Teacher Collaboration and Teacher Effectiveness in Government-Aided Secondary Schools in Iganga District, Uganda

Abstract

Over the years, the Government of Uganda has invested in various interventions to enhance teacher effectiveness in public secondary schools. Despite this, teacher effectiveness in many government- aided secondary schools across the country, especially in Iganga District, remains unsatisfactory. The study examined teacher collaboration's influence on teacher effectiveness in Government- aided secondary schools in Iganga District, Uganda. The objectives included establishing the influence of frequency of collaboration on teacher effectiveness, determining the influence of format of collaboration on teacher effectiveness, and assessing the influence of focus of collaboration on teacher effectiveness. Quantitative data was collected from school teachers using questionnaires, while qualitative data was collected from school administrators and vital educational stakeholders in the district using interview guides and analyzed inferentially and thematically, respectively. It was found that frequency of collaboration was significantly associated with teacher effectiveness (r = 0.406; ρ ˂ 0.05); format of collaboration was significantly associated with teacher effectiveness (r = 0.335; ρ ˂ 0.05); and focus of collaboration was significantly associated with teacher effectiveness (r = 0.19; ρ ˂ 0.05). The study concluded that teacher collaboration is influential in teacher effectiveness in government-aided secondary schools in Iganga District. To improve teacher effectiveness in government-aided secondary schools in Iganga District, the study recommends that the Ministry of Education and School Administrators in the district put in place supportive mechanisms that encourage an increase in teacher collaboration.