Do School Type and Teacher Performance in Co-Curricular Activities Differ? A Comparative Study of Public and Private Secondary Schools in Islamabad, Pakistan

Abstract

Co-curricular activities are of great importance in the overall development of students, and yet, the impact of different types of schools on teacher performance in these activities has not been well researched in Islamabad, Pakistan. This quantitative comparative study was aimed at finding out whether school type and teacher performance in co-curricular activities at the secondary level in Islamabad differ significantly. Descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used for the study. The population consisted of secondary school teachers of public and private schools of Islamabad. Using simple random sampling, 150 teachers from public schools and 200 teachers from private schools were selected. A five-point Likert scale questionnaire was developed, was validated by educational experts, and the reliability was also established (Cronbach's α = 0.84). Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent samples t-test. Findings showed that public school teachers had a significantly higher implementation of co-curricular activities in the classrooms than private school teachers. Similarly, public school teachers were found to be significantly more helpful in providing guidelines and support for sports activities than private school teachers. However, both groups were at a high level of knowledge and showed no significant difference. The research suggests that although the type of school does not have a major impact on teachers' knowledge of co-curricular activities, it has a major impact on their implementation as well as the provision of guidelines with public school teachers performing better. Suggestions include special focus on private schools to help them come up with the implementation of activities, incentive mechanisms to encourage teachers, and broadening of co-curricular activities in both types of schools in Islamabad.