Tichaona Mapolisa

The Impact of Teacher Motivation on Teacher Effectiveness in Bubi District of Zimbabwe

This study investigated the impact of teacher motivation on teacher effectiveness in ten schools in Bubi District in Matabeleland North Province in Zimbabwe. The study draws on a quantitative inquiry on the relationship between teacher motivation and teacher effectiveness. The population consisted of all the primary schools in Bubi District. The sample consisted of 100 respondents purposively sampled. The sample was composed of 48 males and 52 females. The study adopted the descriptive survey design and all the information was collected through a questionnaire which largely had close-ended questions and one open-ended question. The findings of the study Original Research Article Muranda et al.; BJESBS, 7(3): 202-210, 2015; Article no.BJESBS.2015.084 203 revealed that teacher motivation is not given top priority by schools in Bubi District. It was also found that monetory incentives among other forms of incentives were highly valued by teachers in the District. The study recommends that teacher motivation should be given top priority by schools in order to enhance teacher effectiveness.

The Nature and Prevalence of Bullying in Primary Schools of Nkayi South Circuit in Zimbabwe

The aim of the present study was to investigate the nature and prevalence of bullying among primary school pupils in Nkayi South Circuit in Matabeleland North Province in Western Zimbabwe. The population comprised of all the 300 teachers in Nkayi South Circuit. Random sampling was used to arrive at a sample of 30 teachers from ten schools. The study adopted the descriptive survey design and the questionnaire was used for collecting data. The main findings of the study revealed that the most common forms of bullying were physical (that is, fighting, punching, hitting), verbal (that is, threatening, swearing, teasing) social (that is, deliberately leaving out of a game or group, ignoring). The study also revealed that boys were the main contributors of bullying. The findings also revealed that the bullying behaviours were influenced by home based factors, peers and school based factors. The study recommends that schools should encourage teachers to engage all children in productive work all the time and also liaise with parents on best ways ofguiding the behaviour of pupils who exhibit characteristics of bullies.

An Assessment of the Choice of Practical Subjects by Secondary School Pupils in Umguza District Secondary Schools

It i s generally believed that there is unequal distribution of boys and girls in pract ical subjects in most schools. The study therefore sought to assess whether the allocation of students to practical subjects reflects gender sensitivity in the secondary scho ols o f Umguza District in Zimbabwe. The study was quantitative and utilise d a descriptive survey design. The sample comprised 200 pupils of whom 100 were male and anoth er 100 female. The information was gat hered through a questionnaire. A sample of 20 pupi ls was used to pursue validity. Clear instructions for respondents Original Research Article

An Investigation into the Rationale, Clarity of Policies and Timeliness of the Inclusion of the Early Childhood Development (ECD) Programmes in Gweru Urban and Peri-Urban Primary Schools in Zimbabwe

The paper discusses the experiences of the authors of the research conducted in Gweru urban and peri-urban primary schools. The objective was to investigate the rationale, clarity of policy and timeliness of inclusion of the four to five year olds in the formal schools. The study was conducted in five Gweru urban and peri-urban primary schools. Five school heads, 10 parents and 20 Early Childhood Development (ECD) teachers were purposely sampled. Data were collected using interviews, observations and checklists of the appropriateness of the outdoor and indoor play equipment. Findings showed that there is indeed need to include this age group in the public schools because this makes education accessible to all. The inclusion of four to five year olds in primary schools was not timely because the learners were learning and habituating in unsatisfactory infrastructure and generally the schools were unprepared for them in terms of personnel and play equipment. Since the study justified the need for ECD in the schools, it is however, recommended that a more appropriate environment be sought. It also recommended the need to staff develop ECD teachers and supervisors so that they would become craft literate and craft competent, enough to enable them effectively interpret, implement, monitor and evaluate ECD programmes and policies.

The Utility of Course Team Approach in the Setting of Assignment and Examination Items in Search of Quality Assessment at the Zimbabwe Open University

The focus of the paper is on the utility of the course team approach in the setting of assignment and examination items at the Zimbabwe Open University’s (ZOU’s) Department of Education during the year 2011. It conveniently sampled 28 tutors, that is, seven Programme Leaders and one Chairperson based at the National Centre and 20 Regional Programme Co-ordinators. An open-ended questionnaire was the research instrument.The study found out that course team approach could be responsible enough for the development and assignment items that are valid,reliable and able to stand against test of time. It enables tutors to set quality assured assignment and examination items.It concluded that course team approach is the bedrock on which quality assessment procedures and practices could be banked on. It recommended for the need of the ZOU to regularly train members of the Department of Education in the standard practices of assignment and examination item setting through the use of course teams.

The Potentials of Information and Communication Technology in the Department of Teacher Development: Zimbabwe Open University's Post Graduate Diploma in Education Students' Perceptions

Teacher Development programmes seem not to be dealing with the challenges of integrating technology in their curricular. The issue of potentials of information and communication technology in teacher preparation needs to be debated, critiqued and examined. The paper surveys the potentials of ICT in teacher development with particular reference to 20 Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) Intakes 8 and 9 students at the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU). Questionnaires were administered on a convenience sample of 20 respondents. A mixed method up roach was employed to gather, analyse and interpret data. Findings highlighted great potentials of ICT in teacher development. Most respondents indicated that ICT helps them to research and become better students and practitioners. A general negative attitude, fear and anxiety among tutors and students was viewed as drawback to the potentials of ICT in the teacher development by some respondents. The study concluded that the module for teaching computers need to be complemented with a lot of practice. It recommended the need to thoroughly train tutors and student teachers in ICT for the benefit of learners in schools. ZOU needs to mobilize resources to build adequate ICT infrastructure and purchase enough hardware and software for use by PGDE students.

Instructional Supervisory Practices of Zimbabwean School Heads

Schools in developing countries including Zimbabwe face a host of problems related to the twin concepts of poor classroom instruction and low student achievement. According to (Boaduo, 2011a, Glanz, 2010), developing countries face common problems in providing sufficient education of high quality to their learners. Typically these challenges breakdown to matters of instructional supervision, teaching behaviours and general low learner performance. Given this context, it becomes necessary to construct new frameworks in the following aspects: teacher effectiveness, progressive models of supervision and effective leadership styles (Pajak, 2008). According to Boaduo (2011b), the search for instructional supervisory strategies that can deal with the lesson delivery capacities of teachers and poor performance of students of developing countries should be intensified. This study was therefore principally directed at investigating the instructional practices of Zimbabwean school heads of schools. The study adopted the descriptive survey design. The target population comprised of all teachers in primary schools in three of Zimbabwes educational provinces of the Midlands, Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South. The random sample procedure was employed. A total of seven hundred and forty eight (748) respondents were used of which three hundred and ninety-two (392) were female and three hundred and fifty-six (356) were male. The main findings indicated that the majority of heads did not understand the concept of instructional supervision. The study, further, revealed that teachers had negative attitudes towards instructional supervision; that heads of schools engage in the most current and pressing issues like financial management, sporting and grounds development at the expense of instructional supervision. The recommendations are that heads should use effective models of instructional supervision and commitment to long term process of staff development including the prioritization of their operations so that the bulk of their time is taken up by instructional supervision related activities to improve the worth of their teachers.