PhD Viva Voce

Qualifications Attained:

Mr.  John is a Ph.D. candidate by thesis in the Department of Educational Foundations Management and Lifelong Learning (EFMLL), School of Education at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM). He is working at the Agency for the Development of Educational Management (ADEM), Bagamoyo as a Chief Tutor.  He has also working experience in Teacher Colleges and Secondary schools.  Mr. John completed his first degree of Bachelor of Education in Adult Education from UDSM in 2002. Afterwards, he went on to pursue a Master of Education, Management and Administration (MEMA) from the same university which he completed in 2009. Thereafter, he decided to pursue a Ph.D. in Education at UDSM, School of Education. At ADEM Mr. John teaches several subjects including Teacher Coaching and Mentoring, Education Leadership, Educational Research, Curriculum Development and Implementation, Assessment, and Evaluation of students learning, Guidance and Counselling, and Protocol Issues. Paying interest in qualitative research, Mr. John’s research areas include school leadership and good governance, pedagogy, curriculum implementation, school governing bodies, child rights, guidance and counseling, and gender issues and inclusiveness.

Abstract:

This study explored the experiences of teachers in mentoring beginning teachers to enhance their pedagogical skills in selected government secondary schools in Rukwa region, Tanzania. The thesis addressed three questions which are: (i) How do experienced teachers mentor beginning teachers to enhance their pedagogical skills? (ii) What pedagogical skills do beginning teachers gain from mentorship? (iii) What school-based factors promote and/or hinder the mentoring of beginning teachers to enhance their pedagogical skills in government secondary schools? The study was informed by the systems model developed by Ayot and Patel (1992) which portrays that the realization of teaching and learning goals is complemented by having appropriate inputs that interact during the process to produce the desirable outputs, and so does the mentoring process. The study was guided by the socio-cultural theory, which reflects on the nature and purpose of mentoring beginning teachers in schools. The study used criterion-based, random, and purposive sampling procedures to select 7 schools and obtain 63 participants who participated in the study. Furthermore, the study employed a qualitative exploratory approach and single case study design to collect data using semi-structured interviews, open-ended questionnaires, and documentary reviews.  Data were analysed through thematic analysis to develop headings and sub-headings. The study found that beginning teachers were mentored in the form of attachment (apprenticeship) between the beginning and experienced teachers, special programmes such as classroom observations and reflection meetings, joint materials preparations, team teaching, coaching, modelling, tailor-made training, and social networking within and outside schools. Beginning teachers mastered pedagogical skills in subject content, lesson preparations, improvising teaching aids, applying learner-centred teaching methods, constructing competence-based tests and examination questions, marking, and giving feedback to students and other stakeholders. In addition, the study found that self-commitment and motivation on the part of experienced and beginning teachers, teamwork culture, involvement of beginning teachers in academic activities, and positive support from school administrators are factors that facilitated mentorship. On the other hand, limited time for mentorship services, shortage of teaching and learning materials, and lack of circulars on enforcing the implementation of mentorship in schools are factors that hinder mentoring of beginning teachers. The study concluded that mentorship services to beginning teachers are significant due to their result-based functions in enhancing beginning teachers’ pedagogical skills. The study recommended that the ministries responsible for education should institutionalise mentoring services in schools by providing regulations, circulars, and guidelines to enforce its implementation in schools. They should also establish systematic training for experienced teachers to acquire update mentorship competences and school administrators are urged to embrace social networking systems that exist in schools as they support mentorship practices.  Future researchers are urged to conduct similar studies by surveying large areas to include non-government secondary schools and conduct studies on cost-effective and result-based mentoring models that will be used in schools.