Effectiveness of Pre-School Teachers in Implementing English and Math Curricular in Nyamagana District, Tanzania.

Abstract

Teachers are key to effective implementation of the preschool curriculum, especially in areas related to the acquisition of basic literacy skills which are necessary foundations for other levels of education. The purpose of the study was to assess the effectiveness of preschool teachers in handling preschool English and Math curricula in the Nyamagana District. The study was guided by the following specific objectives to find out if preschool teachers have relevant skills in handling of preschool English curriculum and to establish whether preschool teachers had relevant skills in the teaching of the Math curriculum. The population for the study was 100 preschools. This included 100 head teachers and 410 preschool teachers. The sample for this study was 100, inclusive of included 20 head teachers and 82 teachers. Simple random sampling was used to select teachers and headteachers who took part in the study. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze quantitative data with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Moreover, qualitative data was analyzed thematically. The responses from the open-ended part of the questionnaire were subjected to thematic analysis. The study found that majority of teachers had relevant skills in handling the preschool Math curriculum. However, some teachers could not handle certain aspects of the Math curriculum. Also, the study found out that the majority of preschool teachers could effectively implement the English language curriculum; however, a few teachers had challenges, such as using the medium of songs. The study recommended that there is a need to conduct workshops and refresher seminars for teachers in order to equip them with skills to effectively implement English and Math curricula in preschools.