Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of teachers on the development and implementation process of the History 2167 syllabus reform in Zimbabwe. Successful implementation of syllabus reforms depends on teachers’ ownership and knowledge about the reform ideas. Teachers are the closest individuals to the circumstances of the decisions made and their role as implementers gives them a significant influence on curriculum decisions. However, studies on syllabus development and implementation have often explored these processes using the input from other stakeholders while overlooking teacher perceptions. Data for this qualitative phenomenological study were generated from transcripts of in-depth interviews with five purposively sampled history teachers drawn from five secondary schools in the Glen. View/ Mufakose District in Harare Metropolitan Province. Findings showed that the success of curriculum reforms largely rests on the shoulders of teachers, since they are the ones who put reform ideas into practice. We conclude that in order for curriculum reforms to succeed, the policy-makers and teachers should work harmoniously to cultivate appropriate instructional practices. We recommend that teachers should actively participate in the syllabus development process, as well as have the power to influence the decisions about the implementation of the curriculum. Key words: development and implementation; History 2167 syllabus; syllabus reform; teachers’ perceptions.
Highlights
The undisputed role of teachers in the development and implementation of curriculum reforms is unquestionable
Our syllabi for all subjects are designed by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) through the Curriculum Development Unit (CDU) before being disseminated to the schools for us to implement
According to Mrs Murakani, during syllabus reforms the policy-makers should strive to communicate with teachers who are on the ground not to exclusively rely on officials who left teaching a long time ago and may be out of touch with the situation prevailing in the History classroom: Let us work together, with the curriculum planners or syllabus designers and History teachers so that there is a hybrid of ideas on how best to improve our subject in order to make it more appealing to learners and other stakeholders. Such sentiments show that teachers strongly feel that curriculum reform should start and end with them since they are at the ‘chalk face’ of the implementation phase
Summary
The undisputed role of teachers in the development and implementation of curriculum reforms is unquestionable. Research confirm that teachers are key players in the success and/or failure of curriculum reforms since this requires major shifts in teachers’ beliefs, understanding and pedagogical practices (Bas & Sentürk, 2019; Mathura, 2019; Marishane, 2014). This study seeks to consider the History teachers’ perspectives on the development and implementation of the History 2167 syllabus, their views, understandings and beliefs. The History 2167 syllabus aimed to produce resourceful learners, capable of making reasonable judgments grounded in both past and contemporary evidence (Sengai & Mokhele, 2020; Moyo, 2014). The paradigm shift due to emphasis on learner-centred approaches and the inclusion of local history would ensure that the subject would no longer be dull, stultifying and boring as is usually claimed by critics both from within and outside
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