USE OF SCHOOL BASED TEACHER DEVELOPMENT (SBTD) AND QUALITY OF EDUCATION: A CASE OF SRI LANKA

Abstract

Attached

SBTD is considered as an effective tool of improving teaching learning as it is based on real needs of teachers at school level. Education Sector Development Framework and Program (ESDFP) 2012- 2016 introduced by the Ministry of Education identify SBTD as an essential component of imp-roving school performance. As a result required guidelines are given to • schools whereby SBTD activities are necessarily be included in school Annual Implementation Plan (AlPs). This research is carried out with an objective of assessing whether SBTD has become an effective tool in the education system and how best teachers, principals and provincial authorities understand the concept there of. A mixed research approach is adopted with descriptive statistics to interpret findings. Sample comprises provincial education authorities, teachers and school principals. Data is collected though questionnaire based interviews and discussions. The study finds that all 10,184 schools in the country have established SBTD and 235,819 teachers are directly benefited from it. Awareness and understanding of SBTD among respondents are varying. Most of teachers and principals have perceived SBTD as an isolated activity included in AlPs. Further, it is found that, schools have been practicing some of the SBTD aspects even before introducing SBTD without knowing that they are SBTD. The key role to be played by the school principal in developing SBTD culture is not identified. Common modes of SBTD activities are found to be peer observation, peer coaching, discussions, mentoring and forming quality circles. Usc of' IT and social media for SBTD is seen to be very negligible and reluctance of teachers to share knowledge is also highlighted. Need assessment of SBTD reveals that teachers always come out with common needs of IT knowledge, English Language skills and other administrative matters. Teachers hardly understand that SBTD should work as a continuous system. It is evident that SBTD has improved teachers quality and students' performance over time but there is no assurance that it would continue independently as a system unless it is monitored. Lots of changes including convergence of understanding SBTD among different players and making SBTD as a teaching learning practice are required in order to make SBTD a part of teaching learning culture in schools in Sri Lanka.