Is it really necessary to change a career?
I will be exploring this topic for the next few weeks
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
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Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Monday, May 30, 2011
my desertation
UNIVERSITY OF MALAWI
THE POLYTECHNIC
THE PERCEPTION OF PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE OUTCOME-BASED EDUCATION IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS
(A case study of Ndirande Primary School Cluster)
PRESENTED TO
THE DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS
BY
PATRICK YOKAM
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES EDUCATION
SUPERVISOR: DR. E. KAPHESI
NOVEMBER, 2010 BLANTYRE MALAWI
Declaration
This project contains no material which has been accepted for the award of the other qualification in any university. To the best of my knowledge and belief, this project report contains no material previously published by any other person except where due acknowledgement has been made available.
Signed……………………………………… Date………………………………..
Submitted with the approval of:
…………………………………. …………………… ……………………
Supervisor Signature Date
Dedication
To my father Mr. N. Yokam and my mother Mrs. A. Chisulu-Yokam, my brothers, sisters and all my friends for their support and encouragement.
Acknowledgements
I am thankful to the Almighty God for the protection and blessings throughout the four years of my study at Polytechnic.
My deepest and sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. E. Kaphesi, for his tireless guidance and support from the beginning up to the end of the writing of the dissertation. Without you, sir, this paper could not have been the way it is.
I would also like to thank the head teachers, teachers and the PEA of Ndirande Educational Zone, for allowing me to collect data from them.
Abstract
This study investigated the perceptions of primary school teachers towards the Outcome-Based Education curriculum implementation. Views on how the curriculum is being implemented, the knowledge of teachers and other features of OBE were examined.
The study consisted of a sample of 53 teachers and 6 head teachers from six schools, and one PEA of Ndirande Educational Zone. The schools were Namalimwe, Ndirande-Kachere, Nyambadwe, Chitsime, Mbayani and Ndirande Hill primary schools. The data was collected through the use of interviews and questionnaires.
Results have shown that the OBE curriculum was not doing enough on learner involvement. Also, OBE requires more teaching and learning materials, which is a general problem in many Malawian schools. The results also show that teachers were not much conversant with OBE.
The study has also established that the experience of a teacher contribute positively to the knowledge of the new curriculum. Thus, the more the teacher is experienced in the teaching, the better he/she will know the new curriculum. Apart from lack of teaching and learning materials the teachers said that the new curriculum requires more time to implement it in class. Also, due to large classes, not every learner’s needs are not met because a teacher cannot attend to everyone.
Abbreviations/Acronyms
CCWA Curriculum Council in Western Australia
CEO Chief Executive Officer
DETWA Department of Education and Training in Western Australia
DFID Department for International Development
DoE Department of Education
HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
MoEST Ministry of Education Science and Technology
NEZ Ndirande Educational Zone
OBE Outcome-Based Education
PEA Primary Education Advisor
SACMEQ Southern and Eastern Africa for Monitoring Education Quality
SADC Southern Africa Development Community
SPSS Statistical Package for Social Sciences
TALULAR Teaching and Learning Using Locally Available Resources
USA United States of America
Table of Contents
Declaration………………………………………………………………………………………..i
Dedication………………………………………………………………………………………....ii
Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………………..ii
Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………....iii
Abbreviations and Acronyms……………………………………………………………………..iv
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.0 Background Information.….……………………………………………………………..1
1.1 Problem Statement….………………………………………………………….……….....2
1.2 General Objective….………………………………………………………………..…….2
1.3 Specific Objectives….…………………………………………………………………….2
1.4 Research Questions….……………………………………………………………………2
1.5 Significance of the Study….……………………………………………………………....3
Chapter 2: Literature Review
2.0 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………4
2.1 Teachers attitudes towards Curriculum change…………………………………………4
2.2Teachers’ Role in Curriculum Change……………………………………………………5
2.3 Ideologies of Outcome-Based Education………………………………………………....6
2.4 Criticisms of Outcome-Based Education………………………………………..………..8
2.5 Curriculum Change in Malawian Primary Schools………………………………..…….9
2.6 Outcome-Based Education in Malawian Primary Schools……………………………..11
2.7 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………12
Chapter 3: Methodology
3.0 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………..13
3.1 Research Design ………………………………………………………………………...13
3.2 Population……………………………………………………………………………….13
3.3 Sample and Sampling Technique……………………………………………………….13
3.4 Data Collection Tools and Methods…………………………………………………......14
3.5 Validity of Data Collection Tools……………………………………………………….15
3.6 Instruments Administration……………………………………………………………16
3.7 Data Analysis and Interpretation………………………………………………………16
3.8 Ethical Consideration and Confidentiality……………………………………………..16
Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Interpretation
4.0 Introduction………………………………………………………………………….…17
4.1 The Questionnaire Response Rate………………………………………………………17
4.2 Findings…………………………………………………………………………………18
4.3 Challenges faced when implementing OBE……………………………………………26
4.4 How do teachers manage the challenges………………………………………………28
Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendations
5.0Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….29
5.1 Recommendations………………………………………………………………………29
References………………………………………………………………………………………31
Appendices
Appendix I: Questionnaire for the Teachers………………………………………………..34
Appendix II: Interview Guidelines for the Teachers………………………………………..37
Appendix III: Interview Guidelines for the Head teachers…………………………………38
Appendix IV: Questionnaire for the PEA…………………………………………………....39
List of Tables
Table 4.1: Teachers response rate in various schools……………………………………..17
Table 4.2: Frequency of teachers’ experience in teaching profession…………………….18
Table 4.3: A summary of teachers’ responses on the introduction of OBE………………..19
Table 4.4: Frequency table showing the responses of teachers on pupil involvement……20
Table 4.5: Chi-Square Test: Teaching Experience and OBE knowledge…………………....23
Table 4.6: A summary of teachers’ responses on the convenience of OBE………………....24
Table 4.7: Chi-square test: Teacher creativity and teacher’s gender………………………25
List of Figures
Figure 4.1: Number of teachers and their responses on extra workload of OBE…………..20
Figure 4.2: Number of teachers and their responses on student motivation in OBE………21
Figure 4.3: Teacher’s creativity and opinion on secondary school introduction…………..25
Figure4.4: Frequencies of responses of teachers on attendance and performance………...26
Chapter 1
Introduction
1.0 Background Information
Since Outcome-Based Education (OBE) was implemented in the Malawian primary schools in 2007, little is known on how the teachers feel about it. The main aim of this study was to investigate the perceptions of primary school teachers towards the OBE. In particular, the study looked at the attitudes the primary teachers have had in implementing the new curriculum and the challenges they faced. The research was conducted within the primary schools around Ndirande Educational Zone (NEZ).
OBE, which was first implemented in Malawi in 2007 (and whose review process started in 2001), was aimed at incorporating issues of HIV and AIDS, environmental degradation, multiparty democracy, human rights and gender among others (Mchazime, 2003). Also, many Malawian educationalists felt that the 1989 curriculum was elitist and that it did not give pupils skills that would make them survive once they leave school (Mchazime, 2003). In addition, they also felt that the political changes that had taken place in 1994 which brought in democracy and its related institutions that nurture democratic principles needed to be reflected in the curriculum. Other countries in which OBE is being implemented include Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and USA (Laugksch, Aldridge and Fraser, 2007).
In its 2008 National Report, the Malawian Ministry of Education Science and Technology (MoEST) reported that a study done by the Southern and Eastern Africa for Monitoring Education Quality (SACMEQ) in 2006, revealed that Malawian students were among the least performing group in the SADC region. This prompted the government to introduce a number of reforms including OBE (MoEST, 2008). Also, the review process of the 1989 curriculum came after research which revealed that apart from having ineffective teaching methodologies, the 1989 curriculum was overloaded and outdated (Mchazime, 2003).
The rollout of the new OBE started with standard one in 2007, standards two, five and six in 2008, standards three and seven in 2009 and standards four and eight in 2010 (Mchazime, 2010). Some key players in the education system had already been prepared for the implementation of the curriculum. A team of trainers were responsible for the training of PEAs, who in turn trained the teachers and head teachers in their respective zones (Mizrachi, Padilla and Banda, 2010).
1.1 Problem Statement
The implementation of a curriculum lies, to a large extent, in the hands of the teachers. They are the ones who decide to use what is outlined in the curriculum or not. Their views and reactions about the curriculum may influence on how the curriculum will be implemented. Finding out their views will therefore be essential to the curriculum developers and the government to whether the curriculum will be effective or not and look for a way forward.
1.2 General Objective
The general objective of the study was to investigate the attitudes of primary school teachers towards the implementation of the Outcome-Based Education.
1.3 Specific Objectives
Specifically, the research had these objectives:
i. To explore the views of primary school teachers on some features of OBE
ii. To identify the challenges faced by teachers in implementing OBE
iii. To investigate how teachers manage the challenges of OBE
1.4 Research Questions
The following questions were addressed:
i. What views do primary school teachers hold on some features of OBE?
ii. What are the challenges faced by teachers facing in implementing OBE?
iii. How do teachers manage the challenges of implementing OBE?
1.5 Significance of the Study
Implementation of the curriculum is a very important phase in the curriculum development. As implementers, the teachers have a great role as far as fulfilling the objectives of the curriculum are concerned. If the teachers have little or no knowledge on how to use or what to do with the curriculum, then all the processes of curriculum development is in vain.
By having an insightful knowledge on what is happening at the school and classroom level, the developers and designers of OBE will identify the strengths and the weaknesses of the new curriculum. They would know where they may need modifications and where to stress on.
Since the curriculum is proceeding to secondary schools and colleges, the study will help the secondary school teachers and college lecturers to know how their colleagues in primary schools feel about OBE. In so doing, they will be aware on how to cope with it when it is introduced in their respective institutions.
Lastly, the study will help the government to know the challenges the teachers are meeting in implementing OBE. The government can then devise the ways of coming up with solutions to the challenges.
Chapter 2
Literature Review
2.0 Introduction
This chapter gives a review of some of the literature done on various aspects of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) curriculum. In particular, it will look at the attitudes of teachers towards curriculum change, their role in curriculum change, the ideologies of OBE, its criticism and curriculum change in Malawian primary schools.
2.1 Teachers attitudes towards Curriculum change
An attitude, as defined by Good (1973), is the predisposition or tendency to react specifically towards an object, situation, or value, usually accompanied by feelings and emotions (as cited in Mulat, 2003, p. 23). Attitudes cannot be directly observed but must be inferred from overt behaviour, both verbal and nonverbal.
While investigating the teachers’ attitudes towards communicative language teaching and practical problems in its implementation, Mulat (2003) observed that teachers bring personal characteristics into the style of their teaching. These characteristics include beliefs that have developed over their lifetimes, and are the result of accumulated events and knowledge of the world. Mulat (2003) argues that beliefs can develop in different ways: through the experience as a student, the instruction one is exposed to or the socio-cultural and political setting of one’s developmental years that are affecting one’s life. Together these beliefs result in attitudes that are firmly entrenched by an individual.
The attitudes of teachers play a very crucial role as far as curriculum implementation is concerned. Mulat (2003) argues that the introduction of a new programme will be in competition with well-established theories of teaching and learning which are the products of previous teaching and learning experiences, prejudices, and beliefs. It is the role of the teacher to adopt and adapt to the new programme to achieve the goals outlined in such a programme. Mulat adds that the teachers' educational attitudes and theories, although in many cases unconsciously held, have an effect on their classroom behaviour, influence what students actually learn, and are a potent determinant of teachers' teaching style.
Since the learning of a student is the core of the whole education process, it is, therefore, essential to understand the teachers’ attitudes towards the new approach of teaching and learning before its implementation. Dean (1999) observes that if incompatibilities between the philosophy of an approach and teachers' theories exist, teachers will tend to interpret new information in the light of their own theories, and will tend to translate innovative ideas to conform to their own style of teaching. She thus argues that in order to fill this gap, there is a need to investigate teachers' attitudes for they help to identify the difficulties teachers face when implementing curricular innovations in the classroom. Dean challenges that doing this can help in establishing the most appropriate kind of support that is needed in in-service teacher development.
While the Nigerian government is doing a lot in changing teaching materials when changing the teaching approach, little is done in changing teachers’ attitudes through the in-service training (Olutande, 2009). The effect of this is that the teachers might not use the required instructions put in the new approach to teaching.
2.2 Teachers’ Role in Curriculum Change
Teachers, as implementers of a curriculum reform, should have a voice as how and why the curriculum should change. They should be consulted during the process of curriculum change or development. This is because teachers are the ones that control the curriculum implementation at a class room level (Arends, Winitzky and Tannenbaum, 2001). Teachers make the day-to-day decisions about what to teach, what to leave out and what to emphasize. Arends, et al (2001) observe that although the decisions at other levels have an impact on teachers, much control remains in teachers’ hands. For example, according to the research carried in 1993 in USA by the National Center for Education Statistics, 44% of elementary school teachers had considerable control over the choice of materials. The research also showed that 50% of teachers chose the topics on their own in elementary school (Arends et al, 2001).
In her study to investigate the role of curriculum in teacher development, Russell (1997) observed that teachers had assumed several views. One is that teachers are so under-prepared in mathematics that the curriculum must do everything for them: it must tell them exactly what to do, when to do it, and in what order. Yet it is only the teachers who know their students' learning needs well enough to continually modify the classroom environment in response to those needs. Therefore, the teachers must develop their own curriculum. Again, Russell (1997) claims that teachers take a curriculum as a reference material. She says that the teachers argue that since they might not have enough time to develop all the curricula for all the subjects they teach, they need good reference materials from which they can put together a curriculum of their own.
This was also the case in Britain before 1988 where the teachers had the huge responsibilities of taking care of the classroom (Pring, 1989). The teachers, for example, were given more powers, such that no one could tell them what or how to teach. They could teach what they valued as important to them. Parents, employers and members of the community cried foul until in 1988 when the government through the 1988 Education Reform Act, introduced a New Curriculum (Pring, 1989). However, the powers of teachers were not completely stripped off in fear of driving the best ones away and make recruitment difficult.
2.3 Ideologies of Outcome-Based Education
Kudlas (cited in Mokhaba, 2005), states that outcome-based education is a process that focuses on what is to be learned, that is, the outcome. The whole idea of OBE is to start by developing a clear picture of what learners should ultimately be able to do successfully at the end of a significant educational experience (the outcome) (Killen, 2007). Then base the curriculum, instruction assessment and reporting directly on that clear picture. This means that the developers should define what students should be able to do (the end) before beginning teaching them how to accomplish that end. An outcome (the end) is a demonstration of learning, that is, what the learner is to know or do (Mokhaba, 2005).
Outcomes can also be defines as high quality culminating demonstrations of significant learning that happens at the end of a learning experience (Spady & Marshall, 1994). Therefore, outcomes are a result of learning and are actual, visible, observable demonstrations of three things, namely knowledge, orientations and relational elements (Mokhaba, 2005). Mokhaba observes that, from the definition, it can be deduced that outcome is a visible, observable demonstration of something that the learner can do as result of a range of learning experiences and capabilities that underlie it.
The fundamental purpose of OBE is to equip all students with competencies, knowledge and orientations that enable them to lead successful lives following their experiences (Spady, 2002). Spady (2002) explains that OBE has basically four-pillar principles which should be used to define it (2002). Firstly, before starting out teaching, all learners should have a clear picture of what they are expected to demonstrate. Secondly, all learners should be given more than one routine chance or time for them to reach the expected results. Thirdly, all students, regardless of their abilities, should be given high expectations to success. That is the reason there is no failure in OBE; every pupil is able but at his/her own time and pace. Lastly, OBE curriculum use what is called designing down from the outcomes.
OBE reforms emphasize setting clear standards for observable, measurable outcomes (Laugksch, Aldridge and Fraser, 2005). While assessing school-level environments during the implementation of OBE in South Africa, Laugksch, et al (2005) observe that for a system to be judged that it has implemented OBE, the curriculum framework should outline specific and measurable outcomes. These are usually chosen through the area’s normal political process. Also there should be an opportunity not only to provide education, but also to acquire learning outcomes for achievement. In addition, OBE uses standard-based assessments, which determines whether students have achieved the stated standards (Laugksch, et al, 2005). This is in contrast with the traditional system where students are given grades and rankings compared to each other.
The development of OBE was due to the influence from the research concepts of Carroll and Bloom (Williams, 1994). The two individuals developed a philosophy called mastery learning, in which they claimed that if one concentrates on affective or emotional domain of thought to modify behavior, higher order skills are instilled in an individual (Williams, 1994). Also, the reform of OBE has been driven by educators in response to demands for greater accountability by taxpayers (Closson, 2010). Closson (2010) adds that OBE acts as a vehicle for breaking with traditional ideas about how we teach our children. If implemented, this approach to curriculum development could change the schools more than any other reform proposal in the past years (Closson, 2010).
2.4 Criticisms of Outcome-Based Education
Though OBE has been implemented in schools in different countries, there have been many criticisms. For example in South Africa, some critics claim that it is either impossible or inappropriate to describe what we want students to learn as outcomes, especially before the content or learning experiences are thought about (Killen, 2007). Killen (2007), however, argues that the critics hold no water when appropriate outcomes are written.
Some critics claim that OBE requires well qualified teachers while many countries have failed to produce such qualified teachers. Killen (2007) then wonders how such “unqualified” teachers work with other non-OBE curricula. Killen (2007) also observes that other critics look down on OBE’s standard-based assessment. Others like, Jansen (1999) claim that OBE look down on knowledge and that it teaches the wrong content. Killen (2007), however, says that this is wrong as someone (teacher, developer or a politician) has to make choices about content in any curriculum.
William (1994) argues that if each learner is given his/her own time frame for success, as is the case with OBE, then OBE has no place in education system. This is so because, according to him, all educational systems around the world, time is fixed but learning varies. This means that when the academic year has come to an end, whether or not a student has got the outcomes, there will not be added time given. He further argues that evaluating based on outcomes is inappropriate because it focuses on feelings, values attitudes and beliefs.
In his paper presented at The Australian Association for Research in Education Conference, the University of Melbourne, in Australia, Berlach (2004) supported the ideas of William (1994). Berlach (2004) says that outcomes in OBE are usually so vague that almost anything a child does can be manipulated to suit one or other outcome. He wonders how the OBE curriculum can be effective when the senior members in Education Department in Australia have conflicting views concerning the same curriculum. He cites an example of a meeting organized by the Western Australia branch of the Australian College of Educators, where Norma Jeffery, CEO of the Curriculum Council in Western Australia (CCWA), made the comment that “the Curriculum Framework can be anything that the community wants it to be (p.3)”. At the same meeting, Greg Robson, Executive Director with the Department of Education and Training in Western Australia (DETWA), indicated that the “Curriculum Framework is a safeguard against faddism” Berlach (2004; p.3). He wondered how both statements can be true. He then doubted if teachers will not be confused with it.
Williams (1994) also claims that even teachers sometimes oppose OBE because of the amount of paperwork that often accompanies it. Rather than issuing a single letter or number to summarize an entire term's achievements, he claims, an OBE system may require that the teacher track and report dozens of separate outcomes. It takes longer to report that a student can add, subtract, multiply, divide, solve story problems, and draw graphs than to report "passed mathematics class" Williams (1994; p.11)
2.5 Curriculum Change in Malawian Primary Schools
Since early missionaries introduced the formal education in Malawi (then Nyasaland), a lot has changed in terms of curriculum. The missionaries came to Nyasaland to spread Christianity and do trade. In the course of their intention, they also introduced schools which basically were interested in biblical teachings. During this period, around 1875, the mission schools were using an official curriculum called the Industrial Curriculum (Banda, 1982). This kind of curriculum was only intended to prepare students for practical training in the fields of carpentry, farming and brick-laying.
During the 1940s, the government took control over education sector when they introduced the Department of Education (DoE), which was overseeing all activities in the schools. The DoE also introduced “some rules thought to be beneficial to the running of schools” (Banda, 1982; p.89). By this time, the industrial curriculum had started fading out.
The Department of Education took further strides by introducing Secondary schools in 1950s. This came with its own curriculum which was aimed at giving academic development and followed a four year school certificate course (Banda, 1982). This was totally contradicting with the industrial curriculum because in industrial the emphasis was the practical training only and no examination sessions were conducted in industrial curriculum.
With the introduction of secondary schools, the curriculum of primary schools had to follow the suit. The primary school had also to introduce examination to prepare for secondary school students. The government had introduced this type of curriculum because, according to Banda (1982), it had a greater demand of the white-collar jobs, like clerical officers, medical assistants and teachers, than the technical industries.
According Malunga (2001), the curriculum introduced in 1980s was outdated, overloaded, academically and examination oriented and focused on rote learning. Thus, in 2007, the government introduced OBE in Malawi to replace the one which was introduced in 1989.
In his paper presented at Hiroshima University in Japan, Chimombo (2005) observed that the old curriculum was poor because it lacked a defined statement of what the students will do after going through their academic cycle. He then stated that it was a high time the educational systems of Malawi aligned to policies and interventions that will ensure that pupils coming out of the system are of minimum quality hence the plan to improvise the new curriculum.
DFID (2006) concurred with Chimombo (2005) when they reported in 2006 that a lot of teachers in Malawi and other educationalists felt that the old curriculum was elite such that it did not give pupils skills that would make them survive once they leave school. It also observed that the political changes and emerging issues like HIV/AIDS pandemic need to be reflected in the new curriculum.
2.6 Outcome-Based Education in Malawian Primary Schools
In their 2007 report, the DFID claimed that some teachers, parents and pupils in Dedza were of the view that the new curriculum is bringing ideal practice in schools. This was the year when new curriculum had just been rolled out to Standard One students. The teachers claimed that there was an increment in class attendance and that the students did not run away during the break time.
The parents in Dedza claimed that they could see the fruits of the students in school, (DFID, 2007). They argued that unlike in the old curriculum, students can now display what they have learnt at that particular period. The students also said that they liked much of those things that reflect home activities like singing, wedding and telling folktales.
In his research to compare the performance of pupils in mathematics between government and private primary schools under OBE, Thomu (2007) found out that in Blantyre 33% of teachers in public schools were of the view that the general performance was good. They attributed the success to the introduction of charts in OBE, hardworking and trained teachers, the active involvement of students and the introduction of nursery schools before starting Standard One.
However, Thomu (2007) explains that some teachers felt that they were not at peace with OBE. According to him, the teachers claimed that the new curriculum requires a lot of teaching and learning aids which the government has never successfully provided. This view was also shared by the Chikhwawa District Assembly in their District Education Plan for 2007. The District Assembly observed that though the government is doing enough on teacher-in-service training, a lot of schools had no enough books for the new curriculum. Thomu adds that teachers also said that since the new curriculum involves too much talking than writing, the students sometimes easily get bored. This does not go well with transferring of knowledge. The new curriculum also requires a good ratio of teacher to student. The teachers revealed that OBE “was not practically the best for Malawian schools where the student/ teacher ratio is very high” (Thomu, 2007; p.17).
2.7 Conclusion
There will never be a curriculum which will be perfect. For a curriculum to be perfected, we need to base our teaching and learning on the principles of that curriculum. Changing a curriculum may come with its own resistance from the stakeholders but that should not hinder the student’s progressive learning.
When introducing a new curriculum, however, the government and all other stakeholders should be ensuring that everything is available for the curriculum change. This may include teaching and learning materials resources for in-service training for teachers. Above all, the teachers should be consulted and briefed about the new curriculum. The teachers’ attitudes and their perceptions should be assessed so that the curriculum is successful
Chapter 3
Methodology
3.0 Introduction
This chapter explains the methodology that was used in gathering data for the study. It explains in detail the research design, the sample and sampling techniques, data collection tools and methods and data analysis used in the study.
3.1 Research Design
The study used a case study design in which both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. The case study was used because the researcher wanted to capture an in-depth understanding on why the teachers in a particular area perceived the implementation of OBE the way they perceived.
3.2 Population
The population of this study consisted of all public primary school teachers, head teachers and a Primary Education Advisor (PEA) in Ndirande Educational Zone. There are ten primary schools in Ndirande Educational Zone. These are: Chitsime, Namalimwe, Ndirande-Kachere, Mbayani, Nyambadwe, Blantyre Girls, HHI, Ndirande Hill, Matope and Makata. According to the PEA, there are approximately 750 teachers and 10 head teachers in these primary schools. So the population of teachers, head teachers and the PEA was 761.
Among other reasons, public primary school teachers were chosen because the researcher assumed that they have undergone some in-service training of OBE. Besides, public schools are assumed to have qualified teachers and the schools are easily located than private ones.
3.3 Sample and Sampling Technique
A sample was drawn using the Sample Size Calculator by the Creative Research Systems. The sample size was calculated using the population of 761 teachers and head teachers in the ten schools in Ndirande Zone at 95% confidence level. The confidence interval was between 70% and 80%. This means that I was 95% sure that the true percentage of the population was between 70% and 80%. This gives a sample of 69 teachers and head teachers. As a result of this, six schools were selected using a simple random sampling technique so that four selected school had ten teacher respondents each while two schools had eleven teacher respondents each. Each sampled school fielded one head teacher. The head teacher was picked automatically if his/her school has been sampled.
The Simple random sampling technique was used to identify the six schools within the zone. The use of simple random sampling ensured that each school in the zone had equal chances of being included in the sample. This enhances external validity. From the ten primary schools, the following six schools were sampled: Namalimwe, Ndirande-Kachere, Nyambadwe, Chitsime, Mbayani and Ndirande Hill primary schools.
In each school, the researcher gave out the questionnaire to the first ten teachers he came into contact with. This way, the researcher ensured that the questionnaire was given to anybody without considering some other factors like knowledge or OBE orientation.
3.4 Data Collection Tools and Methods
The basis of the study is to find out the attitudes of the primary school teachers towards the newly introduced OBE. The data is collected using interviews and questionnaires, as by combining different methods and contrasting them, the understanding of a complex situation can be deeper (Cohen, Manion & Morrison, 2000).
Sixty questionnaires were administered to sixty teachers in the six schools. The questionnaire had ten questions, which were formulated using Likert-type scale. This technique, though suffers from the problems to do with validity and reliability, enables quantitative comparisons to be made (Parkinson, 1998). The technique was assessed on a 3-point scale, where the respondent circled one of the following three options: Agree, Disagree or Uncertain. The questionnaire was formulated to find out the experiences of teachers with the new curriculum by looking at the following aspects:
a. Teachers’ views on OBE introduction
b. Instruction improvement and pupil involvement
c. Curriculum workload
d. Student motivation
e. Teacher knowledge of the curriculum
f. Curriculum convenience
g. Secondary school implementation
The questionnaire also had several open ended questions. One of them wanted to find out the challenges the teachers are facing in implementing OBE and how they go about the problems, while the other one was looking for the advice from the teacher of what they thought the government should do to address the challenges.
The questionnaire for the PEA was specifically looking at the feedback the teachers had shown concerning OBE in Ndirande Zone. Thus, the PEA was asked whether teachers were finding problem in implementing OBE, or if the teachers had to consult him concerning OBE.
Interviews were used to find out the views of the head teachers and other teachers about OBE experiences in their schools. All six head teachers were interviewed in the six schools. Only four teachers were selected for interviews from each school. The researcher determined the specific core questions beforehand and could add some questions that led to specific answers.
3.5 Validity of Data Collection Tools
The questionnaire had to be discussed with my fellow students to see the correctness of the questions and if they were answering the objectives of the study. Different studies by other people were consulted to see how questions measuring attitudes were constructed, before presenting the questionnaire to my supervisor for recommendations.
Before the questionnaires were given to the sampled group, a pilot study of seven teachers from Mbayani primary school was conducted. This was done to ensure that the questionnaire was ambiguity-free.
3.6 Instruments Administration
After the sampled teachers were given the questionnaires, the researcher gave them enough time to finish filling the questionnaire at they own time. The teachers were advised on the instructions on the questionnaire. The filled questionnaires were collected a week later. Those teachers who were selected for interviews were interviewed just when I was collecting the questionnaires.
The head teachers had to be interviewed at the time of questionnaire delivery. The PEA also had three days to fill the questionnaire. Because of time factor, the interviews were short as such could not cover a lot of issues apart from the core questions at hand.
3.7 Data Analysis and Interpretation
The collected questionnaires were scrutinized to check for errors. The incomplete questionnaires were removed from the sample. The statistical packages such as SPSS and Ms Excel were then used to enter and analyze the coded data. The data was analyzed by the chi- square, descriptive statistics, especially frequencies like bar graphs, and tables.
3.8 Ethical Consideration and Confidentiality
The study reserved the right to privacy and confidentiality of the respondents and as such no personal information of the respondents has been included in the study. The respondents were notified about their privacy through the questionnaires. This ensured that the respondents gave the honest answers to the questions. This hence gave a credit to the validity of the data.
Chapter 4
Data Analysis and Interpretation
4.0 Introduction
This chapter presents the analysis and interpretation of the data collected in the study. The analysis is basically on the questionnaires from the teachers because they are the primary subjects or participants of the study. The views of the head teachers and of the PEA are taken into account as subsidiary participants. The results are presented in form of frequency tables and graphs. Chi-square is used to show if there exists any relationship between the teaching experience of a teacher and the knowledge of OBE. It is also showing if the creativity of a teacher is dependent on the sex of the teacher.
4.1 The Questionnaire Response Rate
After collecting the questionnaires, it was found that of the 62 questionnaires which were distributed to teachers, 56 were returned representing 90.3% of the distributed questionnaires. However, after scrutinizing, it was found out that of the 55 returned questionnaires, 3 were incomplete and I had to remove them from the sample. Thus, there were 53 well-filled questionnaires (which is about 85.5% of the distributed questionnaires). Table 4.1 is a summary of the distribution of responses from the teachers’ questionnaires.
Table 4.1: Teachers response rate in various schools
| School | | Male | female | Response rate (%) |
| Nyambadwe | 8/10 | 2 | 6 | 80% |
| Namalimwe | 9/11 | 4 | 5 | 82% |
| Mbayani | 9/10 | 0 | 9 | 90% |
| Chitsime | 9/10 | 5 | 4 | 90% |
| Ndirande Hill | 8/10 | 1 | 7 | 80% |
| Kachere | 10/11 | 2 | 8 | 91% |
| Total | 53/60 | 14 | 39 | 85.5% |
The Table 4.1 also shows that of the 53 teachers who filled the questionnaires, 39 were female teachers and only 14 male teachers. This also shows that 75.5% of the teachers involved in data collection were female teachers.
The teachers experience in teaching ranged from 5-20 years. This meant that at least every teacher involved in the sample has experienced both the old and the new curricula, since the new curriculum was introduced some three years ago (in 2007) and thus the teachers could easily compare the two. Table 4.2 shows the frequency of teachers’ experience in teaching profession.
Table 4.2: Frequency of teachers’ experience in teaching profession
| Experience (in years) | Frequency |
| 0-5 | 8 |
| 6-10 | 13 |
| 11-15 | 13 |
| 16-20 | 19 |
4.2 Findings
The analysis of the data will specifically look at the teacher’s questionnaire, looking at the variables addressed in the questionnaire separately.
Teachers’ views on the introduction of OBE
The first item on the questionnaire wanted to find out the views from the teachers on how they look at the new curriculum considering the pupil of this technologically advanced age. It was looking at whether they felt the curriculum was appropriate for the 21st century pupil. From answers obtained, it was shown that of the 53 teachers, 29 teachers agreed that the introduction of the new curriculum was appropriate, representing 54.7% of the sample. However, 22 of them (which is about 41.5%) did not agree to the claim. Only two teachers were uncertain. Table 4.3 is a summary of teachers’ responses towards the question.
Table 4.3: A summary of teachers’ responses on the introduction of OBE
| | Number of teachers | Percentage (%) |
| Agree | 29 | 54.7 |
| Disagree | 22 | 41.5 |
| Uncertain | 2 | 3.8 |
| Total | 53 | 100 |
Asked on the same, most head teachers indicated that the OBE was appropriate for a pupil in the 21st century. They especially complimented the use of learner-centered approach in the new curriculum as the best feature OBE has. However, most of the head teachers appealed to the government to extend the consultations to all appropriate stakeholders, such as teachers, when it comes to the development of the curriculum.
Instruction improvement and pupil involvement
The second item was looking on whether there has been an improvement in the way the instructions are conveyed to the learners. It also looked at the learners’ participation and involvement in a lesson in the classroom since OBE is said to be learner-centered. Though most head teachers were satisfied about the OBE being a learner-centered approach, surprisingly, 62.3% of the teacher respondents disagreed that the OBE curriculum puts students at heart. Some teachers, who were interviewed, blamed the use of group work because only the fast learners and extroverts gained from a lesson. The results obtained shows that the new curriculum is not doing well to pupils as far as learner involvement is concerned. Table 4.1 is the summary of the distribution of responses on the issue.
| Table 4.4: Frequency table showing the responses of teachers on pupil involvement | |||||
| | | Frequency | Percent | Valid Percent | Cumulative Percent |
| Valid | Agree | 18 | 34.0 | 34.0 | 34.0 |
| Uncertain | 2 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 37.7 | |
| Disagree | 33 | 62.3 | 62.3 | 100.0 | |
| Total | 53 | 100.0 | 100.0 | | |
The new mathematics curriculum workload
The teachers were also asked on whether OBE requires extra effort in terms of paper work and keeping students’ performance records. Of the 53 teachers in the sample, 34 agreed that OBE requires a lot of writing and hence writing materials. The teachers who were interviewed claimed that OBE depends much on recording every activity a pupil is able to accomplish. With high enrolments in schools, this becomes a challenge if all the students are to be recorded. The Figure 4.2 summarizes the responses of the teachers towards this claim.
Figure 4.1: Number of teachers and their responses on extra workload of OBE
Of the six head teachers interviewed, four concurred with their teachers that since its introduction, there has been a lot of demand from teachers for teaching and learning materials, especially the exercise books. But due to lack of materials in many schools, the recording required by OBE is not fulfilled.
OBE and students’ motivation
Teachers were asked on the general motivation of pupils when they are learning since the new curriculum ‘was intended for learners’, and the teacher’s duty was to guide the learners. Teachers, however, saw no motivation in their students with OBE in place as illustrated by the Figure 4.2.
Figure 4.2 Number of teachers and their responses on student motivation in OBE
Figure 4.2 shows that about 60% (34/53) of the total sample disagreed that OBE was motivational to students. Some head teachers attributed this to little participation by the learners because most students (and parents) were not happy with the use of grades (and not a pass or a fail) as a measure of the performance. They also claim that the content of the new curriculum is very wide for some classes as a result students get confused and thus are hardly motivated.
Curriculum knowledge of teachers
For a lesson to be successful a teacher should know his/her subject matter. They should also know the objectives of the subject and its strategies to fulfill such objectives. Asked whether the teachers had enough knowledge on the new curriculum, the results showed that more than 52% had knowledge on the new curriculum.
Most head teachers accredited this to the in-service training the government had carried on to teachers teaching different classes starting from when the curriculum was introduced in primary schools. The head teachers were asked that maybe the teaching experience may contribute to one’s knowledge of a curriculum. That is, if one has worked for many years, he/she could easily know new curriculum better than those who have little experience in teaching. Five of six head teachers disagreed with this claim.
A chi-square test was therefore, carried out to see if there was any relationship between the teaching experience of a teacher and the knowledge of OBE curriculum. The following is the hypothesis:
H0: there is no relationship between teaching experience and OBE knowledge
H1: there is relationship between teaching experience and OBE knowledge
The knowledge of OBE was grouped as whether the teacher has no knowledge in OBE or the teacher has knowledge in OBE. The teaching experience was grouped by the range of between 5-10 years as little experienced, 11-15 years as experienced and 16-20 years as more experienced. The hypothesis was tested at 5% significance level. Table 4.5 show the results from the data entered in SPSS package.
| Table 4.5: Chi-Square Test: Teaching Experience and OBE knowledge | |||||||||
| | Value | df | Asymp. Sig. (2-sided) | Exact Sig. (2-sided) | Exact Sig. (1-sided) | ||||
| Pearson Chi-Square | .083a | 1 | .774 | | | ||||
| Continuity Correctionb | .000 | 1 | .996 | | | ||||
| Likelihood Ratio | .083 | 1 | .774 | | | ||||
| Fisher's Exact Test | | | | 1.000 | .499 | ||||
| Linear-by-Linear Association | .081 | 1 | .776 | | | ||||
| N of Valid Casesb | 53 | | | | | ||||
| a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 9.51. | |||||||||
| b. Computed only for a 2x2 table | | | | | |||||
Thus, at 5% level, we fail to reject the null hypothesis (because p=.774>.05) and conclude that teaching experience and OBE knowledge are not statistically related. This is then interesting because it means even those people who have taught for very few years had enough knowledge of OBE.
On the same knowledge issue, the PEA indicated that the teachers were not having problems as no one had complained to him about OBE. He indicated that, conversely, the teachers were happy to involve pupils in their lesson as is the case with OBE. He however, asked if the government could ensure the availability of teaching and learning materials in many schools and build more classroom blocks to accommodate many students. To him, these were the main challenges his zone was experiencing.
OBE convenience to a particular school/class
Teachers were also asked on the convenience of OBE with their school or their mathematics class. Table 4.6 summarizes their responses
Table 4.6 A summary of teachers’ responses on the convenience of OBE in particular schools
| | Number of teachers | Percentage (%) |
| It is convenient | 14 | 26.4 |
| It is not convenient | 34 | 64.2 |
| Uncertain | 5 | 9.4 |
| Total | 53 | 100 |
Apparently from Table 4.6, the teachers from the sampled schools agree with the opponents’ claim as 34 of 53 teachers (about 64%) say that the curriculum was inconvenient with their schools or classes. Most teachers who were interviewed attributed the OBE’s inconvenience to high enrolments in many primary schools, insufficient teaching and learning infrastructure like classrooms and lack of teaching and learning materials.
Teacher creativity and OBE’s introduction to secondary schools
Teachers were asked whether the new curriculum has helped them to be more creative in teaching, especially now that they were involving students. More than three quarters of the teachers in the sample agreed that OBE has helped them to be creative. But it is fascinating to note that more than 50% were not of the view that the government should proceed to introduce OBE in secondary schools and colleges. They claim that this can worsen the education situation much.
To see if there was any relationship between OBE’s creativity and the sex of the teacher, a chi-square test was carried, with the following hypothesis:
H0: creativity does not depend on the sex of the teacher.
H1: creativity depends on the sex of the teacher
The hypothesis was tested at 5% level. The test showed a p-value equal to 0.727.
| Table 4.7: Chi-Square Tests: Teacher creativity and the teacher’s sex | |||||||||
| | Value | df | Asymp. Sig. (2-sided) | Exact Sig. (2-sided) | Exact Sig. (1-sided) | ||||
| Pearson Chi-Square | .121a | 1 | .727 | | | ||||
| Continuity Correctionb | .001 | 1 | .976 | | | ||||
| Likelihood Ratio | .122 | 1 | .726 | | | ||||
| Fisher's Exact Test | | | | 1.000 | .492 | ||||
| Linear-by-Linear Association | .119 | 1 | .730 | | | ||||
| N of Valid Casesb | 53 | | | | | ||||
| a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 5.55. | |||||||||
| b. Computed only for a 2x2 table | | | | | |||||
At 5% level we fail to reject the null hypothesis (since p=0.727>0.05). Thus, creativity of a teacher does not depend on the sex of a teacher. Figure 4.3 summaries the answers which were given by teachers on the creativity with OBE and their opinion that the curriculum should proceed into the secondary schools.
Figure 4.3: Frequency on the teacher’s creativity and opinion on secondary school introduction
Attendance and performance of the pupils
Teachers were asked to state on the performance and enrolment of students in the schools with OBE in place. The Figure 4.3 below summarizes their responses towards this.
Figure 4.4 Distribution of frequencies of responses of teachers on attendance and performance of pupil
Asked on the same, the head teachers concurred with their juniors that the enrolments had increased tremendously. The head teachers however, said the increase was largely because of the provision of porridge (a project by Mary’s Meal) in some schools and partly, especially in the infant classes, because of the use of the radio programs. The pupils get attracted to this and thus they stay in schools.
However, the head teachers said that the performance of students was not satisfactorily good. This, they say apart from OBE being too much overloaded, it also required a lot of time since it put emphasis on group work. Thus OBE is best for extroverts and fast learners.
4.3 Challenges faced when implementing OBE
The teachers were asked to tell the challenges they were facing when implementing OBE. The challenges were classified as those they face during lesson planning and preparations, during lesson presentation and when assessing the pupils.
When planning and preparing for a lesson
The commonest challenge most teachers from different schools faced was the inadequate of teaching and learning materials. They argued that the OBE is very reliant on the teaching and learning materials which are not enough for schools with large population. For example, teachers from Mbayani primary school complained that the radios were not enough for Standard One and Two which do a radio program.
The teachers also complained of the content of the new curriculum. They claimed that content for other classes were too wide for the learners to comprehend. They thus suggested that the government should consider revisiting the curriculum to solve this problem.
Still, others complained about the knowledge of the curriculum. As has been noted, 43% of the teachers sampled said they were still using the old curriculum (see page 21). They opted if the government could be organizing the in-service training as frequent as possible so that it caters even those teachers who have join teaching after the training had already taken place.
During lesson presentation
Over 70% of teachers complained that OBE requires a lot of time to implement. This is so because OBE stresses on the group work approach to learning. Due to large classes, group work is practically not suitable. Again, to be in line with time factor, only those students who are fast learners benefit from the lesson.
The other challenge is that a lot of students lack interest in group work. As a result there is little participation and hence objectives of a lesson are not met.
When assessing a lesson
The teachers and the head teachers did not differ much on this. They still mentioned on time insufficiency to mark all exercise books of students. As a result many students have their exercise books unmarked.
4.4 How do teachers manage the challenges?
About 67% of the teachers said that the best way to accommodate pupils’ exercise is to give them home work. However, they said this was not the best solution because still, the teachers have a huge task of marking the exercise books. Others said due to lack of teaching and learning materials they use TALULAR (Teaching and Learning Using Locally Available Resources) concept. In this regard, the teachers use the materials which are local to the students in their community.
To ensure that every pupil accesses the text books, the teachers put the students in groups so that they share those books when they are at their homes. Again, this does not solve the problem because the students might not be staying closer to each other. The development fund also helps in purchasing some materials like pieces of chalk and exercise books for teachers.
To avoid learners getting bored from the lesson, some teachers said they try as much as possible to incorporate different teaching strategies. Several teachers who were interviewed said they change from using group work to using a question and answer or even lecturing method so that they accommodate all the students.
Teachers from one school said that to ensure that every teacher is conversant with OBE, teachers conduct peer teaching during tea break, where they discuss how best to use OBE. The teachers however said that peer teaching was not enough because some teachers might teach each other wrongly.
Chapter 5
Conclusion and Recommendations
5.1 Conclusion
From the study which was carried on in Ndirande Educational Zone, to investigate the perception of primary school teachers towards the implementation of OBE, the following are a summary of the findings. Many teachers preferred teaching using OBE because it makes them to be creative when it comes to teaching in the absence of enough teaching and learning materials. However, there was still a little participation of students because of the wideness of content of some books.
Teachers felt that pupils were not motivated when using the OBE because of its wide content and its much reliant on group work which favours the fast learners and extroverts.
Many teachers showed that they had knowledge in OBE, but it was shown that the percentage of those who have little knowledge in OBE is still high. It was interesting to note however, that the knowledge of OBE did not depend on the teaching experience of the teacher. Thus, even those who have worked in schools for few years were able to know the concepts of OBE.
The study also showed that teachers felt OBE was not proper for most primary schools in Ndirande Zone because of their high enrolments. This, according to the teachers and head teachers, is so because since the introduction of OBE, the attendance of pupils has increased rapidly. This has, however, lowered the performance of pupils because the teacher-pupil ratio has increased and thus a teacher is unable to attend to each individual pupil needs.
Teachers were facing a lot of challenges paramount to them are lack of teaching and learning materials, wideness of content of the curriculum, high enrolments which leads to poor assessment and performance.
5.2 Recommendations
After looking at the results the following recommendations were made:
Government should involve all stakeholders (including teachers) in curriculum development so that everyone’s needs are assessed and taken into account. Also, the government should provide enough teaching and learning materials in schools.
Government should conduct frequent curriculum in-service training for the teachers where the teachers should be taught various ways of teaching using OBE. This will ensure that teachers have different teaching strategies in case learners get bored of the other. Also the government should be sending newsletters of some features of OBE so that the teachers who do peer education can do through reading of the newsletters.
The PEAs should frequently visit the schools within their zones to attend to teachers problems. They should not wait for a teacher to make a complaint to them; rather the PEAs should ask the teachers if they face any problems in implementing OBE.
The curriculum developers should frequently assess the effectiveness of the new curriculum in schools so that if there is any problem, such as the wideness of content, should be addressed in time before affecting many pupils.
Teachers should try to utilize the readily available man made teaching and learning materials (TALULAR). This can enhance teaching and learning in the absence of other teaching and learning materials.
References
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Company
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at The Australian Association for Research in Education. Australia: The University of Melbourne. Retrieved 7th June, 2010 from http://www.aare.edu.au/07pap/lau07011.pdf
Chikhwawa District Assembly. (2007). District Education Plan: 2008/2009-
2010/2011. Retrieved on 7th June, 2010 from: http://www.malawi.gov.mw/Education/DEP/28%20REVISED%20CHIKWAWA%20DEP.pdf
Chimombo J.P.G. (2005). Challenges to the provision of quality basic education for all. Paper
presented at Hiroshima University. Centre for International Cooperation in Education: Japan
Chilora, Henri. (2001). Literacy Development through Chichewa and English and Chichewa Some Insights from IEQ Longitudinal Study in Mangochi and Balaka Districts. Unpublished paper presented at the 2nd National Seminar on Improving Education Quality in Malawi held in Mangochi.
Closson D. (2010). Outcome Based Education. Probe Ministries. Retrieved on 7th June, 2010 from: http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/obe.html
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DFID (2007). The New Curriculum in Malawi. Retrieved on 2nd June 2010. From: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Media-Room/Case-Studies/2007/Malawis-children-learn-to-enjoy-school/
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Mulat L. (2003). Teachers' Attitudes towards Communicative Language Teaching and Practical Problems in its Implementation. Addis Ababa University. Retrieved 11th June, 2010 from http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_196311_urick.pdf
Olutande Y.L. (2009). Relationship between Teachers’ Attitude and Students’ Academic Achievement in Mathematics in Some Selected Senior Secondary Schools in Southwestern Nigeria. Kampala International University, Uganda. Retrieved 11th June, 2010 from http://www.eurojournals.com/ejss_11_3_02.pdf
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Appendices
Appendix I: Questionnaire for the Teachers
Dear respondent,
My name is Patrick Yokam, a student at the Malawi Polytechnic, a constituent college of the University of Malawi. I am conducting an academic research as a requirement for the fulfillment of the Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematical Sciences Education.
I would like you to respond to the questions below to help me acquire information that will be helpful in this research. I respect your privacy and as such you are requested not to give any form of identification information. Your views are strictly confidential.
Instructions:
· Circle the appropriate choice
· Provide clear explanations in the appropriate spaces
· In the table, A= Agree; D= Disagree; U= Uncertain
State your gender: Male Female How many years have you been teaching mathematics? __________
Have you ever attended OBE- training? YES [ ] No [ ]
| | A | D | U |
| It is a good idea the government introduced the new mathematics curriculum because the old one was not appropriate for the 21st century pupil | | | |
| Pupils are able to follow instructions better with this new mathematics curriculum than the old one | | | |
| The new mathematics curriculum requires extra effort e.g. huge paper work, than the previous one | | | |
| The new mathematics curriculum is very motivational, especially to students, compared to the old one | | | |
| I do not know much about the new mathematics curriculum such that I am using the ideas of the previous curriculum | | | |
| The mathematics curriculum is convenient with my school/ mathematics class | | | |
| The new mathematics curriculum has helped me to be very creative and imaginative | | | |
| Since the introduction of this mathematics curriculum my work has been simplified and I am happy about it | | | |
| I feel the mathematics curriculum is very good such that the government should introduce it in secondary schools and colleges | | | |
| Since its introduction, the attendance and performance of the students has been quite impressive | | | |
1. What challenges do you face with the new mathematics curriculum
a. when planning and preparing a lesson
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
b. during lesson presentation
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
c. when assessing the lesson
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. How do you manage the challenges mentioned in 1 above?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. If you were given a chance to give your opinion on what should have been included in the new mathematics curriculum, what advice can you give
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Appendix II: Interview Guidelines for the Teachers
1. How have you received the OBE curriculum?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. About OBE, how appropriate is it to our schools in Malawi
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Some people say OBE requires a lot of writing material, what do you say?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Do you have enough knowledge in OBE?
YES [ ] NO [ ]
5. If NO, how do you teach using OBE
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. What can you say on the performance of students with OBE in place?
HIGH [ ] SAME AS IN THE PAST [ ] LOW [ ]
7. What do you think is the reason (for the choice in 6)?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you for sparing your time attending to this interview!
Appendix III: Interview Guidelines Head Teachers
My name is Patrick Yokam, a student at the Malawi Polytechnic, a constituent college of the University of Malawi. I am conducting an academic research as a requirement for the fulfillment of the Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematical Sciences Education.
I would like you to respond to the questions below to help me acquire information that will be helpful in this research. I respect your privacy and as such you are requested not to give any form of identification information. Your views are strictly confidential.
1. What do you know about the new mathematics Curriculum?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. So far you have experienced it, what can you say about it?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. What challenges do you face in implementing the new curriculum?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. How do you manage/cope with the challenges (mentioned above)?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you for sparing your time attending to this interview!
Appendix IV: Questionnaire the PEA
Dear respondent,
My name is Patrick Yokam, a student at the Malawi Polytechnic, a constituent college of the University of Malawi. I am conducting an academic research as a requirement for the fulfillment of the Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematical Sciences Education
I would like you to respond to the questions below to help me acquire information that will be helpful in this research. I respect your privacy and as such you are requested not to give any form of identification information. Your views are strictly confidential.
Instructions:
· Tick where appropriate
· Provide clear explanations in the appropriate spaces
How many primary school teachers are in your zone? _____________
| 1. Many primary teachers in my zone are not conversant with the new mathematics curriculum | agree | uncertain | Disagree |
| 2. Many teachers complain of the new mathematics curriculum | | | |
| 3. Some teachers ask for assistance on the new mathematics curriculum from me | | | |
| 4. The attendance of the schools within my zone has increased tremendously | | | |
| 5. Some teachers have not attended the OBE training | | | |
| 6. The OBE is not appropriate in my zone | | | |
7. What challenges do you face when dealing with teachers in relation to the new mathematics curriculum
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. How do you manage/cope with the challenges (mentioned above)?
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