Navigating the Classroom: Challenges Confronting Teachers in Public Sector Education

Abstract

Teachers in Pakistan’s public-sector schools work under persistent systemic constraints that affect their motivation and instructional practices. This qualitative narrative case study explores the intrinsic and extrinsic factors influencing teacher motivation in a public secondary school in Karachi and examines the role of leadership-mediated strategies in improving classroom practices. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with four teachers, the school principal, and a district education officer, along with ten unannounced classroom observations conducted over four weeks. Guided by self-determination theory and instructional leadership frameworks, the findings reveal that delayed salaries, overcrowded classrooms, and shortages of basic teaching materials significantly undermine teacher motivation and promote teacher-centered instruction. Conversely, supportive leadership practices such as formative feedback, peer-learning communities, and short coaching cycles enhanced teachers’ sense of autonomy, competence, and professional confidence. The study concludes that integrated, school-based interventions combining stable working conditions with instructional leadership and collaborative professional learning are essential for improving teacher motivation, instructional quality, and student engagement in public-sector schools.