Alignment of Ethiopian Primary School Pre-Service Teacher Education Program with that Primary School Mathematics Contents/Syllabi

Abstract

This study is a quantitative research that examine the extent of alignment of Ethiopian teacher education program curricula with primary school mathematics contents. So, to collect the data, the study was used content analysis as instrument. The sources of data were primary school mathematics syllabi and curricula materials of college of teacher education. To do this, the study employed quantitative method to collect data from pre-service mathematics teachers. Coders were very experienced teacher educators from three different colleges of teacher education: Kotebe Metropolitan University, Hawassa college of teacher education and Arba Minch college of teacher education. Teacher educators were selected purposely based on their service year in college of teacher education and their positiveness for coding. To do the content analysis, the main documents (primary school mathematics syllabi) were coded or broken down in to manageable categories on a variety of theme and then examined using appropriate content analysis theoretical model. The result of the study portrayed that the curricula materials of generalist have low level of alignment with the primary school mathematics contents whereas those of specialist and linear curricula were align with the mathematical contents of primary school curricula in moderate level. As it was indicated in the findings of the study, the college curricula materials are not fully aligned with the contents of primary school mathematics. There are school mathematical contents which are not included in curricula of teacher education. Thus, it is recommended that appropriate program should be designed which create an opportunity for preservice mathematics teachers to access school contents either during practicum sessions or should include in the curricula materials of teacher education.

Institutional Setting and Its Influence on the Teaching of Mathematics: Implications to Implementing Reform Vision in Mathematics Education in Ethiopian Schools

“…The pre-service teacher education programs in Ethiopia are characterized by content mismatch with the school curriculum [7,8]; the lack of emphasis on pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and the separate treatment of content and pedagogy [9,10]; the lack of standardization across training institutions [7] (MOE, 2012); and mismatch between teacher educators' competence and what they are required to do in training student-teachers [9,11]. A recent study has also revealed that pre-service mathematics teachers' knowledge for teaching (MKT) [12] is very poor, and their respective teacher educators have no satisfactory awareness about MKT, which might create a knowledge gap in students' knowledge and in turn make the college of teacher education unable to produce quality and competent primary school mathematics teachers [13].…”