The first year of teaching is the most formative period in a teacher’s career. Support is therefore crucial if they are to develop the competencies, confidence and attitudes that will help keep them contented and effective in the classroom. One way of enhancing these aspects is through induction and mentoring. This will help ensure a firm foundation for professional growth and career development. This qualitative inquiry sought to establish the mentoring experiences of ‘beginning’ teachers in rural primary schools in Masvingo District of Zimbabwe. Data were generated through in-depth interviews and open-ended questionnaires from thirty purposively selected novice teachers. Findings indicate that most beginning teachers in this study did not experience mentoring and consequently smooth transitions from student-hood to teacher-hood, but were left to navigate their new environment alone. Their experiences seemingly impacted negatively on their career prospects as some indicated interest in careers outside the teaching profession. The education system needs to offer on-going, in-service mentor training courses to practicing teachers to expose them to mentoring, thereby preparing them for professional guidance of beginning teachers. This will promote professional learning and development, adding qualitative commitment and competence to the growth trajectory of both novice and practicing teachers, which in turn may motivate new teachers to stay in the profession.Â
<p>Tertiary student roles are a critical aspect of student life during their academic career as they significantly contribute to the success of the whole learning process and the accomplishment of the entire course. This study contributes to debates on the influence of student multiple roles on academic engagement given the limited research on this phenomenon in Africa and Zimbabwe in particular. By investigating the factors influencing the nature of students’ roles, the findings may influence researchers to investigate other aspects of students’ life situations. The study sought to explore from the students’ perspectives, how they juggle their roles and from lecturers how these students perform. A qualitative approach that employed convenient sampling used twenty-one students and six lecturers from the three tertiary institutions in the city. Open-ended questionnaires and in-depth face-to-face interviews were used to generate data from the participants. Thematic analysis was used to process data, whereby common ideas and patterns that came up repeatedly were coded leading to key issues. Factors such as family background, family life cycle stage and economic status were found to be influencing the nature of students’ roles. Students indicated that they occupy many social roles which they could not ignore. They also reported negative effects of these roles on academic engagement. Lecturers also indicated that most students were not performing to their best. The study, therefore, recommends serious consideration of the various interplay underpinning factors that may impact negatively on student role behaviour. The incorporation of time-management and ingenuity into the university curriculum may benefit all students.</p>
This interpretive inquiry sought to establish the attributes which influence prospective students for electives such as Home Economics (HE) and Physical Education (PE) in Zimbabwean High Schools. The study employed a qualitative descriptive survey to solicit data on choice of electives from a pollution of about four hundred students. A sample of forty (40) students was randomly selected from the four (4) schools in the district. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were the tools used to collect data. The findings from this study revealed that high school students faced numerous challenges which were related to factors such as failure of the government, parents and the community to adequately fund electives (HE and PE). Hence, resource provision/ sponsorship of the practical subjects discouraged students from selecting the subjects. The findings also revealed that the selection process of electives in Zimbabwean high schools leaves a lot to be desired in that it is stressful and confusing. This study recommends that policies regarding subject grouping and student selection of subjects be revisited by the government after wide consultation with all the stake holders in order to reduce the flaws of the current one. Resource provision and sponsorship for electives need to be greatly improved as a means to attract subject takers for electives.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.