Parental involvement in primary schools in Tanzania: Effects of a pre- and in-service teacher training

Abstract

This paper reports on the effects of a teacher capacity building programme to increase parental involvement in primary schools in Tanzania. One training focused on in-service teachers (n = 169) and the other was a blended learning course for pre-service teachers (n = 509). We implemented a three-measures longitudinal study design, with a cluster randomised controlled trial design for the in-service teacher group. Hierarchical linear modelling showed an increase in teachers' self-reported beliefs about parental involvement. For the pre-service teachers, there was an actual increase in inviting parents to be involved. There was no significant increase in self-reported teacher efficacy.