An investigation of the relationship between teaching competency and classroom performance among university teachers: Communication Skills as a Mediator

Abstract

This study analyses the multifaceted relationship between teaching competency, classroom performance, and the mediating influence of communication skills among university teachers. Recognizing the pivotal role of effective teaching in higher education, this research explores how teaching competency impacts classroom performance and how communication skills mediate in this relationship. This study was quantitative and followed the positivist research paradigm. The researchers selected the study sample using stratified sampling. Two questionnaires and an observation sheet were used in this study. Researchers collected data from 152 public-sector university teachers in southern Punjab. Statistical packages for social science and PROCESS macro were used to analyze the data. The data was analyzed using mediation analysis. The primary conclusion of this study was that all the variables (teaching competencies, communication skills, and classroom performance) had a significant relationship and communication skills also mediated between teaching competencies and classroom performance of university teachers. The study recommends that university teachers develop and enhance their communication competencies through training, feedback, and reflection on their teaching practices.