Literature suggests that the quality of education has diverse meanings in different contexts. This research aims to discover the perceptions of teachers and parents regarding the quality of primary education in rural Bangladesh. Family and community have important roles to play in child education. This research has also identified family and community factors that affect education quality. The research uses case studies (ethnographic in characteristic) and survey methods. Qualitative data were captured by semi-structured interviews and participant observations. Informants were teachers and parents. Data analysis was done by a process which was borrowed and adapted from the grounded theory approach. Data interpretation was underpinned by concepts derived from human capital and social capital theories. In the quantitative study, data were collected by questionnaire surveys among teachers and parents. The quantitative research findings complement the qualitative findings. The research findings unveiled three dimensions of education quality as perceived by teachers and parents: (a) the acquisition of good results and awarded scholarships, (b) the acquirement of skills, and (c) the development of values and attitudes. Here, (a) and (b) could belong to human capital concepts, and (c) may refer to social capital. The perceptions of teachers and parents are similar. Nonetheless, teachers pay more attention to children’s performance, whereas parents emphasize on their well-being. According to teacher and parent perceptions, the research suggests seven family factors affecting education quality: parental involvement in schools, family involvement in the children’s education at home, family structure, educational status, economic status, parental awareness and concern, parental commitment and family environment. The research reveals that the notion of “rural family roles” would be along the lines of a “co-institution of the school”, by means of the parents and family getting involved in the children’s education both at school and at home. In terms of the community factors, six factors that affect the quality of education, as perceived by teachers are: community involvement in the school, relationship between the community and school, community support and cooperation, values, willingness to become involved in the schools, its economic status and environment. Regarding the perceptions of the parents, the research identified five factors: financial position and environment, educational status, communication and support given to schools, community child care, as well as unity and cooperation among community people. The research also suggests that the notion of “rural community roles” would tend to be thought of as “doing something for the children”. There is also an ecological balance in the relations between the community and school. The research suggests that the human capital and social capital of the family, community and children reinforce each other in a reproductive loop. That means the human and social capital of family and community play a role in the creation of the human and social capitals of the children (quality education), and vice-versa. These observations on education quality add a new horizon to the knowledge base of primary education, and one that may contribute to policy-making and facilitate further research. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Master's thesis. / Format: PDF. Bibl.

The goal of this exploratory research project is to gather data on head teachers’ leadership perceptions and practices, so that educational researchers, government officials and head teachers themselves have a better understanding of leadership and management in Bangladeshi high schools. Such data is critical for gaining a better understanding of leadership in Bangladesh and for future head teacher development and school improvement. Leaders can play a very important role in improving teaching and learning in schools. Many Western countries are interested in the power of leadership to generate and sustain school improvement. Bangladeshi schools strive to improve, to develop effective teaching and raise the achievement of students. Much depends on the vision and practices of the head teachers who lead the schools. This study explores the leadership concepts, styles, trends and current practices of the head teachers in four Bangladeshi private secondary schools both in rural and urban areas. Findings of this study show that Bangladeshi school leaders have vision for school improvement. They lead their schools with managerial and democratic styles of leadership. They work for professional development inside the school with a view to improve the teaching and learning process. Students’ achievement is their ultimate goal. They work under pressure with their skill of handling different kinds of adverse situation like bureaucratic complex, political influence, and shortage of human and physical resources. The methodology of this research is qualitative and the methods used for data gathering were interviews and focus group discussions. Four schools from Sirajganj, a district which is approximately one hundred kilometres away from the capital city, provided the sample. Four head teachers participated in interviews and were invited to meet together to take part in a focus group discussion about their leadership practices.

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