Doctoral Degrees (School of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology Education)
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Browsing Doctoral Degrees (School of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology Education) by Author "Jita, L. C."
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Item Open Access Learning to teach secondary school mathematics from practice: an exploration of the Zimbabwean pre-service teachers’ year-long field experiences(University of the Free State, 2016) Makamure, Chipo; Jita, L. C.𝑬𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉 Previous research in teacher education has examined teaching practice (TP) as an important part of teacher preparation. Accordingly, a number of Zimbabwean researchers have also focused on teaching practice in order to explore its influence on ‘learning to teach’ generally. In mathematics education, the focus on TP partly reflects the belief that ‘learning to teach’ mathematics without practice would be difficult, if not impossible. Despite the importance that is attached to mathematics as a subject and teaching practice as playing a pivotal role in the improvement of mathematics teaching, pre-service teachers’ training has not been helpful in addressing performance deficits in secondary school mathematics. Student achievement in mathematics has remained low in Zimbabwe and across the world. In search of possible solutions to this challenge of poor performance in mathematics, the present study explored the significance and possible contribution of teaching practice to teacher knowledge and expertise which are required to improve secondary school mathematics in Zimbabwe. A mixed methods research approach, based on a sequential explanatory design, was selected for the study. Pre-service teachers and school-based mentors answered questionnaires and focus group interviews. At the same time, college supervisors participated in semi-structured interviews on the connections between pre-service teachers’ expectations and experiences of TP. The first set of findings from the study suggests that before going on TP, pre-service teachers have positive, but perhaps exaggerated, expectations about teaching mathematics and these expectations seem to affect the way they teach in the classroom during TP. The study thus recommends that teacher education needs to address these expectations more directly prior to school placement. The second set of findings point to the apparent discord between the mathematics content that is taught to pre-service teachers during teacher preparation and what they are expected to teach in schools during TP. A better alignment between the college mathematics curriculum and the school curriculum is suggested. This does not mean teaching the high school curriculum in college, but points to the need to align topics and/or themes between the two sets of curricula. Thirdly, the study uncovered a disturbing imbalance between the focus on content knowledge (CK) on the one hand and the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and curriculum knowledge on the other. It is therefore suggested that for effective mathematics teaching during TP, the development of mathematics teachers needs to be approached in a holistic manner where content knowledge (CK), pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and curriculum knowledge are integrated deliberately during teacher preparation. Finally, the findings suggest that there is a difference between pre-service teachers’ expectations before TP and their experiences during TP. The pre-service teachers’ struggle with the transfer of learned skills into classroom practice and the variable quality of the school-based mentorship practices by supervisors explain much of the differences between the expectations and actual experiences. A review of the college syllabus to include more mathematics pedagogy is thus called for, together with a more robust training programme for school and college-based supervisors, in addition to improved incentives for school-based supervision. In conclusion, the current study re-affirms the importance of teaching practice in teacher education in Zimbabwe, as it is in other countries. Teaching practice provides opportunities for mathematics pre-service teachers to spend time in real classrooms and ‘learn to teach’ from experience. However, the study has also established that teaching practice is not just about the time spent in the field, but more about the development of skills and competences for effective teaching and application of principles studied to teach and to bring about change in practice.Item Open Access Middle management and instructional leadership: a case study of natural sciences’ heads of department in the Gauteng Province(University of the Free State, 2016-02) Malinga, Cynthia Baxolile Balamlile; Jita, L. C.𝑬𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉 Natural Sciences (NS) Heads of Department (HODs) in schools often find themselves in the middle, shuttling between a role in the management of the school and another as ordinary classroom teachers. This is in addition to their role as subject leaders, a role which is made even more complex by the fact that NS is a conglomerate subject which brings together at least four science disciplines, each with its own disciplinary culture and expectations. Leading such a multidisciplinary subject department requires, among others, competence in each of the sub-disciplines and how to teach them effectively together with the ability to provide support and guidance to other members of the department by setting and monitoring standards of performance in the classrooms. This is a tall order for many HODs under the best of circumstances. The history of under-privilege in many South African schools and the relatively weak subject matter competence among many of the science teachers and HODs makes this even more complicated. How do NS HODs in South Africa negotiate their roles as middle managers to provide effective instructional leadership in their subject departments? Furthermore, what is their capacity to provide such subject leadership and how can it be enhanced? The study uses a mixed methods research approach with questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and observation of subject department meetings as data sources to understand the realities of providing subject leadership for NS in selected schools within the Gauteng province of South Africa. The findings are reported in five articles that address different research questions. The first article explores the ways in which HODs in South Africa provide instructional leadership for NS specifically. The second article examines the nature and quality of support and guidance that the HODs receive from their principals and the subject advisors in respect of the multidimensional roles as subject leaders and middle managers. The third article provides a comparative perspective of instructional leadership for NS among six formerly segregated schools in the Gauteng province. The fourth article examines the perceptions of the NS teachers on the quality of instructional leadership provided by the science HODs. The final article discusses the issue of “capacity to lead” and examines the possibilities and opportunities for enhancing the capacities of the NS HODs. The first set of findings suggests that most science HODs do not teach NS and/or do not have the instructional experience needed for all the sub-disciplines under their leadership. Some are not adequately qualified to teach NS at all and/or do not have the subject matter competency, the Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), or the professional credibility to lead NS instruction. As a result, they often resort to monitoring instruction through desk-top reviews of teachers’ and students’ work rather than conduct any meaningful classroom observations or spend time discussing curriculum issues with the teachers. This limits their capacity to provide effective instructional leadership. The second set of findings have to do with the conglomerate arrangement of the science departments in the schools, which makes it difficult for science HODs to focus attention on NS relative to the other subjects in the mix. As a result, the NS teachers feel marginalised and are overshadowed by the senior secondary subject teachers, whose subjects receive more attention because of their prominence in the Grade 12 national examinations. The third set of findings uncovered the rather weak position of the science HODs as middle managers within the overall leadership hierarchy of the school. By virtue of their position within the school leadership hierarchy, the science HODs do not have much of a say on who gets allocated to teach NS, how the subjects are grouped within the science departments and how time is allocated and/or protected for subject meetings and professional development of teachers. The fourth set of findings unpack the observation that subject advisors and other district support officials often choose to work directly with the NS teachers in providing professional development and/or curriculum support on the new Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) with no similar support for the HODs specifically. While the HODs benefit from such support by the district, the benefits relate more to their roles as teachers rather than as subject leaders. The final set of findings show that neither the school leadership teams nor the district offices engage in any periodic reviews of the school-based subject leadership structures and practices to determine their effectiveness, thereby limiting the possibilities and opportunities for enhancement of subject leadership at the school level. The study concludes with a discussion of the complexities of leading NS departments within the current school contexts and configurations. Firstly, the requirements for multi-disciplinary expertise and competency in all of them represent a tall order for many HODs. Secondly, the current allocation of NS teachers by school leaders does not carefully consider their specialisation and that of the HODs who are expected to provide support for improved instruction. Thirdly, the success of the science HODs in supporting instruction depends on how the school arranges its systems and infrastructure to support instruction and its improvement in each subject. Lastly, the capacity of science HODs to provide effective instruction leadership is compromised by their middle management position, which provides neither the time and resources nor the required authority for such subject leadership. The study recommends a review of the structures and practices for subject leadership in schools in order to provide the time, resources and authority for HODs to improve their capacity to lead. School leaders and district officers need to re-examine their criteria and processes for allocation of both the NS teachers and the HODs in order to foster subject competence and better leadership. Furthermore, subject specific training and support in the NS sub-disciplines, especially the physical sciences strands, is required for science teachers and their HODs. Finally, the relationship between HODs and subject advisors needs to be strengthened by forming a professional learning community (PLC) for these subject leaders in order to enhance the capacity to lead NS in schools. ___________________________________________________________________