A Back-Door Entrance into Teaching Teachers

This paper is based on PhD research that was carried out at the National University of Lesotho’s Faculty of Education. The focus of the study was on the sources and application of professional knowledge among teacher educators. The content of the paper was drawn from the chapter on enactment of professional knowledge. All the research participants entered the teacher educators’ world through the backdoor; that is, some were invited by their teacher educators to work as teaching assistants while others applied to an advertised position. None of them had teaching in higher education credentials, hence back-door claim. Their major source of professional knowledge is experiential. Their professional lives have been shaped by their context. However, practice-based knowledge presents numerous challenges including lack of knowledge of the pedagogy of teaching student teachers and bias towards using transmissive methods of teaching

The Prevalence of and Factors Contributing to Assessment Malpractice at the National University of Lesotho

This article draws its content from a study that investigated the prevalence of and factors contributing to assessment malpractice by students at the National University of Lesotho (NUL) during assessment activities. The study was carried out in response to a general outcry regarding malpractices that abound in all forms of assessments. The main objectives of the study were to investigate the following: the extent to which examination malpractice during assessment activities was a problem at the NUL. Data was collected through the use of questionnaires. Both quantitative and qualitative data were captured and analysed using computer programmes. The study has revealed that assessment malpractice is prevalent at the National University of Lesotho and that a number of factors are contributory to the situation

Perspective Chapter: Lessons from Implementing a Higher Education Program in Lesotho

Recent developments in the Lesotho higher education landscape necessitated a change in this subsector. In particular, the Ministry of Education and Training established the Lesotho Council on Higher Education (CHE) as a regulatory body. Among its achievements, the council legislated that academics teaching in institutions of higher learning undergo professional development. This development coincided with the completion of Lefoka’s PhD thesis. One of the findings of the PhD research is that most higher education teachers do not have professional qualifications for teaching in the subsector. The thesis recommended that higher education teachers should be capacitated for a teaching role. This recommendation motivated the National University of Lesotho to comply with one of the council’s policies by introducing a Post Graduate Diploma in Higher Education (PGD-HE) program. In this chapter, the author uses reflective practice literature to guide the presentation on the implementation of the PGD-HE program. The chapter articulates lessons emerging from the change of initial plan due to disruption by the COVID-19 pandemic. The major change involved the reduction of academic duration and a move from blended teaching to online teaching mode. Based on the lessons learned, this chapter recommends the use of the lessons to improve the offering of the program

Sources and application of professional knowledge amongst teacher educators

In Lesotho, there are no formal opportunities for professional training of teacher educators. Consequently, the majority of teacher educators have not received a training that could equip them with professional knowledge base that is foundational to any profession. Therefore the question: what are the sources and application of professional knowledge among teacher educators appeared justifiable. Arguably, the teacher educators’ professional knowledge is intricately linked to education practice. Teacher educators have to address the discrepancy between education policy and practice through the training of student teachers who, in turn, have to contribute to the quality of the Lesotho education system. An interpretivist approach was followed in undertaking this study. Data was collected through: narratives, observations of teacher educators and analysis of the curriculum and assessment documents. The unit of analysis was eight teacher educators who are based at the National University of Lesotho’s Faculty of Education. Verification of the extent to which the topic was researchable was through undertaking a pilot study with six teacher educators who were based in the department of Educational Foundations in the same faculty. The analysis of the data revealed an immersion in the teacher educators’ professional landscape provides them ample opportunities to learn from an array of experiences. They accumulated experienced-based professional knowledge relevant to their world of work as they learn to teach, construct, apply and model it in the context that is uniquely teacher education. They have learned to teach teachers mainly from existing education practices which perpetuate what already exists. They face numerous challenges; their teaching is biased towards conventional teaching techniques of a transmissive nature and to a less extent interactive techniques; construction of professional knowledge remains a complex and challenging undertaking. Opportunities to construct own teaching research-based knowledge and supervision of student research are limited. In practice teacher educators have to rethink their pedagogy. Engaging in research adopting a “self-study” approach is unavoidable. Research will enhance their professional development and the quality of the student teachers.Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011.Humanities Educationunrestricte

Teaching practicum for secondary school student-teachers: a model for the National University of Lesotho (NUL)

This study takes as its point of departure the need to reform teaching practicum at the National University of Lesotho. It examines the literature devoted to the teaching practicum, identifying and appraising various models for the teaching practicum, and extracting principles for the conduct of the teaching practicum. The principles developed are then applied to the development of a framework for the teaching practicum at the National University of Lesotho. The study recommends a reflective inquiry approach in which student-teachers undertake a supervised teaching practicum and an induction year based upon a combination of Schon's model of a reflective teaching practicum and Zeichner's inquiry oriented teacher education.Education, Faculty ofCurriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department ofGraduat

Oral Health and Psychosocial Predictors of Quality of Life and General Well-Being among Adolescents in Lesotho, Southern Africa

Background: Adolescents’ quality of life is reported to be significantly associated with physical and social wellbeing. Although adolescents are 30% of the Southern African population, no previous studies have focused on this group in relation to oral health and quality of life. Methods: A 40-item survey and clinical oral examinations were conducted in public schools in Maseru from 10 to 25 August 2016. Simple, bivariate, and multivariate regressions were used to evaluate the associations of oral health and psychosocial factors with self-reported general health status and quality of life. Results: A total of 526 participants, aged 12–19 years old, responded to the survey and participated in the clinical examinations. The majority reported a good (good/very good/excellent) quality of life (84%) and general health (81%). Bivariate results showed that self-reported general health in this population was significantly influenced by age. The presence of toothache and sensitivity in the adolescents were significantly associated with poor (fair/poor) self-reported general health and were found to be the best predictors for self-general health and quality of life. Conclusions: The absence of dental conditions such as toothache and tooth sensitivity can lead to a better perception of general health and Quality of Life in adolescents.Dentistry, Faculty ofNon UBCOral Biological and Medical Sciences (OBMS), Department ofReviewedFacult

Oral Health Status and Patterns of Dental Service Utilization of Adolescents in Lesotho, Southern Africa

This study aimed to characterize the best predictors for unmet dental treatment needs and patterns of dental service utilization by adolescents in the Kingdom of Lesotho, Southern Africa. A self-reported 40-item oral health survey was administered, and clinical oral examinations were conducted in public schools in Maseru from August 10 to August 25, 2016. Associations between psychosocial factors with oral health status and dental service utilization were evaluated using simple, bivariate, and multivariate regressions. Five hundred and twenty-six survey responses and examinations were gathered. The mean age of student participants was 16.4 years of age, with a range between 12 and 19 years of age. More than two thirds (68%; n = 355) of participants were female. The majority reported their quality of life (84%) and general health to be good/excellent (81%). While 95% reported that oral health was very important, only 11% reported their personal dental health as excellent. Three percent reported having a regular family dentist, with the majority (85%) receiving dental care in a hospital or medical clinic setting; only 14% had seen a dental professional within the previous two years. The majority of participants did not have dental insurance (78%). Clinical examination revealed tooth decay on 30% of mandibular and maxillary molars; 65% had some form of gingivitis. In multivariate analysis, not having dental education and access to a regular dentist were the strongest predictors of not visiting a dentist within the last year. Our results suggest that access to oral health care is limited in Lesotho. Further patient oral health education and regular dental care may make an impact on this population.Dentistry, Faculty ofNon UBCOral Biological and Medical Sciences (OBMS), Department ofOral Health Sciences (OHS), Department ofReviewedFacult