Empowering teachers through mentorship: a case study from Pakistan

The British Council’s Action Research Foundation Course gave educators from across our Partner Schools the chance to engage in teacher-led research. In this context, Generation’s School in Pakistan stood out. Under the leadership of Ghazala Sajjad, an exceptionally high number of teachers not only enrolled but completed the course.

Ghazala was involved in the British Council’s Action Research Grants programme when British Council Partner Schools introduced the Action Research Foundation course led by Sirin Soyoz on the Online Support for Schools in response to demand. Ghazala immediately saw the possibility to help more educators develop inquiry-based approaches to classroom challenges.

In this article, we share some of Ghazala’s experiences and insights from leading the Action Research Foundation Course at her school and what made it such a success.

Understanding the role of Action Research in teacher development

“Many believe that research is mostly theoretical and rarely put into practice,” Ghazala explained, “However, my experience with the British Council’s Action Research programme proved to me otherwise.”

Ghazala first became involved in Action Research through the British Council’s Action Research Grants programme, an initiative designed to help educators explore and improve their teaching practices through structured research. Her action research explored the benefits of structured learning walks where educators observe each other to foster a more collaborative school environment. As she worked on the grant, she saw firsthand how research could be a practical tool for professional growth rather than just an academic exercise.

When the Action Research Foundation Course started, Ghazala recognised its potential to engage more teachers in reflective, inquiry-based development, and brought it to the staff at Generation’s School. Within the week, ten teachers had enrolled and more had expressed their interest. Twenty ended up joining the course, including Ghazala herself.

“Generation’s School already had a strong culture of learning and inquiry,” said Ghazala, “We have a robust professional development programme grounded in the belief that investing in educators is key to creating lasting impact. Yet, seeing so many of my staff enrolling in the Action Research Foundation course and submitting their work — it was incredible!”

Photo: Ghazala Sajjad

Supporting teachers at Generation’s School through the Action Research Foundation Course

Encouraging staff to enrol in the Action Research Foundation Course was only the first step. Ghazala knew that ongoing support would be key to ensuring everyone submitted all their work and successfully completed the programme. “Support is essential for anyone who takes on a course,” she said, “Especially teachers, because they’ve got such a heavy workload — they’ve got corrections, they’ve got assessments, and countless other responsibilities.” 

To ensure staff had the capacity to complete the course, Ghazala took a hands-on approach and directly mentored them through the following initiatives:

• Liaisons with the British Council to help staff with registration;
• A dedicated chat to facilitate discussions and troubleshoot issues;
• One-on-one mentoring sessions with participants who needed support;
• Reminders about upcoming deadlines;
• Thorough pre-submission reviews to supply constructive feedback.

Ghazala emphasised that “for mentoring to be successful, you have to win over hearts and minds.”

Measuring the impact of structured mentorship on results

While online professional development courses often see high dropout rates, Generation’s School’s result was a resounding success. All 20 participants, including Ghazala herself, completed their research and submitted their articles, demonstrating the effectiveness of structured mentorship in keeping educators engaged.

Many staff had doubted their ability to conduct meaningful research while balancing their other duties. The research had seemed intimidating and inaccessible at the start. However, with consistent feedback and support, they not only completed the course but gained confidence in their abilities to conduct surveys and focus group interviews, analyse data and develop other research skills.

The impact went beyond course completion. Some teachers also presented their research at a conference so other schools could benefit from what they’d discovered and apply it to their own learning context. Ghazala quoted from the handbook by Richard Smith, that teacher-research can follow some rules of its own, and 'doesn't need to mimic academic research'. She added, "Indeed, I think that’s one of the reasons why the course is doable. It was research, but of its own kind."

Reflecting on what made the Action Research Foundation Course a success

When asked why she thought Generation’s School had seen such amazing results, Ghazala said it was down to the following factors:

• Complete trust: Teachers felt supported rather than judged, which made them feel less self-conscious and more confident in their ability to complete the course.
• Strong support: Ghazala had a team of experts who helped with technical issues and provided language support. For example, there was an IT specialist in case of any glitches or connectivity issues — something that can frequently derail online courses.
• Feedback and recognition: Everyone understood their progress and what they needed to do to improve upon their current work. When staff hit a milestone, Ghazala made sure the team acknowledged and celebrated these achievements to keep motivation high.
• Plenty of space: Ghazala emphasised that all participants received her full support but had total autonomy throughout the Foundation Course. She monitored and gave feedback when necessary but gave teachers the freedom to choose their research and implement their findings as they saw fit.

Ghazala felt the Action Research Foundation Course added to the Generation’s already rich culture of learning and exploration. “It truly feels like we have cultivated a community of researchers,” she said, “Generation’s has been buzzing with focus groups, surveys, and interviews, making the experience all the more dynamic and enriching.”

Final thoughts

Ghazala and Sirin’s leadership shows that structured mentorship can make professional development more impactful. When teachers feel supported and encouraged, they’re more likely to complete training and apply their learning in the classroom.

Schools looking to implement their own action research projects can learn from Ghazala’s success in supporting teachers with mentorship rather than relying on self-taught learning.

If you’re interested in conducting action research at your school, the British Council offers resources through its Online Support for Schools (OSS) platform. Watch our series of e-recordings filled with expert tips and practical takeaways and download our digital handbook on how to conduct exploratory research.