Indicators of quality education: empirical evidence from students, teachers and parents in Osun State

Abstract

The study gathered empirical evidence of stakeholders' indicators of quality education in Osun State, Nigeria. The study deployed a mixed-method research design. The study examined indicators of quality education, identified by students, teachers, and parents in the state. The population comprised secondary school students, teachers, and parents in the selected state. The sample consisted of 400 students, 186 teachers, and 13 parents. Four Local Government Areas (LGAs) were randomly selected from the 30 LGAs in Osun State; five schools were selected from each LGAs using a convenience sampling technique, totaling 20 schools. Twenty students were selected by purposive sampling to include JSS 1 and 2 and SSS 1 and 2 classes from each of the schools selected. Ten teachers were sampled from each school, while 13 parents of students from the selected schools were reached through voluntary participation as indicated by students. Three instruments were developed for the study; two of which were quantitative (targeting students and teachers), and the third was qualitative (addressing parents). The first instrument was titled "Students' Indicators of Quality Education Checklist"; the second was "Teachers' Indicators of Quality Education Checklist," while the third instrument was named "Parents' Interview Guide on Indicators of Quality Education" The items on the checklists and interview guide were extracted from the literature. The construct validity of the checklists was established by subjecting the items generated to experts' scrutiny. The Content Validity Ratio (CVR) of the instrument was 0.84. The reliability analysis yielded a Cronbach's Alpha of 0.78. The results showed high correlations (r = 0.7, p > 0.05) between standard and students’ ratings. The study concluded that stakeholders' indicators of quality education were valid.