Abstract
The current study presents an account of mathematics and science knowledgebase of private Gaborone preschool teachers and assesses its influence on their classroom teaching. It assesses their Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK) and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and scales their views on the Best Practices for mathematics and science teaching in preschools. A pragmatic paradigm with a concurrent mixed-method mode was used to conduct this study. Using a random-purposive sampling procedure, 64 preschool teachers were selected. Questionnaire and focus group discussions were used for data collection. The quantitative data was analysed using descriptive analysis and presented with the help of frequency Tables and Graphs. The qualitative data was coded and synthesised to receive meaningful information. The findings show that 80% of teachers were trained as primary school teachers; only 14% had professional training in Early Childhood Education (ECE). It further revealed that the teachers had SMK; however, were less proficient in PCK which affected their classroom practices, despite having ample material resources. The preschool teachers viewed the establishment of the Science Center/s for young children and strong administrative support as best practices for teaching mathematics and science in preschools.
Highlights
Students in Botswana don’t have interest in mathematics and science and they perform poorly at all levels (Mathangwane, 2011)
14% of the teachers received a formal training in Early Childhood Education (ECE) and possessed either a certificate or a diploma in ECE (10% Certificate and 4% Diploma), the remaining 75% of preschool teachers were trained as Primary Education Teachers at undergraduate level with mathematics, science or other subject areas (5%-Degree; 31%-Diploma, 44%-Certificates); and 7% (Standard 7, Junior Secondary or Form 5 pass outs) were without any training
It is necessary to build a strong foundation of mathematics and science in young children, in order to hold their interests in these subjects
Summary
Students in Botswana don’t have interest in mathematics and science and they perform poorly at all levels (Mathangwane, 2011). It is often noticed that students here often abstain from taking mathematics and science subjects at tertiary levels. This research project (No.: R955 ECC&E) was conducted (2012-2015) to seek a deeper understanding of teaching/learning process of mathematics and science. Private institutions being predominantly available during the said period were chosen as target population of this project. It revealed that there is a gap in classroom practices which needs to be bridged to improve such a scenario (Bose, 2012; Bose & Seetso, 2016). The project further researched the knowledgebase, the Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK) and Pedagogical Content Knowledge
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