Browsing by Author "Makwinya, Noel Mark"
Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
- Results Per Page
- Sort Options
Item 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 MarkFeedback 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.Item 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 MarkAccording 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.Item Every child: In school and in class, every day and on time(CONSORTIA ACADEMIA, 2017) Makwinya, Noel MarkLinks 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.Item Managing science teachers’ adoption of the 2005 Tanzanian Inquiry and Student-centred curriculum: revealing schoolbased leaders’ practices and achievements(Edith Cowan University, 2020) Makwinya, Noel MarkMany countries have made considerable changes to their education systems in response to the forces of globalisation. Tanzania is no exception. The most recent educational change attempt in Tanzania relates to the introduction of the 2005 Tanzanian Inquiry and Student- Centred Curriculum. Sound change-leadership is a necessary condition for the realisation of change, particularly in influencing its adoption. Within the descriptive qualitative research paradigm, this study employed a Type IV (embedded and multiple) case-study design to examine and describe science teachers’ lived experiences in dealing with this latest Tanzanian curriculum and the role played by school-based leaders in influencing such experiences. The study was carried out in three case-study schools. Data regarding change leadership were collected from both teachers and school leaders by means of personal interviews, observations, and document reviews. Data regarding science teachers’ levels of adoption of this curriculum and related concerns, all of which helped to gauge the effectiveness of change-adoption leadership provided by School-Based Leaders, were collected using semi-structured interviews and a Stage of Concern Questionnaire and were triangulated through document reviews and in- class observations. The findings show that school-based leaders in all case-study schools guided adoption of change primarily using authoritarian strategies. Nevertheless, there was some evidence to suggest that school-based leaders in the high performing and the medium performing case- study schools tended to employ additional strategies that inclined towards collective and empowering leadership approaches. This difference appeared to covary with the science teachers’ levels of use of this curriculum and their concerns about it in the three case-study schools. Adoption challenges and those affecting leadership of change are also detailed. These findings extend the ongoing academic discussion about the leadership of adoption of educational changes in schools. The understanding of pedagogical change gained through this study has implications for both policy and practice, and these are discussed in the last chapter. Leaders of these and other schools in equivalent contexts may use findings of this study to reflect upon their change-leadership practices in schools and improve the way they enhance pedagogical transformations and the professional development of their teachers.Item Teachers’ pedagogical competence in dealing with Teaching aids in Tanzania: a case of a few finalist Pre-service Science-teachers(Asia-pacific publishers, 2021) Makwinya, Noel MarkThe value of teaching aids in the process of teaching sciences cannot be overstated. The capacity of finalist university pre-service science teachers to incorporate teaching aids into their science classrooms to open up the potential of bringing about the critical features of an intended object into realisation is evaluated in this study. Observations and document reviews were used as data collecting techniques in this descriptive study, and they were used to investigate only 25 student- teachers during their final teaching practice placement. Evidence suggested that the study participants’ ability to select or design teaching aids was low as most of the materials they employed had didactic, structural, and technical concerns. Importantly, the study participants demonstrated significant difficulties in unpacking instructional materials during the science lessons. The study recommended various measures for policy and practice regarding both science teacher- education and science teaching process.