Tutor's and student teachers' reactions to discovery methods in diploma colleges of education: a case study of Morogoro and Dar es salaam colleges
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Date
1986
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University of Dar es Salaam
Abstract
The purpose of the study was threefold. Fisrt, to verify with tutors and student-teachers in diploma granting Colleges of Education if discovery methods as pedagogical innovation had not been adopted as previous studies seeped to suggest for our schools and colleges. Two, to find out the extent to which partial or total non-adoption of them could in the views of these implementors of the innovation be attributed to inadequate theoretical and practical understanding of the novel methods, to the demanding nature of the methods in terms of tutors time and motivation and of availability of teaching-learning materials. Three, to find out in the light above, what tutors and student-teachers felt about the future of the innovation so as to serve as a feedback to the Ministry of Education regarding how to handle this and perhaps other educational innovations in the future. The sample population involved in the study included 225 student-teachers and 50 tutors from Morogoro and Dar es Salaam College of Education. The study utilised four research techniques. First, the questionnaire technique which was used to get data from bath tutors and student-teachers. Second, classroom observation followed by interviews for tutors teaching Educational Foundations Course (Malezi ya Taifa) and Geography methods. Third, review of documents including college reports on syllabi and teaching practice reports. The findings based on the two colleges of education revealed that lecture method or teacher-centred methods were still being used in colleges and that discovery methods were far from being fully adopted in practice. However, the reasons for the non-adoption was not a lack of theoretical understanding about the methods, for indeed both tutors and student teachers had a very clear conception about them. Rather the reasons included poor practical understanding about discovery methods right from their days of college training which emphasized more on the theoretical than practical aspects of education. It was further found out that during the training of the student-teachers in colleges, a lot of emphasis was also put on the theoretical aspect of the course and little on practice. Another reason for the non-adoption was the demanding nature of the methods in terms of tutors' motivation and time available for syllabi covering. And, lastly, the availability of appropriate equipment and teaching-learning materials which should help to engage learners actively. Yet, in the tutors' view all these were lacking. Third finding of the study was that the future of the innovation of discovery methods was considered bright provided that tutors would be given incentives to work; the number of tutors in colleges of education would be increased to reduce overloady; teacher-education syllabi would be made more practical and time far their coverage would be increased, the Ministry of Education solicited and used feedback from tutors in the innovation; and the Ministry rnade sure that colleges were equipped adequately with equipment and materials which those novel methods demanded. From these findings it was concluded and recommended that there was need to involve tutors in the innovation from the point of its conceptualization to its implementation. It was also recommended that the Ministry of Education should hold seminars and inservice courses for tutors at least after every two years. It was further recommended that the Ministry of Education should motivate tutors in -their teaching by giving them educational study tours, accelerated promotion and small dividends over and above their salaries. The study further recommended that tutorallocation in colleges should be made according to specific requirements of colleges, To effect this properly, the Ministry of Education should consult the Principals of the colleges. Finally, it was recommended that the Ministry of Education should revise the teacher education syllabi to make them more practical. For further research, the study recommended a similar study which would cover other colleges of education and other subjects to see if their views about discovery methods are the same as these found in this study. And finally to study more educational innovations.
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Available in print form
Keywords
Teachers, Attitudes, Teachers Colleges, Tanzania, Training of,
Citation
Kotta, M. N (1986) Tutor's and student teachers' reactions to discovery methods in diploma colleges of education: a case study of Morogoro and Dar es salaam colleges, masters dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam. Available at (http://41.86.178.3/internetserver3.1.2/detail.aspx)