Influence of School Environment on Physics Teacher Effectiveness in Kigezi Sub-Region, Uganda

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of school environment on physics teacher effectiveness in secondary schools in Kigezi Sub-region, Uganda. The focus of the study was to establish the influence of administrative support on physics teacher effectiveness; to establish the influence of collegiality of teachers on physics teacher effectiveness and to find out the influence of professional development like workshops, seminars on physics teacher effectiveness. This study employed both quantitative and qualitative techniques to collect and sequentially analyse the data. The study adopted a mixed research design on a sample of 234 physics teachers, fourteen (14) head teachers and six (06) education officials. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire, interview guide, focus group discussions and classroom environment checklist. Quantitative data was analysed through the statistical software programs SPSS and SPSS AMOS while qualitative data was analysed using content analysis and verbatim quotations. Descriptive analysis showed that the school environment highly influences physics teacher effectiveness in all aspects. The results of structural equation model (SEM) showed that the school environment influences teacher effectiveness. The findings showed that the school environment as conceptualised as administrative support, collegiality and professional development had a strong positive influence on teacher effectiveness. It was concluded that teachers should create appropriate environment to present new thoughts by creating standards of administrative support, exercise companionship and cooperation between colleagues. Finally, develop professionally and remain relevant with current skills by participating in activities like educational seminars, workshops, and conferences