Relationship Between Level of Educational Attainment and Employee Performance: Mediating Role of Individual Religious Affiliation

Purpose: This study empirically investigates the relation between education level and employees’ performance working in public sector universities from the viewpoint of Islamic religiosity when religious affiliations play mediating role. It has been experienced that more educated people are found to be more involved in performing tasks related to the religious affiliations. Due to the fact that people with higher education found less time to complete their religious obligations, they are more involved in alternative arrangements like charity and donations to fulfill the hunger of religious attainments. Therefore, in order to satisfy themselves religiously, they are more involved in religious affiliations. This high involvement in fulfilling religious arrangements impacts their individual job performance which is necessary to explore. Research Methodology: Data was gathered from the public sector university employees of Pakistan. Out of 900 distributed questionnaires, 520 were received with response rate of 73.65%. Regression analysis is performed in order to determine the association between level of education and individual performance. Further, in order to determine the mediating role of religious affiliations, the Barren and Kerry (1984) model is applied. Findings: Using questionnaire survey the results of the study showed that level of education significantly impacts the religious affiliations in positive manner and high religious affiliations increase the individual job performance. The results at this point indicated that an unobservable indicator, like propensity for logical rationale induces individuals for higher education and ultimately high religious affiliations. Recommendations: Based upon the results, it is recommended that religiosity and ethical values in management set up are need to be escorted by public reforms to let the identification of employees to their work values and their obligation to the performance of work-related tasks. Originality: This study would be a clear contribution in the field of human behavior towards making alternative arrangements in order to fulfill religious obligations and at the same time identifying the mediating role of religious attainments in determining their individual performance.

An Analytical Study of Human Resource Development Through In-Service Teaching Training and Development

The quality education is the hallmark for the growth of a nation which is contingent upon the quality of teachers who sustain the environment where this manpower is shaped and in due course emerges as a reckonable force. Thus the requirement to prepare and train teachers becomes a vital need for a country to develop its human resource. Modern times dictate that educational measures be conceived, planned and implemented wholesomely and in totality. It is in this regard that the two fields of Human Resource Development (HRD) and education blend to evolve a sustainable system of teaching and training, targeting the objectives of quality education. Focused on the importance of training of teachers, the researcher selected a newly developed in-service teacher training programme which was implemented under Education Sector Reform (ESR) programme in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) from year 2001-2005. Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), in the beginning established a teacher training cell for its institutions in the rural and urban areas of Islamabad. The present research is an evaluation of an in-service teacher training programme developed for the teachers of primary and secondary school level. During 05 years, in-service training continued at FDE, adding maturity and growth to the programme. For the data of the thesis a sample of 300 was picked up which comprised 50 Policy Makers, Planners, Administrators, Resource Centre Coordinators and Heads of Institutions, 50 Master Trainers, Resource Persons of both genders and the third group of 200 Elementary and Secondary Trained Teachers. The tools of research are questionnaires, documents and open-ended discussion session. The research objectives are focused on the analysis of contents, duration and schedule of training programme, strengths and weaknesses and the problems faced by trainers, trainees and administrators for the three stages of pre-, during and post training periods.The data collected through the questionnaires is analyzed by using statistical techniques. Central tendency was used as descriptive statistics whereas chi-square was used as inferential statistics. The main results of the study in terms of strengths are continuous professional development, training based on TNA, willingness of participation, use of audio-visual aids and availability of information and resources at the centres. The weaknesses analyzed highlighted selection procedure for training, training objectives, follow- up plans, contradictions of assessment and perceptions at different levels. The researcher also made an effort to prepare a research based model on in-service education for teachers (INSET) through the present study with strong recommendations of making in-service teacher training a well structured system and linking in- service training with career progression etc. to contribute towards an indigenous teacher training programme. Thus blending the precepts of HRD for training of human resource, a teacher will not only emerge as a manager of learning but will cultivate a student centered approach in the classroom enabling his students to become in dependent learners.