Personalized Learning Practices and Career Readiness Competency Formation among School Students: The Mediating Role of Teacher Competency and the Moderating Role of School Type

Abstract

This research work discusses the impact of teacher competency (TC) on career readiness competencies (CRC) of higher secondary students and whether personalized learning (PL) is a mediator in this association while school type moderates it. Based on a cross-sectional survey of 500 students from government, government-aided and private schools in Tamil Nadu India the data were analyzed using PLS-SEM and multi-group analysis. The findings reveal that TC strongly and positively impacts PL and that PL Much contributes to CRC. The partial mediation of PL in the TC-CRC relationship indicates that competent teachers not only directly prepare students for their careers but also deliver career readiness indirectly by personalizing learning experiences. School type moderates the PL-CRC relationship: the strongest effect is in private schools, less in government schools and no effect in government-aided schools. These results underscore the value of upgrading teacher skills and PL interventions in making students more CRC. This research is among the preliminary school-level empirical validations of a moderated-mediation model linking TC, PL and CRC in a developing country context.