Learner orientation through professional development of teachers? Empirical results from cascade training in Anglophone Cameroon

Abstract

This paper examines the effects of a professional development programme on the attitudes towards the teaching and learning of teachers in the Anglophone part of Cameroon. The development programme combines a multiplier system with school-based in-service training. The research compares the effects that the training had on the attitudes of three groups of teachers in a control group design: (1) teachers participating in the in-service training, subdivided into (1a) teachers trained as multipliers and (1b) teachers trained by the multipliers, and (2) teachers who did not participate in the training. The study featured a quantitative control group design (n = 292) and is intended to contribute to the discussion on the sustainable effects of in-service teacher training in low-income countries. The data collection was conducted in 13 secondary schools in Cameroon. The results suggest that the programme had effects on the teachers’ attitudes and classroom practices.

Keywords:

• professional development
• cascade training
• learner orientation
• Cameroon
• teachers
• sub-Saharan Africa

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Corrigendum

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers of this article and the academic and writing mentor from the Compare workshop for their helpful and constructive comments. Words of thanks for their support are also given to my supervisor, Prof. Dr Annette Scheunpflug, and my colleague, Dr Claudia Bergmüller (University of Bamberg, Germany), to my colleagues, Frederick Fondzenyuy Njobati and Michel Moukouri, in Cameroon as well as to the Elite Network of Bavaria and the German Development Service BfdW/EED for financing my bursary and this study.

Notes

1. Question stem: ‘How would you describe the equipment of your school compared to other schools in your neighbourhood?’: 7 items, item variables: (1) qualification of the teachers, (2) instructional materials (e.g. textbooks, experiments), (3) general supplies (e.g. paper, pencils), (4) school buildings and grounds (e.g. upkeep and repairs), (5) heating/cooling and lighting systems, (6) instructional spaces (e.g. classrooms, school hall), (7) library books; five-level answering format: 1 = a lot worse, 4 = a lot better.