Journal of Advances in Education and Philosophy (JAEP)
Volume-3 | Issue-09 | 316-329
Original Research Article
English Language Teachers’ Experiences on School Inspection at Primary School level in the Shiselweni region of the Kingdom of Eswatini
Nkosingiphile Ngcamphalala, Zodwa Gcinaphi Nxumalo, Sithulisiwe Bhebhe
Published : Sept. 30, 2019
Abstract
This paper sought to establish primary school English Language teachers’ experiences that they encounter during schools’ inspection. Underpinned by the MacBeath Cube theory of Evaluation, a qualitative research approach was adopted where a case study research design was utilized with a purposively selected sample of fourteen (14) primary school English language teachers who had been picked from two schools that had been identified as underperforming. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The paper was based on the following research questions: What are the challenges encountered by English language teachers during schools’ inspection? How can the challenges encountered by English Language teachers during schools’ inspection be minimized? The findings of the study revealed that some of the challenges encountered by English language teachers during schools’ inspection were that, inspectors disrupted teaching and learning as they came unannounced; inspectors harassed, rudely reprimanded and disrespected the English language teachers; inspectors instilled fear on the teachers because they harshly criticized them and they also confused the teachers as they gave different insights on how best to teach English Language; inspectors threatened teachers with their jobs. The findings further revealed that all these challenges could be minimized if inspectors could respect teachers and provide constructive criticism. Based on the findings, the study recommends that inspectors should annually plan and announce dates for their visits and that the inspectors should follow the inspection guidelines when they visit schools. The study further recommends that the Ministry of Education should establish a policy which protects teachers from being harassed by the inspectors.