Beyond Standardisation: Exploring the Interplay of Teacher Knowledge and Context in India

Abstract

This article examines teachers’ perspectives of their knowledge, skills and dispositions in their classroom practices within the context of India’s newly established National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST). The study explores how teachers, as ‘knowers’ operating in context-driven environments, perceive and utilise their professional knowledge, an area under-researched in the Global South and particularly in social science as a school subject. In-depth focus group discussions were conducted with K-12 teachers in Bengaluru and Mumbai, where participants generated written artefacts. Findings reveal that teachers heavily rely on personalised experiences to shape pedagogy and contextualise curriculum. Their classroom practices integrate values and cultural contexts, informed by lived experiences, student interactions and unique environmental challenges. This dynamic interplay enables teachers to create relevant learning conditions and foster critical thinking suited to their subject. The study suggests that while frameworks like the NPST aim to formalise teacher knowledge, they must accommodate the diverse and situated nature of teacher knowledge in practice. Policymakers should prioritise teacher agency and support systems that facilitate the integration of teachers’ perspectives of their knowledge into formalised practices, ensuring standards that can harmonise with local contexts and acknowledge teachers’ lived realities, often overlooked in large-scale reforms.