Abstract:
This study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of School Based Continuing Professional Development in the teaching of English Language in schools of Gwembe District, Zambia. The researcher used the mixed methodology approach. The population for the study consisted of 326 primary and secondary school teachers in the 36 primary and four secondary schools in the district while the sample consisted of 155 teachers from 11 primary and four secondary schools, 15 head teachers and 15 coordinators. The head teachers, coordinators and teachers of English Language from the secondary schools were purposively sampled while the teachers from Grades 1 to 7 were randomly sampled. A forty-three (43) item closed-ended questionnaire which was face and content validated by experts at Solusi University and an interview guide was used to collect data. A pilot study was conducted in three primary schools which were not part of the main study using 27 respondents and the Cronbach’s Alpha reliability coefficient of 0.800 was obtained. The data collected was coded and analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Findings from the study revealed that School-Based Continuing Professional Development was effective in the teaching of English Language in Gwembe District. Further, the study revealed that the programme came along with successes which can broadly be grouped as teacher and learner performance improvement. The most common challenges of the programme revealed were lack of materials, negative attitude towards the programme by some teachers and difficulties in conducting zonal cluster meetings due to the terrain of the district. The researcher recommended that the Ministry of General Education may consider promoting School Based Continuing Professional Development in other subjects just like it is in Mathematics and Sciences as well as intensifying regular monitoring and assessment and to sensitize the teachers on the need to participate in such programmes.
