Abstract:

A common Pakistani urban classroom is plural and diverse in terms of cultural, linguistic and ethnic variances. These differences consequently promote diversities in students’ learning practices and styles. The present study, fundamentally, is an appraisal of student teachers regarding their preparation to deal learning diversities in classrooms. 500 prospective teachers selected from 5 different teacher education institutions through multiphase random sampling technique participated in the study. A self-reported questionnaire developed on 5 point Likert scale was used to collect the data. The instrument focused on probing the prevalence of required teaching competencies in five major areas including effective instructions, classroom management and communication, assessment and evaluation, lifelong learning and professional competencies in a more general sense. Findings demonstrate that the prospective teachers have limited competencies of dealing learning diversities in classroom and a revision in teacher education programs is required to equip them with adequate skills.

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