Certified vs Non-Certified Teachers: What Early Classroom Evidence from Pakistan Tells Us?
In this blogpost, Aisha Naz Ansari reports on an exploratory study comparing observed classroom practices, teacher motivation, and professional agency between certified and non-certified teachers in Sindh province, Pakistan.
Teacher certification has long been regarded as a key lever for improving teaching quality (Kamal et al., 2024; Xie & Zheng, 2026). The assumption underpinning many policy reforms is that formally qualified teachers possess pedagogical knowledge, classroom management skills, and instructional competencies that translate into stronger classroom practice (Tikrity, 2023). In response to concerns about teaching quality, Sindh recently introduced a teaching licensing policy (Ali & Ahmed, 2022). Under this policy, both pre-service and in-service teachers are required to qualify a standardised teaching licence test administered by an independent body.
Certified teachers generally complete recognised education programmes that foreground instructional planning, assessment, and classroom organisation, in addition to passing the licensure examination. Non-certified teachers, by contrast, often enter classrooms without formal pedagogical preparation. Their practices are solely shaped by accumulated experience, subject knowledge, and deep familiarity with local school contexts than certified teachers who have an additional benefit of professional education and licensure status. Some in this group did not take the licence test, while others were unsuccessful in qualifying. With the first cohort of licensed teachers now in the field, there is an opportunity to explore how certification relates to actual classroom practice.
During a recent large-scale study on mathematics and science teaching practice, we encountered only a few ‘certified’ teachers, those with the license. Rather than letting this sample remain unused, we conducted a focused, within-school comparison of certified and non-certified teachers teaching the same subjects and grade levels. This blog reports on differences in observed classroom practices, teacher motivation, and professional agency in order to provide early insights into how certification might shape teaching within real school settings.
Method
This blog presents a secondary descriptive analysis of classroom observation and teacher survey data originally collected for a larger study. To ensure comparability, we selected a very small but purposively matched sample of teachers teaching the same grade level within the same school context. The sample included four certified teachers teaching mathematics and science in the field and are compared with four non-certified teachers teaching the same subjects and grade levels.
Classroom practices were assessed using a contextually validated Classroom Observation Scale which has been used in many other nationwide studies in Pakistan. This observation scale captures overall classroom quality across three factors: physical set-up, classroom interactions, and teaching-learning strategies. For the purposes of this analysis, however, the focus is limited to classroom interactions and teaching-learning strategies, as these dimensions are primarily shaped by teachers’ instructional decisions and practices. In addition, teachers completed self-report measures of motivation and professional agency. For each construct and subject group, mean scores were calculated for certified and non-certified teachers. Given the limited sample, findings are descriptive and exploratory with an intention to highlight patterns and generate reflection rather than to support statistical generalisations.
Results
Certified teachers scored higher on overall observed practice (Mean = 3.13) compared with non-certified teachers (Mean = 2.66). This difference is reflected in both Classroom Interactions (3.83 vs 3.33) and Teaching and Learning (2.43 vs 1.99). These observations suggest that certified teachers were more likely to establish structured interactions and instructional clarity which are the important and emphasised dimensions in formal teacher preparation.
Both certified mathematics teachers were early-career professionals holding Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees in Education. In contrast, the non-certified teachers held no formal teaching qualification and were in the senior phase of their careers. It is important to note that, both teachers (certified and non-certified) had different remuneration which was higher for senior teachers, though without license, but lower for the early-career teachers, though they hold a teaching license certification. All four teachers were female, had roughly similar academic qualifications (16 years of education), taught in the public school system, and worked with small class sizes (fewer than 25 students).
Interestingly, non-certified teachers reported higher motivation (3.92 vs 3.56) and professional agency (4.73 vs 4.22) than certified teachers. These patterns may reflect confidence derived from years of classroom experience, stronger familiarity with community and school contexts, and the adaptive strategies developed in the absence of formal training. Differences in remuneration, with senior non-certified teachers earning higher salaries than early-career certified teachers, may also contribute to variations in motivational orientation and agency.
However, the science classroom comparison shows a slightly different pattern. Non-certified teachers demonstrated marginally higher overall classroom practice (Mean = 2.30) than certified teachers (Mean = 2.20). At the construct level, non-certified teachers scored higher on Classroom Interactions (2.67 vs 2.34), whereas certified teachers showed slightly stronger Teaching and Learning practices (2.07 vs 1.93). These patterns indicate that both groups bring distinct strengths to classroom practice, with non-certified teachers showing greater relational and organisational competence and certified teachers demonstrating structured instructional approaches.
The professional profiles of science teachers varied. Among certified teachers, one was early-career and both held formal education qualifications. Among non-certified teachers, one held a Bachelor’s degree in Education, while the other did not, and both were mid-career. Teachers also worked in different school systems, with one certified and non-certified pair teaching in public schools and the other in private schools, with median class sizes (around 26 – 40 students, each). Remuneration differed substantially across systems, with public school science teachers, especially certified, mid-career teachers, earning higher salaries than private school teachers, even when the latter held licences.
In science, self-reported motivation was similar between certified and non-certified teachers (Mean = 4.25 for both). However, professional agency was higher among certified teachers (4.36 vs 3.90), suggesting greater confidence and autonomy in decision-making which indicated that these attributes may be strengthened through formal training and professional identity formation.
Conclusion
This small, exploratory comparison does not offer statistical inferences about the effects of teacher certification, nor is it intended to do so. Instead, it provides a modest glimpse into how certification, experience, and working conditions may intersect in shaping classroom practice and teachers’ professional orientations at an early stage of policy implementation.
What emerges is not a clear hierarchy between certified and non-certified teachers, but a pattern of complementary strengths. Formal preparation appears to support certain aspects of classroom organisation and instructional structure, while experience and institutional embeddedness seem to underpin motivation and confidence in navigating day-to-day classroom realities. In this sense, certification and experience do not operate in opposition but rather contribute differently to teachers’ practice.
For Sindh’s teaching licensing policy, these early observations suggest the value of approaching certification as part of a broader professional learning ecosystem. Supporting newly licensed teachers through mentoring, fair remuneration, and opportunities for reflective practice, also for the non-certified teachers, may be as important as the certification process itself. Equally, recognising and building upon the expertise of experienced, non-certified teachers could help ensure that reform efforts strengthen, rather than fragment, the teaching workforce.
As more certified teachers enter classrooms and evidence accumulates over time, future research will be better positioned to examine how licensing shapes practice across subjects, career stages, and school contexts. For now, these descriptive findings underline the importance of treating teacher certification as an evolving process, one that gains meaning through sustained support, professional trust, and continued learning.
References
Ali, S., & Ahmed, A. (2022). Teaching license in Pakistan: A white paper. Pakistan. https://ecommons.aku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1322&context=pakistan_ied_pdck
Kamal, B. M., Kayani, S. A., & Bajwa, M. J. (2024). Evaluating the Influence of Teacher Certification on Educational Outcomes: A Systematic Review. Journal of Development and Social Sciences, 5(2), 830-841.
Tikrity, M. A. (2023). Defining and Measuring Teaching Quality. Article. Smart Teaching System. Dr Mohammed A. Tikrity is the founder and Director of the Smart Teaching System programmed.
Xie, X., & Zheng, Q. (2026). Exploring effective teacher certificate requirements to benefit student achievement: Evidence from a global perspective. International Journal of Educational Development, 120, 103476.
Author :
Aisha Naz Ansari is a PhD Scholar at Durham University under NINE DTP (ESRC) scholarship. Previously, she served as a Research Specialist at the Aga Khan University, Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED), Pakistan as well as a working group member for ESIC for safe and responsible use of AI in evidence synthesis. She has published more than 30 research articles and research blogs in international journals and forums. Her research areas include systematic reviews, educational technology, educational psychology, holistic student development, teacher education, public-private partnerships and classroom teaching-learning.