Assessment of the Impact of School Inspections to Students’ Academic Performance in Primary Schools: The Case of Mvomero District

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of school inspection on students’ academic performance in primary schools in Mvomero District. The study used mixed research approach. The sample size of this study was 179 respondents that include 122 ordinary teachers, 1district educational officer, 10 district inspectors, 13 assistant district primary school educational officers, 8 ward educational officers and 25 head teachers. Questionnaires were used to collect information from ordinary teachers, interview was used to collect information from the primary school head teachers, ward education officers, district primary school education officers and the district school inspection officers. Observation was used by the researcher in the field to collect information by observing. Quantitative data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics while qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis. The study found that inspecting of teaching and learning documents, students’ notes and marked exercises, students’ academic records, and providing feedback after inspection for improvements are used in assessing the process of school inspection in primary schools. The results further show that impacts of primary school inspection include improvement of academic performance of students, increase teachers’ accountability to their work of teaching, improve teacher-student academic relations, solve problems of teacher-students relation, and enhance proper use of teaching and learning resources.