Secondary school inspection practices in Western Uganda: Implications on pedagogy

Abstract

School inspection is one of the leading factors in attaining better pedagogy in formal school systems in Africa. In this thesis, the researcher has attempted to answer the question “How and to what extent does school inspection practices influence pedagogy? Specifically, the study sought to assess the inspection practices in secondary schools in Western Uganda, and examine how school inspection practices influences lesson planning and instruction. Towards achieving the objectives, a concurrent triangulation design, including questionnaire survey and interview, with a total of 399 participants in the categories of teachers, deputy headteachers, head teachers, school inspectors from 36 secondary schools in four districts of Western Uganda, was used. Quantitative data to test the resultant hypotheses were analysed using Chi-Square Goodness of Fit Test and Linear Regression Analysis while qualitative data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The study revealed three major findings. First, inspection practices in secondary schools were perceived as ineffective. Second, inspection practices did not significantly influence lesson planning. Third, inspection practices had a moderate positive influence on instruction, albeit with some unintended negative effects. The study concluded that despite the value attached to school inspection in the theoretical, political, and institutional and policy debates, inspection in practice has only contributed minimally to improving pedagogical practices in secondary schools. Inspectors continue to think and act according to the traditional notions of school inspection as evidenced by school inspection practices hinged on control. Insufficient resources can partly explain this. The study recommends that training of inspectors in modern inspection approaches should be undertaken. Also, focus the limited inspection resources only on schools that are failing to make substantial improvement as involvement of stakeholders in the inspection process is stepped up. The following research issues could also be explored: effect of duration of inspection on pedagogy, study into the current lesson planning practices, and a longitudinal study to compare the impact of inspection on pedagogy in high performing schools and low performing schools. The study also proposes a theoretical model for effective school inspection that requires further research and measurement to determine its validity so that lessons can be learnt that can assist inspectors in the future.