School processes: a study of the taching-learning Processes within the classroom based on a selected sample drawn from the schools in the educational deistrict of Kandy.

Abstract

This is an ethnographic study conducted to ascertain the quality and to evaluate the teaching -learning process in the schools. The research was conducted using eight schools, which represented different social class backgrounds in the Kandy District as research sites. In addition to the data obtained from observing the teaching-learning process in the classrooms, the researcher collected data from analyzing documents and by interviewing students and teachers as well. This enabled the researcher to triangulate and maintain the reliability and the validity of the data.

The different stages of a classroom lesson namely planning, beginning, development and evaluation and feedback were continuously observed in the selected subject areas using various ethnographic research methods. The data thus collected and analyzed enabled the researcher to arrive at the following conclusions.

1. A majority of the teachers do not resort to yearly, termly, weekly or daily planning of their classroom lessons. Consequently the teaching-learning process is done without any prior planning.

2. The teachers do not care to plan their work because they are not subjected to any evaluation or supervision process.

3. Most of the teachers do not understand the significance of planning their classroom lessons.

4. The teachers in the schools attended by the lower socio-economic class children pay better attention prior preparation than those teachers in the superior schools in the urban areas.

5. Since the teachers do not resort to planning they are unable to motivate their students or to do any effective teaching.

6. In the daily teaching-learning process there is plenty of teacher talk which is carried on using only the blackboard and the textbook only. The result is a boring lesson.

7. Most of the teachers do not make any attempt to evaluate and ascertain whether the objectives of the lessons are achieved by using proper and suitable evaluation procedures. It is the opinion of a large number of them that evaluation and feedback unnecessary. The ultimate result is that half-baked knowledge is transmitted.

The above conclusions clearly indicate the realistic picture of what is happening in our classrooms. The eradicate the weaknesses and the drawbacks in the existing systems, various remedial measures have been suggested by the researcher. Among these suggestions the significant ones are, that a close monitoring of teacher activities in the classrooms are essential in addition to the step that should be undertaken to educate the teachers of the teaching methodologies that could be adopted in our classrooms. It is also suggested that various teacher education institutions should be given the opportunity to get involved in the implementation of such programs.

The researcher sincerely hopes that this study would lead to the improvement in the quality of the teaching-learning process and that the future researchers would study as to how these suggested programs could be successfully implemented so as to maintain the quality of the teaching-learning process in our schools.