Fostering quality teaching and learning through in-service trainings: Evidence from the Preparation for Social Action Program (PSA) in Uganda

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

Background and research summary

As universal education policies were adopted across East Africa, governments and schools have been working to address the question of how to raise the quality of learning amidst rising student enrollment. Whether the rapid increase in student populations is considered a primary factor behind the poor quality of student learning is a matter of debate. Yet evidence suggests that countries in the region are experiencing a learning crisis in education (World Development Report, 2018).

This crisis is characterized by low reading comprehension in primary learners and an inability to perform basic mathematical calculations. To tackle this problem, much attention has been placed on improving teaching quality; especially in places where teaching is characterized by hierarchical pedagogy, an emphasis on rote learning in classrooms, and where teachers are believed to have low levels of pedagogical content knowledge (Vavrus, Thomas, & Bartlett 2011). In this panel, four presentations closely examine the Preparation for Social Action (PSA) teacher training program of Kimanya-Ngeyo Foundation, a transformative and cost-effective general-skills training in Uganda that has begun demonstrate how teachers can more systematically address these challenges.

The PSA approach runs counter to prescriptive interventions that provide teachers with explicit, standardized instructions and structure. Despite growing evidence of the success of such interventions in improving scores in lower primary reading and mathematics, the experience of the PSA teacher training program suggests that quality education is more likely to be sustained by a well-trained teaching force. Furthermore, evidence from this program suggests general skills in-service teacher training can be both transformative and cost effective, in contrast to recent studies (Loyalka et. al., 2019; World Bank, 2020).

Research on the PSA teacher training program suggests that general skills in-service teacher professional development may be an effective way to foster quality teaching improve student learning outcomes. A recent randomized control trial (RCT) found that after two years of participation in the training, in which 40% of teachers in 15 treated schools attended the training, there were intent to treat effects of 25 percentage points in a high stakes primary leaving exam that determines whether or not students can continue into secondary schools. This is relative to a control school mean of 50%. It is consistent with a nearly 0.6 SD intent to treat effect on aggregate test scores and places the intervention in the top 5% of most cost-effective interventions according to Learning Adjusted Years of Schooling. A conservative estimate suggests that an additional $100 of funding increases the number of high-quality years of schooling by 9.6 years. Additionally, the RCT found large treatment effects in student critical thinking and scientific competencies as measured using science shows co-organized with the district education office. The effect sizes are similarly large, ranging to close to 0.8 SD.

Classroom observations and teacher and student surveys conducted during the RCT, as well as subsequent qualitative interviews with teachers and trainers, link these learning effects to substantial changes in teacher attitudes, relationships, behavior, pedagogy, and lesson planning. Findings provide evidence that, among other things, teachers are engaging students more in the learning process, intentionally employing more hands-on and interactive strategies in their lessons; becoming more inquisitive and viewing themselves as researchers by learning more about their own student’s lives and seeking advice from their colleagues; and their approach to lesson planning and their attitude towards teaching are also positively impacted.

Policy implications

The findings from this research have important implications for Ugandan teacher education policy. Uganda has already taken steps towards addressing the quality of learning through the professional development of teachers with the adoption of the 2019 National Teacher Policy. Among other things, that policy targets the professionalization of the teachers through allocation of additional resources, expanding continuous professional development initiatives, updating the curricular content of teacher certification programs, improving teacher management policies, requiring all teachers to attain university degrees, and ultimately, establishing a National Institute of Teacher Education. Even after the adoption of this policy, however, the path to transforming teacher attitudes, preparation, and classroom practice has not been simple.

As a result of the initial promise shown by the research findings, a partnership was established between Kimanya-Ngeyo and the Teacher Education and Training Department of the Ministry of Education and Sports in Uganda. The first year of this partnership was focused on researching the best approach to adapting core components of this program’s model and translating them for the training of government teacher trainers. These efforts are still ongoing, and a training of trainers has not yet been established. However, the four presentations of this panel outline the motivation behind this partnership, the logic of the current model, as well as the quantitative and qualitative evidence thus far generated about how and if this model helps improve teaching and learning outcomes.

Panel overview

The first panel presentation sets the stage by examining results from a multi-year primary-level RCT, with evidence related to traditional learning outcomes, critical thinking and creativity, as well as teacher pedagogy and effort.

The second panel presentation offers an overview of the teacher training program in question, its conceptual framework and theory of change. Through this presentation an image of the teacher that results from the PSA program is described, as well as an exploration of the elements of the training that have been credited with transforming teacher pedagogy.

The third presentation describes findings from an in-depth qualitative study that documents the causal mechanisms that explain the findings from the RCT (Maxwell, 2013).

And the concluding presentation outlines a vision for improving government teacher professional development through partnerships with organizations like Kimanya-Ngeyo and through the implementation of evidence-based programs.

Sub Unit

• General Pool

Chair

• Joseph Lample, Kimanya Ngeyo Foundation for Science and Education

Individual Presentations

• The Impact of Learning to Teach by Learning to Learn on Student Outcomes in Uganda - Vesall Nourani, University of Chicago

• Preparation for Social Action (PSA) and Teacher Education in Uganda - Joseph Lample, Kimanya Ngeyo Foundation for Science and Education

• "It taught me to think like a researcher: Understanding the process of teacher professional development through PSA, a qualitative study - Erin Murphy-Graham, University of California Berkeley

Discussant

• Matthew Jukes, RTI International