The Inspection and Evaluation Model of the Future in Yemeni by Mahmoud Saeed Mugahid AL- Adeemi ProQuest N um ber: 10068047 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest P roQ uest 10068047 Published by ProQuest LLC(2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 UNIVERSITY OF LONDON INSTITUTE OF EDUC - - DEC 2007 NOT TO BE REMOVED FROM THE LIBRARY Abstract Inspection is a significant process both in controlling the quality of instruction and administration that takes place in schools as well as in promoting the self-development of teachers and the administrators. The system of inspection in Yemen is entrenched in the legacy of inherited traditional practice and has not succeeded over the last 44 years to cope with the dramatic expanding and changing demands of education in the country. The research carried out for this study seeks to investigate the function of the current inspection and evaluation system in Yemen and its impact on the improvement of teaching in the classroom with respect to raising standards. The purposes of the research are twofold: its prime purpose is to examine the existing inspection system in Yemen and analyse its functions through empirical data collection as well as documentary analysis. The second and subsidiary purpose of the study is to look at different models of inspection by analyzing relevant documents and through informal data collection. The central research question is "What is the nature of the current inspection system in Yemen?” The intention here is to highlight the economic and educational situation to understand the conditions affecting educational quality and inspection. The functions of the current inspection process and its strengths and weaknesses are also considered. A second and supplementary research question, "How can effective inspection be defined?" is examined with reference to the inspection practices in England and Jordon. The rest of the study attempts to answer the other second order or subsidiary research question, namely “What are the effects of inspection on teachers/teaching? These two questions are important to further understand the concept of inspection and its relevance to the future evaluation model proposed for the Yemen. Two research methods were chosen to obtain information, namely face to face interview and focus group discussions. Thirty subjects from across the country at various levels within the education system were interviewed and ten participated in the focus group discussions. The main research findings which suggest change is needed on a number of fronts, are used to propose a model of inspection for the Yemen in terms of its cultural context and aims and objectives. 1 Table of Contents Abstract 1 Chapter One: Introduction 2 Chapter Two: The General Background of Inspection in Yemen 11 Part One: Yemen; an overview 11 Part Two: The Inspection and Evaluation System in Yemen 17 Chapter Three: Research Design and Methodology 31 Part One: Research Design and Method 31 Part Two: The Analysis of Qualitative Data 45 Chapter Four: The Meaning of Inspection; views from literature 54 Chapter Five: The Effectiveness on Inspection: the English model 66 Chapter Six: The Effectiveness of Inspection: the Jordanian model 88 Chapter Seven: The Effects of Inspection on Teaching/Teachers 102 Chapter Eight: An Analysis of the Data 122 Chapter Nine: An Analysis of the Yemeni Inspection to Identify the Areas of Improvement, Including a Summary of the Findings 146 Chapter Ten: A New Suggested Model of Inspection for Yemen 165 Part One: The Role and Function of the Suggested Model 165 Part Two: The Suggested M ethods of Inspection 183 Chapter Eleven: Conclusion 192 Chapter One: Introduction The researcher has been involved in education at a number of levels: as a student, parent, teacher, headteacher, inspector, course developer and Local Education Authority (LEA) and central administrator. Drawing on over 25 years' of experience of education in Yemen, he realized that the subject of inspection, one of the most fundamental means for educational improvement, is a neglected issue at all levels of the Yemeni education system. The researcher’s views are also borne out by the official views of the Ministry of Education (MOE, 2003). In order to understand the issues facing the inspection system in the early 21st Century, it is necessary to examine both official and unofficial attitudes towards inspection. The Ministry of Education, both at the central office and at the local level, looks to inspection as a legal part of the Educational Act 1995 (MLA, 1995). School inspectors were given by law the task of monitoring the educational process at all levels mainly through pinpointing problems and proposing solutions. Almost all working in the educational field in Yemen recognize its importance. This was clearly expressed when the question of abolishing or replacing the current inspection system arose in the official meetings of the general directors of the educational offices in 2005 and 2006. There was a belief that having only a partially effective system of inspection is better than having none. It is seen as helping to stop the deterioration of education in Yemen (Bader, 2002). It could be argued that an inspection system in Yemen is a matter of necessity (GTZ, 2003). Education suffers from many problems and limitations. Teacher preparation programmes are characterized by traditionalism and are unsuitable for actual needs (MOE, 2003). There are no criteria for selection of applicants to fill the post of teachers. This often leads to the appointment of teachers who are below the desired standards or who do not possess any academic or educational qualifications (Bin-Habtoor, 2002) and others who have not received educational training although they possess academic qualifications. A system of inspection coordinated with effective in-service training is essential in view of the fact that there is an inadequate supply of trained teachers (MOE, 2006). Large numbers of teachers are educationally unqualified. Many are secondary school graduates whose qualifications do not exceed the secondary school final examination. For example, 2 more than 58% of basic education teachers’ qualifications do not exceed the general secondary certificate or the equivalent. This has created a real problem for the Ministry of Education and its related departments. The problem is compounded by the fact that the school population is increasing dramatically creating an enormous imbalance of what is required from education and of what is currently provided (World Bank, 2002). Undoubtedly, the current situation in Yemen is dire (MOE, 2006). Perhaps a new inspection system can play a major role in improving the education system in general and teachers’ and headteachers’ performance in particular. The Inspector is often the only source of professional advice available to teachers and as such has the potential to affect teacher behaviour in the classroom to a significant degree. The inspection process can act as the ‘eyes and ears’ of the education system. By monitoring the perceptions of LAE officers, teachers and the community at large about significant policy issues and their implementation, and by feeding these perceptions back to the central administration, inspectors serve as a link between the various parties or stakeholders, bridging a crucial gap between policy formulation and policy implementation. Inspectors also can act through teachers rather than directly upon pupils. The researcher believes that the educational system in Yemen needs a very strict and powerful body of inspection to play a role of both quality assurance and quality control. The experience of the researcher suggests that school administrators (or leaders and managers) as well as teachers often do not carry out their duties effectively unless they are followed up. According to the 2002 Ministry inspection report, the main reason for the poor performance of pupils in remote areas or even in the outskirts of the major cities is that the schools are not inspected regularly (MOE, 2002). Inspection is however culturally accepted. Parents expect inspectors to pay regular visits to schools and to be strict in taking action against schools/teachers who are not implementing the instructions of the Ministry of Education. The system of inspection is responsible for visiting, diagnosing, giving support to, reporting on and evaluating schools. Headteachers are mostly responsible for administration and according to the Ministry evaluative seminar (2003) most of them are not able to evaluate their own school's performance. Traditionally, teachers and headteachers rely on inspectors to point out the areas of development as well as to suggest ways to improve their capacities. Inspectors are considered as a significant source of knowledge. 3 At present inspectors cannot be expected to be highly motivated because in practice they have little autonomous power and simply report to higher authorities (Bader, 2002). The reports they write are not taken seriously by most of the authorities (MOE, 2002) and they have neither the ability nor the means to provide support in order to improve the situation in schools. This is partly due to the fact that in Yemen, education is seriously in need of more funding. Whatever funding is available must be spent on priority items and inspectors have a role to play in identifying where funds can be best spent. For these reasons and others, there is a strong need for a complete review of inspection as a whole in order to modernize and upgrade it.