The role of teaching experience in enhancing teachers’ mastery of subject content in secondary schools in Muleba district, Tanzania

This study investigated the role of teaching experience in enhancing teachers’ mastery of subject content in secondary schools in Muleba district in Tanzania. In its specific objectives, the study examined ways in which teaching experience increases teachers’ possession of solid knowledge and skills of the subject content, explored how teaching experience helps teachers in logical planning of the subject content and examined ways in which teaching experience assists teachers in logical presentation of the subject content during the instructional process. The study was guided by a conceptual framework adapted from Iravo (2012). The study employed qualitative research approach informed by multiple case holistic research design. The target population for the study comprised secondary school teachers, heads of secondary schools, the district secondary education officer and the district education quality assurer. The study involved a sample of 44 respondents whereby purposive and quota sampling techniques were used to get the required sample. The study applied semi-structured interviews, observations and documentary review as methods for data collection. Thematic data analysis procedures were used to analyse the research data. The study findings revealed that teaching experience improved teachers’ possession of knowledge and skills of the subject content through improving their knowledge on what students were supposed to learn and how they learned, improving pedagogical skills, promoting creativity and communication skills to teachers. It was also revealed that there are several ways that teaching experience helped secondary school teachers in logical planning of the subject content namely, facilitation of effective designing of schemes of work, improving proper designing of lesson plans, aiding effective preparation of teaching and learning materials and appropriate selection of teaching and learning methods and strategies. The study findings further portrayed that proper sequence and coherence of the lesson, effective management of students’ conflicting issues and challenges in the lessons, effective utilisation of instructional methods and strategies, good clarification of concepts and effective utilisation of teaching aids and assessment tools were the ways through which teaching experience assisted secondary school teachers in logical presentation of the subject content. In view of the major findings established, the study concludes that teaching experience has a positive role towards enhancing secondary school teachers’ mastery of the subject content, specifically on issues related to teachers’ knowledge, skills, logical planning and presentation of the subject content. The study recommends that the MoEST should ensure that teacher trainees are provided with sufficient initial training and teaching practices, and finance in-service professional development training to help in-service teachers to improve teaching experience necessary for mastery of subject content. Lastly, the study recommends that another study should be conducted in other districts or throughout Tanzania for the purpose of making generalization of the findings.