An Analysis of Effectiveness of Initial Professional Development Program In Enhancing Pedagogical Skills of Newly Recruited Junior Elementary School Teachers of Sindh: A Qualitative Investigation

Abstract

Initial Professional Development (IPD) programs is a fundamental strategy to enhance the effectiveness on the pedagogical skills of teachers to foster the quality education among newly recruited Junior elementary school teachers (JESTs) in Sindh. After its implementation, there is very little information about the program’s effectiveness in addressing the field specific challenges and improving pedagogical skills. The study aims to investigate the challenges faced by newly recruited Junior Elementary School teachers. The research design is qualitative phenomenological approach. the research has collected the data through semi-structured interviews. Consist of open-ended questions is used in interview. The sample size is 10 Teachers from all over Sindh. The findings are that the initial professional development program has visible impact on their professional knowledge and pedagogical skills and support the teachers to face the challenges and create opportunities in theirs schools.  The results of this research indicates that the IPD program is effective for the development of pedagogical skills. Furthermore, the results indicated the challenges of resource constraints, time constraints, infrastructural and overcrowded classrooms faced by the newly recruited JESTs to effective implementation of pedagogical strategies. The research study addresses the gap in the literature to improve the alignment between teacher’s professional development of effective teaching-learning practices and fostering skills of teachers for Sindh’s Education system of Elementary School. The research recommends that proper follow-up after the IPD program should be taken. Furthermore, the policy makers and department should allocate the resources and support the teachers at their school-setting ensuring the implementation of pedagogical strategies of IPD program in Sindh.