Academic Optimism of Teachers in Secondary Schools of Pakistan

Abstract

Educators and researchers have long been interested in determining the effectiveness of schools. Recently, the concept of academic optimism has gained attention as a significant construct that can help schools to enhance the well-being of teachers and success of students. This research aimed to investigate the academic optimism of teachers in secondary schools. A questionnaire was developed to measure the academic optimism of the teachers. The instrument was developed on three constructs i.e. Collective Efficacy, Faculty Trust and Academic Emphasis. The reliability index of the questionnaire was 0.823 which was calculated by using Cronbach Alpha. The data was received from 872 secondary school teachers who were selected based on the district performance rankings from 2017-18, presented by Punjab Education Sector Reform Program (PESRP). The study inferred a significant difference of academic optimism among the teachers based on their districts ranking, gender, and experience in secondary schools. The findings support the critical nature of teachers’ academic optimism and its influence on the overall school environment. The study suggests that there is a need to promote collective efficacy, trust, and academic emphasis of teachers through training and faculty development programs.