View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Wits Institutional Repository on DSPACE School Inputs and Learning Outcomes in Mozambique A quantitative analysis By: Lina Maria Beltran E. Research report submitted to the School of Education, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education (Policy, Planning and Management) In the School of Education University of the Witwatersrand Supervisor: Helen Perry March 2013 1 ABSTRACT Quality education has been a major challenge, especially in the least developed countries where resources are limited and expansion of educational services has hindered the quality agenda. This research aims to identify which inputs and external interventions have the most significant effect on learning outcomes in the first cycle of Primary Education in Mozambique. A quantitative analysis was carried out in 1167 schools, including government schools with interventions supported by five international or local non-government organizations and a control group of government schools receiving no additional support. The findings of the linear regressions for each of the sample groups point towards text books being the school input with the most meaningful impact on pass rates regardless of the intervention (or lack of it), while teaching/learning in local languages to be the intervention yielding the most meaningful results. 2 DECLARATION I, Lina Maria Beltran E., do declare that this dissertation is my own unaided work. It is being submitted for the degree of Masters of Education (Policy Planning and Management) at the University of Witwatersrand, in Johannesburg. It has not been submitted for any degree or examination at any other university. 18th March 2013 Lina Maria Beltran E. Date 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the Ministry of Education of Mozambique for their openness and will to learn more about their own system. Thanks to Dr. Antuia Soverano, Dr. Abel Azis at the Ministry and Dr. Ana Passos from INDE whose insights at the very beginning helped to draw the path of this research. Thanks to the Directorate of Planning and Cooperation (DIPLAC) and more specifically to its Director, Manuel Rego for opening the doors to their database and encouraging others to “play” with their numbers. Special thanks go to Mr. Ilidio Buduia in DIPLAC, for his time to share his knowledge and his patience to clarify the numerous questions that arose throughout the process. I would like to thank, the Aga Khan Foundation, Concern, Progresso, UNICEF and WFP in Mozambique for sharing information on their programmes and providing the list of schools and districts where their interventions are being implemented. Thanks to Angela Arnott and Alberto Musatti who took the time to read the initial drafts of the research proposal and provided very useful comments as well as additional documents that proved very helpful along the way. Of course, Helen Perry, for our initial discussions in Maputo brainstorming on the way this research could be shaped, for our long hours in Johannesburg in front of the data, for her patience throughout the process, her constructive criticism and for keeping me calm in my moments of panic. Last but not least, I would like to thank my family; my parents and sisters for helping shape the person I am today. Igor for believing in me more than myself, for his unconditional support and for being the best partner I could have dreamed of. Thanks to Maia, for bringing joy to my life and lifting my spirit with every smile throughout this process and for all the afternoons I did not get to spend with you. And finally thanks to Greta, who still in the belly, has been literally bearing the weight of the workload as I write the final words of this research report. I love you all very much. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ............................................................................................................ 6 List of Tables .............................................................................................................. 6 Abbreviations ............................................................................................................. 8 Background ................................................................................................................ 9 Aim and Rationale ................................................................................................... 12 Research Question ................................................................................................... 13 Literature Review..................................................................................................... 15 Methodology ............................................................................................................ 23 Limitations of the research ....................................................................................... 33 Findings.................................................................................................................... 38 Pass Rates against variables ................................................................................. 40 Changes over time? .............................................................................................. 50 Correlations .......................................................................................................... 57 Regressions and specific findings by intervention............................................... 60 Overview of regressions ...................................................................................... 74 Conclusions .............................................................................................................. 78 References ................................................................................................................ 81 5 List of Figures Figure 1 Structure of Primary Education and its Examinations.................................. 34 Figure 2 Levels and Classifications for Test Scores .................................................... 35 Figure 3 SACMEQ Ranking vs. Research Ranking by Province ................................. 55 Figure 4 Overall correlations by factor against Pass Rates in Grade 5 ..................... 57 List of Tables Table 1 Number of Schools by Province and Intervention ........................................... 39 Table 2 Pass Rates by Province and Intervention ........................................................ 40 Table 3 Pass Rates by Intervention against factors in Variable 1: School Infrastructure ............................................................................................................... 42 Table 4 Pass Rates by Intervention against factors in Variable 2: Learning Resources ...................................................................................................................................... 44 Table 5 Pass Rates by Intervention against factors in Variable 3: Human Resources 46 Table 6 Pass Rates by Intervention against factors in Variable 4: Socio-Economic Conditions .................................................................................................................... 49 Table 7 Change in Student Enrolments, Drop Out Rates and Pass Rates between 2004 and 2010 by Intervention ............................................................................................. 51 Table 8 Changes by factor between 2004 and 2010 .................................................... 52 Table 9 Summary of Pass Rates against all factors by Province (including only schools in the researach sample) ................................................................................. 53 Table 10 Correlations by factor and Intervention against Pass Rates in Grade 5 ...... 58 6 Table 11 AKF changes between 2004 and 2010 .......................................................... 60 Table 12 AKF- Correlations of changes over time against Pass Rates in Grade 5 and Percentage Change in Enrolments ............................................................................... 61 Table 13 AKF Regression Summary Output ................................................................ 61 Table 14 CON Changes between 2004 and 2010 ........................................................ 63 Table 15 CON - Correlations of changes over time against Pass Rates in Grade 5 and Percentage Change in Enrolments ............................................................................... 63 Table 16 CON Regression Summary Output ................................................................ 64 Table 17 GOV changes between 2004 and 2010 ......................................................... 65 Table 18 GOV Correlations of changes over time against Pass Rates in Grade 5 and Percentage Change in Enrolments ............................................................................... 66 Table 19 GOV Regression Summary Output ................................................................ 66 Table 20 PRO changes between 2004 and 2010 .......................................................... 67 Table 21 PRO Correlations of changes over time against Pass Rates in Grade 5 and Percentage Change in Enrolments ............................................................................... 68 Table 22 PRO Regression Summary Output ................................................................ 68 Table 23 UNI changes between