consisted of 980 government elementary school teachers from three districts of Punjab Khanewal, Vehari, and Sahiwal through two-stage proportionate stratified random sampling. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire with three sections: demographics, a 12-item self-efficacy scale, and a 12-item pedagogical practices scale. Data were analysed using SPSS through descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, independent-samples t-test, and one-way ANOVA.  The findings showed that teachers reported a positive level of self-efficacy (M = 3.79, SD = 0.21) and a high level of pedagogical practices (M = 4.19, SD = 0.21). The correlation analysis revealed a positive relationship between self-efficacy and pedagogical practices (r = 0.319, p = 0.048), indicating that teachers with stronger self-efficacy also tended to report stronger pedagogical practices. Group comparisons showed only small mean differences across gender, district, age, and teaching experience, while qualification-based differences in teaching practices were not statistically meaningful. Item-wise findings further showed strong agreement with positive statements related to both constructs.  The study concludes that teachers’ self-efficacy and pedagogical practices move in the same positive direction and together provide an important basis for teaching diverse learners in regular classrooms. It is recommended that teacher education institutions, school leaders, and government bodies strengthen practice-based professional development, inclusive pedagogy training, and school-level support systems to help teachers sustain inclusive teaching more effectively.