Teachers' Attitude towards Quality Assurance and Standards Officers in Primary Schools in Evurore, Mbeere North Sub-County, Embu County, Kenya

Abstract

Introduction: Since the inception of school inspection in Kenya, the function of Educational Inspectors was hampered by the way inspectors executed their duties thus influencing the attitude of teachers negatively. To reduce the negative perception of teachers new practices and innovative ideas have been established through the Directorate of Quality Assurance and Standards (DQAS). Purpose: This study aimed at finding out if teachers' attitudes have changed towards Quality Assurance and Standards Officers (QASO) since of new name and mandate Methodology: The study used a descriptive survey research design as it was able to obtain persistent and precise information concerning the current phenomena. The sample consisted of 228 statistically sampled using the Yamen formula. A structured and open questionnaire measuring the attitude of teachers was used. To check validity, expert opinion was sought while reliability was ensured at 0.70 using Cronbach Alpha Coefficient. ANOVA and t-test method of analysis was the main statistical methods used to test the three hypotheses. Results: The study established that female teachers had a more positive attitude towards QASO compared to their male counter parts although the difference was not significant. Further, the results revealed that a significant difference exists between more experienced teachers and less experienced teachers with less experienced teachers having a less favourable attitude towards QASO than less experienced teachers. Finally, the study found that teachers who were visited regularly had a positive attitude towards QASO compared to teachers who are not regularly visited or visited few times. In conclusion, teachers have appreciated the role of QASOs in quality education. Recommendations/Classroom Implications: It is recommended that more frequent supervision may improve teachers’ attitude for better teacher classroom performance.