Quality of Planning Practices in Early Childhood Education Centres in Ghana: Directors’ Perspectives and Experiences
Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) directors are crucial for sustainable quality ECCD centre management, leading to a focus on efficient 21st.
- Pub. date: June 15, 2024
- Pages: 125-138
- 105 Downloads
- 291 Views
- 0 Citations
Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) directors are crucial for sustainable quality ECCD centre management, leading to a focus on efficient 21st-century practices. Planning principles are essential for managing the complexity of early childhood education services. This paper aimed to explore how ECCD directors plan management activities in their centres in Ghana. The study was conducted in sixteen ECCD centres located in five metropolitan and municipal districts within the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The study involved 20 participants, including directors/head teachers and board members, selected using a purposive sampling strategy. Data were collected through interviews and document reviews. Although evidence from the study showed that ECCD directors put much effort into managing their centres, the study found that ECCD directors experience various challenges concerning applying the basic management principle of planning at their centres. In this article, the authors contend that planning is a crucial management function that sets achievable goals in line with the ECCD centre's vision and provides direction for actions to achieve ECCD goals. In addressing the identified challenges, the researchers developed a systems-based planning framework to guide directors in their planning roles at the ECCD centres.
eccd directors management effectiveness management efficiency management principles planning principles
Keywords: ECCD directors, management effectiveness, management efficiency, management principles, planning principles.
0
References
Acton, K. S. (2021). School leaders as change agents: Do principals have the tools they need? Management in Education, 35(1), 43-51. https://doi.org/10.1177/0892020620927415
Adolfsson, C. H., & Håkansson, J. (2021). Data analysis for school improvement within coupled local school systems: Which data and with what purposes? Leadership and Policy in Schools, 22(3), 714-727. https://doi.org/10.1080/15700763.2021.2010101
Adu-Gyamfi, S., Donkoh, W. J., & Addo, A. A. (2016). Educational reforms in Ghana: Past and present. Journal of Education and Human Development, 5(3), 158-172.
Agih, A. A. (2015). Effective school management and supervision: Imperative for quality education service delivery. An International Multidisciplinary Journal, Ethiopia, 9(3), 62-74. https://doi.org/10.4314/afrrev.v9i3.6
Agra, R. M. (2023). Implementation of school improvement plan (SIP) on the school performance: Basis for enhancement program. International Journal of Research Publications, 124(1), 1264-1274. https://doi.org/10.47119/IJRP1001241520234953
Ahasu, E., Kwao, M., Anim, C., & Zang, P. (2024). Role of community resources in education planning and delivery in Ghana. Acta Educationis Generalis, 14(1), 62-76. https://doi.org/10.2478/atd-2024-0004
Al Ahbabi, N. M. (2019). Key stakeholders’ perceptions about school improvement strategies in UAE. Improving Schools, 22(2), 113-129. https://doi.org/10.1177/1365480218817983
Ali, I. A., & Abdalla, M. S. (2017). Educational management, educational administration and educational leadership: Definitions and general concepts. SAS Journal of Medicine, 3(12), 326-329.
Aryeh-Adjei, A. A. (2021). Community participation in the management of Ghanaian schools. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 10(SI), 79-95. Special Issue: Schooling & Education in Ghana. https://ojed.org/jise
Bohanon, H., Wu, M.-J., Kushki, A., Levesseur, C., Harms, A., Vera, E., Carlson-Sanei, J., & Shriberg, D. (2021). The role of school improvement planning in the implementation of MTSS in secondary schools. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 65(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/1045988X.2021.1908215
Caputo, A., & Rastelli, V. (2014). School improvement plans and student achievement: Preliminary evidence from the Quality and Merit Project in Italy. Improving Schools, 17(1), 72-98. https://doi.org/10.1177/1365480213515800
Carvalho, M., Cabral, I., Verdasca, J., & Alves, J. (2021). What about us? Teachers' participation in schools' strategic action plans. Participatory Educational Research, 8(3), 156-175. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.21.59.8.3
Chukwumah, F. O. (2015). Developing quality strategic plan in secondary schools for successful school improvement. Journal of Education and Practice, 6(21), 136-144.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Sage.
Daft, R. L. (2010). Organization theory and design. Cengage Learning.
Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2018). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research (5th ed.). Sage.
Duke, D. L. (2015). Leadership for low-performing schools: A step-by-step guide to the school turnaround process. Rowman and Littlefield Education.
Dunaway, D. M., Kim, D. H., & Szad, E. R. (2012). Perceptions of the purpose and value of the school improvement plan process. The Educational Forum, 76(2), 158-173. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131725.2011.652490
Garcia, M. A., & Cerado, E. C. (2020). Developing an evidence-based evaluation tool for continuous improvement program of the Department of Education. American Journal of Educational Research, 8(7), 502-507.
Gonzales, M. M., Bickmore, D. L., & Roberts, M. B. (2022). Implementing school improvement plans: Perceptions and implications of aspiring principals for educational leadership programs. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 17(2), 160-180. https://doi.org/10.1177/1942775120964821
Grützmacher, L., Holzer, J., Lüftenegger, M., Schober, B., & Prenzel, M. (2023). The stimulation of school improvement processes: The orientation of development perspectives. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 34(4), 442-462. https://doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2023.2246950
Guzman, J. C. (2022). Stakeholders’ participation in school improvement plan and school performance of secondary schools. International Journal of Arts, Sciences and Education, 3, 51-66. https://bit.ly/3X4cNFG
Kalman, M. (2020). School improvement and contextual factors: A qualitative case study on educators’ perceptions and experiences. Pedagogical Research, 5(4), Article em0083. https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/9134
Karagiorgi, Y., Nicolaidou, M., Yiasemis, C., & Georghiades, P. (2015). Emergent data-driven approaches to school improvement: The journey of three schools through self-evaluation. Improving Schools, 18(1), 69-82. https://doi.org/10.1177/1365480214566914
Koh, G. A., Askell-Williams, H., & Barr, S. (2023). Sustaining school improvement initiatives: advice from educational leaders. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 34(3), 298–330. https://doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2023.2190130
Kools, M., & George, B. (2020). Debate: The learning organization-a key construct linking strategic planning and strategic management. Public Money and Management, 40(4), 262-264. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540962.2020.1727112
Krijnen, E., van Steensel, R., Meeuwisse, M., & Severiens, S. (2022). Aiming for educational partnership between parents and professionals: Shared vision development in a professional learning community. School Community Journal, 32(1), 265-300.
Kwaah, C. Y., & Ampiah, J. G. (2018). Implementation of the School Performance Improvement Plan in Ghana: What lessons can be learned? The Oguaa Educator, 12, 87-108. https://bit.ly/4ehZdVJ
Kwaah, C. Y., & Nishimuko, M. (2023). Improving school quality in junior high schools in Ghana: Teachers’ myth and reality of a decentralization policy. SAGE Open, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231188559
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (2013). The constructivist credo. Left Coast Press.
Mafratoğlu, R., Altinay, F., Koç, A., Dagli, G., & Altinay, Z. (2023). Developing a School Improvement Scale to Transform Education into being Sustainable and Quality Driven. Sage Open, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231157584
Mbogo, R. M., & Mugwe, R. (2023). Stakeholders’ involvement and school leadership for effective implementation of strategic planning. Journal of Research Innovation and Implications in Education, 7(2), 277-286. https://doi.org/10.59765/fa59zan3
Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2015). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. John Wiley & Sons.
Meyer, F., Bendikson, L., & Le Fevre, D. M. (2023). Leading school improvement through goal-setting: Evidence from New Zealand schools. Educational Management Administration and Leadership, 51(2), 365-383. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143220979711
Meyers, C. V., & Hitt, D. H. (2018). Planning for school turnaround in the United States: An analysis of the quality of principal-developed quick wins. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 29(3), 362-382. https://doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2018.1428202
Meyers, C. V., & VanGronigen, B. A. (2019). A lack of authentic school improvement plan development: Evidence of principal satisficing behavior. Journal of Educational Administration, 57(3), 261-278. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-09-2018-0154
Meyers, C. V., & VanGronigen, B. A. (2020). Planning for what? An analysis of root cause quality and content in school improvement plans. Journal of Educational Administration, 59(4), 437-453. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-07-2020-0156
Musingafi, M. C. C., Zebron, S., Kaseke, K. E., & Chaminuka, L. (2014). Applying management theory into practice at secondary school in Zimbabwe: Teachers impressions of classical management functions at Mapakomhere Day Secondary School in Masvingo. European Journal of Business and Management, 6(39), 102-103. https://bit.ly/3wIar4S
Mustafa, L. M., & Pranoto, Y. K. S. (2019). The experience of Kindergarten principals to provide the real similarities and differences of managerial roles in Yogyakarta City. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 9(2), 1078-1086. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v9-i2/5665
O’Brien, S., McNamara, G., O’Hara, J., & Brown, M. (2017). External specialist support for school self-evaluation: Testing a model of support in Irish post-primary schools. Evaluation, 23(1), 61-79. https://doi.org/10.1177/1356389016684248
Pešalj, B., Pavlov, A., & Micheli, P. (2018). The use of management control and performance measurement systems in SMEs: A levers of control perspective. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 38(11), 2169-2191. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-09-2016-0565
Priyambodo, P., & Hasanah, E. (2021). Strategic planning in increasing quality of education. Nidhomul Haq: Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam, 6(1), 109-126. https://doi.org/10.31538/ndh.v6i1.1138
Robbins, S. P., Coulter, M. K., & DeCenzo, D. A. (2020). Fundamentals of management. Pearson.
Schildkamp, K. (2019). Data-based decision-making for school improvement: Research insights and gaps. Educational Research, 61(3), 257-273. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2019.1625716
Strehmel, P. (2016). Leadership in early childhood education – Theoretical and empirical approaches. Journal of Early Childhood Education Research, 5(2), 344-355. https://journal.fi/jecer/article/view/114065
Strunk, K. O., Marsh, J. A., Bush-Mecenas, S. C., & Duque, M. R. (2016). The best laid plans: An examination of school plan quality and implementation in a school improvement initiative. Educational Administration Quarterly, 52(2), 259-309. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X15616864
Theisohn, T., & Lopes, C. (2003). Ownership leadership and transformation: Can we do better for capacity development. Routledge.
Thornton, K., & Cherrington, S. (2014). Leadership in professional learning communities. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 39(3), 94-102. https://doi.org/10.1177/183693911403900312
United Nations Children's Fund. (2023). Countdown to 2030: Country profiles on early childhood development. https://bit.ly/3Kiuhqk
VanGronigen, B. A., Meyers, C. V., Adjei, R. A., Marianno, L., & Charris, L. (2023). The design and characteristics of school improvement plan templates. AERA Open, 9. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584231168378
VanGronigen, B. A., Meyers, C. V., & Hitt, D. H. (2017). A rubric for assessing schools' plans for rapid improvement. Educational Leadership Press.
Wanjala, C. N., & Rarieya, J. F. (2014). Strategic planning in schools in Kenya: Possibilities and challenges. International Studies in Educational Administration, 42(1), 17-30.
Wood, L. M., Sebar, B., & Vecchio, N. (2020). Application of rigour and credibility in qualitative document analysis: Lessons learnt from a case study. The Qualitative Report, 25(2), 456-470. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2020.4240
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). Sage.