THE INFLUENCE OF SCHOOL INSPECTION IN CHANGING TEACHERS’ PRACTICES IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS, A CASE STUDY OF IKOTUN LGA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

1.2     STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

1.3     OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY     

1.4     RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.5     RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

1.6     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

1.7     SCOPE OF THE STUDY

1.8     LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

1.9     DEFINITION OF TERMS     

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1     WHAT IS SCHOOL INSPECTION?

2.2     THE ROLE OF SCHOOL INSPECTION IN IMPROVING TEACHING AND LEARNING

2.3     THE CHALLENGES OF CONDUCTING INSPECTION OF SCHOOLS2.4     CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR SCHOOL INSPECTION

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1     INTRODUCTION

3.2     RESEARCH DESIGN

3.3     STUDY POPULATION

3.4     SAMPLE AND SAMPLING TECHNIQUE

3.5     DATA FOR THE STUDY: INSTRUMENTATION

3.5.1  INSTRUMENTATION

3.5.2  VALIDITY OF INSTRUMENT

3.6     METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0              DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

4.1     INTRODUCTION

4.2     DATA ANALYSIS (QUESTIONNAIRE)

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1     SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

5.2     CONCLUSION

5.3     RECOMMENDATION

REFERENCES

QUESTIONNAIRE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY        

School inspection as a form of accountability started being practiced way back in the 18th century (Neave, 1987). In this case, school inspection is a practices that supports the government and the stakeholders on understanding aspects in which the goals of education are attained and aspects that need to be improved in any education institution. In Tanzania school inspectorate department is charged with the responsibility to evaluate school performance in agreed criteria of assessment and report to the education stakeholders.

In any development process, education plays an important role in people’s lives as it enlightens man to be able to understand his surroundings and solve problems facing him. In Tanzania there are different levels of education, which includes primary, secondary, and university education which all aim at providing knowledge and relevant skills. In fact, education is very important in all aspects of human existence in general and survival in particular (Education and Training Policy MOEC, 1995). It is a process that empowers people to manage their lives and to contribute effectively to all aspects of socio-economic development.

High quality and relevant education prepares young people to participate meaningfully in their own development in their immediate communities, country and the world at large. Therefore, governments all over the world strive to educate the citizen and to a developing country like Tanzania, it is the tool to alleviate poverty as it is stipulated in the Development Vision of 2025 (Education and Training Policy MOEC, 2005).

School inspection is widely considered as an essential instrument for quality education that will aid the nation to compete in ever- changing world economy. It is the form of evaluation, which involves the measurement, testing and evaluation of educational activities in school systems for the purpose of improving the standards and quality of education programs offered (Ololube, 2014). Like in many countries, in Uganda education is considered to be a key of life as well as a gateway for social and economic development. School inspection is derived from the autocratic management style with the purpose of assessing the work performance of teachers and attitude towards their work (Okumbe, 1999). In many countries including Uganda supervision of education is carried out by the inspectorate department. For example in Uganda, inspection is carried out by the department of Education Standards Agency (ESA). School inspection capacity is the most vital component for teachers’ productivities and teacher education as well as performance. The key purpose of school inspection is to inform the government about the standards and quality of education provided to the children.

Due to the world demand to monitor and supervise the quality of education delivered to the citizens and raise general standards in education, inspection has been embraced as a method that helps to improve quality and shape teachers’ professionalism since they are key implementers of education in the classrooms. (Vanhoof & Van Petegem, 2007; Wilcox, 2000; Lingard & Varjo 2009). Governments need to be answerable for the appropriateness of the educational aims they seek to promote (Davis &White 2001).

In many African countries establishment of school inspection services accompanied the introduction of formal public education (Grauwe, 2007). Many of the developing countries expanded the inspection services after independence. Also, the increased number of schools accompanied with a relatively slower growth in number of supervisor/inspection officers (Grauwe, 2007).

Essentially, there are three main premises that are put forward in both developed and developing counties regarding establishment of school inspections as external evaluation in education. First, it is argued that school inspection is the central frame through which the government can monitor and ensure the quality1 of education provided in the society. Second, it is also argued that there is no way that the governments can ensure the implementation of national goals and objectives in absence of external evaluation as the counter balance of teachers‟ accountability in teaching and learning. Third, it is further argued that for countries to prepare a competitive workforce to meet the challenges emerging due to globalisation processes, school inspection as external control in education is indispensable and inevitable (Wilcox, 2000; Hoyle & Wallace, 2005; Neave, 1987; Davis & White, 2001; Chapman, 2001b; Mathew & Smith, 1995; Learmonth, 2000). Clearly, therefore, inspections are seen as playing essential roles in monitoring quality in teaching and learning.

1.2     STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The Education Ministry assumed that perhaps school inspection was not achieving its goal of supporting and helping schools improve in the educational quality. The government realized that Head teachers were not involved in the preparations of the inspection process; school inspection seemed to have lacked relevant feedback mechanism. Sambirige (2009) found school inspection not only to be threatening and stressful to the teachers but also judgmental in nature. He (Sambirige 2009) in his study added that the District inspectors did not have a constructive feedback mechanism to improve teacher practice in classrooms. This therefore led to a distorted image towards the effectiveness of school inspection and its outcomes especially in contributing to quality development as a school improvement strategy.

External evaluation in education through school inspection by national governments in the world is not new in the education system. It is stated that the first school inspection or school supervision originated from France under Napoleon’s regime at the end of 18th century (Grauwe, 2007).

Academic excellence has been on the decline, this appears to be more pronounced in the primary schools. Poor academic performance has constituted a big problem not only for schools but the dynamic Nigeria society.

1.3     OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY  

The general objective of this study is to examine the influence of school inspection in changing teachers’ practices in Primary schools, a case study of Ikotun LGA. The specific objectives for the study include the following:

1.     To find out the frequency of school inspection in in Primary schools in Ikotun LGA.

2.     To ascertain the impact of school inspection on the attitude of teachers towards teaching in Primary schools in Ikotun LGA.

3.     To investigate the influence of school inspection teachers’ job motivation in Primary schools in Ikotun LGA.

4.     To explore the views of teachers on the contribution of school inspections in improving teaching and learning process in primary schools in Ikotun LGA.

5.     To determine how best school inspections should be carried out as to have a positive effect on teaching and learning.

1.4     RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The relevant research questions related to this study include the following:

1.     What is the frequency of school inspection in in Primary schools in Ikotun LGA?

2.     What is the impact of school inspection on the attitude of teachers towards teaching in Primary schools in Ikotun LGA?

3.     What is the influence of school inspection teachers’ job motivation in Primary schools in Ikotun LGA?

4.     What are the views of teachers on the contribution of school inspections in improving teaching and learning process in primary schools in Ikotun LGA?

5.     How best should school inspections be carried out as to have a positive effect on teaching and learning?

1.5     RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

H1 – There is an impact of school inspection on the attitude of teachers towards teaching in Primary schools in Ikotun LGA.

H0 - There is no impact of school inspection on the attitude of teachers towards teaching in Primary schools in Ikotun LGA.

1.6     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY