SCHOOL INSPECTION AND QUALITY OF TEACHING IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN PALLISA DISTRICT, UGANDA

Abstract

The study examined the contribution of school inspection to the quality of teaching in primary schools in Pallisa District, Uganda. The objectives were to investigate how professional support to teachers, frequency of inspection, and the use of inspection reports influence the quality of teaching. A descriptive research design employing survey methodology was used, with a sample size of 92 respondents. Quantitative data were analyzed using regression models to determine the predictive power of each inspection component on teaching quality. The findings revealed that the frequency of inspection significantly predicted 35.8% of the quality of teaching (R² = .358, p = .000), indicating that regular school visits moderately influence teaching practices. Professional support emerged as a stronger predictor, accounting for 51.2% of the variance in teaching quality (R² = .510, p = .000), suggesting that mentorship, training, and feedback provided by inspectors significantly improve instructional delivery. The quality of inspection reports was found to predict 52.1% of the improvement in teaching quality (R² = .521, p = .000), reflecting the importance of constructive and actionable feedback in guiding teacher performance. The study concludes that while school inspection plays a notable role in enhancing the quality of teaching, other unidentified factors also contribute significantly. Therefore, inspection efforts should be complemented by broader institutional and pedagogical support. The study recommends that similar research be conducted in other districts across Uganda to establish broader generalizability, and that further investigations be undertaken in secondary schools to assess whether the same inspection components influence teaching quality at higher education levels.