SCHOOL BASED FACTORS AND TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS IN SELECTED GOVERNMENT AIDED SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ARUA DISTRICT, UGANDA

A Dissertation

Presented to the School of

Postgraduate Studies and Research

Kampala International University

Kampala, Uganda

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree

Master of Education in Educational Management

By:

Akuma Atiku Sanctus

September, 2011 DECLARATION A This dissertation is my original work and has not been presented for a degree or any other academic award in any university or institution of learning

Akuma Atiku Sanctus CANDIDATE

Date DECLARATION B I confirm that the work reported in this dissertation was carried out by the candidate under my supervision

/ ------—-- 44,,

Fauz Mulumba Fauz Supervisor

.&~22~ Date APPROVAL SHEET This Thesis entitled “School based Factors and Teacher Effectiveness in selected Government Aided secondary schools in Arua District, Uganda” in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Master of Education in Educational Management and Administration has been examined and approved by the panel of oral examination with a grade of PASSED.

Name and Signature of Chairman

- 414 ~ Name and signature of sup- isor Name and signature of panelist

Name and Sign. ure of panelist Name and Signature of panelist

Date of Compressive examination:

Grade

Name and Signature of Director, SPGSR

Name and Signature of DVC, SPGSR ABSTRACT Most Education professional agree that one of the most important factors for the promotion of learning in a school situation is the teacher who does his work in the school by interacting with students, colleagues, the school administrators and parents. The teacher also uses school facilities in the execution of their duties in order to be effective in their duties.

The major problem this research has attempted to address is whether a relationship exists between school based factors and the effectiveness of the teacher. A teacher who is effective improves on the academic achievement of the students. It would be of paramount importance to have very effective teachers in schools.

The research was basically a Descriptive Correlational study of the relationship between school based factors and the effectiveness of teachers in some selected Government Aided secondary schools in Arua District.

The investigation has used both qualitative and quantitative approach. The qualitative approach has been used to describe the researcher’s observations during the survey.

The major finding in this study is that there seems to be a high level of correlation between the reviewed school based factors and the effectiveness of the teacher. The major school based factors that have been looked at are limited to school level organisation and leadership (school administration), availability and utilisation of resources, student discipline and student attitude towards studies.

Teachers seem to be more effective in an environment where school facilities are adequate, students are disciplined and have interest in learning and where the school administration is supportive of the needs of the teachers.

Therefore, it is incumbent upon all the stakeholders of schools to ensure that these factors are in place for our academic achievement among the students can begin to improve.

iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere thanks to the KIU staff for having guided and mentored me during these two years of studies. My special thanks to Hajji Fauz Mulumba, who supervised in this research and Madame Sarah Kyolaba who was more than a mother in the process. You are a great force in our attempts to “Explore The Heights.” My thanks to Dr.Willy Ngaka of Makerere University, Kampala. I am unable to value his guidance at those moments when I was in need. May God bless you so that you can help more people in need. My special thanks to Sr. Susan Clare Ndeezo, the Head Teacher of Sacred Heart Girls secondary school in Gulu. She was the first person who encouraged me to go for this course. She has been and will continue to be a mother to me. After her I also got a lot of support from her successor Sr. Grace Aciro Otto, the current head teacher of St. Mary’s Ediofe Girls’ Secondary School. One other person not to forget is Rev. Fr. Mathias Miria the Vicar General of Lodonga Vicariate who gave me a lot of encouragement to start the course. In a special way, I would like to acknowledge the staff of Arua Diocese Guest House, Muyenga Fr. Richard Eneku and other staff like Juliet and Grace for having given me accommodation and comfort during the struggle. May God reward you abundantly. My gratitude to all the staff of St. Joseph’s College Ombaci who had to tolerate a lot due the demands this course in general, and this research in particular. You are destined for greater things in future. I would like to, in a special way thank Mr. Andrew Tumwesige who did everything he could to cover me up when I was for this struggle. My special regards to Mr. Joseph Aluma the school Librarian, who was all the time on standby for helping me in data collection. I would also like to thank some colleagues who helped me in data collection from the various schools. Finally, I would like to thank all those who gave me support morally or otherwise for the accomplishment of this task.

V DEDICATION

I would like to dedicate this book to my beloved wife Julie Etoru and my children Robert Wadri, Peace Ajidiru and Pauline Awaniaru who had to tolerate my absence from home for many days as I moved up and down in the course of my studies and research.

vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration A Declaration B

Approval Sheet Ii Abstract iv Acknowledgements v Dedication Table of contents vii

Chapter Page

c~ ne THE PROBLEM AND irs SCOPE0 0000 no a no a no a Ca a no non oat, a a an a ann anal

Background of the Study 1

Statement of the Problem 3

Purpose of the Study 4

Research Objectives 4

Research Questions 5

Hypothesis 5

Scope 5

Significance of the Study 6

Operational Definitions of Key Terms 7

Two REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 8

Concepts, Opinions, Ideas from Authors/Experts 8

VII Theoretical Perspectives ~g

Related Studies 10

Three METHODOLOGY 15

Research Design 15

Research Population 15

Sample Size 15

Sampling Procedure 18 Research Instrument 18

Validity and Reliability of the Instrument 18

Data Gathering Procedures 19

Data Analysis 19

Ethical Considerations 19

Limitations of the Study 20

Four FIr~DI~JGs.,,., a...aa.

Respondent Profiles 21

School based Factors 23

Teacher Effectiveness 26

Relationship between school based factors and Teacher Effectiveness 28

Five DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Respondent Profiles 30

School based Factors 32

VI I I Teacher Effectiveness ~

Relationship between school based factors and Teacher Effectiveness 38

Conclusion 39

Recommendations 41

References 43

Appendices

Appendix I - Transmittal Letter

Appendix II - Clearance from Ethics Committee

Appendix III - Informed Consent

Appendix IV - Research Instrument

Appendix V - Proposed Data Presentation Through Tables /Graphs

Appendix VI - Time Frame

Researcher’s Curriculum Vitae

ix CHAPTER ONE

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

Background of the study

Globally, the evaluation of learning achievement of students in schools is measured using grades obtained in examinations. These grades have a purpose (Allen) derived from the fundamental educational psychology assessment principle of validity— the validity of what learning is being assessed and the validity of the communication of that assessment to others. However, academic achievement measured this way has shown some decline in certain parts of the world. FactSheet (2008) published an article in which the following statement was made. “Today, the United States’ high school graduation rate ranks near the bottom among developed nations belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). And on virtually every international assessment of academic proficiency, American secondary school students’ performance varies from mediocre to poor”. The problem of low academic achievement is not only in USA but also in Africa. Estey (2005) says that the poor academic performance of pupils in the Shama sub- metro of the Shaman Ahanta Metropolis has been a concern for the metropolitan assembly over the past few years. The schools have shown poor performances in all public examinations. In Uganda, the National examinations results always show a trend where only schools that are situated in the Districts of Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono and other surrounding Districts.

This is clear from The Newvision News paper of Friday, gUi Feb,2007 where it was stated, “Details of results from schools show Uganda Martyrs Namugongo in Wakiso with all 181 candidates in Division One, Gayaza High School in Wakiso with 168 in Division One and 10 in Division Two, Nabisunsa Girls in Mukono 193 in Division One, 16 in Division Two and three in Division Three.” 1 This picture shows clearly that Arua District is not anywhere in this competition. In the recent past certain schools in Arua District, have had quite good performance. However, this trend has changed negatively as of now. Many of the schools that used to perform well have dropped very drastically. Though there are many other factors like the socioeconomic status of parents, the school environment, student discipline and many others that have an impact on student academic achievement, probably the teacher factor plays the biggest role in academic achievement in the classroom. Wright et al (1997) say, “The immediate and clear implication of this finding is that seemingly more can be done to improve education by improving the effectiveness of teachers than by any other single factor”. Poor performance in secondary schools in Arua District is a challenge to the communities around and all the stakeholders of education: students, their parents and educationists. However, though school administrators have tried their best to ensure that teaching is done, the results of late have continued to spiral downwards. This tends to suggest that teachers seem to have become less effective over the years. Effective teachers are able to improve classroom learning which can lead to good performance in the summative examinations and at the end of 0’ level and A’ level. This is because an effective teacher enhances learning in the classroom because of the fact of having a positive attitude to teaching, develops a pleasant social / psychological climate in the classroom, has very high expectations of what learners can achieve, their lessons are very clear, they are very effective in time management, they use a variety of teaching methods and they incorporate the ideas of their learners into their teaching. Effective teachers make learning interesting to the learner and this leads to good performance in all classes. Also, schools have differences in terms of school level organisation, resource provision and utilization ~and, student discipline. Therefore, there is need to find out the relationship between the school/classroom based factors and teacher effectiveness in the schools of Arua District.

2 In theory, the school/classroom based factors that can affect the performance of teachers can be student related factors like discipline, internal motivation, and determination to do well. Others may be availability and utilization of resources, school administration and curriculum or policies.

Statement of the proMem

Grayson (2009) argues that school based factors that influence learner achievements include Such factors like leadership advocacy and support for the academic success of all students, curriculum quality and accessibility, partnership with parents and community, demographics and history of achievement, a culture of high expectations for teachers and students, and quality of teaching personnel as defined by the qualification and experience.

Wright et al (1997) conducted a research on factors that tend to influence academic achievement among and identified a number of them but concluded that, “The immediate and clear implication of this finding is that seemingly more can be done to improve education by improving the effectiveness of teachers than by any other single factor”.

From the above findings, it is clear that one of the most important factor is the teacher who does his work in the school by interacting with students, colleagues, the school administrators and parents. The teacher also uses school facilities in the execution of their duties in order to be effective in their duties.

Goe et al (2008) believe that a teacher who is effective in the classroom has characteristics and attributes like having a positive attitude to teaching, the development of a pleasant social / psychological climate in the classroom, having high expectations of what learners can achieve, having very clear lessons, being effective at time management, using a variety of teaching methods and incorporating pupil ideas; among others.

3 However, what now exists as a problem and needs to be investigated is that the teacher’s effectiveness may be affected by the other school based factors like the student discipline, the school administration styles, provision and utilisation of facilities/resources, among others.

Purpose of Study There are schools in the area of coverage of this study that used to do well in examinations but they have experienced a very big drop in performance over the years. These schools have not changed so much in terms of structures and population; instead they have acquired more structures, equipment and technology. There are also schools in the area that have had consistently poor performance. Though there has been a drop in performance, the trend is still that many of the schools that used to perform well have continued to be in their positions. The purpose of this study was to establish the relationship between school/classroom based factors at secondary school level and the effectiveness of teachers. It has investigated the relationship between school/classroom based factors like resource availability and utilization, student discipline and the school level organisation and how they affect the effectiveness of teachers in the execution of their duties. This study was able to establish a possible relationship between school based factors and the effectiveness of teachers in the schools and some practicable suggestions for improvement of the situation have been made. Research Objectives 1. To determine the profile of respondents in respect to age, gender, qualification and years of experience in Arua District. 2. To examine school based factors that affect teacher effectiveness with reference to school facilities, student discipline and school administration in Arua District. 3. To examine the level of teacher effectiveness in terms of altitude to teaching, classroom management, learner motivation, content coverage and competency in selected schools in Arua District. 4 4. To determine the relationship between school based factors and teacher effectiveness in selected secondary schools in Arua District. Research Questions

The major question in this survey was: What is the relationship between school/classroom level factors and the effectiveness of teachers in selected schools in Arua District? This question was broken down into the following questions:

1. What is the profile of respondents in respect of age, gender, qualification and years of experience? 2. What are the school based factors that affect teacher effectiveness with reference to resources, discipline and school level organisation? 3. What is the level of teacher effectiveness in terms of attitude to teaching, classroom management, learner motivation, content coverage and competency in selected schools in Arua District? 4. Is there a significant relationship between school based factors and teacher effectiveness in selected secondary schools in Arua District? Research Hypothesis There is no significant relationship between school based factors and teacher effectiveness. Scope of the study

Geographica~ Scope

Geographically, this study was conducted in some selected Government Aided Secondary Schools in Arua District. Arua District is found in the West Nile Region. It is bordered to the South by Zombo and Nebbi Districts; to the East by River Nile; to the North by Maracha District and to the West by the Democratic Republic of Congo.

5 Theoreticall Scope

Theoretically, the study was limited to an attempt to establish the relationship between school/classroom based factors and teacher effectiveness. This is because the region is experiencing high rate of poor academic performance based on the Uganda National Examinations Board UCE results. Poor academic performance could mean that there is a possibility that the teachers in the region may not be effective in their duties in the classroom. It focused on a few selected secondary schools in the District. It also took into account the issue of gender by considering both single sex and mixed schools for the study.

Content Scope

The study covered data from the schools, the views of teachers and school administrators. This is because the issues covered seem to have a major bearing on the categories mentioned above.

There was one major dependent variable considered in the study and this is the effectiveness of teachers in the secondary schools. The independent variables that were considered are majorly school/classroom based factors like the availability and utilization of resources, student discipline and the leadership styles applied in the schools.

Significance of the study

This study is of great significance to all the major stakeholders of the education system and the community at large. The findings are of great importance to teachers and school administrators to improve on their performance in order to have better performance of their students.

6 The results are also of great value to the students and their parents. Other major beneficiaries of the findings of this study include the policy makers at the Ministry of education and sports who are interested in ensuring the provision of quality education to all the citizens of this Country.

Operational Definition of terms Effective Teacher means a secondary school teacher who has a positive attitude to teaching, who ensures the development of a pleasant social / psychological climate in the classroom, who has high expectations of what learners can achieve, has very clear lessons, is effective at time management, uses a variety of teaching methods and incorporating pupil ideas. School/classroom based factors mean student discipline, resource availability and utilization, and the school level organisation. Student discipline refers to the training given to students to produce a specific character or pattern of behaviour, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement. It leads to orderly behaviour and its absence leads to disorderly behaviour in a school. Resource availability and utilization here refers to adequate provision and usage of all the curriculum materials needed for effective teaching. This includes library books, laboratory equipment and chemicals, teacher’s preparation books, teaching/learning aids, among others. School level organisation refers to how the head teacher structures the administration and involves the teachers as well as other stakeholders in planning school activities, decision making and teacher involvement in major school activities. Summary This chapter has attempted to discuss the main issues in the background of the study. It has stated the research problem, the study objectives and research questions. It has also attempt to discuss the scope, significance and given the operational definitions of the major terms to be used in the study in the specific context of the survey. 7 CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Concepts, Opinions, Ideas from Authors/Experts

Hunt (2009) uses the term teacher effectiveness to broadly mean “the collection of characteristics, competencies, and behaviors of teachers at all educational levels that enable students to reach desired outcomes, which may include the attainment of specific learning objectives as well as broader goals such as being able to solve problems, think critically, work collaboratively, and become effective citizens”. Anderson (2004) defines an effective teacher as those who achieve the goals which they have set for themselves or which have been set for them by others. He further argues that they must possess the knowledge and skills needed to attain the goals and must be able to use the knowledge and skills appropriately if these goals must be achieved. In this study, school based factors broadly refers to the school administration, student discipline and school facilities/resources. The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979) defines school administration as “the branch of pedagogy that studies the means and methods of administering schools, reveals the distinctive features in the system of school management, and analyzes the specific problems involved in organizing such a system”.

The Glossary of Education defines School Administration as Planning, organizing, directing, and controlling human or material resources within a school, college, or university.

Wikipeadia defines school discipline as the system of rules, punishments and behavioral strategies appropriate to the regulation of children and the maintenance of order in schools. Its aim is to control the students actions and behavior.

8 Lunselli et al (2005) argue that students in schools at times exhibit discipline problems such as disruptive classroom behaviour, vandalism, bullying and violence which can result into poor academic achievement. Washington State Legislator defines the term “school facilities” as school plant facilities, school plant projects, school buildings, common school facilities and the grounds.

The Center for Innovative School Facilities says ~a High-Performance School Facility is a facility that creates a healthy environment that is conducive to learning while supporting the community and saving energy, resources, and money”. Theoretical Perspectives. There are two major theoretical views on teacher effectiveness according to Warren (2011). The first, known as the Performance Management Theory of Action which lays emphasis on the importance of teachers’ educational background and performance characteristics. This theory considers the social, racial, cultural, cognitive, and characteristics of students, practitioners, and communities as less important for understanding the variations in teacher effectiveness. In other words, a teacher who has a sound educational background is expected to be effective and will make students to achieve well regardless of other factors.

The second theory, known as the Capacity Building Theory of Action lays emphasis on the importance of instructional capacity building and the use of practice- centered criteria grounded in research on teaching and learning to define the characteristics of effective teaching.

It postulates that pedagogical content knowledge; classroom management skills; understanding of students’ social, cultural, and economic backgrounds; understanding of cognitive and human development; ability to collaborate with peers and collaboration with parents and the broader community are the most important components of effective teaching.

9 However, this study was based on the assumption that a teacher’s educational background and pedagogical content knowledge can combine with the school based factors like resource provision and utilisation; student discipline and the general school organisation to give teacher effectiveness.

Goe et al (2008)argue that effective teachers need to have high expectations of all their learners and they contribute to positive academic, attitudinal and social outcomes like regular class attendance, cooperative behaviour and self efficacy. Moritmore (1993) says one of the school based factors that could lead to effective teaching and learning are strong positive leadership. Research has also revealed that effective teachers use diverse resources to plan and structure engaging learning opportunities (Goe et al ).They monitor student progress formatively, adapt their teaching as needed and evaluate student learning using multiple sources of evidence. From Wagaman (2010) the effectiveness of a teacher rests upon their ability to maintain classroom discipline during lessons. One of the school organisational factors that may lead to teacher effectiveness is strong educational leadership. All these arguments seem to show a relationship between teacher effectiveness and school based factors like resources, leadership styles and practices, student discipline and classroom level interactions. Related Studies According to Goe et al (2008) effective teachers need to have high expectations of all their learners and help them to learn effectively. They contribute to positive academic, attitudinal and social outcomes like regular class attendance, cooperative behaviour and self efficacy. Scheerens and Bosker (1997) argue that as far as instructional conditions are concerned, we may have opportunity to learn, time on task/homework, monitoring at classroom level, aspects of structured teaching (co-operative learning, feedback and reinforcement) and differentiation/adaptive instruction.

10 Though these arguments are meant for research on school effectiveness, they are equally plausible for a research on the effectiveness of teachers because a school is as effective as its teachers. They contribute to the development of classrooms and schools that value diversity and civic mindedness.

They cooperate with other teachers, administrators, parents and other education professionals to ensure student success and in particular, students of special needs and those at high risk of failure. One can easily see here that an effective teacher is responsible for creating the best possible environment for the learning and the subsequent good performance of students in a school environment. The effective teacher creates a good environment both in the classroom and in all other school activities outside the classroom.

Sandy argues that “the effective teacher must be a leader who can inspire and influence students through expert and referent power but never coercive power. This teacher empowers students and gets them to do things of which they did not think they were capable. This teacher has students who surpass him”.

Effective teachers use diverse resources to plan and structure engaging learning opportunities (Goe et al ).They monitor student progress formatively, adapt their teaching as needed and evaluate student learning using multiple sources of evidence. Under resource input variables, we can look at pupil-teacher ratio, teacher training, teacher experience, teachers’ salaries and availability and utilization of instructional materials These arguments act as a pointer to what could be a relationship between a teacher’s effectiveness being impacted by the provision and usage of educational and other associated resources for curriculum implementation.

11 Wagaman (2010) argues that “the effectiveness of a new teacher is contingent upon the ability of that new teacher to maintain classroom discipline during lessons. These classroom management strategies must be implemented consistently in order to have any impact on student behavior and must include both rewards for good behavior and punishments for inappropriate behavior” This statement tends to point that the effectiveness of a teacher can be affected by the behaviour of students in the class. A teacher may not deliver very well to a class that has bad behaviour. From Moritmore (1993) school based factors that could lead to effective teaching and learning are strong positive leadership, high expectations: An appropriate challenge for students’ thinking, monitoring students’ progress, student responsibilities and their involvement in the life of the school, rewards and incentives for both teachers and students, parental involvement in the life of the school and the use of joint planning and consistent approaches towards students. Scheerens and Bosker (1997) identified three major factors they argue to be school effectiveness. These were then broken down into finer details as resource input variables, school organisational factors and instructional conditions.

School organisational factors may include productive climate culture, achievement pressure for basic subjects, strong educational leadership, monitoring/evaluation co-operation/consensus, parental involvement, staff development, high expectations and orderly climate. This shows that a teacher who is more involved in the day to day running of the school, has opportunities for staff development and is living in a productive climate created by the school administration is likely to be more effective than one that does not have the same climate.

12 Measurement of teacher effectiveness

Perhaps one problem in the study of the relationship between school based factors and teacher effectiveness is the method of measurement of teacher effectiveness. Tim Markley argues that “although there exists extensive literature about how to evaluate a teacher and what method is best, there has been very little published that relates directly to quantifying teacher effectiveness”. The most commonly used methods for measuring teacher effectiveness have been teacher observations that are later formalized into ratings and such ratings would then be categorized into (1) exceeds national standards, (2) meets National standards, (3) needs improvement, and (4) is unsatisfactory. Some researchers have used teacher observations together with what they have referred to as portfolios. These include students’ work, various teacher assessment records, lesson plans schemes of work and other evidences that show teacher preparedness and work evidence. The intention of the portfolio is to provide documentary evidence of the teachers’ competence and effectiveness in execution of duty. Many researchers including Sullivan (2001) who researched into evaluation methods concluded that almost all methods were subjective in nature and lacked any connection to student achievement. The only measure that could be both objective and related to student achievement is the use of test data to determine teacher effectiveness. According to Rorie N. Harris and Tequilla Banks (TEl Paper No 3) in developing a proper Teacher Effectiveness Measure, we should take into account Value-Added Data, Observations of Practice, Stakeholder Feedback, and Teacher Knowledge. Value-added data is a summary measure of the growth in student achievement.

13 SummarY

The literature review has looked at some related literature aimed at establishing a relationshiP between school/Classroom based factors and teacher effectiveness in secondarY schools. The review of related literature has been on the aspects of teacher effectiveness in relation to school/classroom based factors like resource availability and usage, students’ discipline and leadership styles in the schools. It has also discussed the various arguments about how teacher effectiveness can be measured.

14 CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

The research was basically a Descriptive Correlational study of the relationship between school based factors and the effectiveness of teachers in some selected Government Aided secondary schools in Arua District.

The investigation has used both qualitative and quantitative approach. The qualitative approach has been used to describe the researcher’s observations during the survey.

Research population

This investigation was aimed at gathering information from teachers in the selected Government Aided secondary schools in Arua District The total number of Government Aided secondary schools in the District is twenty six; having a combined number of teachers of just over 720.

This study was limited to Government Aided schools in order to avoid double or triple sampling of the same respondents. A preliminary survey indicated that many of the private schools use the same teachers from the nearby Government Aided schools. Most of the teachers in the private schools are not full time teachers but come from the Government Aided schools.

Sample size

Because the researcher had no clear idea of how the population was going to behave, the number of schools was chosen using Morgan and Krejcie table. On the other hand, the study has used the Slovin’s formula which has been quoted below to get sample size of teachers in the selected schools.

15 n = N / (1 + Ne2)

Where

N = Sample Size

N = Total Population e = Error tolerance (margin of error)

16 Table showing population and sample size by school

School Population sample Adumi Secondary School 26 09 Anyavu Secondary School 24 08 Aria Secondary School 24 08 Aripea Secondary School 29 10 Arivu Secondary School 20 07 Arua Public Secondary School 71 27 Arua Secondary School 44 16 Awara College Etori 16 05 Bondo Army Secondary School 26 09 Ediofe Girls Secondary School 42 15 Login Girls Secondary School 31 11 Micu Secondary School 21 07 Mordern Secondary School Ocoko 20 07 Mt. Wati Secondary School 16 06 Muni Girls Secondary School 45 16 MaraSecondarySchool 61 20 Qifaka Secondary School 16 06 Okollo Secondary School 24 05 Ombatini Secondary School 31 10 Oriajini Secondary School 24 08 Otumbari Secondary School 21 07 Rhino Camp Secondary School 16 06 Ullepi Secondary School 24 08 Vurra Secondary School 49 17 TOTAL 720 248

17 Sampling Procedure

In this study, the simple random sampling technique has been used for selecting the schools for study. However, at the school level while sampling the respondents (teachers) simple stratified random sampling was adopted because the teachers in these schools are both female and male.

Research Instruments

The instrument in the investigation was the use of questionnaires. However, there was also the use of discussions with key informant persons, especially the head teachers. The questionnaires were used to get information from the teachers in the sample population. The study also made use of documentary review/analysis.

Validity and Reliability

Different scholars have approached the concepts of validity and reliability from different perspectives, depending on the paradigms they are associated with. In this section, the two concepts have been discussed in order to show how the issues of reliability and validity have been addressed in this particular study. The study has established the Face Validity (how the instrument appears) by asking colleagues and other experienced persons as to whether the instruments seem to be reasonable ways to gain the information the study is attempting to obtain. They attempted to help in establishing whether it seemed well designed and could be used repeatedly. The study has attempted to ensure Content Validity (the extent to which the instrument reflects the specific intended domain of content) and has attempted to cover a representative sample of the behavior domain to be measured by careful selection of which items to include. In this particular case the profile of respondents, the school based factors and items for the measurement of teacher effectiveness.

18 The method of triangulation has been employed to ensure validity and reliability. Triangulation refers to the application and combination of several research methodologies in the study of the same phenomenon. It is a technique that helps in the validation of data through cross verification from more than two sources.

Data Gathering Techniques

The study has used available information like student performance records, examination results, available records of existing resources and facilities. Some of the available information was got from discussions with key informant persons.

The study has administered questionnaires to respondents selected from the participating schools as a major technique for gathering data.

Data Analysis

The data that has resulted from this study has been both qualitative and quantitative in nature. For the analysis of the quantitative data, statistical methods; both descriptive and inferential have been used depending on the need.

Since the interest was to establish a relationship between variables, a measure of association, the SPSS statistical analysis programme has been used.

For qualitative data, analysis was done immediately in the field during data collection so that no point was missed as time passed. Some of this data was analysed immediately after the discussion.

Ethical considerations

This study ensured that all information collected from respondents was kept confidential and used only for the purposes of the investigation and nothing beyond.

19 All respondents had to be treated with respect and it had to ensure that all respondents come to no harm; whether physical or psychological. No person in the target population who did not want to participate was ever forced to do so. Any participant was free to reserve their comment at will because the survey was intended to be purely voluntary.

Every data generated from the study has been treated with a high level of accuracy and professionalism. There was no falsification of data whatsoever and every author cited has been acknowledged. No author’s work has been directly copied in the study.

Limitations

The study has been limited to the sample schools and may not reflect the exact situation in all the schools in the District because of the diversity of the settings in all schools. The school factors under the survey are not complete. Only a sample of what are considered to be major factors has been studied but this does not rule out other factors which may not necessarily be within the school setting.

Summary

In this chapter, there has been a discussion of the main issues in research methodology that have been used for this survey. The chapter has mentioned what research designs have been used; it defined the target and sample populations and discussed the main sampling strategies that have been used during the survey.

The data collection methods and tools have also been mentioned as well as issues of validity and reliability have been reviewed. The methods of data analysis that have been used, ethical considerations and finally the limitations of the survey have been discussed in the various sections.

20 SchooU based factors that affect teacher effectiveness

Tab~e 2: Reponses on the school based factors that affect teacher effectiveness with reference to school facilities, student discipline and school administration in Arua District. Responses were ~scaled ranging from 1-4; where 4=strongly agree, 3=Agree, 2=Disagree and 1=strongly disagree. The key of the rating is: poor (1:00-1.75), Fair (1.76-2.50), Good (2.51-3.25), Very good (3.26-4.00). n=217 Schoo~ based factors Mean Interpretation The Head teacher communicates effectively and regularly 3.90 Very Good with staff, parents, students and school boards The school’s mission statement is specified and reviewed 2.90 Good periodically. It is well known and understood by all There is a demonstrated high expectation not only for all 3.93 Very Good students but for staff as~well. Students in this school are rarely punished because their 2.55 Good level of discipline is very high There are very few students suspended each term 3.82 Very Good The students in this school have a very positive attitude 2.62 Good towards personal study periods The school library and laboratories are fairly equipped and 3.37 Good accessible to the students and teachers There are enough classrooms and all the students have 2.93 Good adequate sitting and writing space There is always support and facilitation from the school 3.57 Very Good administration in your efforts to prepare teaching/learning aids, projects, field trips and other learning programmes Average Mean 2.99

23 In reference to the effective communication of the head teacher with staff, parents, students and school boards, the respondents tended to generally agree that this is true. The study found that this was agreed to a mean of 3.9 which according to the scale above is very good.

The study found that the statement that the school’s mission statement is specified and reviewed periodically. It is well known and understood by all. This was agreed with a mean of 2.9. Though it is not very good, at least the agreement is good.

It was also found that with a mean of 3.93 (very good) of the respondents believe that there is a demonstrated high expectation not only for all students but for staff as well. There is a strong belief in the school that students are capable and able to achieve, that teachers are capable and not powerless to make a difference in student performance.

The study found that with a mean of 2.55 (good) the respondents agreed that the students in this school are frequently punished because their level of discipline is very low.

However, with a mean of 3.82 (very good), the study found that suspension of students from school is not a very popular punishment.

The study found that the students have a positive attitude towards personal study periods with a mean of2.62 (good).

With regard to library and laboratory facilities, the respondents agreed that the school library and laboratories are fairly equipped and accessible to the students and teachers. This was with a mean of 3.37 (good).

24 The study also found that the respondents agreed with the statement that there are enough classrooms and all the students have adequate sitting and writing space. The for this was 2,93 (good).

The study also revealed that, with a mean of 3.57 (good), the respondents agreed that there is always support and facilitation from the school administration in their efforts to prepare teaching/learning aids, projects, field trips and other learning programmes.

25 The ilevell of teacher effectiveness

Table 3:The level of teacher effectiveness in terms of attitude to teaching, classroom management, learner motivation, content coverage and competency in selected schools in Arua District. Responses were scaled ranging from 1-4; where 4=strongly agree, 3=Agree, 2=Disagree and 1=strongly disagree. The key of the rating is: poor (1:00-1.75), Fair (1.76-2.50), Good (2.51-3.25), Very good (3.26-4.00). n =217 Teacher effectiveness Mean Interpretation The teachers are always organized, neat, prepared for 4.00 Very Good class and they know their subject matter very well You always plan your class time and assignments that help 3.96 Very Good students to problem solve and think critically and provide activities that make subject matter meaningful You always allow your students to be active in the 4.00 Very Good classroom learning environment The classroom procedures are very clear so that students 3.56 Very Good don’t waste time during classes You give to your class good and timely feedback on 3.85 Very Good homework and projects in order for them to improve You always listen to and understands students’ point of 3.80 Very Good view; you may not agree, but students feel understood You are very sensitive to students’ needs and respect their 4.00 Very Good individual differences in their learning abilities There are means for monitoring student progress in 3.97 Very Good relationship to instructional objectives and results can be easily conveyed to parents The head teacher has created purposeful atmosphere, not 3.66 Very Good oppressive, and is conducive to teaching and learning Average Mean 3~86

26 There was an agreement with a mean of 4.00 that teachers are always organized, neat, prepared for class and they know their subject matter very well. This was very good agreement.

When asked whether they always plan class time and assignments that help students to problem solve and think critically and provide activities that make subject matter meaningful, there was agreement with a mean of 3.96. The survey also found that on the issue of creating for the students active classroom learning environment was agreed upon with a mean of 4.00 With a mean of 3.56, the respondents agreed to the fact that their classroom procedures were very clear so that students don’t waste time during classes. The respondents agreed that they gave to their classes good and timely feedback on homework and projects in order for them to improve with a mean of 3.85 When asked whether they always listened to and understood students’ point of view even though they did not agree but only to make the students feel understood, they agreed with a mean of 3.8. With a mean of 4.00, the respondents agreed that they were very sensitive to students’ needs and respected their individual differences in their learning abilities.

The study also found that with a mean of 3.97, the respondents agreed that there existed means for monitoring student progress in relationship to instructional objectives and results can be easily conveyed to parents.

27 The relationship between school based factors and teacher effectiveness

Table 4: The relationship between school based factors and teacher effectiveness in selected secondary schools in Arua District. Independent variables (School Based Factors) were collated with Dependent variable (Teacher Effectiveness).

Variables R. value Significant Interpretation Decision on correlated Value HO School Administration .230 .000 Significant Rejected and Teacher Effectiveness School facilities and .322 .003 Significant Rejected Teacher Effectiveness Student discipline .421 .001 Significant Rejected and Teacher Effectiveness

The study has shown that the manner in which the head teacher carries out his administrative cores in a school has a high correlation with the effectiveness of the teachers in the school. (R=o.230 at a significance value of 0.000) It is also clear from the correlation table that provision and utilisation of school facilities ranks high with teacher effectiveness. This shows that teachers are likely to be more effective if they have the facilities they need for their work. (R= 0.322 and a significance level of 0.003) The table also shows a high correlation between student discipline and teacher effectiveness. It shows that the teachers in a school are more likely to be more effective in their work if they have students who are disciplined and have a very positive attitude to studies. (R=0.421 and significance level of 0.001).

28 Table 5:A regression Analysis showing the relationship between School Based factors and Teacher Effectiveness in selected secondary schools in Arua District. bles Regressed Adjusted R F. Value Significance Interpretation Decision on Square HO I based factors .197 5.338 .000 Significant Rejected er Effectiveness

The table shows that all the independent variables (School Based Factors such as School Administration, Provision and Utilisation of Facilities and Student Discipline) have predicted effectiveness in the teachers from the selected schools in Arua District.

29 CHAPTER FIVE

DISCUSSIONS OF THE RESEARCH FINDINGS

ProfUe of respondents The first part of Table 1 shows the distribution by gender of the respondents. In the study, it was found that among the respondents, 7O.5% were male; 25.35% were female. In the observations made during the survey tended to agree with the statistics shown in that in most of the visits, there were less than 30% female teachers in the schools. There were exceptions in about three schools among the twenty four visited. This tends to show that there are more male teachers the profession than their female counterparts. Probably this could be due to attrition or cultural reasons of not encouraging the girl child to go to school. Mulkeen et at (2007) say that in most countries fewer females enter secondary teaching and that the attrition of female teachers is particularly high. This shows that majority of the teachers serving in the area covered by the study are male. This tends to agree with Aidan Mulkeen et at (2007) who argue that although female teachers are very important in encouraging the access and retention of female students in school, in most countries fewer females join the teaching workforce in secondary schools. One other probable reason in the area of this survey is due to the fact that the girl child is not given equal opportunity for studies as the boy. One of the major reasons may be the cultural belief that a girl is to be married off to acquire bride wealth for the family. The the next part of the table shows the highest qualification of the respondents. The study found out that 46.2% of the respondents had diploma in Secondary Education (DES); 28.8% had the degree of Bachellor of Education (BED); 16% had Bachellor of Arts/Science with Education degree (BAED); 3.8% had Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE); 0.9% had Master of Education degree (MED); while 4.2% had other non teaching qualifications.

30 The results here show that the teachers of higher qualifications meant to handle the advanced level classes are few in the area of study. The teachers of Post Graduate Diploma in Education and Bachellor of Arts/Science with Education degree only make up 4.7% of the teaching force.

This could probably reflect a rather poor performance at Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) which is for direct entry into the University. Many of those joining the teaching profession first go for the Ordinary Diploma before advancing through the Bachellor of Education Degree. It could also be a reflection of the level of porverty as people cannot afford direct university entry through the Private Sponsorship Scheme.

The study found that 44.6% of the respondents have experience of one and ten years; 43.3% have served for between eleven to twenty years; 10% have been in the teaching profession between twenty one and thirty years and 1.5%have been in the profession for over thirty years.

The study revealed that female teachers stay a shorter time in the teaching profession than the male teachers. According to Aidan Mulkeen et al (2007) vFemale teachers are important in encouraging the access and retention of female students, although in most countries fewer females than males enter secondary teaching and attrition of female teachers is particularly high”.

They further write: “Teacher supply is further reduced by a hemorrhage of teachers who leave the profession before retirement age. Contemporary teacher attrition rates are believed to range between 5 and 30 percent in different countries of Sub-Saharan Africa”. The argument that fewer females join secondary teaching, yet have a higher attrition rates could possibly explain the distribution of the number of years of teaching.

31 In summary, there are more male teachers serving in secondary schools in the area of the study and the male teachers stay more years in the service than their female counterparts. Also generally, there are more teachers with lower qualifications in the area of study. This is similar for both sexes. This raises the question as to whether more highly qualified teachers are better grounded in produces better results than their counter parts of lower qualifications. Schooll based factors that affect teacher effectiveness

Moritmore (1993) says one of the school based factors that could lead to effective teaching and learning are strong positive leadership. This implies that a head teacher who provides a strong and positive leadership must be able to communicate effectively with all the stakeholders of the school. In reference to the effective communication of the head teacher with staff, parents, students and school boards, the respondents tended to generally agree that this is true, with a mean of 3.9.

Therefore, teachers in the region of the study recognise the issue of good leadership as an important school based factor for effective teaching and learning. Most schools in the survey have head teachers with good leadership skills.

A school’s mission statement is another very important factor for effectiveness in schools. The mission statement of a school reflects clearly what the school does, for whom, and why it is important. This must be clearly explained to everybody so that they know where they are going and what is expected of them.

Unfortunately, a good number of the schools visited during the study showed the contrary. Many of the staff were not aware of the Vision, Mission and Goals of the schools in which they served. They only knew their roles as that of teaching in the classroom without knowing where they wanted to be in the future as a school.

32 The study found that the respondents agreed with a mean of 2.9 (good) with the statement that the school’s mission statement is specified and reviewed periodically. It is well known and understood by all.

It was also found that with a mean of 3.93, the respondents believed that there is a demonstrated high expectation not only for all students but for staff as well. There is a strong belief in the school that students are capable and able to achieve, that teachers are capable and not powerless to make a difference in student performance.

Goe et al (June 2008) argue that effective teachers need to have high expectations of all their learners and they contribute to positive academic, attitudinal and social outcomes like regular class attendance, cooperative behaviour and self efficacy.

This shows that if the teachers and school administrators have high expectations of their students, they could become more disciplined and gain a lot more confidence. This, in turn could make the teachers more effective.

Though the study has shown that there is a demonstrated high expectation not only for all students but for staff as well; and that there is a strong belief in the school that students are capable and able to achieve, that teachers are capable and not powerless to make a difference in student performance, this seems to have been contrary to the view about student attitude towards personal studies and discipline.

The study found that the respondents agreed with a mean of 2.55 that the students in this school are not frequently punished because their level of discipline is very high. However, with a mean of 3.82 (very good) there was an agreement that there are very few students suspended each term. This simply points to the probable fact that the students have a high level of indiscipline; only that suspension may not be a popular punishment in the schools covered in the study.

33 In the study the teachers tended to think that students have a very negative attitude towards personal study periods, one wonders how the same teachers can also have high expectations of students they think are negative towards personal studies.

There is also a strong argument that effective teachers use diverse resources to plan and structure engaging learning opportunities (Goe et al ).They monitor student progress formatively, adapt their teaching as needed and evaluate student learning using multiple sources of evidence. For resource input variables in a school setting, we can look at pupil-teacher ratio, teacher training, teacher experience, teachers’ salaries, adequacy of sitting and writing space for the students and availability and utilization of instructional materials like in the library and laboratory. This study was majorly focused on adequacy of sitting and writing space for the students and availability and utilization of instructional materials like in the library and laboratory and pupil-teacher ratio.

With regard to library and laboratory facilities, the respondents agreed with a mean of 3.37 that the school library and laboratories are fairly equipped and accessible to the students and teachers. This has majorly been the response from the old traditional and well established schools. The situation is not the same in many of the schools visited mainly in the rural areas.

Some of the schools had their apparatus and reference books kept in cupboards in the head teacher’s office. Some of these schools sometimes found it difficult to access these resources.

The issue of availability of classrooms and adequate sitting and writing space was another controversy between schools. That is why the agreement was with a mean of 2.9. The biggest challenge of classroom and writing space was quite clear in the schools implementing the Universal Secondary Education (USE) Programme.

34 These schools have big student populations and quite inadequate classrooms. Some have begun implementing the double shift system but this has not solved their problem of space. By the looks of the situation, their populations are set for further increments.

The study also revealed that, with a mean of 3.57, the respondents agreed that there is always support and facilitation from the school administration in their efforts to prepare teaching/learning aids, projects, field trips and other learning programmes.

However, this response was majorly from either the schools that are non USE implementers or urban USE implementers who charge some fee for payment of utility bills like electricity and water. They may have some savings which they can use to provide for such activities.

The schools found in the rural areas that do not charge a single fee have some difficulties in support and facilitation of their efforts to prepare teaching/learning aids, projects, field trips and other learning programmes.

The AeveD of teacher effect~veness

Sandy argues that “the effective teacher must be a leader who can inspire and influence students through expert and referent power but never coercive power. This teacher empowers students and gets them to do things of which they did not think they were capable. This teacher has students who surpass him”. It can easily be seen here that an effective teacher is responsible for creating the best possible environment for the learning and the subsequent good performance of students in a school environment. The effective teacher creates a good environment both in the classroom and in all other school activities outside the classroom. He must always be organized and ready for work.

35 This survey has found that with a mean of 4.00, the respondents agreed that teachers are always organized, neat, prepared for class and they know their subject matter very well.

However, this study had no tools in place to make critical observations to judge the level of organisation of the teachers at their work. At a glance, certain schools had their staifrooms full of teachers busy at planning their lessons, marking students work and even in other cases they were being consulted by students at their free time.

But in some of the schools, getting teachers on the compound as respondents for the study questionnaires was very difficult. In a whole school having over twenty teachers, the researcher at times found only the head teacher and two or three other teachers. This raised the question as to whether they always plan class time and assignments that help students to problem solve and think critically and provide activities that make subject matter meaningful, though the agreement on this was with a mean of 3.96 among the respondents agreed.

In the ideal situation, the effective teacher is expected to demonstrate a passion for helping pupils to learn. All their actions are geared towards the facilitation of learning. They know and should be able to embrace the fact that the best way children learn is by keeping them active in the learning process so that the students are involved in their own learning. Effective teaching is nothing but provision a rich learning environment which must, in all senses of the word, appeal to the different ways students learn.

The finding of the study on the issue of creating for the students active classroom learning environment, they agreed with a mean of 4.00. However, active learning may not be possible or effective in some of those overcrowded classrooms the researcher was able to see.

36 Very clear learning expectations for students and holding them accountable for their performance is one of the profound characteristics of an effective teacher. Clear learning expectations and defining clear boundaries are paramount in order to focus learning and minimize distraction for the students in the class. Perhaps it is the reason why they believe that they should make their classroom procedures clear. When asked, the respondents agreed to the fact that their classroom procedures were very clear so that students don’t waste time during classes with a mean of 3.56. Grouping students to work together effectively, managing their working in groups very well and making them achieve high levels of performance is what the effective teacher does. This teacher gives group works to the students together with other individual assignments, which he uses to give timely feedback for improvement. In this survey, the respondents agreed that they gave to their classes good and timely feedback on homework and projects in order for them to improve with a mean of 3.85. The art of listening to others and valuing their contribution is fundamental to the process of education and learning. An effective teacher must demonstrate that they respect and value others, so that pupils do the same and are encouraged to share their experiences and insights. It makes them to feel understood. Most of the teachers interviewed seemed to understand this because when asked whether they always listened to and understood students’ point of view even though they did not agree but only to make the students feel understood, they agreed to this with a mean of 3.8. Professionally, an effective teacher’s actions should be based on the desire for each pupil to attain high levels of achievement. This is the same like having high expectations of the students under his care and guidance. It is a very important aspect or characteristic of an effective teacher. The respondents agreed that they were very sensitive to students’ needs and respected their individual differences in their learning abilities. This was with a mean of 4.00.

37 The study also found that, with a mean of 3.97, the respondents agreed that there existed means for monitoring student progress in relationship to instructional objectives and results can be easily conveyed to parents.

This is very central in the learning process because instruments for monitoring student progress help to report to all the parties involved: the school administration, the teacher, the student and above all, the parent. This is necessary for laying strategies for improvement for the student’s performance.

The head teacher has created purposeful atmosphere, not oppressive, and is conducive to teaching and learning. The respondents agreed to this with a mean of 3.66.

The relationship between school based factors and teacher effectiveness

From the findings in the previous chapter, the major school based factors that seem to have an impact on the effectiveness of teachers were majorly school level organisation and leadership styles, student discipline, availability and utilisation of school facilities, among others stated as in chapter four.

The study has found that majority of the respondents from the various schools have agreed on many of the areas under review. The general trend of their views is that most of the school based factors are good in most of the schools and they hold meetings to make major decisions, head teachers are good at communications and are also not so oppressive.

However, opinions differed on the clarity of the school mission statements, laboratory and library services and adequacy of sitting and writing space for the students. This shows that the schools are not uniformly endowed with resources. 38 There was also a high level of agreement that the students in most of the schools in the study area seem to have a general problem of indiscipline. There was also a consensus that generally suspensions are not the most popular form of punishment for erring students.

On the other hand, on issues of teacher effectiveness there was almost all through agreement that the teachers are effective in what they do. They seem to portray themselves as organized teachers who have high expectations of their students. They seem to be all through positive about themselves except for a few who showed that they had faults in their professional lives.

From the statistical analysis of the study data given in chapter four, there is a good level of agreement that school based factors actually have an impact on the effectiveness of the work of the teachers.

From Table 4 in chapter four, the correlation coefficient between school based factors and teacher effectiveness, the correlation is high for all. This ranged from School Administration (R=0.230 Significance =0.000); School facilities (R=O.322 Significance=o.003); and Student Discipline (R=O.421 significance =0.001). This means that overall; the hypothesis is that it has been rejected. Therefore, there is a significant relationship between school based factors and teacher effectiveness.

Condllus~on

This study has attempted to review school based factors that may have an influence on the effectiveness of teachers in some selected Government Aided secondary schools in Arua District. The major school based factors that have been looked at are limited to school level organisation and leadership, availability and utilisation of facilities/resources, student discipline and student attitude towards studies.

39 The study has shown that majority of the teachers who teach in these schools are diploma holders. There are also a good number who have upgraded from diploma to degree level. The many diploma holders in the teaching force is a reflection of two possible scenarios. Either the performance in Advanced level is poor to attain direct entry to university or people cannot afford direct entry through the private sponsorship scheme.

If the situation is that of poor performance in Advanced level, it complicates issues even further. Those who would have got poor grades end up going to teach students who could equally perform poorly at the end.

It has revealed that the head teacher should be an effective communicator and the school mission statement must be very clear to everybody and most especially the teachers. There should be high expectation for performance for everybody and most especially the students. The school administration should facilitate the teachers in their efforts to create the most conduce environment for learning.

However, for all these factors to have a positive contribution towards learning, the students have to be disciplined and have a positive attitude towards learning.

The study has also revealed that if the above school based factors are in place, the teachers are most likely going to be organized; they would take care of the individual needs and differences of their students and make their classroom procedures clear to the students.

The teachers are likely to develop effective monitoring tools for easy reporting of student progress to parents and other stakeholders and give feedback to the students. Therefore, they are likely to be more effective.

40 However, an effective teacher alone is not enough for improved performance of students. Akin and Ugborugbo (2009) argue that “Teachers’ classroom effectiveness has been found to have only a minimal influence on the academic performance of students”. This may be true in the area of this study because the study has found that the teachers in this area mostly claim to be effective. Other factors may be responsible for influencing the student performance. These may be factors like the soclo-economic status of parents, influence of the school environment, parental care, among others. The teachers interviewed in this study have generally perceived themselves as effective teachers regardless of the environment or kind of school they are teaching in. As earlier on stated, this study was in both rural and urban schools. This tends to suggest that an effective teacher is effective regardless of the situation under which they are serving. Anderson (2004) agrees with this when he wrote; “Rather, teachers who are consistently effective are those who are able to adapt their knowledge and skills to the demands inherent in various situations so as to best achieve their goals”. Recommendatbns For the teachers in the area of study and possibly elsewhere to be more effective, there is need to improve on the school based factors so as to make their work less difficult. If there is improvement in student discipline, adequate provision of teaching and learning materials, good administrative set up and procedures, and general conducive environment for their work is provided, they are likely to become more effective. In order to address issues of space in congested schools, there is need for the Government, both at local and National levels to design some intervention strategies in order to have fairly uniform teaching and learning conditions for all the students

41 Because the learning of students is also dependent on other factors, more research efforts should be geared towards other areas so that the problem of dropping student academic achievement in the area can be addressed from different fronts in order to reverse the situation as stated in the research problem. Though the study has revealed that the teachers in this area are likely to be effective teachers, there is need for further research to measure the effectiveness of the teachers. This could help to establish the actual level of teacher effectiveness. This revealed effectiveness was not measured but it was a collection of opinions from the respondents. Since this study did not cover students, it is recommended that some future studies in the same area should be designed to include students because they are very key in the learning process. Possibly they could give their perspective of the situation.

42 REFERENCES

Agharuwhe A. Akin and Nkechi M. Ugborugbo (2009):Teachers’ Effectiveness and Students’ Academic Performance in Public Secondary Schools in Delta State, Nigeria

Aidan Mulkeen David W. Chapman Joan G. DeJaeghere Elizabeth Leu (2007): Recruiting, Retaining, and Retraining Secondary School Teachers and Principals in Sub-Saharan Africa

Allan D James. Grades as Valid Measures of Academic Achievement of Classroom Learning. Retrieved on 27/09/2011 httjx//www.tcni.edu/—senate/resources/documents/GradesasvalidMeasures pdf

Dr.Kafui Etsey (2005): Causes of Low Academic Performance of Primary School Pupils in the Shama Sub-Metro of Shama Ahanta East Metropolitan Assembly (SAEMA) in Ghana

Hay Mcber(2000): Research into Teacher Effectiveness: A model of Teacher Effectiveness. Research Report 216. ISBN 1 84185 311 9

James K. Lunselli, Robert F Putman, Marcie W Hendler, Adam B Feinberg (2005): Whole School Behaviour Support: Effects on Student Discipline Problems and Academic Performance. Carfax Publishing

Jennifer Wagaman: Classroom Management Strategies Impact Teacher Effectiveness.

Retrieved on March 7th 2011 http :/fwww.suitelol .com/content/classroom-management-strategies~impact~ teacher- effectiveness-a262273

43 Kristin Grayson (2009): Alt igning School based Factors for Student Success. Retrieved on 25/09/2011. http://www.idra.org/IDRA_Newsletter/September_2OQ9_~~~ nge_Strategies/Aljgnjng School B ased Facto rsor Student Success!

Laura Goe,Courtney Bell and Olivia Little (2008): Approaches to Evaluating Teacher Effectiveness. A research synthesis.

Leo R. Sandy: The Effective Teacher. Retrieved on March 12th 2011 http :/Ioz. plymouth .edu/r’.’lsandy/effectjve. html

Lorin W Anderson (2004):Increasing Teacher Effectiveness.

Ozturk, Ilhan (2001): The Role of Education in Economic Development: A Theoretical Perspective, University Library of Munich. MPRA paper 9023

Paul S Wright, Sandra P Horn and William L Sanders (1997): Teacher and Classroom Context Effects On Student Achievement: Implications for Teacher Evaluation. University of Ten nesse

Peter Mortimore (1993): School Effectiveness and Management of Effective learning. University of London.

Rorie N. Harris and Tequilla Banks Development of a Measure of Teacher Effectiveness: Building TEM 1.0. Memphis City School. TEl Paper No. 3

Sammons, Pam (2002): A Summary Review of Research on Teacher Effectiveness.

44 APPENDIX I TRANSMFFrAL LETTER

4 Ggaba Road - Kansanga P.0 Box 20000 Kampala, Uganda ~ KAMPALA Tel. ±256- 41- 266813/ ±256- 41-267634 I Ii INTERNATIONAL Fax: +256- 41- 501974 ~I U UNIVERSITY E-mail: adrn~n~kiuac.ug

______Websito- www.kiuacuq

OFFICE OF THE CORDINATOR OF EDUCATION SCHOOL OF POSTGRADU~ SIUDLE&AND ~ESEARCH (SPGSR)

tTRAIlV~ May 31.2011 ~ ~ ‘1 To CONI)U

-

The above men~ned is a 3mpala~ JUNInternational2Q11 ~ ~niversity pursuing a Masters of Educational Administration[andM~~~RlCT

He is currently conducting a field research of which the title is “School Based Factors and Teacher Effectiveness in Selected Secondary Schools in Arua District, Uga nda~”

Your organization has been identified as a valuable source of information pertaining to his research project. The purpose of this letter is to request you to avail him with the pertinent information he may need.

Any information shared with him from your organization shall be treated with utmost confidentiality.

Any assistance rendered to him will be highly appreciated.

yours truly,

~laba Sarah Coordinator, Education Appendix IV

Date

Dear participant,

I am a Master’s student in the Institute of Open and Distant Learning at the University of Kampala International University. I am conducting a research on the topic, “School based Factors and Teacher Effectiveness in selected Government Aided secondary schools in Arua District, Uganda”.

Completion of the questionnaire would take you about ten minutes and your participation in this survey is completely voluntary. If there are any questions that you prefer not to answer, you may skip them. If you would like to write additional comments on the questionnaire, please feel free to do so.

All information that you provide through your participation in this study will be kept confidential. Further, you will not be identified in the thesis or in any report or publication based on this research. There are no known or anticipated risks to participation in this study.

It would be appreciated if you would return the completed questionnaire within one week of the date of receipt. Thanks for your participation.

Yours sincerely

Akuma Atiku Sanctus QUESTIONNAIRE

a) Respondent profUe

1. Gender Female Male (tick one)

2. Age

3. Highest level of qualification Dip Ed Bed BA/BSc(Ed) PGDE MED other (specify)

4. Total number of years taught

The number rating stands for the following: 1 = Strongly Disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Neutral 4 = Agree 5 = Strongly Agree. Encircle the best alternative as it applies to you.

b) Schoo~ based factors

1) The Head teacher communicates effectively and regularly with staff, parents, students and school boards. 1 2 3 4 5

2) The school’s mission statement is specified and reviewed periodically. It is well known and understood by all. 1 2 3 4 5

3) There is a demonstrated high expectation not only for all students but for staff as well. There is a strong belief in the school that students are capable and able to achieve, that teachers are capable and not powerless to make a difference in student performance. i 2 3 4 5 4) Students in this school are rarely punished because their level of discipline is very high. 1 2 3 4 5

5) There are very few students suspended each term. 1 2 3 4 5

6) The students in this school have a very positive attitude towards personal study periods. 1 2 3 4 5

7) The school library and laboratories are fairly equipped and accessible to the students and teachers 1 2 3 4 5

8) There are enough classrooms and all the students have adequate sitting and writing space 1 2 3 4 5

9) There is always support and facilitation from the school administration in your efforts to prepare teaching/learning aids, projects, field trips and other learning programmes 1 2 3 4 5

1O)How frequently do you hold staff meetings?

Weekly Monthly Once a term Seldom (tick one)

11)Are there any staff committees in the school? Yes/No

12)Jf yes, how often do they meet?

Weekly Monthly Once a term Seldom (Tick one) c) Teacher effectiveness

13)The teachers are always organized, neat, prepared for class and they know their subject matter very well i 2 3 4 5 14)You always plan your class time and assignments that help students to problem solve and think critically and provide activities that make subject matter meaningful. 1 2 3 4 5 15)You always allow your students to be active in the classroom learning environment. 1 2 3 4 5

16)The classroom procedures are very clear so that students don’t waste time during classes. 1 2 3 4

17)You give to your class good and timely feedback on homework and projects in order for them to improve. 1 2 3 4 5

18)You always listen to and understands students’ point of view; you may not agree, but students feel understood. 1 2 3 4 5

19)You are very sensitive to students’ needs and respect their individual differences in their learning abilities. 1 2 3 4 5 20) There are means for monitoring student progress in relationship to instructional objectives and results can be easily conveyed to parents.

1 2 3 4 5

21) The head teacher has created purposeful atmosphere, not oppressive, and is conducive to teaching and learning. 1 2 3 4 5 Appendix V PROPOSED DATA PRESENTATION THROUGH TABLES/GRApHS Proposed table for demographic information about respondents

Proposed tables for representation of likert scale mean findings for school based factors and teacher effectiveness. School based factors/Teacher effectiveness Mean Interpretation Proposed table to represent the relationship between school based factors and teacher effectiveness. Variables R~ value Significant Interpretation Decision on correlated Value HO

Proposed table showing regression Analysis showing the relationship between School Based factors and Teacher Effectiveness.

Variables Adjusted R F~ Significance Interpretation Decision on regressed square Value HO School Based Factors and Teacher Effectiveness Appendix VI: Time Frame

July August SelDt Oct Piloting/adjusting questionnaires Distribution of questionnaires Collection and compiling of data Data analysis Typing Editing first draft Proof reading Presentation of thesis RESEARCHER’S CURRICULUM VITAE

Personall Profile

Name: Akuma Atiku Sanctus

Date of birth: July 4th, 1967 Village: Maracha County: Ayivu District: Arua Citizenship: Ugandan Marital status: Married

Educational Background

1. Kampala International University (Expected Nov2011): Masters in Education (MED) 2. Makerere University (1999): Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) 3. Makerere University (1993): Bachellor of Science (BSc) 4. Jinja Senior Secondary School (1989): UACE 5. Mvara Secondary School (1985): UCE 6. Ediofe Boys’ Primary School (1981): PLE Certificate

Work Experience

1. St. Joseph’s College Ombaci (2010 todate): Head Teacher 2. St. Mary’s Ediofe Girls’ Secondary School (2002-2009): Deputy Head Teacher 3. Makerer University ICT/GIS Research Centre Arua (2006-2009):Resident Deputy Director. 4. St. Mary’s Ediofe Girls’ Secondary School (1995-2001): Class teacher and Director of Studies. 5. Uganda Red Cross Society (1993-1995): Assistant Camp Manager.

Other Relevant Data

1. Member of Uganda Mathematical Society. 2. Life Member of Uganda Red Cross Society 3. Good competency in computer applications

C

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