Study on the Attitude of University Teachers and Students towards Global Issues Pertaining to Human Rights: Exploring Global Perspective through Local Disposition

Abstract

The present study aims at exploring the notion of human rights through investigating the attitude of university teachers and students (prospective teachers) towards global issues pertaining to human rights in Pakistan. The overall strategy for the current study is based on survey research design. From a methodological standpoint, mixed method paradigm (survey method and case-study) is used to gain quantitative and qualitative responses. Through stratified random sampling, total sample n=600, i.e., 520 students (prospective teachers) currently pursuing degree in education (B.Ed/M.Ed), and 80 teachers currently teaching prospective teachers at public or private university were selected from 12 universities and four affiliated colleges of Sindh, Pakistan. For qualitative data, n=20 respondents were selected through purposive sampling to meet the saturation point. The quantitative data was collected using Human Rights Attitude Scale (HRAS), adapted from Attitudes toward Human Rights Inventory, ATHRI and Human Rights Questionnaire. The adapted scale was validated through Content Validity, while Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability Coefficient was statistically applied to check internal consistency (calculated as .90). For qualitative data, questions were prepared to inquire indepth knowledge through focused-group interview. Hypotheses were tested using statistical tests (chi-square and t-test), while qualitative data was analyzed using themes. For ethical considerations, participants were informed about the research study through explanatory letter, and informed consent was signed voluntarily