Teaching Quality, Classroom Ecology, and Student Engagement: A Comparative Study of Government and Private Schools Based on Pre-Service Teacher Observations

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between teaching quality, classroom ecology, and student engagement through a comparative analysis of government and private schools in Mokokchung and Peren, Nagaland. The research is based on pre-internship observations conducted over six weeks, involving 36 classroom sessions across ten schools, with 12 teachers and approximately 180 students.

A mixed-method observational design was employed, integrating qualitative classroom observations with quantitative measures, including the Teacher Effectiveness Index (TEI), Communication Index (CI), Student Engagement Index (SEI), Emotional Climate Index (ECI), and Classroom Environment Index (CEI).

The findings reveal that government schools demonstrated higher levels of teaching effectiveness, student engagement, and supportive emotional climate despite infrastructural limitations, whereas private schools, although better equipped, showed inconsistencies in pedagogy and communication. The study concludes that pedagogical practices and classroom interactions are more influential than infrastructural factors in determining classroom effectiveness.