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MINI-RESEARCH PAPER

EXPLORING TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVES ABOUT SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT IN A PRIVATE COMMUNITY BASED SECONDARY SCHOOL IN KARACHI, PAKISTAN

BY: BASHIR AHMED KHAN (PDT)

Introduction

School improvement is not a single event rather it is a continuous process. Different change initiatives are seen more effective in the school improvement process. From reading literatures, classroom discourses and my own experiences, I came to know that it is one of the effective and systematic processes to bring positive change in the schools. Similarly, Van et al. (1985) as cited in Mortimore (1998) defines, school improvement is a systematic sustained effort aimed at a change in learning conditions and other related internal conditions with ultimate aim of accomplishing goals more effectively. Hence, school improvement is considered a process through which different aspects of school improved through various activities and strategies. Likewise, Hopkins and Harris (2000) stated, “school improvement is a process that focuses on enhancing the quality of students learning”. Literature on school improvement gives high importance to the role teachers’ play in improving their schools. However, there is a dearth of such literature that teachers play their role in school improvement process in the context of developing countries.

This paper gives a background and purpose of the study, school context and research questions. It also discusses about the methodology used, sampling procedure,research findings, discussion and conclusion of the study.

Background and purpose of the study

It has been observed and experienced that the school improvement process is considered the job of school leaders or any external agents. While school teachers, parents, community and students are observed as passive participants in the process of school improvement. However, literature emphasized that the school improvement is a joint venture of all the stakeholders of an organization. Similarly, a lot of literature indentifies teachers as important stakeholder in school improvement process. Hence, this study explores the perspectives of teachers about their roles in school improvement and the facilitating factors of a successful school.

School context

The school in which I conducted my study is a private community secondary school in Karachi. The school was established in early nineties and it was run by a faith based community. Presently, there are 42 staffs under the supervision of a principal. The school has a reputation for academic excellence. The principal and teachers are embarked on several school improvement initiatives, aimed at improving students’ academic and non-academic potentials. As a result, in comparison to other private schools, it emerged as better performing school in national exams.

Main question

How do teachers in a private community secondary school in Karachi, perceive their role in school improvement?

Subsidiary questions

· What are the teachers’ perceptions about their role in school improvement process?

· What are the teachers’ perceptions about facilitating factors of a successful school?

Methodology

The qualitative case study method is chosen as one of the most suitable research approaches to explore the phenomena. Purposeful sampling is opted to select the research participants for the study. I selected two teachers as my research participants. I used semi-structured interview (see Appendix A) as main method of data collection. Informal conversation, audio tape and field notes were also used as tools for data collection. Consent form (see Appendix B) is duly signed by the participant and assured that the data would be used only for report purpose.

Findings

The data is transcribed and findings of the study are categorized into different themes.

Facilitating students’ learning

Teachers perceive their role as facilitating students to learn more. However, they are of the view that in order to do this effectively, they need to be competent teachers. He/She said, “our students are more able than us; we should develop ourselves according to their needs; otherwise we cannot satisfy their educational needs”. Similarly, Bhatia, Damral & Damral (2005) suggest that a teacher should be that of a facilitator, a resource person or a person who organizes a variety of learning opportunities to fulfill the needs of the students.

Teaching and learning

Teachers perceive that teaching and learning is more effective process for school improvement. The foremost role of a teacher is to properly plan for teaching and learning. He/she shared that for effective teaching and learning planning is very important because a plan guides a teacher what to teach and how to teach. Teachers perceive that proper planning of a lesson also improves students learning outcomes which are the basic purpose of school improvement. Rehmani (2000) pointed out that planning for a lesson enhances teachers learning as a result it has a greater impact on students learning and development.

Relationship between teachers and students

The study reveals that teachers give prime importance to the development of positive relationship with students, because good relationship is important for successful school. The teacher asserted that “the students have become more naughty due to media. So it is relationship which blind students and teachers together. Fullan and Hargreaves (1998) also emphasize that a strong relationship between teachers and students is beneficial for both of them in terms of mutual understanding and trust building.

Facilitating Factors of Successful Schools

Professional development

The teachers are of the view that until or unless the teachers are professionally trained school cannot be transformed into a successful school. For professional development, school should create a culture of generating and sharing knowledge. She/he shared that some of the teachers have attended trainings at AKU-IED[1], as a result they engage in activity-based teaching. He/she claimed that, “such training opportunities attract teachers towards the school and it is also useful to sustain the existing school teachers”.

Resources

Teachers perceive that in order to work effectively school should have enough teachers, who may help them to undertake school improvement initiatives. The teachers are also view that physical resources are also pivotal in facilitating teachers to work smoothly. It was evident from interview that financial resources are vital in enabling various activities to be carried out in the school. Adelman and Taylor (2007) state that “if enough resources cannot be devoted to essential change processes, substantive school improvement will not be achieved” (p. 60).

Participatory leadership

Teachers view that their empowerment gives them an opportunity to do their work in a smooth manner, because through empowerment, they can exercise their expertise and skills. However, he/she suggested that school leadership should be participatory in order to facilitate teachers to play their role effectively. Stoll and Mortimore (1995) suggest that school improvement needs a participatory leadership approach, where all teachers work together, and the head teacher plays the role of a guide and facilitator.

Discussion

The study reveals that the teachers’ perception about their role is integrated with many activities which have been set-up for the purpose of school improvement. For instance, teachers view that proper planning is important for effective teaching and learning. Sun, Creemers and Jong (2007) also pointed out that effective teaching and learning is one of the important processes of school improvement. Similarly, Fullan and Hargreaves (1998) maintain that teachers are responsible for taking initiatives for school improvement by being active in planning, organizing school-based activities, providing feedback and helping students understand and accomplish the given task. Furthermore, teachers perceive that their role in improving students’ learning can be through encouraging them to participate in various curricular and co-curricular activities. The aim is to develop students’ communication skills because according to teachers, it is important for their practical lives. Moreover, the study reveals that teachers strive to develop a positive relationship between teachers and students in order to develop students’ confidence. I agree that relationship paves the way towards success. Similarly, Barry and King (1999) stated that teachers, either inside the classroom or outside the classroom, exert a great deal of influence on establishing a good quality of teacher-student relationship. However, the findings also show that the activities undertaken by the school rarely bring a positive change because the school is overridden with many challenges such as lack of teachers’ recognition, workload and time constraints.

The study also reveals that different facilitating factors support a school to transform into a successful school. For instance, the teacher perceives that professional development of teachers is important for successful schools. Hopkins, Ainscow and West (1994) also argue that teachers’ learning has a direct effect on students learning. They, therefore, consider teachers are the core of school improvement.The teacher perceives that different in-house and outside trainings are essential for professional development of teachers and sustain teachers. Cheng (2000) also argues that teachers should take teaching as a lifelong learning involving themselves in continuous professional development programs. I also experienced that social context enable teachers to learn from each other, support each other (Sergiovanni, 1998). Likewise, Hussain (2007) claims that professional development opportunities work as a vehicle for teachers’ development which has a positive effect on school improvement initiatives. However, findings show that due to lack of appropriate skills and knowledge, teachers are likely to be confused about the change process. As a result their envisaged activities, which aim at improving the school is overtaken by internal and external problems; such as lack of resources, heavy workload and time constraints.

Conclusion

The study reveals that school improvement is a joint venture of all stakeholders and the teachers are key players in change process. The teachers perceive their role is important in initiating different activities and strategies for school improvement. However, different internal and external factors hinder them to take initiatives in change process. If appropriate resources are allocated, collaborative culture is developed and participatory leadership approach is used, school can be improved. The teachers also perceive that various facilitating factors motivate/influence teachers to transform their school into a successful school.

References:

Adelman, H. S., & Taylor, L. (2007). Systematic change for school improvement. Journal of educational and psychological consultation.17(1), 55-77

Barry, K., & King, L. (1999).Beginning Teaching and Beyond (3rd Edition).

NSW: Social Science Press

Bhatia, K. K., Damral, B. D., &Damral, P. (2005).Advanced psychology of teaching and learning process.New Delhi: Kalyani Publishers.

Cheng, Y. C. (2000). Globalization, Localization, and individualization for effective education.Unpublished paper presented at international council for school effectiveness and improvement. Hong Kong Institute for Education.

Fullan, M., & Hargreaves, A. (1998).What’s worth fighting for in your school? Buckingham: Open University Press.

Hillman, J., & Stoll, L. (1994).Understanding school improvement.Improvement Network Research Matters. 1, pp. 1-4

Hopkins, D., Ainscow, M., & West, M. (1994).School improvement in an era of change. London: Chassel.

Hopkins, D., & Harris, D. (2000). Introduction to special feature: Alternative perspective on school improvement. School leadership and management. 20(1), 9-14

Hussain, M. (2007).Teachers as agents of school improvement: a case study. Unpublished masters’ thesis, Aga Khan University Karachi Pakistan.

Mortimore, P. (1998). The road to improvement: Reflections on school effectiveness.Lisse, Netherlands: Swets&Zeitlinger.

Rehmani, A. A. M. (2000). Linking teachers’ professional development to school improvement: a case study of Visiting Teachers Program of the Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development.Unpublished doctorial dissertation, University of London, London.

Sergiovanni, T. (1998).Leadership as pedagogy, capital development and school effectiveness.International Journal of Leadership in Education: Theory and practice. 1(1), 37-46

Stoll, L., & Mortimore, P. (1995). School effectiveness and school improvement. View point, 2(1), 1-8

Sun, H., Creemers, B. P., & Jong, R. D. (2007).Contextual factors and effective school improvement. School effectiveness and school improvement. 18(1), 93-122

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[1] AKU-IED: The Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development