DETERMINANTS OF TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS: INSIGHTS FROM STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELLING IN INDIAN HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

Teaching effectiveness is a cornerstone of higher education quality, yet its psychological and institutional determinants remain underexplored in Tier-2 Indian cities, where public and private institutions coexist under contrasting governance and resource structures. This study investigates how emotional intelligence (EI)—operationalized through self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills—and spiritual intelligence (SI) shape teaching effectiveness (TE) among faculty, with evidence drawn from Kanpur as a representative urban center. Using a cross-sectional survey of 545 faculty analyzed through PLS-SEM, we tested the direct effects of EI facets on TE and the mediating role of SI. Results show that EI strongly predicts TE, with self-regulation and empathy as the most influential factors. SI amplifies these effects, highlighting its mediating function. Importantly, no significant difference was found between public and private institutions, suggesting that psychological competencies matter more than governance type. The findings underscore the critical need to invest in faculty development programs that cultivate socio-emotional and reflective capacities in Tier-2 contexts. This study contributes to both theoretical refinement of intelligence-based models of teaching and the practical design of interventions for higher education systems outside India’s metropolitan centers.