Effects of School Variables on the Assurance of Quality Learning Outcomes in Schools

Abstract

This study examines the state of school variables and their
implications on effective performance of Quality Education Assurance
Agency to enhance effective teaching and learning activities in schools
below tertiary level. The study adopted a descriptive survey research
design. Respondents for the study consist of 60 principals and 540
teachers that were randomly selected using the multi-stage sampling
technique from the entire population of 304 public secondary schools in
Ondo State, Nigeria. Research instrument tagged, “Education Quality
Assurance and School Variables Rating Scale” (EQASVRS) and
Interview of Principals and Teachers’ as Focus Group (PTFG) were used
for data collection. The significance of the hypothesis, using chi-square
statistics, was tested at p<0.05 probability. The study reveals that there is
gross inadequate number of teachers and other school variables like
classrooms, libraries, laboratories and instructional materials which
affects the level of curriculum coverage and the academic performance
of secondary schools. Furthermore, the results show that the there is
significant effect of school variables on quality education assurance
practice in schools (χ2 = 2.255 at p<0.05) with the quality assurance
practice (χ = 3.625) and school variables (χ = 2.495). This means that
most school variables in secondary schools are in poor condition which
reduces the impact of quality education assurance agency on school
activities. The study concludes that for the education sector to enjoy the
desired boost, especially in the students’ academic outcomes, attention
should not be limited to school supervision, but also ensuring that
school variables are in good state and evenly distributed across schools.