Psychological Perspectives on Teaching in Higher Education: Then and Now

Higher education systems are expanding at a rapid rate. As higher education systems grow and diversify, society is increasingly concerned about the quality of programmes. One of the main challenges of the education system is the lack of means to measure the quality of teaching. This paper attempted to understand the prevailing quality of teaching in higher education in India from the psychological perspective and to suggest ways of enhancement. The present study had a mixed method design. It was primarily qualitative in nature, supplemented by descriptive data for support. In order to validate the qualitative data, the technique of methodological triangulation was done. The three sources for the triangulation process were focussed group discussions (FGD’s), questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The total sample size in the study was 32 individuals- both male and female, 16 young adults and 16 middle aged adults. The purposive sampling technique was used with a set of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Findings indicated that the primary psychological processes involved in improving the quality of teaching in higher education were role modelling, attention, retention, mutual respect, motivational strategies, structural arrangements and adaptation to the environment. These findings have implications to teachers, youth, educational institutions and policy makers.