Investigating the Extent to Which the External Quality Assessment of Final Year Student Teachers in Zimbabwe’s 2-5-2 Teacher Education Model Enhances Continuous Improvement and Accountability of the Teaching Practice Program

Abstract

The study sought to establish the extent to which the external quality assessmentof the final year student teachers enhances continuous improvement and accountability of the teaching practice programin Zimbabwe's 2-5-2 teacher education model. The mixed methods design was used to collect data in two phases. The first phase used questionnaires to collect survey quantitative data while the second phase collected qualitative data through interviews and document analysis.The study revealed that the external quality assessmentprocess in Zimbabwe's 2-5-2 teacher education wasskewed towards the achievement ofaccountability at the expense of enhancing continuous improvement of the teaching practice program. The study recommends that the external quality assessmentpractice in Zimbabwe's 2-5-2 teaching practice should strive to strike a balance towards the achievement of both accountability and continuousimprovement of the quality of teaching practice.