Community participation in curriculum implementation in Zimbabwean primary schools

Allowing communities to become integral players in curriculum implementation conversation has not been taken seriously by academics and the educational leaders. Generally, there is a growing realisation in academic circles that knowledge and skills in primary school education cannot be solely owned by school heads and teachers for effective curriculum implementation to be realised. School heads and teachers need pedagogical support from members of the community around their primary schools who have the knowledge and skills that teachers can make use of in teaching and learning. Current curriculum implementation practices have seen community members as peripheral players whose knowledge and skills are of diminished value. The purpose of this study was to explore how community members’ knowledge and skills could be harnessed in curriculum implementation at primary school level in Zimbabwe’s Chivi district of Masvingo. The notion was to grow a partnership between community members, school heads and teachers. The study was informed by the Social Capital Theory, a theory devoted to the establishment of social networks, links and social relations among individuals and groups for the realisation of new ways of co-operation. The qualitative case study design was employed, where individual interviews, focus group discussions and open-ended questionnaires were the data-collection instruments. Four rural primary schools with their respective school heads, were randomly selected to participate in the study. Twenty teachers, two traditional leaders, two church leaders, two business people and eight parents comprised the purposefully selected participants. The study findings indicated that community members and the school community have not meaningfully engaged each other in curriculum implementation. The barriers to a successful relationship included: the language of education, feelings of inadequacy, time constraints, and the polarised political environment. Evaluated against the social capital theory, participants appreciated the need for partnerships in curriculum implementation for shared resources, knowledge and skills for the benefit of the learners. The study recommends a rethink by school heads, teachers and community members, aided by government policy to create space for community contribution in curriculum implementation.Curriculum and Instructional StudiesD. Ed. (Curriculum Studies

The interface between in-service teacher development and classroom teaching and learning in Zimbabwean primary schools

Primary school teaching and learning, and indeed the whole teaching profession continue to be shaped by the ever – changing knowledge economy and global educational trends. To this end, professional teacher development in Zimbabwean primary schools has become an important focus area in terms of how it can facilitate and contribute to effective teaching and learning in line with the new educational developments. There is consensus among primary school stakeholders that the success of teaching and learning is dependent on promoting an efficient and student - needs driven in – service programme. The purpose of the study was to explore the influence of the university B.Ed (primary) in – service teacher development programme in its mandate to fulfill the critical function to develop primary school teachers with knowledge, skills and competencies for the Zimbabwean primary education system. The imperative has been for the university in – service programme to offer competences and skills that are needed by primary school teachers and for these teachers to upgrade and update their skills for effective teaching and student learning. The theoretical approach that informed the study was Vygotsky’s Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) with its main perspective being that knowledge is socially constructed and takes place in real contexts. The study ontology was interpretivism in which the qualitative single case study design was employed. The data were collected through semi - structured interviews with the Chairperson and five lecturers of the Curriculum Studies Department and focus group discussion in respect of ten B.Ed (primary) in – service student teachers. The participants were purposefully sampled taking into account their knowledge and experience with the in – service programme and primary school teaching - learning contexts. The study found that the B.Ed (primary) in – service programme had minimal influence on primary school teachers’ teaching and learning needs. The programme had not fully addressed the primary school teachers’ expectations in terms of imparting knowledge and skills useful for classroom teaching and learning. One of the major contributory factors was that there were curriculum design frailties of the programme which were as a result of lack of dialogue, engagement and consultation between and among important primary school education stakeholders especially in – service teachers. As a result, the programme had not adequately raised the teachers’ knowledge and skills in the critical areas of their practice, yet this was the core function of the programme. From the findings, the study recommends that the University sets up a strong Curriculum Development Department funded and staffed with experts in research and curriculum design and development. These should manage the designing and preparation of curriculum documents by involving primary school stakeholders, especially primary school teachers.Curriculum and Instructional StudiesPh. D. (Curriculum and Instructional Studies

African Linguistics in Central and Eastern Europe, and in the Nordic Countries

Non peer reviewe

Language endangerment and language documentation in Africa

Non peer reviewe

Using mother tongue as a medium of instruction in the teaching of mathematics in the Zimbabwean junior primary schools: Desirable or feasible?

The use of mother tongue as a medium of instruction debate has been on the cards fora long time now in Zimbabwe but has never had any genuine implementation commitment from the policy makers. The study focuses on language use and challenges teachers and pupils face in the classroom in their attempt to use mother tongue in the teaching and learning of mathematics at junior primary level. The study sample comprised 32 teachers from Masvingo urban primary schools, 32 of their lessons were observed and learners from these classes participated in the study. Observation protocol and a structured questionnaire were the data collection instruments. The research found out that the use of mother tongue in teaching mathematics may not be achieved soon. Consultations with relevant stakeholders, attitude change and resource production and mobilisation are among some of the many issues militating against the use of mother tongue as a medium of instruction in mathematics. One of the major recommendation was to have an all stakeholder conference, comprising politicians, academics , language experts, representatives from countries where mother tongue tuition has been successfully implemented in educational settings; teachers and parents to openly debate the feasibility of using mother tongue as a medium of instruction in education in general. Mathematics would obviously benefit from such a conference.

An exploration of the factors that lead to the successful employment of people with intellectual disabilities

Employment is an important aspect of being a participating and valued member of the community. The term social inclusion is commonly used to describe the need to incorporate people with intellectual disabilities in different facets of the community, including employment. This research examines how six people with intellectual disabilities (ID), who are supported by IDEA Services Ltd in South East Auckland, with shared similarities, have fared differently in mainstream employment. Three of the people were successful in obtaining and keeping jobs, while the other three were unsuccessful. A strength-based approach is used to demonstrate the fact that, given the right environment and support, there could be a possibility of more people with intellectual disabilities succeeding in the mainstream employment sector. Literature shows how different models have been used historically, in working to gain employment for people with ID and how currently there are some models, both internationally and nationally, which appear to be working well. The concept of social role valorisation (SRV) as an aspect of normalization is taken into consideration when looking at inclusion with ID, from the historical perspective. Though it has its limitations, SRV is important in that it emphasizes the fact that people with ID should not stand out, but be given as much opportunity as possible, to participate as the rest of the members of society who do not have a disability. It also stresses the importance of training people with disability, to give them skills that help them to fit into the community. An important aspect from literature is how the social model plays a vital role for people with intellectual disabilities in getting and keeping jobs. Two international and one local successful model are used as examples of what has been done to give people with ID a chance in the employment sector. There are specific characteristics that the models possess, which have made them successful in helping the people to obtain and maintain employment. However, possibly both internationally and locally, there is more that needs to be done to get more people with ID into employment. The transformative emancipatory paradigm as part of the methodology, takes centre stage in this research because of its focus on social justice. A mixed methods approach is used, which includes a focus group and semi structured interviews, which are qualitative. At the same time, it makes use of a quantitative survey assessment. The focus group is made up of the six participants with ID, while the semi-structured interviews encompassed the support network of the people with intellectual disabilities, including the employers. The main tool for quantitative data collection was the Supported Independent Living Assessment adapted from Australia and adjusted to suit the New Zealand context. Government policies, including international conventions like the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with a Disability and IDEA Services policies are also examined in terms oftheir role in the employment of people with intellectual disabilities. A non-random, purposive quota sampling method was used to select the participants with intellectual disabilities. This gave an opportunity to acquire an information rich sample, which was diverse enough to give the research validity. The study shows how the three people with intellectual disabilities have been able to obtain and keep jobs. It examines the environmental factors and the personal attributes of the people, and the role these have played in their success in the employment sector. On the other hand, it also examines the possible causes for the other group of three participants with ID not being able to have the same kind of success. The role each factor has had on those who have been successful and those who have not, is examined to see how it may be replicated for the successful cases or enhanced for those who have not been successful. In addition to that, the personal characteristics of the participants from the two groups are also examined to see the role they play in their success or lack of success

Unpacking Continuous Assessment: Teacher Knowledge and Attitudes in Zimbabwe Rural Secondary Schools

The paper explores the implementation of continuous assessment in the context of teacher knowledge and attitudes in Zimbabwean rural secondary schools. Continuous assessment is a new curriculum assessment regime in the curriculum reform agenda in Zimbabwe introduced in the 2015 updated curriculum.The study defines continuous assessment as the mechanism where thelearner performs over timeconstitutes the final gradingof the learner.The researchers explain the teacher-related implementation challenges in continuous assessment in rural secondary schools in Zimbabwe. Ten teachers and five secondary school heads from Goromonzi District of Mashonaland East Province in Zimbabwe participated in the study. The five participating heads were conveniently selected, while theten teachers were randomly sampled to participate in the case study.Semi-structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews were used to collect qualitative data on rural teachers’ conceptualisationof continuous assessment and how this had shaped their attitudes towardthe concept. The general finding from the study was that the new assessment regime had empowered the teachers to make critical decisions about the students they teach and allow learners to co-create knowledge relevant to their life contexts.However, their concerns were around the absence of knowledgeable professionals in the area who can cascade and message the correct and accurate information regarding the implementation of the assessment reform.The study further found that this weakness in the implementation chain had resulted in negative attitudes of teachers and school heads. The study recommends that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education revisit the current continuous assessment to takeon board all educational stakeholders’ concerns for effective implementation of the assessment reform