A Study of University Teachers' Approaches to Teaching at Undergraduate Level in Punjab, Pakistan

Teachers' approaches to teaching at undergraduate level in universities have long been considered very significant for students' learning. Teachers can develop critical thinking skills in students at this stage which in turn aid problem solving, that is essential to the social and economic development of a nation. This study aims to explore teachers' approaches to teaching at university level in Punjab, Pakistan through quantitative research and adaptation of the Approaches to Teaching Inventory (ATI), a reliable and valid survey instrument. Cluster stratified random sampling technique was applied to select one hundred and twenty teachers from eight public and private Universities. The results of this study indicate that the teachers use both Conceptual Change-Student Focused (CCSF) and Information Transmission-Teacher Focused (ITTF) approaches. A comparison of approaches to teaching in public and private universities showed no significant difference between them. However, the results of this study indicated that female teachers use ITTF approach more than male teachers. Professional development of university teachers regarding approaches to teaching is recommended based on the findings of this study.