Education board participation in teacher performance review and secondary school outcomes in Zambia’s Copperbelt Province

Abstract

Education boards in Zambia are legally mandated to oversee teacher performance and contribute to school improvement. However, empirical evidence on how they perform this role and whether their involvement is associated with school outcomes remains limited. This study examined the relationship between education board involvement in teacher performance review and secondary school performance in Zambia's Copperbelt Province. The study was guided by two complementary theoretical frameworks: Carver's policy governance model, which distinguishes between governance and management roles, and Epstein's school-family-community partnership model, which emphasises the conditions under which stakeholder involvement contributes to educational improvement. The study employed a concurrent embedded mixed-methods design within a pragmatic worldview. The target population comprised 700 respondents, including teachers, department heads, deputy head teachers, accounts assistants, head teachers, Parent-Teacher Committee (PTC) chairpersons, and learner representatives from ten secondary schools across five districts of Zambia's Copperbelt Province. The quantitative sample comprised 187 respondents selected through stratified and simple random sampling. The qualitative sample comprised 14 participants (head teachers, PTC chairpersons, and learner representatives) selected through expert and homogeneous purposive sampling. Quantitative data were collected using a structured questionnaire that measured board participation in teacher performance reviews (8 items; α = 0.792) and in school performance (8 items; α = 0.815). Qualitative data were collected using a semi-structured interview guide, with interviews lasting 45 to 75 minutes. Quantitative data was analysed using SPSS Version 26, employing descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations), Pearson correlation, and multiple regression. Qualitative data were analysed using deductive thematic analysis, following Braun and Clarke's six-phase framework, with assistance from NVivo 12 software. Descriptive results indicated weak Board participation in teacher performance reviews (grand mean = 2.60 on a 5-point scale). Pearson correlation revealed a modest positive relationship with school performance (r = 0.231, p = 0.001). However, multiple regression analysis demonstrated that teacher performance review did not independently predict school performance after accounting for other governance functions (β = -0.102, p = 0.392). Qualitative insights explained these patterns through three mechanisms: role ambiguity regarding the board's responsibilities for teacher oversight, limited technical capacity to interpret performance data effectively, and professional tension stemming from poorly executed involvement. The study concludes that mandating board participation alone is inadequate; effective involvement requires clear role definition, structured governance practices, and targeted capacity-building efforts that clearly differentiate governance oversight from instructional management.