Teachers’ Perceptions of Experiential Learning: A Comparative Study of Understanding, Practices, Challenges, and Impact in Private and Public Schools

Abstract

This study was of a qualitative nature that aimed to reveal and compare the perception of experiential learning of private and public secondary school teachers in District Malakand, Pakistan. The primary purposes were to explore teachers' conceptions and use of experiential learning, their attitudes towards its value, student involvement, problems encountered, and how experiential learning was perceived to affect their students' learning outcomes. Written interviews were used to collect data from 30 secondary school teachers (15 from private and 15 from government schools), which was then analysed thematically. The findings showed that teachers had positive perceptions about experiential learning and acknowledged its significance in the development of practical skills, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and application of real-life knowledge and retention of long-term knowledge. Experiential methods were reported to increase students' interest and participation. Most teachers, however, had a limited understanding of the concept, many of them associate it with basic hands-on activities or lab experiments. Experiential learning was still not widely and consistently put into practice in both sectors. The scarcity, time constraints, large size of classes, pressure on syllabus, and lack of trained teachers emerged as significant constraints, especially in government schools. The researcher found that there is a big discrepancy between positive attitude of teachers and their actual practices. It suggests having comprehensive teacher professional development programmers, curriculum and examination changes and provision of resources for the broader and better implementation of experiential learning in Pakistani schools.