Influence of quality assurance and standard officers' practices on students' performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education in public schools, Masaba North District, Kenya

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to establish the influence of QASOs supervisory practices on students' performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education in public schools in Masaba North District, Kenya. The study was guided by four objectives: to examine whether QASOs visits to classrooms have any influence on students' performance, to establish whether conferences held between QASOs and teachers influence performance, to assess whether QASOs checking of professional documents in schools influence performance, to establish whether QASOs feedback to schools influence students' performance.

The literature was done under the following subheadings: concept of quality assurance and standards officers, influence of QASOs practices on performance, professional documents assessed by QASOs and challenges facing QASOs. A descriptive survey research design was used in the study. A selfadministered questionnaire was used for the study to gather data from the sampled respondents.

The study population consisted of 271 teachers, 29 head teachers and two QASOs. The collected data was classified, tabulated and analyzed by use of descriptive statistics. The results showed that there was a positive relationship between QASOs supervisory practices and students' performance in KCSE in the District with a regression coefficient of 0.841 for head teachers and 0.762 for teachers.

From the findings it was established that QASOs assisted teachers in the preparation of class timetable and the teachers' timetable; however findings further indicated that QASOs were more occupied in several other duties that affected their effective service delivery. It was also established that teachers appreciated QASOs when they gave them advice on relevant areas to improve on and this enabled the teachers to embrace their practices in schools. The study recommended that the Directorate Quality Assurance and Standards should increase the number of QASOs per district for effective service delivery to schools.

The study suggested some areas for further research: Since the study was conducted in one district, there is need to conduct a similar study in the entire or in the whole nation, Kenya, an investigation on role of supervision on school policy development; and the relationship between head teachers' and QASOs' training and its effect on supervision of schools.