How Primary School Teachers in India Understand Their Roles and Responsibilities: A Comparative Case Study

• In Event: Research in Progress Roundtable Session 2
  In Invited Roundtable: Curriculum, Teaching and Learning in International Contexts: Textbooks, Teacher Responsibilities and Classroom Practices (Table 18)

Abstract

Education policies in India emphasize teacher training, support, and technology but often overlook teachers’ challenges and contexts. Approaches have historically blamed, neglected, or controlled teachers, treating them as passive implementers rather than recognizing their diversity, strengths, and agency. Teacher training typically focuses on skills and knowledge, neglecting beliefs and attitudes. Teachers’ perspectives on educational quality and their roles and responsibilities in their contexts influence teachers’ practices and have broader policy implementation. Therefore, this comparative case study examines teachers’ understanding of their roles, responsibilities, and adaptations in Karnataka, India, to highlight systemic and teacher-level factors that can empower teachers to improve educational quality and equity for disadvantaged students.

Author

• Amogh Basavaraj, Florida State University