Teacher motivation and classroom management practices in rural Public schools: A qualitative case study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71085/rjhsa.04.02.89Keywords:
Classroom Management, Teacher Motivation, Qualitative Multiple Case Study, Reflexive Thematic Analysis, Rural Public SchoolsAbstract
This study aimed to explore teachers’ perceptions about motivation and how their motivation affects classroom management practices, and which challenges affect their classroom management practices and motivation. A qualitative multiple case study research design was used for this study. 10 female primary public school teachers were selected as sample through purposive sampling technique. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse data. Three main themes extracted from the data were: (1) Teachers’ motivation in rural primary schools, (2) Classroom management practices, and (3) Challenges and adaptation in classroom management. Findings show that there is a strong link between teachers’ motivation and classroom management. According to the participant’s belief in Allah, understanding of their moral responsibility, students’ achievements and their connection with religion are the factors that enhance their motivation. On the other hand, shortage of resources, overcrowded classrooms, no parental involvement and non-supportive institutional behaviours lower their motivation level. Effective classroom management strategies are lesson planning, student-centred and activity-based teaching, positive student-teacher relationships, collaborative learning and nonaggressive disciplinary approaches. The study concluded that motivated teachers can create a positive learning environment despite all the challenges. It recommends strengthening supportive school leadership, improving learning facilities and providing necessities, provide contextual base professional development training, ensuring parental involvement and starting community engagement programs to improve classroom management and teacher motivation to attain academic achievements in the rural public schools.
Downloads
References
Abbas, M, Tariq, S., Jamil, M. (2021). Continuous professional development (CPD) and quality education of primary school teachers: A quantitative study in Lahore, Punjab. Global Educational Studies Review, 6(4), 206-212. http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gesr.2021(VI-IV).21
Aldrup, K., Klusmann, U., Lüdtke, O., Göllner, R., & Trautwein, U. (2018). Student misbehavior and teacher well-being: Testing the mediating role of classroom management and teacher–student relationships. Learning and Instruction, 58, 126–136.
Blatchford, P., Bassett, P., & Brown, P. (2005). Teachers' and pupils' behavior in large and small classes: A systematic observation study of pupils aged 10 and 11 years. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97(3), 454–467. https://doi.org/10.1037/00220663.97.3.454
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. Sage. Bukhari, S., Butt, S., & Muhammad, Y. (2021). Understanding academic motivation of high achieving students with hearing impairment in higher education: A qualitative study. Global Sociological Review,6(2), 17-25. https://doi.org/10.31703/gsr.2021(VI-II).03
BERA. (2024). Ethical guidelines for educational research (5th Ed.). British Educational Research Association.
Collie, R. J., Martin, A. J., Morin, A. J. S., Malmberg, L.-E., & Sammons, P. (2021). A multilevel personcentered examination of teachers' workplace experiences: Replication and extension with links to instructional support and achievement. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 711173. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.711173
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th Ed.). Sage.
Diana, N. K., Muhammad, Y., & Iftikhar, M. G. (2021). Exploring teacher’s perceptions about aggressive classroom management at primary level: A qualitative case study. Research Journal of Social Sciences and Economics Review, 2(2), 386–392.
Emmer, E. T., & Sabornie, E. J. (Eds.). (2015). Handbook of classroom management (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203074114
Evertson, C. M., & Weinstein, C. S. (Eds.). (2006). Handbook of classroom management: Research, practice, and contemporary issues. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Guest, G., Namey, E., & Chen, M. (2020). A simple method to assess and report thematic saturation in qualitative research. PLoS ONE, 15(5), e0232076. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232076
Han, J., & Yin, H. (2016). Teacher motivation: Definition, research development and Simplications for teachers. Cogent Education, 3(1), 1217819. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2016.1217819
Kallio, H., Pietilä, A. M., Johnson, M., & Kangasniemi, M. (2016). Systematic methodological review: Developing a framework for a qualitative semi-structured interview guide. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 72(12), 2954–2965.
Kanwal, N., & Habib, Z. (2022). Exploring motivation of teachers and students of public sector schools: A qualitative study from Karachi, Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Educational Research, 5(2), 566584. https://doi.org/10.52337/pjer.v5i2.589
Khan, A., Mehmood, S., & Ghaffar, A. (2025). A comparative study of teacher–student relationships in urban and rural elementary schools of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Social Science Review Archives, 3(2), 853–885. https://doi.org/10.70670/sra.v3i2.676
Kim, T., & Reeve, J. (2021). Connecting teacher and student motivation: Student-perceived teacher needsupportive practices and student need satisfaction. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 64, 101950. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2021.101950
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage. Mahnoor., Saleem, A., & Muhammad, Y. (2025). Examining pedagogical challenges: novice teachers’ classroom management experiences in urban public elementary schools. Journal for Social Science Archives, 3(1), 440-451.
Mujahid, F., Fayyaz, M., & Zafar, M. (2024). Exploring teaching strategies and challenges of traditional classrooms faced by teachers of rural areas of Muzaffargarh, Pakistan. Pakistan Social Sciences Review, 8(2), 862–871.
Nawab, A., & Sharar, T. (2022). Coordination in planning and implementing professional development programs for teachers: A much needed component in rural areas. Sage Open, https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211068489 12(1).
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods (4th Ed.). Sage. Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2020). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from a self-determination theory perspective: Definitions, theory, practices, and future directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61, 101860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101860
Saeed, N., Farooq, F., & Muhammad, Y. (2022). Self-efficacy beliefs of prospective teachers regarding classroom management: Evidence from two case studies. Journal of Education and Social Studies, 3(2), 116-125.
Saima, & Habib, M. (2023). Teachers' perceptions about school infrastructure at the elementary level in Punjab. Pakistan Languages and Humanities Review, 7(4), 252–265. https://doi.org/10.47205/plhr.2023(7IV)22
Sajid, S.M., Jamil, M., & Abbas, M. (2022). Relationship between organizational environment and teacher’s citizenship behaviour at public universities of Punjab. Global Educational Studies Review, 7(2), 192-200. http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gesr.2022(VII-II).18
Shula, M. (2023). Principals’ servant leadership practices and teacher motivation: Perspectives from South African rural schools’ context. Perspectives in Education, 41(4), 162–176. https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v41i4.7086
Siddique, A., Noorani, Z., & Moin, M. (2024). An investigation on classroom management challenges faced by teachers at primary school level in Punjab. Journal of Social Research Development, 5(2), 130140.
Siddiqui, S. S., Kazmi, A. B., & Kamran, M. K. (2023). Teacher professional development for managing antisocial behaviors: A qualitative study to highlight status, limitations and challenges in educational institutions in Pakistan. Frontiers in Education, 8, 1177519. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1177519
UNESCO. (2023). Global education monitoring report 2023: Technology in education—A tool on whose terms? UNESCO.
Wang, J., Meng, W., Xing, Q., & Moè, A. (2024). Motivating and demotivating teaching styles: A comparison among planned, adopted, and perceived. Social Psychology of Education, 27, 2993–3017. Springer Nature https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-02409946-9
Woodcock, S., & Reupert, A. E. (2024). First-year primary teachers' classroom management strategies: Perceptions of use, confidence, and effectiveness. Journal of Education for Teaching, 50(1), 90–106. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2023.22192
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th Ed.). Sage Publications.
Zee, M., & Koomen, H. M. Y. (2016). Teacher selfefficacy and its effects on classroom processes, student academic adjustment, and teacher wellbeing: A synthesis of 40 years of research. Review of Educational Research, 86(4), 981–1015. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654315626801
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Mehwish Pervaiz, Dur e Shahwar, Dr. Muhammad Jamil (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.



