Kawsar, M (2023) To what extent is Performance Management empowering a better educational experience in the Pakistani secondary school sector? Doctoral thesis, Liverpool John Moores University.

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Abstract

This research explores the ubiquitous role of Performance Management (PM) in enabling a better educational experience in Pakistani secondary education from the perspectives of stakeholders. Pakistan is facing long-standing problems in education in terms of both access and quality of education. Presently, the country has the second highest number of out of school children, while those students enrolled in schools deal with poor learning quality. Due to the increased internal demand for quality education (Aziz et al., 2014) and external pressure for meeting international commitments on education, PM was introduced as a tool to tackle the persistent issues in education (Fancy and Razzaq, 2017; NEP, 2009). This research aims to explore the concept and effectiveness of PM from the perspectives of stakeholders, including school leaders, teachers and education officers in the secondary education of the KPK province of Pakistan.
Drawing on interpretivism as the research philosophy, the study adopts case study methodology. It sought to explore the case “Performance Management” within two units of analysis, two secondary schools in the KPK province. The data collection process involved semi-structured interviews with a total of 31 participants and analysis of relevant documents. The data was analysed using a template analysis procedure.
The findings of the study indicate that participants have understood the purpose of PM introduction into secondary education. They have welcomed it and are optimistic that it would improve the education sector in Pakistan if appropriately followed. To date, there is a significant improvement in visible access-related outcomes like teachers' and students' attendance. However, its influence in improving the learning quality is negligible. This is due to issues in practical implementation and because of the influence of various contextual factors that undermine its applicability in these schools. The whole process in practice is detached from the school’s context and has led to frequent quantitative data collection on indicators that count. Based on the insights from the data, a contextual model has been outlined which, along with other factors, identifies ‘religiosity and leadership’ as essential in determining the effectiveness of PM in these schools. It proposes an emphasis on the developmental aspect of PM for bringing individual and school-level improvement.
The study contributes to the existing knowledge on PM from a developing country and a previously untouched context of secondary education in Pakistan. By identifying different contextual factors that influence the effectiveness of PM, this study has practical implications for policy makers to avoid the dysfunctional behaviour of PM in secondary education and push it towards achieving the desired outcomes in quality and access of education.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Performance Management; Secondary schools, KPK Pakistan; Contextual factors; Leadership
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > HF5001 Business L Education > L Education (General)
Divisions:	Doctoral Management Studies (from Sep 19)
SWORD Depositor:	A Symplectic
Date Deposited:	04 Jul 2023 10:22
Last Modified:	04 Jul 2024 00:50
DOI or ID number:	10.24377/LJMU.t.00020173
Supervisors:	Humphreys, D
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/20173

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