Browsing Faculty of Education by Title
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Pansiri, N.O. (Elsevier Ltd. http://www.sciencedirect.com, July NaN, 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: This paper is part of a study that assessed the level of commitment of primary schools of remote area dwellers (RADs) to basic education between October 2004 and April 2005. The research question focused on the level of commitment of schools to universal basic education, school–community partnership in school governance and parental involvement in the way the curriculum was delivered. Questionnaire and interviews were used. The results show a significant relationship between teachers’ perceptions and variables such as district, qualifications, age, location, and experience. There is consistency between teachers’ perceptions and children's academic performance. It has been found that learner achievement in RADs schools is low and that parents are not actively involved in their children's education due to the policy environment and school management practices. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/521 Files in this item: 1
Pansiri_IJED_2008.pdf (1.181Mb) -
Phibion, O.S. (IJSRE, http://www.ijsre.com, June NaN, 2012)[more][less]
Abstract: This article examines choral contests in Botswana’s music education. Choral contests have been conducted for many years in Botswana and predate the introduction of formal music teaching in schools. These early contests were often annual choral competitions (tonic sol-fa notation) and were organized through the Botswana Teachers Union or community organizations such as churches. These early choral competitions in fact laid a foundation for formal music teaching in schools. Data for this study was collected through the researcher’s participatory observation as a college choir conductor, a community choir conductor and a competition adjudicator. Rather than empirical research, this article is based on a critical argument about issues the author has experienced. At the time of writing this article, there has been very little to no documentation of Botswana choral music. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/1037 Files in this item: 1
Phibion_IJSRE_2012.pdf (1.046Mb) -
Bose, K. (IJSRE, http://www.ijsre.com, December NaN, 2010)[more][less]
Abstract: The study assessed the views of in-service participants of the University of Botswana (who are pursuing Bachelors degree in Primary Education) regarding the empowerment of Early Childhood Education teachers with Information and Communication Technology skills. Both quantitative and qualitative research designs were adopted. Eighty-two final year students constituted the sample. A semi-structured questionnaire was used. The findings showed that the respondents strongly believed that the Early Childhood Education teachers in Botswana should be empowered with Information and Communication Technology skills. However, they didn’t find the existing curriculum feasible due to lack of in-depth content and pedagogy adopted to deliver the content. The findings showed that the student teachers were not able to realize the usefulness of the popular, generic packages and communication tools. The participants of the study suggested for a comprehensive curriculum with spread-out modules that could offer basic Information Communication Technology skills initially, and provide advanced features in succession, in order to enable them infuse content with technology; perform administrative tasks efficiently; conduct research in Early Childhood Education; and generate local-specific multi-media packages for young Batswana. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/978 Files in this item: 1
Bose_IJSRE_2010.pdf (2.043Mb) -
Lekoko, R.; Modise, O. (IJLE, http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tled20, February NaN, 2011)[more][less]
Abstract: This paper argues that lifelong learning can be a torch for education that is relevant, appropriate and appreciated by many Africans if conceptualized within the African Indigenous Learning (AIL) framework. Such learning is entrenched deep in the practices, cultures and ways of knowing of many Africans. The fundamentals or the ideals of lifelong learning in AIL can be presented in three dimensions of time, space, and I/We. Woven together, these concepts present a context in which lifelong learning is defined by aspects such as learning-in-action (immediacy of application); interactive methods; and a time that is only valued in respect of events that constitute it. Generally, an understanding of lifelong learning from the western perspective hinges on the linearity, economics and individualism of learning and these concepts may not be well promoted within the framework of AIL. It is not difficult to imagine the impact of borrowed concepts of learning on Africans if applied uncritically. Africans cannot afford to be oblivious of the differences in contexts between them and the western world. Context, therefore, is central to the application of lifelong learning. The authors of this paper have a full understanding that people in different parts of Africa may view lifelong learning in different ways. Thus, the term ‘African’ is used to underscore the importance of context. The authors also note that the advantages of lifelong learning to Africa are obvious vis‐à‐vis learning as a human right and a social justice. While these ideals are helpful, Africans cannot be subservient to how lifelong learning comes packaged from the western perspectives. To illustrate some differences, some ideals of lifelong learning in the AIL are introduced through the case of an adult education compensatory programme, and a three dimensional model is proposed for applying these ideals. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/1118 Files in this item: 1
Lekoko_IJLE_2011.pdf (3.077Mb) -
Pansiri, N.O. (SAGE Publications. http://ema.sagepub.com, NaN, 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: A descriptive study using questionnaires was conducted in 2004 to assess the effectiveness of instructional leadership displayed by primary school management teams following the implementation of the Primary School Management Project in Botswana. Leadership skills, Coordination of instructional activities, management of curriculum and quality of learners were key variables that guided the study. Respondents were 240 primary school teachers including school heads and 575 learners. Data were analyzed descriptively through the use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program using frequencies and percentages. The results reveal school management teams' lack of interpersonal skills necessary for classroom supervision, inability to mobilize parents to participate in school instructional improvement activities, teachers' unauthorized use of corporal punishment and lack of creativeness and innovativeness for management of curriculum change. Regarding quality of learning, the study identifies learners' inability and lack of freedom for self-expression and inadequate acquisition of basic literacy skill at varying degrees between rural and urban schools. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/520 Files in this item: 1
Pansiri_EMAL_2008.pdf (1.891Mb) -
Moswela, B. (EMAL, http://ema.sagepub.com, January NaN, 2010)[more][less]
Abstract: This study was conducted to determine how instructional supervision was carried out in schools. The study begins with a brief outline of the decentralization of the inspection system in Botswana. It proceeds to present a brief global historical background of instructional supervision before findings on instructional supervision are discussed. Evidence from the findings, which were obtained from teachers and head teachers through a structured questionnaire and interview, suggests that the environment in which instructional supervision takes place in schools is rather hostile and intimidating to teachers to make any meaningful impression on the improvement of teaching standards. Instructional supervisors’ effectiveness is constrained by the much expanded secondary education system that has seen a massive increase in schools and teachers in a relatively short time. The study concludes with the recommendation that, for instructional supervision to fully benefit schools, it needs restructuring so that the teachers and the head teachers play a more meaningful and effective role. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/1076 Files in this item: 1
Moswela_EMAL_2010.pdf (1.527Mb) -
Oduaran, A. (Taylor & Francis, http://www.informaworld.com, March NaN, 2003)[more][less]
Abstract: The future of Botswana and Nigeria hangs precariously on the balance of life and death. In recent years, the latter seems to be winning as both countries face the devastation of their middle generation due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Neither country can afford to simply watch their populations be depleted at such an alarming rate. This paper seeks to propose how an intergenerational framework might be applied to this situation with the hope that intergenerational policies and approaches might ameliorate this social crisis. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/655 Files in this item: 1
Oduaran_JIR_2003.pdf (1.084Mb) -
Tabulawa, R. (Routledge. http://www.informaworld.com, February NaN, 2003)[more][less]
Abstract: Recent pronouncements by international aid agencies on their interest in and preference for a learner-centred pedagogy so far appear not to have attracted much scholarly attention. This paper attempts to explain this interest. It argues that although the efficacy of the pedagogy is often couched in cognitive/educational terms, in essence, its efficacy lies in its political and ideological nature. The fact that the aid agencies’ interest in the pedagogy became explicit soon after the fall of the Berlin Wall is in itself significant. The paper argues that aid agencies’ apparent lack of interest in pedagogical issues before 1989 lay partially in the very central hypothesis of the modernisation theory of development which became enshrined in policies of aid agencies soon after the latter were created. The hypothesis, coupled with human capital theory, viewed education in technicist terms. However, the ascendancy of neo-liberalism as a development paradigm in the 1980s and 1990s elevated political democratisation as a prerequisite for economic development. Education, then, assumed a central role in the democratisation project. Given its democratic tendencies, learner-centred pedagogy was a natural choice for the development of democratic social relations in the schools of aid-receiving countries. Aid agencies, therefore, had to be explicit about their preference for the pedagogy. Thus, the pedagogy is an ideological outlook, a worldview intended to develop a preferred kind of society and people. It is in this sense that it should be seen as representing a process of Westernisation disguised as quality and effective teaching. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/518 Files in this item: 1
Tabulawa_CE_2003.pdf (1.336Mb) -
Moswela, B. (North West University; http://www.puk.ac.za/opencms/export/PUK/html/fakulteite/opvoed/educ/Reviewed_artikels.html, November 29, 2007)[more][less]
Abstract: This paper reports the findings of a research study conducted among 64 undergraduate inservice teachers at primary schools in Botswana. It uses the qualitative research method to examine and discuss the different leadership approaches used by principals of primary schools. The study concludes that the majority of the principals adequately involve teachers in the decision-making processes of schools. The analysis of the data shows that by and large, qualification is not a significant issue that affects the management style practiced by primary school principals. Rather, the democratic practices that prevail in schools are mainly the result of the existing school improvement initiatives introduced in schools in the 1990s. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/210 Files in this item: 2
license.txt (1.998Kb)Moswela_eDUC_2007.pdf (208.1Kb) -
Adeyemi, M.B. (Taylor & Francis, http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals, July NaN, 2010)[more][less]
Abstract: This paper identifies the aims and contents directly linked to the teaching and learning of the concept of democracy at the junior secondary school level in Botswana. It examines the perceived extent to which the objectives of teaching the concept of democracy has been achieved by 72 social studies teachers, in addition to finding out the perceived challenges they face and their suggested solutions while teaching topics related to democracy. It was found that the majority of the social studies teachers believe that the level of the achievement of the teaching of the aims is either average or above average. The problems of defining the concept of democracy and the handling of mixed ability students were identiified as major challenges to the teaching of the concept of democracy in social studies. The study found a moderate but positive correlation between the self-assessment of 36 purposively selected subjects from the 72 social studies teachers and the observed attributes on some traits on democracy while teaching a topic on democracy. A correlated t-test further indicates a significant difference between the ratings of the teachers and those of the investigator. It was concluded that a gap exists between theory (what teachers perceive as practicing) and practice (what they actually do in the classrooms). URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/1044 Files in this item: 1
Adeyemi_ES_2002.pdf (1.951Mb) -
Monyatsi, P.P. (Academic Journals, http://www.academicjournals.org, August NaN, 2006)[more][less]
Abstract: The development of staff in any organization in order to attain quality results is a sine qua non. The human resource of any organization, including schools and colleges is central to its effectiveness. What matters is the model that is used to enable the development of staff, in this case the development of teachers in secondary schools. This article argues that the school-based workshops as a component of staff development in the schools is the most effective due to several reasons, among them, the contextuality of the approach, it needs-driven nature, and the collaboration and teamwork that are its hallmark. Apart from the above, the study highlights some advantages that accrue such as being costeffective and time saving and not being disruptive to the teaching and learning processes. The study combines both the qualitative and quantitative approaches to research. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/987 Files in this item: 1
Monyatsi_ERR_2006.pdf (916.2Kb) -
Moswela, B. (IJLE, http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tled20, January NaN, 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: The nature of teaching exposes teachers to civil liabilities. In the process of teaching teachers need to discipline students who display bad behaviour. In disciplining the students, teachers use a variety of punishments including corporal punishment. Without knowledge of the legal implications of their actions, inadvertently they may find themselves on the wrong side of the law. This paper makes the argument that knowledge of educational law by teachers has now become imperative given the litigiousness of the parents and their children. Over and above the paper’s exhortation for the introduction of educational law to teacher training institutions, it also argues for the provision of in-service courses in educational law to serving teachers as a lifelong or continuous learning endeavour. This is made following the results of a survey that revealed miniscule or no knowledge of educational law among teachers. The data for the investigation were gathered using a questionnaire survey on teachers and school administrators. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/1077 Files in this item: 1
Moswela_IJLE_2008.pdf (2.944Mb) -
Kamwendo, G.H.; Mooko, T. (Walter de Gruyter, http://www.degruyter.de, November NaN, 2006)[more][less]
Abstract: The article discusses language planning in two Southern African countries, Botswana and Malawi. Both countries are multilingual and multicultural. They also share a common British colonial history. At independence, the two countries retained English as the official language. In Botswana, Setswana was made the national language while in Malawi, it was Chichewa. Over the years, these languages have been developed and promoted at the expense of other indigenous languages, a situation that has prompted linguistic minorities to engage in the language-based politics of recognition. The article discusses how Botswana and Malawi are responding to the call for the official recognition of more indigenous languages in domains such as government, education, and mass media. Relevant comparisons and contrasts between Botswana and Malawi are drawn in this regard in the article. One clear common denominator is the dominance of English in official domains in the two countries. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/829 Files in this item: 1
Kamwendo_IJSL_2006.pdf (1.340Mb) -
Kamwendo, G.H. (Routledge. http://www.informaworld.com, August NaN, 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: According to the Medical Council of Malawi, one of the conditions for a licence to be granted to an individual who wants to practise medicine in Malawi is the practitioner's ability to speak and write English fluently. This means that the expatriate medical practitioner is not required by law to demonstrate fluency in Chichewa (the national language) or any other relevant indigenous language(s). On the basis of a sociolinguistic study that was conducted at a major referral hospital in a predominantly Chitumbuka-speaking town, this paper argues that the Medical Council of Malawi erroneously assumes that English is the main language of doctor-patient communication in Malawian hospitals since the country is linguistically categorised as an English speaking African country. Yet only a minority of the population is competent in English. The national language (Chichewa), and other indigenous languages remain the main medium through which much of the health service provider-patient communication takes place. A more realistic and comprehensive language proficiency testing should cover English (the main international language of medicine) and at least one indigenous language (the lingua franca of the area in which a particular hospital is located). URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/540 Files in this item: 1
Kamwendo_CILP_2008.pdf (633.9Kb) -
Pheko, B.C.; Kgosi Linchwe II (Routledge. http://www.informaworld.com, July NaN, 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: This article provides traditional and teachers' academic views on school leadership in Botswana. The traditional view is based on the practice used in the kgotla's system. This is a traditional way of engaging all people in a discussion, which has a community or national focus. The system emanates from the pre-colonial leadership approach based mainly on the Setswana proverb that 'kgosi ke kgosi ka batho'. This literally means a leader (king/kgosi) can lead with the support and active participation of those led in the decision-making processes. The academic view is drawn from teachers' understanding of school leadership in their context. The problem is that headteachers are generally seen to be the only school leaders and they too seem not to be actively involving teachers in the school decision-making processes. Their approach is centred in the modern construct of school leadership, which tends to emphasise the importance of a leader. This is in contrast to the Setswana indigenous view, which focuses on group consensus and effort in leading. The study indicates that the two views could be combined to produce a blend of a nationally rich cultural and modern approach to school leadership. The methodology of the study is based on the interpretive paradigm using the interview and the case study as methods. The research suggests that leadership is a concerted effort and effective leadership is possible if the headteacher is de-centred and the focus is on combining the traditional and modern approaches to develop a 'tune' in leadership. Finally it is argued that preparation for school leaders in Botswana should take cognisance of the Setswana culture so that headteachers do not find themselves isolated as a result of their positions but should cooperate with teachers. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/613 Files in this item: 1
Pheko_IJLE_2008.pdf (695.9Kb) -
Ntseane, P. G.; Youngman, F. (Development Policy Management Forum, http://www.dpmf.org, NaN, 2002)[more][less]
Abstract: The paper is based on a study conducted in Botswana from June 2001 – February 2002 as part of an larger regional research project on Leadership, Civil Society and Democracy in Africa. In Botswana, the research was based on two non-governmental organisations, namely, Emang Basadi Association and Molengwane Ikemeleng Producer Cooperative. The study on Leadership, Civil Society and Democracy in Botswana has confirmed that well-led civil society organisations are a valuable instrument for democracy. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/643 Files in this item: 1
Ntseane_DPMF_2002.pdf (297.8Kb) -
Maruatona, T. (SCE, http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/csce20, July NaN, 2011)[more][less]
Abstract: This paper analyses Botswana's commitment to lifelong learning policy and discusses how it can help the state achieve its vision for sustainable development. First, it argues that while Botswana is renowned for its economic success, it still fails to address positively such traditional challenges as poverty, unemployment and income inequality, which are increasing disproportionately, especially among the youth and non-literate adults. These structural problems can be attributable partly to the low quality of education, which does not enable learners to reduce their risks and vulnerabilities. The paper outlines the concepts of lifelong learning and sustainable development and work from there to analyse the national education policy. It is acknowledged that the state made commendable progress in delivering basic, extension and continuing education since adopting lifelong learning in 1994. However, the delivery failed to use education to transform people's lives. The education itself failed to balance quantity with quality effectively to inculcate a culture of democracy. These issues need to be critically addressed because they invariably hamper Botswana's efforts to deliver quality education and attain its vision for sustainable development. Finally, the paper suggests that the education system should incorporate lifelong learning principles, effectively involve learners in decision making and teach for empowerment. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/1088 Files in this item: 1
Maruatona_SCE_2011.pdf (3.651Mb) -
Maruatona, T. (Routledge http://www.informaworld.com, November NaN, 2006)[more][less]
Abstract: Lifelong learning has come to be internationally recognized as a framework in the development of sustainable education. However, in spite of rhetoric and its endorsement in some nations' policy documents, lifelong learning is not operationalized and Africa continues to be plagued by social maladies such as HIV/AIDS, capacity poverty, low quality education, global marginalization and ineffective governance. The article argues that post-colonial Africa transited from concern with service delivery, went through structural adjustment policies to focusing on African renaissance. It indicates that some countries have embraced lifelong learning as policy framework but have not made sufficient efforts to translate that in their teaching and learning. It contents that lifelong learning in Africa can only be effective if African communities are encouraged to make concerted efforts to embrace principles such as deliberative democracy, multiculturalism, decentralization of decision-making and helping to redirect the agenda of civil society as a way to use lifelong learning to enhance public participation in Africa. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/727 Files in this item: 1
Maruatona_IJLE_2006.pdf (976.5Kb) -
Ketlhoilwe, M. J.; Jeremiah, K. (IJSRE, http://www.ijsre.com, June NaN, 2010)[more][less]
Abstract: Environment and sustainability issues are contemporary in educational innovations in institutions of higher education particularly in their core business regarding teaching, research and community engagement. The introduction and implementation of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD) (2005-2014) has added impetus to the contemporariness of environment and sustainability issues in education. This paper is based on the empirical data generated within a selection of University of Botswana departments and units to determine the extent to which sustainability issues and concerns are implemented. The paper provides the outcome of the audit exercise that indicated that some of the University of Botswana departments and units are not incorporating sustainability issues in their practices (be it in teaching, research, community engagement or management practices). The paper recommends a systematic approach to mainstream environment and sustainability issues across the faculties. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/975 Files in this item: 1
Ketlhoilwe_IJSRE_2010.pdf (1.417Mb) -
Nitza, A.; Chilisa, B.; Makwinja-Morara, V. (Routledge. http://www.informaworld.com, June NaN, 2010)[more][less]
Abstract: This article describes a small group intervention for HIV/AIDS prevention among adolescent girls in Botswana. The psychoeducational group model is designed to empower girls to overcome the gender inequality that puts women at increased risk of HIV infection in the country. Group goals include heightening group members' awareness of the influence of the restrictive social messages that surround them and assisting them in developing efficacy and skills to combat the barriers they face. Specific goals, strategies, and interventions for the initial, middle, and termination stages of the group are described. Indigenous and culturally relevant interventions are included in each stage. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/549 Files in this item: 1
Chilisa_JSGW_2010.pdf (548.7Kb)