The impact of whole school improvement program (WSIP): A case study
Date of Award
8-1-2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Master of Education (M. Ed.)
Department
Institute for Educational Development, Karachi
Abstract
Change is a complex and systematic process, which needs dedication and professional commitment. It is not only about adoption of totally new things but also about doing something for improving the existing practices. Change is not something which occurs very quickly or over night but it is a process, which takes time and attention (Fullan; 1993). The stakeholders must have ownership and empowerment for the continuation and sustainability of the change effort. In the process of change each member must have shared goals, beliefs, interests, and emotions. Clear communication is vital for sharing information between reform initiators and other stakeholders of the reform. Especially ongoing communication is essential for sharing the ownership of change. My research study was based on studying the impact of the whole school improvement program (WSIP) in the Northern Areas. The Professional Development Center, Northern Areas, (PDCN) initiated WSIP in 1999 in the Gilgit region. WSIP is an approach, which considers school as a center of training and deals with different aspects of the school in order to bring about change in the practices of the project schools, and to enhance the students' learning outcomes. This study was about the change that occurred in one of the project schools as a result of participating in the WSIP. It was a single case study of a school. I investigated the change that occurred in the different aspects of the project school. According to my research question I selected a school, where the WSIP had been implemented in 2000 and after follow up support the school had been left on its own it was a model school of WSIP. During this study I interacted with different stakeholders who participated in the WSIP. These were the teachers, the PDTs, the head teacher, the village education committee, the students, and the field education officer. This study revealed some of the significant changes in the school context as a result of participating in the WSIP such as, improvement in the leadership and management, teaching and learning practices of the project school, and enhancement in the students' learning outcomes. I observed a collegial environment in the sample school, where all the stakeholders worked together for the development of the school. Along with the positive changes, some issues also emerged, for example head teacher and the teachers were overloaded with academic and management work, there were time constraint due to work load, and also the school had few teachers and many classes, and so on.
Recommended Citation
Ara, J. (2003). The impact of whole school improvement program (WSIP): A case study (Unpublished master's dissertation). Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.