UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Teaching effectiveness is influenced by multiple interrelated factors, and statements (A), (C) and (D) capture three of the most important ones. Teacher's subject mastery, as in A, supports clear explanations, and learners' motivation and readiness, as in C, directly affect engagement. Statement D recognises that administrative support and institutional policies can either enable or constrain effective teaching. Statements B and E are wrong because classroom environment and teaching resources do matter for teaching effectiveness, so the correct combination of factors is A, C and D only.

Option A:
Option A correctly groups A, C and D, the statements that reflect widely accepted determinants of teaching effectiveness. It recognises that teacher knowledge, learner motivation and supportive institutional policies all contribute positively to instructional quality. By excluding the claims that environment and resources are irrelevant, this option aligns well with contemporary views on classroom effectiveness.

Option B:
Option B also includes statement B, which claims that classroom environment has no influence on teaching. This is inaccurate because factors such as noise, lighting and seating arrangements can significantly affect both teacher performance and student concentration. Including B in the combination makes the whole option incorrect.

Option C:
Option C brings in statement E, which states that teaching resources are irrelevant when the teacher is experienced. This overlooks the fact that even expert teachers rely on appropriate materials and media to support learning. By accepting E as correct, the option fails to acknowledge the enabling role of resources and so becomes invalid.

Option D:
Option D leaves out statement A and adds E. Omitting A ignores the foundational role of subject mastery in the teacher's ability to explain, exemplify and clarify. Including E, which dismisses the importance of resources, contradicts good practice, so this combination cannot be considered correct.

Teaching is most effective when it starts from where the learners are. Students’ prior knowledge and entry behaviour determine their readiness for new learning. If these characteristics are accurately diagnosed, the teacher can choose suitable objectives, content level and methods. Thus, this factor is directly and strongly related to learner characteristics that influence teaching effectiveness.

Option A:
This option refers to the availability of technological resources, which is an institutional or infrastructural factor. While smart boards and projectors can support teaching, they do not themselves describe learner characteristics or guarantee that teaching will match students’ needs.

Option B:
This option correctly focuses on what learners already know and can do at the beginning of instruction. Understanding entry behaviour helps the teacher avoid both under-challenging and over-challenging the class and to scaffold learning effectively.

Option C:
This option concerns administrative staffing, which primarily affects institutional management rather than the immediate teaching–learning interaction in the classroom.

Option D:
This option describes physical infrastructure. Although classroom size may influence comfort and logistics, it is not itself a learner characteristic; the crucial learner-related factor is what students bring cognitively and affectively to the classroom.

Classroom climate refers to the overall emotional and social tone of the classroom, shaped by teacher behaviour, peer relationships and norms. A positive climate supports engagement, participation and risk-taking in learning. A negative climate can produce anxiety, withdrawal and conflict, hindering teaching–learning processes. Hence, the atmosphere described in the stem is accurately termed classroom climate.

Option A:
Physical infrastructure includes buildings, furniture and equipment, which are structural conditions for teaching. While important, they do not by themselves capture the emotional and social atmosphere among people. Thus, this option does not fully match the idea of climate.

Option B:
Institutional timetable is an administrative schedule indicating when classes occur. It does not describe the interpersonal atmosphere or feelings within a classroom. Consequently, it cannot be equated with the emotional and social environment referred to in the question.

Option C:
Formal curriculum comprises structured content and objectives specified by educational authorities. It tells what is to be taught but not how people feel while teaching and learning. Therefore, it is not the term used for the classroom’s emotional atmosphere.

Option D:
Classroom climate covers perceptions of safety, support, fairness and respect within the learning space. It is influenced by teacher expectations, rules and interaction patterns. Because the stem explicitly mentions emotional and social atmosphere affecting teaching–learning, this option correctly names the concept.

Socio-economic factors include learners’ family income,parents’ education,home language and overall social environment. These affect access to resources,prior exposure to language and attitudes toward schooling. The stem specifically mentions home language and economic background,which fall under socio-economic factors. Hence,this option is correct.

Option A:
Institutional factors concern the type of institution,policies and governance,rather than individual learners’ family circumstances.

Option B:
Infrastructural factors refer to physical facilities like classrooms,labs and equipment,which are important but not the focus of the stem.

Option C:
Administrative factors concern rules,procedures and management practices,not the personal socio-economic context of students.

Option D:
Socio-economic factors often influence examples and teaching strategies that teachers choose,so option D best captures the considerations described.

Statements A, C and D are correct because they highlight physical, learner-related and institutional factors that shape teaching. A is true as classroom size, seating and facilities can support or hinder interaction. C is true since motivated learners are more attentive and persistent, which enhances learning. D is true because supportive policies, workload norms and resources affect how effectively a teacher can work. B is false because subject mastery is a key component of teaching competence, and E is false because socio-cultural background strongly influences expectations, examples and communication; therefore A, C and D only is the correct combination.

Option A:
Option A includes A and C but leaves out D, even though institutional support and policies clearly influence working conditions and effectiveness. Since it omits a true statement, the set of correct statements is incomplete. Thus A and C only cannot be accepted.

Option B:
Option B lists C and D and omits A, but the physical environment and class size are widely recognised as important contextual factors in teaching. Excluding A leads to an incomplete description of influences on effectiveness. Hence C and D only is not sufficient.

Option C:
Option C adds E to A, C and D, but E is a false statement that denies the role of socio-cultural context in learning. By including E, the option mixes correct statements with an incorrect one and therefore becomes invalid.

Option D:
Option D correctly combines A, C and D, all of which refer to central factors shaping classroom teaching. It excludes B and E, which incorrectly minimise subject mastery and socio-cultural context. Therefore A, C and D only is the correct answer.

Option E includes B, which wrongly claims that subject mastery is irrelevant. Although it contains A, C and D, the inclusion of B makes the collection partly wrong. Thus A, B, C and D only cannot be considered correct.