Effectiveness of teaching and learning process in selected O’level secondary schools in Kampala District, Uganda

Abstract

This study titled “effectiveness of teaching and learning process” was carried in five selected O’level secondary school in Kampala District. It was prompted by ESA’s National Inspection of 2002/2003 which found that teaching and learning practices in secondary schools in Uganda were good although were inadequately planned. This study assessed the status of teaching and learning in schools. Specifically, the study analysed the extent to which teachers planned for their teaching, the extent to which they ensured the quality of teaching and learning process, and how the school environment influenced teaching process in the selected research schools in Kampala District.

A cross - sectional descriptive research design guided the study. Both qualitative and quantitative research techniques of data collection were employed. The study sample comprised 109 respondents from five schools. Data was collected using questionnaires which had both closed and open ended items, semi-structured interview, observation and documentary analysis guides. The data was then reduced into frequencies, percentages and themes.

The study revealed that a majority of teachers (87.3%) in the selected research schools rarely planned for their teaching. Further, it was found that the quality of teaching and learning process in the research schools was fairly adequate because the relevant teaching behaviours of quality teaching such as using variety of learning experiences within the lesson, using a variety of teaching techniques within the lesson, ensuring adequate participation in a lesson of every student, using variety of instructional media and marking students’ work were not applied sufficiently and adequately. The study concluded that school environment of the research schools contributed significantly to the failure of meeting maximum levels of lesson planning and quality teaching. The study recommends that school environments be improved and checked for fruitful teaching and learning process to occur.