Teacher Education Through Flexible Learning in Africa Journal, Vol. 1 No. 1 (2019)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/79886
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Item Learner support system and academic performance of distance learning students in selected Kenyan public universities(Teacher Education Through Flexible Learning in Africa (TETFLE), 2021) Wambua, Rebecca Mwikali; Gakuu, Christopher; Kidombo, Harriet; Ndege, Speranza; Aluko, Folake Ruth; Nzabalirwa, Wenceslas; rebeccawambua2015@gmail.comDistance learning is a mode of study globally accepted as a tool for enhancing access, equity and quality in education. The Kenyan Government has put in place mechanisms to promote open and distance learning practices in educational institutions. However, there is doubt in Kenya, regarding the quality of academic performance attained by distance learning students. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of learner support systems on the academic performance of distance learning students in selected Kenyan public universities. The study is based on Pragmatism due to its focus on objectivity and the use of scientific methods. Mixed-methods research methodology was adopted for the study. The sample consisted of 847 Bachelor of Education (Arts) distance learning students, 149 lecturers teaching distance learning students, and two (2) administrators in charge of distance learning programmes. The research instruments consisted of questionnaires, interview guides, document analysis and the instrument for measuring academic performance. The findings indicated that a learner support system statistically, significantly and positively influences academic performance of distance learning students, although at a low level (4.9%). However, the findings revealed that guidance and counselling support, which is part of the learner support system, did not significantly influence the academic performance of distance learning students. The study recommends that particular focus should be on the provision of remotely accessible guidance and counselling services since most distance learning students cannot physically access the services which are on campuses.Item Learning activities in the University of Rwanda’s distance teacher education materials: some lessons for designers(Teacher Education Through Flexible Learning in Africa (TETFLE), 2021) Sibomana, Emmanuel; Aluko, Folake Ruth; Nzabalirwa, Wenceslas; esibomana1@gmail.comLearning activities constitute a very important component of distance education materials. They are associated with active learning and learning by doing, which are widely accepted as effective learning approaches. Learning by doing is particularly significant in distance education because distance learners have to teach themselves or learn on their own through doing and reflecting. This article reports and reflects on research which focused on the distance education materials designed by the University of Rwanda’s College of Education to provide professional development opportunities for high school teachers of English in Rwanda. Findings from a textual analysis of the materials and from interviews with a sample of teachers who had used these materials indicate that most of the activities were designed solely for ‘assessment of learning’ purposes and encourage a surface approach to learning. It is argued that activities which encourage a surface approach to learning limit learners’ engagement with, and understanding of, the content in the materials and improvement in quality teaching, a key goal of teacher professional development.Item Editorial(Teacher Education Through Flexible Learning in Africa (TETFLE), 2021) Aluko, Folake Ruth; Nzabalirwa, Wenceslas; Aluko, Folake Ruth; Nzabalirwa, Wenceslas; ruth.aluko@up.ac.zaThe aim of the Distance Education and Teachers’ Training (DETA) biennial conference is to create a platform for African educationists and all those collaboratively working with them on the continent to share knowledge and deliberate on educational issues. The 2017 conference held in Rwanda was no exception as participants met to deliberate on how Africa could get practical about achieving SDG 4 in Teacher Education in Africa. Since 2011, the conference has been publishing its proceedings. Participants toeach conferenceare invited to submit their papers for blind peer review, andreviewers are drawnfrom beyond Africa. Over the years and with fourbiennial editions, participants have come to look forward to the Proceedings due to the rigorous process it goes through and the robust debates it generates. Thus, the conference committee decidedto turn the Proceedingsinto an OER journal. It was thus renamed Teacher Education through Flexible Learning in Africa(TETFLE) with a focus on the developing contexts. Thisis the maiden edition of the journal.The theme of the 2017 conference was Getting practical about Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 in Teacher Education in Africa.Item Guidance and counselling for pupils with special educational needs in Accra, Ghana: implications for inclusive education(Teacher Education Through Flexible Learning in Africa (TETFLE), 2021) Ocansey, Sylvia Kabumle; Gyimah, Emmanuel Kofi; Aluko, Folake Ruth; Nzabalirwa, Wenceslas; ocanseyarm@yahoo.comPupils with special educational needs require guidance and counselling services to overcome their social and psychological challenges. The study explored available guidance and counselling services in three special schools in Ghana. The concurrent triangulation mixedmethod design was used. The samples of pupils (88) and staff (3), comprising administrators and guidance and counselling coordinators were purposively selected for the study. Data were collected with a questionnaire and an interview guide. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics, specifically, frequencies and percentages while in the qualitative analysis, the thematic approach was used. The importance of guidance services was prevalent. The facility enabled discussions regarding pupils’ educational goal construction, career plan development and solving relationship problems among pupils, their staff and parents. Regional Education officers were subsequently recommended to liaise with their counterparts at the Guidance and Counselling and Special Education Regional offices to monitor special schools, which will enable them to ensure widened service access and effective implementation.Item From an African Oral Tale to an English Picture Book: Rwandan Teachers’ Experience with Online Translation of South African Institute of Distance Education’s African Storybooks(Teacher Education Through Flexible Learning in Africa (TETFLE), 2021) Niyibizi, Epimaque; Sibomana, Emmanuel; Uwizeyemariya, Aloysie; Ntabajyana, Sylvestre; Niyomugabo, Cyprien; Aluko, Folake Ruth; Nzabalirwa, Wenceslas; eniyibizi@yahoo.frItem Teacher Empowerment Strategies for Conflict Transformation and Peace Building in Kenya(Teacher Education Through Flexible Learning in Africa (TETFLE), 2021) Ndiku, Judah; Aluko, Folake Ruth; Nzabalirwa, Wenceslas; judahndiku@gmail.comThe effects of violent conflict on education are enormous, and provision of quality education cannot be realised if teachers are not adequately trained to teach in conflict-prone areas. This reality prompted the study to investigate strategies to empower teachers in conflict transformation and peacebuilding. Guided by the Conflict Transformation Theory which proposes to identify the root causes of a conflict, and the use of creativity to transform the causes based on relationships and sub-systems that surround the conflict over time, a cross-sectional mixed methods study was conducted in Mt. Elgon region, Kenya. The study found that: for teachers to participate in conflict transformation there was a need for training in peace education and implementation of Life Skills Curriculum through various methods including distance education. Since then the government has developed education sector policy on peace education which provides for policy and curriculum initiatives, collaboration and partnerships to address challenges in peacebuilding and violent extremism. Initiatives to train teachers and education officers in peace education and implementation of the Life Skills Curriculum have been instituted. However, despite the efforts, peace education is not effectively taught in many schools due to inadequate teacher training. Equally, life skills education, one of the main subjects to promote peace education, is not effectively implemented. To mitigate this, the government has made several efforts to identify best practices to promote peace education and implement life skills, among them, teacher training on how to enhance peace education through mainstreaming and implementation of Life Skills Curriculum. There is need for further investigation on the current gaps in peace education in the wake of the curriculum review to Competency Based Curriculum in Kenya.Item Reconstructing Kenya’s Educational Philosophy to steer attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals and Kenya’s Vision 2030 Plan(Teacher Education Through Flexible Learning in Africa (TETFLE), 2021) Kisirkoi, Florence; Kariuki, Michael; Kadenyi, Misia Anne; Aluko, Folake Ruth; Nzabalirwa, Wenceslas; kisirkoiflorence@gmail.comPhilosophy of education in Kenya needs to be constantly reconstructed given the emerging needs of society and in light of global trends. Changes in the education system over time have not eradicated education challenges that result in unemployment and social evils in Kenya. There are also global and national goals to be met. The objective of this study was to examine the role of philosophers and suggest whether professional philosophers could reconstruct philosophy of education in Kenya to guide the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Kenya Vision 2030 Plan. The SDGs and Kenya’s Vision 2030 work in tandem, and if effectively and efficiently implemented, guided by a sound philosophy of education, lives of all Kenyans would be raised to international standards. This study was conducted as desk research that employed critical conceptual philosophical literature review. A recommendation was made that experts in philosophy of education could use Dewey’s philosophy of pragmatism to facilitate the reconstruction of Kenya’s national philosophy of education as a tool to steer attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Kenya Vision 2030.Item Reaching out with rugby role models to inspire literacy in young children: Informing hybrid pedagogy(Teacher Education Through Flexible Learning in Africa (TETFLE), 2021) Du Preez, Hannelie; Hannaway, Donna; Joubert, Ina; Masola, Francinah; Aluko, Folake Ruth; Nzabalirwa, Wenceslas; hannelie.dupreez@up.ac.zaChildren are exposed to influential role models, such as parents, peers, teachers, fictional characters and humans in virtual and physical environments. Utilising role modelling as a teaching approach or rich teaching resource not only appeals to the social learning preference of a young child but also supports teachers in reaching out to virtual and physical communities to enrich literacy learning experiences. The perspective of role models to promote acceptable social and academic behaviour in young children has progressively introduced scholarly views on the achievability and importance thereof in education and its applicability as a hybrid pedagogy. With rapid technological advancements and increased access to the Internet, an integrated platform is provided which teachers can benefit from when incorporating role models to help cultivate responsible social and academic behaviour. In this study, we implemented a literacy programme – the Reading, Rugby and Responsibility project – as a community project to improve our understanding of how rugby students, as role models, can intentionally inculcate responsible social and reading behaviour in Grade 3 children. We aligned the outcomes of the project with the Community of Inquiry framework to hypothesise the value and feasibility of using role models as a hybrid pedagogy and resource in early childhood education. We utilised a qualitative case study design and purposefully selected five rugby students to interact with 35 Grade 3 children at an inner-city primary school in Pretoria. The data generated from informal discussions with the rugby students and reflections of their experiences, as well as the children’s narrative accounts and drawings, were thematically analysed. The findings revealed that children yearn to engage with role models and be part of a community. Further investigation on how the Community of Inquiry framework can inform and utilise role modelling as a hybrid pedagogy and resource is beckoned and recommended.Item The perceptions of teachers and heads of department on the roles of a formal mentor in a Zambian Secondary School(Teacher Education Through Flexible Learning in Africa (TETFLE), 2021) Banja, Madalitso Khulupirika; Aluko, Folake Ruth; Nzabalirwa, Wenceslas; chilusbanja@yahoo.comThis paper reports on research work concerning the perceptions of newly qualified teachers (NQTs) and heads of department (HoDs) regarding the roles of formal mentors in helping newly qualified teachers in selected secondary schools in Zambia. These NQTs could be products of a conventional teacher preparation programme through fulltime study, part-time or parallel study, or an Open and Distance Learning Programme. The purpose of the study was to establish what NQTs and HoDs believed to be key areas in which NQTs needed to be mentored in order to help them adapt to the requirements of their teaching roles in schools. It uses quantitative data that were collected from the NQTs and HoDs using self-administered questionnaires guided by Kram’s Mentor Role Theory. Data were collected from a sample of 191 participants that comprised 92 NQTs and 99 HoDs. Quantitative data were analysed using the Chi Square test. Quantitative results suggest that there was a huge discrepancy in the perceptions of NQTs and HoDs regarding the roles of a formal mentor in helping NQTs in their work. The paper proposes the development of a policy on mentorship of NQTs and a mentorship framework to ensure harmonization of understanding of mentorship and its effective implementation.