Critical thinking is recognised as an influential attribute to achieve quality learning and teaching in higher education institutions world over. This interpretive research study explored the critical thinking among PGDE students at the University of Botswana. The aim of the study was to identify factors contributing to the application of critical thinking among teacher trainees. Data was collected from Cohort 2015/16 PGDE students, through one on one interview with 59 students and 2 focus group discussions comprising five students in each focus group between April to June 2016. The findings revealed that the teacher trainees had a lower description of critical thinking during interviews, but refined during focus group discussions; however, the students were wide aware of factors influencing their inabilities to think critically during their training. These finding clearly indicated that most students were not applying critical thinking during their training. Through the interviews and focus group discussion, the study also identified strategies to promote the application of critical thinking in areas of programme content, teaching and assessment methods and techniques, programme logistics and personal attributes. The findings are instrumental to various key stakeholders. Specifically, the findings inform education institutions, teacher educators and students on how to promote critical thinking during teacher training. The study was qualitative, as such the findings will not be generalised. As such a similar study is recommended among the PGDE and other students but using quantitative and or mixed methods to allow inferences and generalisations.
Botswana has a long history of indigenous marital therapy. This indigenous therapy is embodied in the indigenous philosophy of motho ke motho ka batho (I am because we are). This philosophy promotes togetherness, connectedness, collectiveness, compassion, love and harmony and the building of sustainable relationships among families. The paper explores some of the indigenous therapeutic marital approaches used during wedding ceremonies amongst them, songs, proverbs and group counselling. It also argues that these indigenous marital approaches build family relations and are a continuous source of therapy for the married couple; in addition to relieving women from marital stress and maintaining strong family relationships even after the marriage has ended.
Traditional premarital counseling seems threatened and not benefiting the couple as it should be. This has negatively impacted on the establishment of marriage. The purpose of the study was to explore married women lived experiences on the value of traditional premarital counseling, go laya, on marital stability. Traditional premarital counseling has always existed to help prepare couples for the future challenges and expectations in marriage. The study adopted a qualitative phenomenological research design. A purposive sample of 10 married women with varied durations in marriage provided the data through interviews. These interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed. The transcripts assumed a phenomenological approach where bracketing and eidetic reduction were employed. The findings indicate that the traditional premarital counseling is very valuable and has a potential of keeping marriages firm. In addition, although the traditional premarital counseling is an appropriate antidivorce strategy, the main problem is that it has lately lost its meaning. Unlike in the past, it is no longer given the honor and not conducted in depth. Despite the major role go laya has in marriage, its implementation must be reviewed and documented to give direction on how it should be done.
Critical thinking has been perceived as a critical and important skill by educators, although it is not clear how useful it can be when incorporated in the college curriculum. The job market and education in general view critical thinking as an essential skill at work and during training. Apart from subject competencies, higher learning institutions (HLIs) are challenged to produce graduates that can think critically. The focus of this paper is to examine responses of Postgraduate Diploma of Education Students (PGDE) on critical thinking in relation to the 5 Step-Framework. A qualitative research was conducted at the University of Botswana and data was collected through one-on-one interviews and focus group discussions among 59 students. The discussion in this paper is a comparison of the responses of PGDE students on their views of critical thinking and 5Step -Model. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data and findings revealed that, the PGDE students lacked critical thinking abilities during their training. Among other strategies, teacher methods and techniques were identified as factors that influenced critical thinking among the students. The participants also cited curriculum design and lack of motivation as creating a negative impact on their ability to think critically. Review of literature on factors influence critical thinking indicated that, in many cases lecturers have concentrated on subject matter and course content instead of methods and techniques that can help develop critical thinking skills on students. Further, the literature review shows the need to develop models, innovations, methods and techniques that can promote critical thinking among college students.
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