The Emotions Of University Lecturers As Root Causes Of The Brain-Drain in Zimbabwe

A ZJER survey on the job and work experiences of Zimbabwe university lecturers that might have contributed to the country's brain-drain.The views of the emotional experiences of 32 University of Zimbabwe lecturers are explored in this paper with a view to finding out the root causes of brain-drain in Zimbabwe. Interviews based on the lecturers’ emotional experiences and centred around the themes reflecting the extent to which the lecturers found their working environment filled with experiences of distress or of pleasure and the extent to which they felt their professional development was affected by their emotions were conducted. Suggestions on how professional development could address the issues arising in order to allow lecturers to contribute to a fuller emotional commitment to education are made

Secondary education reform in Lesotho and Zimbabwe and the needs of rural girls: Pronouncements, policy and practice

Analysis of the educational needs of rural girls in Lesotho and Zimbabwe suggests a number of shortcomings in the current form of secondary education, and ways in which it might be modified so as to serve this sizeable group of students better. Several of the shortcomings, notably in relation to curricular irrelevance and excessive focus on examinations, have long been recognised, including by politicians. Yet political pronouncements are seldom translated into policy, and even where policy is formulated, reforms are seldom implemented in schools. This paper makes use of interviews with educational decision-makers in the two southern African countries and a range of documentary sources to explore why, despite the considerable differences between the two contexts, much needed educational reforms have been implemented in neither

Zimbabwean Teachers' Concerns Regarding the Implementation of the New Curriculum

This study examines how Zimbabwean primary and secondary school teachers perceive recent developments in curriculum reforms, and the support teachers need in order to implement the curriculum reforms actively and effectively. A questionnaire with 5 stages of concerns, based on the adapted concerns-based adoption model (CBAM) by George, Hall and Stiegelbauer was administered to a convenience sample of 70 experienced primary and secondary school teachers on block release who had come to undertake their bachelor of education and master of education courses at the University of Zimbabwe during the December vacation. Each participant responded to a total of 35 questionnaire items and a summary of their responses was made. This study has shown that teachers generally harbour negative and unconstructive feelings about the new curriculum. These feelings negatively impact their involvement in and commitment to implementing reform. Several issues to be considered for teacher training and support evolved from our analysis of teachers' perceptions of the curriculum reform and its implementation: first, teachers are insufficiently provided with professional development programmes that support curriculum implementation; second, teachers lack opportunities to work through implementation problems and difficulties with peer teachers; and last, contextual and cultural constraints inhibit implementation of curriculum reform. Significant differences in concerns of teachers across years of teaching experience were observed. Based upon these findings, this study makes several suggestions for teacher educators and curriculum policymakers

Back to School: The Quality of Citizenship Education in Harare - An Evaluation of the Implementation of the Citizenship Curriculum at Primary School by Oswell Namasasu

Book ReviewBack to School: The Quality of Citizenship Education in Harare - An Evaluation of the Implementation of the Citizenship Curriculum at Primary School by Oswell NamasasuScholar’s Press (2013); ISBN: 978-3-639-70132-6; pp. 303Reviewed by Professor F. Zindi (Editor-in-Chief, ZJER)“The ideas displayed here can be a matter of dispute” is the aphorism that the reader may want to contemplate before beginning this book, Back to School: The Quality of Citizenship Education in Harare - An Evaluation of the Implementation of the Citizenship Curriculum at Primary School. The challenge delivered by this erudite presentation is so crisply addressed that we must confront the study of Citizenship Education with a clear mind

The Emotions Of University Lecturers As Root Causes Of The Brain-Drain in Zimbabwe

The views of the emotional experiences of 32 University of Zimbabwe lecturers are explored in this paper with a view to finding out the root causes of brain-drain in Zimbabwe. Interviews based on the lecturers’ emotional experiences and centred around the themes reflecting the extent to which the lecturers found their working environment filled with experiences of distress or of pleasure and the extent to which they felt their professional development was affected by their emotions were conducted. Suggestions on how professional development could address the issues arising in order to allow lecturers to contribute to a fuller emotional commitment to education are made

Evaluation of Barriers to the Integration of ICT in Teaching and Learning of Science and Mathematics in Zimbabwe’s Secondary Schools

This article examines the perceived barriers to information and communication technology (ICT) integration in science education. A questionnaire designed to elicit teachers’ feedback was administered among 56 experienced male and female Science and Mathematics teachers within Zimbabwe. Initial results indicate that teachers had a strong desire to integrate ICT into education; but they encountered many barriers.  The major barriers were lack of confidence, lack of competence, lack of electricity, lack of school funding and lack of access to resources.  Recommendations made suggest that ICT resources including software and hardware, effective professional development, sufficient time, and technical support need to be addressed

Father Absence and Anxiety Symptoms in Women: Findings from Masvingo Urban, Zimbabwe

This quantitative study sought to explore the influence of father absence on anxiety symptoms among women who grew up in father absent homes. This was achieved by comparing the anxious feelings, thoughts and physical symptoms of anxiety of women who grew up in father absent households against those of women who grew up with a resident father. The ex post facto design was employed and a one stage cluster sampling strategy was used to select 392 women who participated in this study. Of the 392 participants, 168 were women who had grown up in father absent homes and the remaining 224 had grown up with a resident father. A standardised instrument, the Burns Anxiety Inventory, was used to collect data. This study revealed that father absence influences manifestations of anxiety among women who grew up without fathers. A significant difference was found in the general anxiety levels between women who grew up in father absent households and those who grew up with their fathers (u = 15075.5, p<0.1) with women who emerged from father absent homes expressing more anxiety symptoms than women who grew up with a resident father. Furthermore, father absent women had significantly higher scores on the anxiety inventory on anxious thoughts and physical symptoms of anxiety than women who grew up with their fathers. However, no significant differences were noted between the two groups of women in terms of how they expressed nervousness or worry. This study recommends that voluntary organisations that promote fatherhood programs should be set up to raise awareness on the importance of fathering. Moreover, future research should explore the role of father involvement in children’s lives