Between Ideal and Institutional: Prospective Teachers’ Conceptions of Discussion-Based Citizenship Pedagogy in Pakistani Elementary Schools

Abstract

The provision of citizenship education in Pakistan’s elementary schools is still very much teacher-centric and does not afford space for learning active citizenship in a dialogic and participatory manner. In the context of Pakistan, the potential for pedagogical change lies primarily within the prospective teachers; however, the conceptions of teachers regarding ‘pedagogy of discussion’ as well as the structural conditions influencing such conceptions are underexamined. The study presents the Reflexive Thematic Analysis of the semi-structured interviews of ten final-year BS Education students from a public university in Punjab, Pakistan, who were all required to do compulsory teaching practice in elementary schools. Four themes emerged in the analysis: discussion as social meaning-making; democratic competence as a result of structured dialogue; institutional constraints as systemic problems; and scaffolded facilitation as a practitioner’s response. The participants had a coherent understanding of discussion pedagogy, and they tied it into students’ voice and critical thinking skills and democratic competence. Furthermore, they found ‘systemic conditions’, which are overcrowded classrooms, inflexible learning programmes, and limited lesson time, which continuously hinder the implementation of such ideals in school contexts. It is not some teachers who are lacking the pedagogical orientation, but rather this is a structural problem that needs to be addressed at the level of policy. Results have implications for the design of teacher preparation programmes, policy concerning practicum, and reform in the elementary curriculum in Pakistan.