Stakeholders’ perceptions of the quality of education in rural schools in Kazakhstan

Tajik, Mir Afzal; Shamatov, Duishon; Fillipova, Lyudmila

doi:10.1177/13654802211031088

Cited by 12 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…This design allows for studying a wide range of variables, gathering a large amount of data, and comparing variables across locations (Mujis, 2004). The selected design was deemed a cost-effective and efficient method for gathering the perspectives and experiences of a large number of school leaders in a short time frame (Sue & Ritter, 2012).…”

Section: Research Questions and Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The majority of schools are rural (71%) and enroll 1.3 million students, while only 29% of schools are in urban locations, serving about 1.4 million students (Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Bureau of National Statistics, 2022b). Rural schools are under-resourced and lack qualified teachers and effective leadership (Ozawa et al, Tajik et al, 2022). Urban students outperform rural students in the Unified National Test (UNT), an external examination taken at the end of secondary education, which determines students’ enrolment in university and state grants (Chankseliani et al, 2020), as well as in international assessments (OECD and United Nations Children’s Fund, 2021).…”

Section: Country Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Efforts to transition from traditional to westernized leadership practices are hindered by the hierarchical education system, restricting the implementation of distributed and collegial leadership styles (Yakavets, 2017). School leaders in Kazakhstan are primarily focused on daily operational tasks, discipline enforcement, and compliance with rules, emphasizing outcomes over processes (Tajik et al, 2022). The competitive educational landscape in Kazakhstan, where school funding is tied to student performance, contributes to the emphasis on classroom inspections and results (Tajik et al, 2022).…”

Section: School Leadership Practices In Kazakhstan: Pre-and Post-covi...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Leading Schools During a Global Crisis: Kazakhstani School Leaders’ Perspectives and Practices

Durrani,

Makhmetova,

Kadyr

et al. 2024

Sage Open

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This paper comprehensively examines how school leaders in Kazakhstan managed schools during the COVID-19 school closures. An online survey was conducted with 1,298 school leaders, representing 17.5% of all Kazakhstani schools. Anchored in the concept of crisis leadership, the instrument measured school leaders’ views regarding teachers’ digital competence, their support toward teachers in digital pedagogy, as well as their practices in communicating with parents and teacher autonomy and monitoring. The results of bivariate tests indicate that a significant proportion of schools offered teachers online professional development opportunities to improve their digital instruction, with school location and size influencing the level of training in digital pedagogy received by teachers. Notably, school leaders’ confidence in their teachers’ ability to teach effectively online increased significantly after receiving training in digital pedagogy. School leaders also maintained regular communication with parents, but this increased their workload, particularly for women and urban school leaders. Most school leaders allowed teachers to choose online platforms and revise curriculum content, while also monitoring teachers’ attendance and observing online lessons. These practices varied based on the school’s medium of instruction. This study significantly contributes to crisis leadership by examining practices during school closures in addressing teachers’ digital competence, communication challenges, and teacher autonomy, with insights on variations by school type, location, and leaders’ gender. The study’s findings have significant implications for post-pandemic school leadership, emphasizing equity in professional development opportunities for teachers, effective communication with stakeholders, and striking the right balance between teacher autonomy and monitoring.

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Section: Research Questions and Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Country Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: School Leadership Practices In Kazakhstan: Pre-and Post-covi...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Leading Schools During a Global Crisis: Kazakhstani School Leaders’ Perspectives and Practices

Durrani,

Makhmetova,

Kadyr

et al. 2024

Sage Open

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“…However, school infrastructure, human resources and learning outcomes suggest wide disparities in quality. Rural schools are under-resourced and need more qualified teachers and effective leadership [57]. Rural students underperform compared to urban students in high-stakes national [58] and international assessments [59].…”

Section: The Case Study Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Achieving SDG 4, Equitable Quality Education after COVID-19: Global Evidence and a Case Study of Kazakhstan

Durrani,

Qanay,

Mir

et al. 2023

Sustainability

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This study investigates the impact of two years of emergency distance schooling on achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4—equitable quality education, both globally and in Kazakhstan. The study used a qualitative research design. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 teachers and 30 parents, while focus group discussions (FGDs) were utilised to gather the perspective of 28 students. The conceptual framework developed puts effective pedagogy at the heart of quality distance education, nested within four supportive factors—digital infrastructure; policy guidelines about pedagogy; curriculum and assessments; professional development in digital pedagogy; and the home environment. The study found that distance schooling in Kazakhstan has undermined progress on SDG 4 and worsened inequalities in access to quality education despite the distribution of digital devices to disadvantaged children and teachers. While mainstream public school teachers transitioned to distance school without any systematic preparation, provision of digital resources or clear policy guidelines, schoolteachers at elite public institutions received meticulous guidance and support. Despite later receiving professional development in digital pedagogy and access to digital resources and platforms, public school teachers in rural and deprived urban areas still faced challenges due to fragmented internet connectivity. This limited interactive and communicative pedagogy, particularly in rural and public schools, and hindered teachers’ ability to assess the impact of their teaching on student outcomes. Policy initiatives failed to mitigate disadvantages in the home environment for low-income families, parents with limited education and working parents, especially mothers, who primarily supported homeschooling. Recommendations are offered for adapting education provision and envisioning more robust education quality to achieve SDG 4 and address historical inequities in a post-pandemic world.

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“…These schools are often located in remote areas and have limited resources compared to their urban counterparts (Du Plessis & Mestry, 2019). This shortage of resources manifests in various ways, such as insufficient textbooks, outdated facilities, inadequate technology, and limited extracurricular activities, which also affect the quality of education that students receive and can contribute to low academic performance and limited opportunities for students (Omodan, 2020;Omodan, 2022;Afzal-Tajik et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of Asset-Based Community Development to Transform Rural Schools in South Africa

Omodan¹

2023

IJRCS

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Rural schools worldwide have been categorised as underprivileged and/or under-resourced, characterised by limited resources, teacher shortages, and lack of access to social and educational amenities, among others. This conceptual paper analyses the potential of Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) to transform rural schools. This study is lensed within transformative paradigm as a worldview towards building on a school community's assets, strengths, and resources to promote positive change. The concept of ABCD was presented and analysed using conceptual analysis as a tool to make sense of the ABCD concept and its assumptions which includes community engagement, asset mapping, asset mobilisation, and capacity building. The study presents the assumptions of ABCD vis-à-vis its relationship with schools’ transformation. It argues that ABCD can be a practical approach to address these challenges by empowering rural communities to identify and leverage their strengths and resources to improve education outcomes. The paper concludes by highlighting the potential benefits of ABCD in transforming rural schools, including increased community involvement, improved teacher retention, and enhanced student outcomes.

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Stakeholders’ perceptions of the quality of education in rural schools in Kazakhstan

Cited by 12 publications

References 27 publications

Leading Schools During a Global Crisis: Kazakhstani School Leaders’ Perspectives and Practices

Leading Schools During a Global Crisis: Kazakhstani School Leaders’ Perspectives and Practices

Achieving SDG 4, Equitable Quality Education after COVID-19: Global Evidence and a Case Study of Kazakhstan

Analysis of Asset-Based Community Development to Transform Rural Schools in South Africa

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