Strengthening Teachers’ Competence For English Language Learning In Secondary Schools In Tanzania

ABSTRACT

The study explored the current challenges in English Language learning in Tanzanian secondary schools and developed a school-based professional development programme (SB-PDP) as an intervention to address the challenges observed. The study began with a baseline study in which the current English Language syllabus for O-level secondary education, schemes of work, and lesson plans which teachers prepare and use during lesson preparations were analyzed. The aim was to establish the main challenges they faced during the teaching and learning process. Based on the findings from the baseline study, SB-PDP, as an intervention to address the challenges were designed, developed and assessed to learn its efficiency. Brunner‟s and Vygotsky‟s learning theories guided the design and development of the competence based activities throughout the stages of the SB-PDP. The action research study design sandwiched in the qualitative ethnographic research approach with some elements of quantitative approach was used. Six (6) teachers and thirty (30) students from three (3) secondary schools who were purposely selected from Dodoma Municipality in Tanzania were involved in the study. Also, three (3) experts from the University of Dodoma (UDOM) were involved in appraising the developed programme. Document analysis, classroom observation, questionnaires and interviews were used to gather data throughout the stages of the study. Thematic data analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyze and interpret the data collected. The respondents‟ voiced statements were also used. The findings of the study revealed that there are limited learning materials and teachers‟ low competences in teaching short stories topic in English subject for Form I students. The findings suggested an intervention to support teachers‟ competences in developing effective materials and conducting competence based lessons in their classrooms. The SB-PDP was then designed, developed and assessed. During the programme, the teachers had an opportunity to discuss about the effective ways to teach the topic and participated in the development of the teaching materials seemed potential for effective learning of short stories topic. The teachers, researcher, and experts from UDOM worked together in practicing and improving the designed materials during the tryout stages of this study. In the assessment stage, the Kirkpatrick levels of assessing the professional development were used to assess the effectiveness of the developed intervention. The findings revealed that the teachers were actively engaged in the SB-PDP and were able to about the learners‟ essential skills and knowledge necessary to teach short story topics effectively. The teachers were able to develop exemplary lessons that were highly appreciated by students during the learning process. Nevertheless, teachers were able to practice the students‟ centered teaching approaches effective for implementation of the current competence based syllabus. It is, therefore, concluded that the developed SB-PDP that involved teachers as a team of professionals in collaboration with the researcher and experts from UDOM in developing and practicing short stories lessons in their classrooms strengthened their competences. The SB-PDP was just enough to remove teachers working in isolation and thereby building professional culture of working together in a professional network which is very important environment for teachers‟ learning.