Enhancing Students' Science Achievement through Teachers' Accountability: A Mixed-Methods Study

Abstract

Teachers play a pivotal role in fostering their students' personal agency and guiding their future development. This study aims to examine the relationship between teachers' professional accountability and students' science achievement in school education. Employing a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, the study explored the perspectives of students, teachers, and parents regarding teachers' accountability practices and their impact on science achievement. Quantitative data were collected through a science achievement test administered to 608 grade eight students in 24 schools, including 12 community and 12 institutional schools by disproportionate stratified sampling followed by simple randomization, across the Kathmandu Valley, along with an accountability survey conducted with the same students, 252 parents whose children were involved in the achievement test, and 31science teachers at grade eight. Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews with 12 purposively selected students and four teachers from four case schools. Schools with higher levels of teachers' accountability tend to show higher science achievement. Teachers' accountability practices vary across schools and lack a systematic approach to monitoring, supporting, communicating, reporting, and collaborating for quality science education. The study found a prominent role of teachers' accountability in increasing students' science achievement. Changes to current practices require improvement in schools' academic abilities. Practices often involve multiple actors, diffusing and institutionalizing new ways of working, creating effective feedback loops, managing required resources, and developing teachers' capacity.