Stakeholders' Perceptions of factors that affect the performance of open secondary school classes: A case study of one open seceondary school centre in Mazabuka ,Zambia
Date
2011-06-01
Authors
Mulopo, Maurice
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Abstract
This research study aimed at identifying factors affecting performance of learners in open secondary school centres. The concern was the prevailing poor performance of learners at an open secondary school centre in Mazabuka district pseudo named Mazabuka Open Secondary School centre in contrast to the good performance of learners at the regular school pseudo named Frost Secondary School where the teachers at this centre are also teaching. The methodology used in this study was a case study. In this study the researcher investigated the factors affecting the performance of open secondary learners from the stakeholders' point of view. He compared the teaching and learning at the regular school (where the performance is good) to that at the open secondary school centre (where the performance is poor) to show the gap in performance. This comparison was also intended to bring out the difference in the operations of the two institutions which in turn helped to explain the differences in performance. The respondents in this study were administrators who included the head teachers of the regular and the two basic schools from where the centre operates, the deputy head teachers for the regular school and one of the basic schools and the open secondary school centre committee; the teachers teaching at both the regular school and the open secondary school centre; grade 10,11 and 12 learners at the open secondary school centre and parents and guardians of learners at the open secondary school centre. Some teachers in this study were observed teaching from both the regular school and the open secondary school centre and then interviewed while others were involved in a Focus Group Discussion. The interview method was used to obtain data from head and deputy head teachers while Focus Group Discussions were used to get data from Open Secondary School Committee, teachers and learners.The findings of this study revealed that the open secondary school centre learners that sit for the same examinations with those from the regular school perform poorly because they are greatly disadvantaged in terms of the teaching and leaning environment. Factors
that negatively affect performance of learners in open secondary schools include over enrolment; lack of teaching and learning materials; teachers that absent themselves from lessons, are tired and uncommitted; poor timing of sessions and poor assessment. These factors eventually lead to learner absenteeism that affects performance of learners. The identified factors seemed to result mostly from lack of strict monitoring and supervision. The suggested solution to the problem was providing facilities and factors that tend to enhance the performance of learners at the regular school like a strict supervisor,
laboratories, a library, textbooks and extended learning time.
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Secondary schools-Zambia