Articles, Conference and Workshop Papers Collection

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://10.10.97.169:4000/handle/123456789/4018

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Browsing Articles, Conference and Workshop Papers Collection by Author "Makwinya, Noel Mark"

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    Are school leaders in Tanzania effective in fostering instructional change? Unveiling this black box from the feedback perspective
    (European open science publishing, 2022) Makwinya, Noel Mark
    Feedback is among the most powerful influences on learning a new skill. Surprisingly, very little attention has been given to studying this issue in relation to interactions between school leaders and frontline teachers particularly during the adoption of educational changes. This qualitative study provides findings on feedback provided to teachers by school leaders in relation to the adoption of a new Tanzanian curriculum. The data were collected from teachers and leaders in three schools using document reviews and individual interviews, and were processed through thematic analysis. Findings revealed various technical issues with regard to feedback method, timing, and quality. Factors that influenced these and their likely influences on the professional growth of the teachers are discussed within the context of reviewed literature. Recommendations for policy and practice are provided.
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    The constraints of linking instructional methods to learners’ real-life settings in the context of resources scarcity
    (AkiNiki Publications New Delhi, India, 2021) Lupeja, Thabita Lameck; Makwinya, Noel Mark
    According to the Tanzania educational policy, formal education should be useful and applicable to learners’ real-life settings. In this sense, classroom instructional approaches should have the power to enhance the acquisition of real-life related skills and knowledge. It is for this reason Tanzania reformed its secondary school curriculum in 2005 from the one that focused on the mastery of subject contents to the one that enhances acquisition of competences among students. For this change to materialise, the new Tanzanian secondary school curriculum emphasizes the use of inquiry and student-centred pedagogies such as problem-based, demonstrations, hands-on activities and conducting real-life related projects. This study assessed the extent to which teachers employed these methods in their classrooms. Data were collected using semi-structured one-on-one interview involving sixty Agricultural Sciences, Biology and Civics teachers, and ten academic teachers. Besides, focused group discussion was conducted with teachers to discern the linkage between classroom instructional approaches to learners’ real-life settings. The study shows the disjunction between the policy and practice due to resources scarcity. The inadequacy of both human and physical resources appeared to be the main setbacks for teachers to practice instructional methods that could enable learners to acquire real-life knowledge and skills. The scarcity of human resources appeared to be a big issue because teachers were also incompetent in both content and pedagogical knowledge. The study recommends the concerned stakeholders allocate adequate and necessary instructional resources for teachers to practice teaching methods that could inculcate skills applicable to students’ life.
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    Every child: In school and in class, every day and on time
    (CONSORTIA ACADEMIA, 2017) Makwinya, Noel Mark
    Links between truancy and academic performance have been well established in research. As such, different measures have been employed to combat truancy across the world. Despite these struggles, current data accessed from different parts of the world show this problem to continue at different degrees. The objectives of the present research were twofold: First, to explore whether the number of students whose truancy is limited to part of the school day is less than those who miss the whole day. Secondly, the study aimed to study the practices of school-administrators in monitoring students’ school-attendance and their impact on combating truancy. The results showed that: (i) there are truants of different types: those who miss whole school-day, those who miss some sessions and those who practice both types, (ii) school administrators rely on the same strategy of monitoring students’ school-attendance regardless of the truancy-style that is predominant, (iii) in average, whole-day truants perform lower that those who missed part of the day; and, (iv) the prolonged use of the same strategies in monitoring truancy, especially if it is well-known by students has; and, (iv) the use of general and one strategy of monitoring truancy has little impact on schools’ struggles to combat truancy. The study recommended educational experts and other stakeholders to categorize truants in their records, and use unique strategies to control different categories of truants.