A Comparative Analysis of Pedagogical Alignment and Learner Academic Performance in Grant-aided and Public Secondary Schools in Eastern Province, Zambia

Abstract

This study examined pedagogical alignment and its association with learner academic performance in selected grant-aided and public secondary schools in Eastern Province, Zambia. Guided by Constructive Alignment Theory and Systems Theory, the study employed a convergent mixed-methods design involving 315 participants comprising 285 teachers, 22 head teachers and 8 Education Standards Officers. Quantitative data were collected through teacher questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics, an independent-samples t-test and Pearson’s correlation, while qualitative data from interviews, classroom observations and document analysis were analysed thematically. Findings indicated that stakeholders understood pedagogical alignment as coordination among curriculum objectives, instructional practices, learning activities and assessment. Grant-aided schools reported significantly higher alignment than public schools (reported t = -3.409, p < .001; d = 0.539). However, the reported correlations between the pedagogical strategies score and learner academic performance were weak and non-significant in grant-aided schools (r = .05, p = .594) and public schools (r = -.09, p = .483). A significant association was observed between misalignment strategies and learner academic performance in grant-aided schools (r = .28, p = .005). The study therefore concludes that pedagogical alignment should be understood as an enabling component of instructional quality rather than, on the evidence available in this study, an independent determinant of learner achievement. Strengthening instructional leadership, teacher professional development, assessment practices and school-level support systems is recommended.