Qualities of Effective Teachers What Are the Beliefs of Selected Effective Private School Teachers in Mumbai, India?

• In Event: Conceptual and relational foundations of teaching effectiveness

Proposal

Introduction

Effective teachers are central to quality education, making it essential to understand their behaviors, skills, and dispositions to improve schools and student outcomes. Cultural norms, values, and traditions shape distinct systems of meaning (Fischer et al., 2020; Madrid Akpovo et al., 2020) which, in turn, influence teaching practices. While substantial research on teacher effectiveness has been conducted in Western contexts (Gallagher, 2012; Grant et al., 2014; Popp et al., 2011; Stronge et al., 2011; Witter & Hattie; 2023), it has received less attention in Asian countries, particularly the collectivist societies of South Asia, such as India and Pakistan (Aslam et al., 2019).
With India being the most populous country in the world as well as ranking among the top five largest economies (Chalavadi, 2024; Lee et al., 2024), the need to focus on teacher quality in India becomes even more critical. India’s private school sector, the third largest in the world, enrolls approximately 73% of the country’s students (Central Square Foundation, 2020). Mumbai in Maharashtra is home to 1,731 private schools (Singh, 2024). This research regarding teacher effectiveness has the potential to fill a critical academic gap and open a new line of inquiry for research that can influence educational policies and practices in India. Specifically, we sought to answer the question: What are the beliefs of selected effective teachers teaching in private unaided schools in Mumbai, India?

Methods

Stronge’s (2018) framework for teacher effectiveness guided this study and is closely aligned with the National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) introduced by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE, 2023) in India, as presented in Table 1. The framework, validated in multiple educational contexts, including several Asian countries (Akram, 2019, Hamdan & Lia, 2015; Keser et al., 2022; Liu et al., 2022), served as a powerful lens for understanding teacher effectiveness in Mumbai, India. We used maximum variation sampling (Mertens, 2020) to ensure representation of school types, geographic locations within Mumbai, and various grades and subjects. Our sample included 20 teachers who work in private non-government-aided schools in Mumbai who were identified using teacher effectiveness selection criteria and nominated by their principals. While the teachers’ practices were analyzed using the Differentiated Classroom Observation Scale (Cassady et al., 2004), this paper focuses exclusively on interviews conducted using a field-tested interview protocol developed by Stronge and Grant (Grant et al., 2013; Popp et al., 2011; Xu et al., 2022) to ensure reliability in eliciting meaningful responses regarding teachers’ beliefs that guide their teaching practices.

Findings
As illustrated in Figure 1, the interview data most frequently represented the domains of learning environment and professionalism, followed by instructional planning and instructional delivery, with assessment and professional knowledge being less frequently represented. Interestingly, within the professionalism domain, teachers identified parental feedback as a key driver for reflecting on their teaching practices. Subsequently, the data were analyzed for emergent codes and themes. Table 3 outlines four major themes that emerged after both first and second cycle coding (Saldana, 2021) , including the importance of teacher-student relationships, habitual teaching practices, learning with support and structure, and teachers’ evaluation of their teaching success.
Discussion
In this Indian study, teachers emphasized the importance of strong teacher-student relationships, marked by qualities like patience, caring, approachability, and fairness—values aligned with Stronge’s (2018) framework and Standard 1: Core Values and Ethics of India’s National Professional Standards of Teaching (NCTE, 2023). Research shows that elementary students form stronger emotional bonds with teachers (Cook et al., 2018; Roorda et al., 2019), while middle and secondary teachers, who teach larger groups, focus more on academic support. As students become more self-regulated, teacher–student relationships shift from personal to academic (Cook et al., 2018). These expressions among teachers reflect India’s cultural and gender norms, where teaching young children aligns with caregiving roles and collectivist values (Hofstede, 2011).
In terms of habitual teaching practices, common approaches included whole-class direct instruction, a dominant mode in India due, at least partially, to large class sizes and a content-heavy curriculum (Zahedi et al., 2023). These practices are shaped by teacher training and reinforced by parental expectations for high academic achievement and performance on assessments.
While only seven out of 20 teachers explicitly mentioned differentiated instruction (DI), many employed scaffolding techniques to support students. This suggests that, while DI is acknowledged, its full implementation remains inconsistent. These findings contrast with expectations outlined in Stronge’s (2018) framework, which identifies differentiation as a key component of the Instructional Delivery domain, and the NPST (2023), which stresses the importance of addressing the learning needs of children with different abilities under Standard 2: Knowledge and Practice. This highlights the need for more coordinated efforts across policy, teacher training, and classroom practices.
Another key finding was the importance of parental feedback as a driver shaping how teachers evaluate their own effectiveness and adapt their instructional practices. Both Stronge’s (2018) framework and the NPST (2023) highlight reflective practice as key to teacher professionalism, but neither recognizes parental feedback as a driver of this practice. In private schools, parental satisfaction, which impacts enrollment and school reputation, motivates teachers to use feedback for improvement.

Conclusion

Research on effective teaching, particularly within the context of private non-government-aided schools in India, remains limited. To contribute to the scholarly understanding of this topic, we conducted a study that examines the beliefs of effective teachers regarding their professional teaching practices. The study revealed that a central factor in their effectiveness is a deep understanding of and respect for general teaching competencies and the specific demands of their setting. While policies like the NEP (2020) may promise improvements, nothing is more fundamental to school progress than enhancing the quality of teaching every day in classrooms. Additional studies are essential to advancing this discussion on what defines a successful private schoolteacher, especially considering that private non-government-aided schools now account for over 30% of India’s educational institutions (Mehta, 2024). Our findings can contribute to shaping teacher preparation, professional development, and teacher support and evaluation, all tailored to the unique context of private schools in India.
 

Authors

• Swathi Menon

• Leslie W. Grant, William & Mary School of Education

• James H. Stronge, William & Mary