IN-SERVICE TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THEIR PRE-SERVICE ART EDUCATION PROGRAM IN UGANDA

Abstract

This research aimed to determine IVATs’ perceptions of the effectiveness of their pre-service visual arts program in equipping them with the professional skills needed in VA teaching. Prompted by the persistent complaints about the teachers’ lack of competencies that they should have acquired during their pre-service art teacher preparation, it specifically examined the VAC focusing on content, teaching methods, resources and assessment in VA and their relationship to the content gap IVATs are observing in VA teaching at the secondary school level. A qualitative approach was used to solicit participants’ views about the effectiveness of their pre-service teacher education. The research was supported by the constructivist and interpretive philosophies which offer IVATs as well as tutors with the opportunity to construct their knowledge through social interaction, communication, and inquiry learning. The research was carried out at Makerere University-School of Education, which was conveniently selected because all the IVATs who participated in this research were students in this University. The researchers used a probabilistic sampling technique which uses a simple random sampling. A lottery method was used to select the desired number of 30 out of the 42 IVATs in total. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from 5 focus groups of second and third year IVATs. Findings revealed that there was inadequate content coverage, less use of active teaching methods, and concentration on summative assessment. The researchers recommended that the M.o.E.S together with NTCs restructure the VAC to allow adequate content coverage, use of active teaching methods and use of formative assessment for they equip the learners with knowledge and skills required in VA teaching. Keywords: in-service visual arts teachers, constructivism, qualitative research, visual arts education