Teachers’ Capacity Building Strategies and Pupils’ Academic Performance in Muslim Public Primary Schools in Namutumba District of Uganda

Abstract

The study examined the effect of teachers’ capacity building strategies on the pupils’ academic performance in muslim public primary schools in Namutumba district, Uganda. The specific objectives were to: establish the effect of in service training strategies on pupils’ academic performance; find out the influence of teachers’ collaboration on pupils’; and ascertain the influence of teacher’s mentoring on pupils’ academic performance in muslim funded public primary schools in Namutumba District. The study employed a descriptive survey design. Cluster sampling method was employed to select one hundred and thirty four (134) teachers from the schools for the study, while census was used to select the DEO and the ten (10) Head teachers. The study used questionnaire and structured interview guide to collect the data. The value of CVI obtained was 0.78 while the values of reliability obtained were 0.767, 0.755 and 0.787 for in- service training, collaboration and mentoring respectively, which indicates that the questionnaire items were relevant and suitable. One hundred and thirty four (134) questionnaires were administered while a total of ninety eight (98) teachers returned giving a return rate of 73.1%. The data was analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative analysis approaches. The quantitative data were descriptively and inferentially analyzed. Frequencies and percentages were used and Pearson Product Moment correlation statistics was used to establish the level of the relationship. On the other hand, the qualitative data were thematically analyzed using data collected from interviewing the head teachers and DEO. Majority 54.1% of the teachers were males, majority 57.1% of the teachers were below 38 years, and overwhelming majority 92.8% of the teachers did not hold University degree. The study concluded that teachers’ in-service training, teachers’ collaboration in teaching and teachers’ coaching strategy improves the pupils’ academic performance in Muslim primary schools in Namutumba district. Finally, the study recommended that government should hold in-service training to include themes on professional skills and subject matter to enable all teachers benefit and be able to help learners improve in their performance; school administration should setup academic committees in schools where teachers discuss learners’ challenges and ways of helping learners improve; and school management should identify the teachers’ competencies in their teaching areas and assign them responsibilities of coaching other teachers.