This can create a safer and healthier learning environment.

Teachers play an important role in shaping students' academic, social, and personal development. However, abusive teaching behaviors can negatively affect students and create an unhealthy educational environment. Abusive teaching behavior refers to inappropriate actions, words, or attitudes by teachers that cause emotional, psychological, or academic harm to students. Such behaviors may occur in different forms, including gender-based humiliation, psychological abuse, verbal abuse, and threatening behavior. These behaviors can make students feel unsafe, disrespected, and unsupported in academic institutions. Therefore, it is important to understand these behaviors and their consequences in order to promote a respectful, supportive, and healthy learning environment for all students. One of the forms of abusive teaching behavior is gender-based humiliation. It occurs when teachers humiliate, insult, or treat students unfairly because of their gender. Teachers may sometimes make inappropriate comments about the abilities, appearance, behavior, or personality of male and female students. For example, girls may be considered less capable in certain subjects, while boys may be criticized for expressing emotions or showing weakness. Such gender-based attitudes can make students feel inferior and uncomfortable in the classroom. When students repeatedly experience this type of humiliation, they may lose confidence and become reluctant to participate in academic activities. Teachers should therefore treat all students equally, respectfully, and fairly. Verbal abuse is another harmful form of abusive teaching behavior in academic institutions. It involves the use of insulting, disrespectful, humiliating, or offensive language toward students. Teachers may verbally abuse students by shouting at them, calling them insulting and inappropriate names, using sarcasm, making hurtful comments, or criticizing them in front of their classmates. Such behavior can cause embarrassment, fear, and emotional distress. Students who regularly experience verbal abuse may become silent and hesitant to participate in classroom discussions. They may also lose trust in their teachers and feel uncomfortable in the learning environment. Teachers should communicate with students respectfully and use constructive criticism rather than offensive language to correct their mistakes. Another significant form of abusive teaching behavior is psychological abuse. It involves behaviors that negatively affect students' emotional and psychological well-being. Teachers may psychologically abuse students through constant criticism, humiliation, excessive comparison, intimidation, ignoring their efforts, or making them feel incapable and worthless. Such behavior can create fear, stress, and emotional insecurity among students. When students continuously feel that their teacher does not value or respect them, they may lose motivation and develop negative feelings about themselves and their academic abilities. Psychological abuse can also make students afraid of making mistakes or expressing their opinions. Teachers should provide constructive feedback, encouragement, and emotional support instead of using behaviors that cause psychological harm. Threatening behavior is another harmful form of abusive teaching behavior. It involves using fear, intimidation, or threats to control students or maintain discipline. Teachers may threaten students with punishment, poor grades, expulsion, public humiliation, or other negative consequences. Such behavior can create an atmosphere of fear and insecurity in the classroom. Students who experience threatening behavior may become anxious and hesitate to ask questions, express their opinions, or participate in academic activities. Continuous threats may also negatively affect their emotional well-being and relationship with teachers. Instead of using fear and intimidation, teachers should maintain discipline through clear rules, respectful communication, constructive guidance, and positive reinforcement. This can create a safer and healthier learning environment. Research conducted among school-going adolescents in three major cities of Pakistan also highlights the seriousness of abusive experiences. A cross-sectional study of 414 students from six schools in Karachi, Lahore, and Quetta found that 57% of students had experienced verbal abuse, while 33.7% had experienced physical abuse during the previous 12 months. The study also found that verbal abuse, physical fights, and bullying were significantly associated with poor school performance, while physical abuse, verbal abuse, injury, and bullying were significantly associated with psychological stress. These findings highlight the negative impact of abusive experiences on students' academic performance and psychological well-being (Khawaja, Khoja, & Motwani, 2015). In conclusion, abusive teaching behaviors are a serious concern in academic institutions and should not be ignored. Gender-based humiliation, psychological abuse, verbal abuse, and threatening behavior can negatively influence students' emotional and mental health, self-esteem, confidence, and academic performance. Teachers have a significant responsibility to create classrooms where students feel respected, valued, and safe. Educational institutions should also promote professional behavior among teachers and encourage respectful communication with students. Teachers should use empathy, fairness, constructive feedback, and positive discipline instead of humiliation, insults, or threats. By reducing abusive teaching behaviors, academic institutions can provide a healthier learning environment that supports students' well-being, personal development, and academic success. LAYIBA TAHIR KARACHI