5 - Study instruments
Triangulation is used in this study to seek validation from various research instruments; that’s why two types of study instruments have been used: data-gathering instruments, interviews and observation.
5.1 Data-gathering instruments :
5.1.1 Questionnaire (s) specifically designed to identify the requirements amenable to enhancing learning inside and outside the school. These questionnaires revolve around two main focal points:
First, learning enhancement requirements inside and outside the school itself revolves around four areas:
1) Administration and internal management of the institution (34 questions);
2) Teaching staff and educational performance within the institution (19 questions);
3) Learner performance within and outside the school ( 22 questions) ;
4) Intra-school environment and its social environment.
Second, impediments to learning enhancement within and outside the school. This area includes questions pertaining to the issues suggested in the questionnaire(s) and aims at identifying the impediments to improving learning and raising standards. Some of these impediments are presumably related to:
1. administrative management;
2. financial management at the school;
3. teacher performance;
4. learner performance;
5. curricula and programs;
6. intra-school environment;
7. the immediate environment of the school;
8. Other impediments ….
5.2.1 Interviews
The interview is used in order to glean further data on aspects related to the issues the study is concerned with. The value of the interview as a methodological procedure lies in the fact that data-gathering is not an end in itself; it’s a means used to gain deeper insights into (i) the reality of education and (ii) the dynamic nature of educational practices seen from different perspectives, objectives, functions and roles. These perspectives as well as the input and output of the educational system are complementary, though.
In order to use of this instrument, a number of organizational procedures were carried out, which allowed for an extensive data-gathering through a highly accurate analysis of the problematic issue of the study with the purpose of identifying the most important requirements for the enhancement of learning inside and outside the school.
5.2.2 Observation
The observation included:
- Report files and school records,
- Students’ education records of continuous assessment and their extra-curricula activities,
- Students’ records of the two previous years (school years 2007 and 2008). The certification exams were still underway then.
On the basis of the foregoing considerations, our focus upon this issue that is in compliance with a systemic approach paved the way for us to carry out a discovery-oriented quantitative analysis of all the requirements amenable to learning enhancement through all the stages necessary for such enhancement. The study also defined and shed light on barriers to such enhancement, with the view that if these impediments are delimited, their negative impacts on learning can be neutralized for the sake of quality. The study therefore sought to address the following questions:
- What are the contributing factors in learning enhancement within primary and middle school schools both in public and private sectors?
- Which environment is conducive to better learning? What services does this environment offer to the learner?
- What are the distinguishing features of the school administration?
- What standards are used to ensure learning enhancement inside and outside the school?
- What kinds of teaching practices are implemented in classrooms?
- What are the levels of educational achievement?
-What are the learning outcomes? What are the indicators of learner achievement in tests and exam certification?
- How are assignments and exams used to consolidate and, by implication, further enhance learning?
- To what extent is the interrelationship between school and society beneficial?
- Is the teacher the only element that contributes to the enhancement of learning? Are there any other very important elements other than school teachers that contribute to sustaining the sought-after learning enhancement inside and outside the school?
- What are strengths? Are there any areas for improvements inside and outside the school?
- What measures should be taken to overcome weaknesses noticed?
- What are the standards used to undertake observation, diagnosis and evaluation and to identify the requirements of learning enhancement inside and outside the school? What are its indicators?
The questionnaire, then, has been designed in such a way as to measure the elements/requirements that contribute to learning enhancement inside and outside the school as is exemplified below:
Triangulation is used in this study to seek validation from various research instruments; that’s why two types of study instruments have been used: data-gathering instruments, interviews and observation.
5.1 Data-gathering instruments :
5.1.1 Questionnaire (s) specifically designed to identify the requirements amenable to enhancing learning inside and outside the school. These questionnaires revolve around two main focal points:
First, learning enhancement requirements inside and outside the school itself revolves around four areas:
1) Administration and internal management of the institution (34 questions);
2) Teaching staff and educational performance within the institution (19 questions);
3) Learner performance within and outside the school ( 22 questions) ;
4) Intra-school environment and its social environment.
Second, impediments to learning enhancement within and outside the school. This area includes questions pertaining to the issues suggested in the questionnaire(s) and aims at identifying the impediments to improving learning and raising standards. Some of these impediments are presumably related to:
1. administrative management;
2. financial management at the school;
3. teacher performance;
4. learner performance;
5. curricula and programs;
6. intra-school environment;
7. the immediate environment of the school;
8. Other impediments ….
5.2.1 Interviews
The interview is used in order to glean further data on aspects related to the issues the study is concerned with. The value of the interview as a methodological procedure lies in the fact that data-gathering is not an end in itself; it’s a means used to gain deeper insights into (i) the reality of education and (ii) the dynamic nature of educational practices seen from different perspectives, objectives, functions and roles. These perspectives as well as the input and output of the educational system are complementary, though.
In order to use of this instrument, a number of organizational procedures were carried out, which allowed for an extensive data-gathering through a highly accurate analysis of the problematic issue of the study with the purpose of identifying the most important requirements for the enhancement of learning inside and outside the school.
5.2.2 Observation
The observation included:
- Report files and school records,
- Students’ education records of continuous assessment and their extra-curricula activities,
- Students’ records of the two previous years (school years 2007 and 2008). The certification exams were still underway then.
On the basis of the foregoing considerations, our focus upon this issue that is in compliance with a systemic approach paved the way for us to carry out a discovery-oriented quantitative analysis of all the requirements amenable to learning enhancement through all the stages necessary for such enhancement. The study also defined and shed light on barriers to such enhancement, with the view that if these impediments are delimited, their negative impacts on learning can be neutralized for the sake of quality. The study therefore sought to address the following questions:
- What are the contributing factors in learning enhancement within primary and middle school schools both in public and private sectors?
- Which environment is conducive to better learning? What services does this environment offer to the learner?
- What are the distinguishing features of the school administration?
- What standards are used to ensure learning enhancement inside and outside the school?
- What kinds of teaching practices are implemented in classrooms?
- What are the levels of educational achievement?
-What are the learning outcomes? What are the indicators of learner achievement in tests and exam certification?
- How are assignments and exams used to consolidate and, by implication, further enhance learning?
- To what extent is the interrelationship between school and society beneficial?
- Is the teacher the only element that contributes to the enhancement of learning? Are there any other very important elements other than school teachers that contribute to sustaining the sought-after learning enhancement inside and outside the school?
- What are strengths? Are there any areas for improvements inside and outside the school?
- What measures should be taken to overcome weaknesses noticed?
- What are the standards used to undertake observation, diagnosis and evaluation and to identify the requirements of learning enhancement inside and outside the school? What are its indicators?
The questionnaire, then, has been designed in such a way as to measure the elements/requirements that contribute to learning enhancement inside and outside the school as is exemplified below:
The first axis:
1- Administration and internal management of the institution
This part focuses upon the elements of the administration and internal management of the institution that have a bearing on learning enhancement. The ways in which the school is run administratively, financially and pedagogically, are complementary and, when combined, constitute a powerful influence on learners’ performance and, by extension, on the trust of parents and society at large.
2- Teaching staff and educational performance within the institution
With regard to this part of the questionnaire, the emphasis was laid upon teaching practices in their organizational, managerial, procedural, formative, developmental and forward-looking dimensions. Likewise, teachers’ contribution in scientific and cultural activities inside and outside the institution has also an impact not to ignore. In fact, these factors have a powerful influence on learner performance and learning enhancement. There is a direct influence on a teacher’s performance and learners' results. Evidence of good teaching can be determined through:
-The importance , nature and impact of teacher questions ,
-The ways the teacher plans assignments and tests/ exams,
-The types of assessment /tasks the teacher has recourse to,
-The nature and variety of assessment tools,
-The exhaustive evaluation of the target competencies and abilities,
-How the wash-back effect is exploited for boosting learner performance and overcoming the identified pitfalls? (e.g. differentiation pedagogy and pedagogy of integration),
-The nature of examinations and the extent to which they are compatible with assessments standards and the competency-based assessment,
-Teachers’ comments on students’ work (portfolios/notebooks).
3-Learner performance within and outside the school
The items in this part of the questionnaire revolve around (i) the levels of academic achievement of learners, (ii) the extent of their keenness to participate in class, to do their home assignments and to contribute to extra-curricular activities and research projects, (iii) their relationship with their teachers and school/ class peers, (iv) their interactions with their community and (v) their attainment and mastery. Academic achievements of learners are the most important indicators of how well the educational aims have been achieved. No mention of discipline and absenteeism has been made as our attendance record check and discussions with administrators revealed that cases of absenteeism are low in public schools. It is indeed nil in private schools.
4- Intra-school environment and its social environment:
The issue here relates to the following:
-Quality of school environment;
-School proximity to students’ homes;
-The site of the school/ safety of students and the school personnel;
-The school is privacy-proof ( a wall or a fence);
-It is situated in a pollution-free environment;
-The school is kept clean;
-It has a health care facilities;
-It has green spaces;
-It has multi-purpose classrooms ;
-It has decent live-in houses ( rural areas);
-It has enough offices;
-It has a staffroom;
-It has a waiting room available to students’ parents and tutors,
-It opens its doors to partners;
-It opens its doors to other all community students;
-It opens its doors to social activities – including literacy activities;
-It ensures a daily custodial service to school buildings to ensure that they are clean/hygienic;
-Contact between the school administration and other non-educational institutions.
The second axis:
1- Impediments to learning enhancement
The second part of the questionnaire, is concerned with impediments to learning enhancement inside and outside the school. Some of these impediments are related to:
- administrative management
- financial management
- teacher performance
- learners
- curricula and programs
- school environment
- the outside-school environment
- other impediments
