Pre-service Teachers’ Teaching Competencies: The Experience of Practising Teaching in Secondary Schools and Teacher Colleges

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the competences of pre-service teachers from Tanzania’s University of Dar es Salaam during practice teaching in secondary schools and teacher education colleges. The following were the objectives of the study: first to examine the ways pre-service teachers prepared for classroom teaching, and second to assess the effectiveness of pre-service teachers in managing classroom teaching and learning activities. The study involved 30 pre-service teachers and 8 educational officers from secondary schools and teacher colleges. The instruments for data collection were a questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, portfolio reviews, and classroom observations. Results revealed the limited competencies among pre-service teachers in classroom teaching. The study recommended reforms of the pre-service teachers’ professional development program, the improvement of the educational policies, and the cooperation between educational managers from schools, colleges, and the Ministry of Education for quality education.