Teachers’ conceptions of competence based curriculum and its implementation challenges in selected secondary schools in Ilala municipality, Dar es - Salaam - Tanzania

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Date

2021

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Volume Title

Publisher

Sokoine University of Agriculture

Abstract

The study aimed at exploring teacher's conceptions of competence-based curriculum (CBC) and the factors influencing its implementation in public secondary schools in Ilala Municipality Dar es Salaam. Specifically study explored teacher's conceptions of competence-based curriculum, assessed teachers' practices, examined teachers’ challenges and identified strategies used by teachers to address the challenges encountered in the implementation of competence-based curriculum. Case study design was employed, where five public secondary schools, namely Msimbazi, Benjamin Mkapa, Zawadi, Magoza, and Kimanga Secondary School were randomly sampled, and 50 teachers were purposively selected and participated in the face-to-face interviews, observations as well as focus group discussion. The collected data were subjected to thematic analysis, which involved transcription, coding, and constant comparison of emerged themes and subthemes. The findings showed that teachers were aware of the competence-based curriculum but had limited understanding of it, and the teachers’ classroom practices involved a mixture of competence and knowledge-based curricula. Furthermore, large and overcrowded classes, language barrier, insufficient number of science teachers and teaching/learning materials, lack of motivation, in-service training, study tour, and adequate physical facilities were major factors limiting implementation of CBC. The strategies to overcome the challenges included skipping some activities not possible in large and overcrowded classes, providing notes to students, opting to teachers centered approach instead, improvising teaching and learning materials and code-switching English and Kiswahili as language of instruction. The study concludes that teachers have limited conception on CBC, and inadequately implement the CBC in secondary schools. The study recommends that improvement of in services teachers training on CBC and provision of required resources for its proper implementation in secondary schools.

Description

Dissertation

Keywords

Dar es - Salaam – Tanzania, Competence based curriculum, Challenges in secondary schools

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