IMPACT OF PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE: PERCEPTIONS OF THE STUDENTS OF KHULNA UNIVERSITY

Abstract

This paper investigated whether the teaching practices employed in the learning process had an impact on the academic performance of Khulna university students. A total of 180 samples were drawn from students of Khulna University, following the stratified random sampling method. Student assessment on the teaching activities of course instructors was conducted which offers a demonstrable and measurable means of determining the degree of pedagogical practices in the system of higher education. Using statistical techniques such as multiple regression methods, the study found a significant relationship between pedagogical practices and the course-level performance of university students. We constructed three indexes, namely the communication skill index, subject knowledge index, and teaching strategy index covering 12 teaching practices of teachers. The analysis showed that an increase of one decimal point in the value of each of these indexes led to an average increase in the course grade by 0.53, 0.58, and 0.62 units, respectively. The study also found that personal attributes of students, such as their interest in the course and total study hours, were significant determinants of academic performance. Therefore, the study suggested that enhancing teaching practices, including providing feedback, fostering in-class and out-of-class interaction, and bolstering teachers' subject knowledge, can serve as effective tools for improving the academic performance of Khulna University students.