The influence of school inspection on teaching: a case of a public secondary school in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Date of Award

2011

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Master of Education (MEd)

First Supervisor/Advisor

Dr. Nicholas Wachira

Second Supervisor/Advisor

Dr. Lilian Vikiru

Department

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

Abstract

This is a qualitative study about the influence of school inspection on teaching. It explored teachers’ views about school inspection, the strategies used by the inspectors to improve teaching, and both facilitating and hindering factors in implementing school inspection recommendations. Through a qualitative case study approach, finding were gathered through in depth interviews with two secondary school inspectors, three teachers, one head teacher and seven heads of subjects’ department. Other information was gathered from documents analysis and classroom observation. It was therefore evident that, to some teachers knowledge the effects school inspection has on their teaching when it is carried out effectively. However, some teachers seem to dislike inspection. Moreover, different strategies used by school inspectors to improve teaching are highlighted to show the way school inspection has influenced teaching at Bondeni secondary school. However there was evidence of factors that enabled teachers to implement the inspection recommendations while other factors related to inspectors, teachers, students and school seem to have hindered teachers from effective implementation of inspection recommendations. This indicated that, once the school inspection is conducted effectively, there is a great possibility for it to improve the quality of teaching as it was noticed in the implementation of some recommendations.

From this study therefore, it is recommended for teachers to perceive school inspection positively, for the head teachers to put more emphasis on the school internal inspection and working closely with potential stakeholders, for the school inspectors to value the purpose of school inspection while the higher authorities it is was evident that inspectors lack the authority to take action on the recommendations of their own reports. In that way school inspection will add more value to the teaching as opposed to the current situation which leads to teachers’ will add more value to the teaching as opposed to the current situation which leads to teachers’ negative attitudes

This document is available in the relevant AKU library

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