Strengthening Teacher Education in Tanzania: Student-Teachers’ and Tutors’ Satisfaction with College Facilities and Environment

Abstract

Assessing customers’ satisfaction with service quality has been a common practice that allows leaders and managers to improve service delivery to the customers in business studies. In education, the measurement of student satisfaction has received popularity and so does the satisfaction of teaching staff. Studies examining student teachers’ and tutors’ satisfaction with service quality particularly in teacher education are scant. The aims of this study are threefold: to determine the level of support that the Teacher Education Support Project (TESP) provides to strengthen teacher education in Tanzania; to explore the student teachers’ and tutors’ perceptions and satisfaction with the facilities and overall college environment in public TCs and to determine the factors explaining student teachers’ and tutors’ satisfaction with service quality. A survey study involving 2772 student teachers and 302 tutors from all 35 public TCs was conducted in the Tanzania Mainland. The study findings revealed that the TESP has provided significant support of textual and non-textual facilities and learning materials in all public TCs. Besides, student teachers’ satisfaction is most strongly predicted by in-class teaching aids and practical materials albeit other factors such as library and ICT facilities had a considerable prediction. Whereas tutors’ teaching strategies made a significant contribution in regression analysis to explain student teachers’ satisfaction Tutors’ satisfaction was most strongly explained by ICT-supported teaching environments followed up by teaching aids and science facilities. The study concludes by proposing that the measurement of student teachers’ and tutors’ satisfaction be approached and improved separately. Implications for these findings are discussed.