Technology: the perceptions of teachers and students and its place in the secondary school science curriculum in Tanzania

Technology is an all pervasive feature of modern society and it is important that all people should be aware of both its economic and social effects. People of today and of tomorrow involved in the moulding of technology, play a key role in solving or resolving human problems. The two form an empowering force in the process of national development through technology. Before they are given the task, we need to find out if they have the potential to contribute to the developmental process. This study therefore attemps to find out what secondary school teachers’ and students’ perceptions of technology are. It also aims to discover the place of technology in the science curriculum. Adequate perception of technology is considered necessary for creating technology awareness and readiness in adopting a problem solving strategy. The study consists of two sections. The first presents world-wide concerns of science education and the strategies adopted in overcoming some of these concerns, i.e. incorporation of technology education. A similar framework tracks down trends and the reaction of the Tanzanian Government to such concerns. These are reflected to the government’s NSPTPT sectoral objectives. Following this overview the study commences with an examination of the field study and closes with a conclusion of findings of the first section. The second section focuses on the research data itself. This was conducted in 10 Dar es Salaam Secondary Schools. The sample population was 201 students and 50 teachers. These represent a wide diversity of social, economic and ethnic groupings across the Tanzania mainland. To elicit independent responses, paper and pencil instruments were considered to be an appropriate method for data collection. This was designed to find out the respondents’ experience in technology in their everyday life in the community, and their experience of the learningand teaching process. The replies were expected to lead to establishing teachers’ and students’ perceptions of the subject matter of technology and its place in the science curriculum. The questionnaires were distributed and collected to/from schools by hand to encourage a reply. The return of the student questionnaire was 100 percent and all were valid. However, those of teachers were only 54 percent. These replies were entered onto a data base for analysis. This data provided a wealth of quantitative and qualitative information in the areas of research. The study concludes with both a qualitative and quantitative appraisal of teachers’ and pupils’ perceptions using a world-wide view of technology as a criteria for reference. Future, alternative strategies are also suggested.