Schools In Zimbabwe Research Articles

Challenges experienced by remedial education program in peri-urban primary schools in Zimbabwe. Case study of Riki Primary School in Mashonaland Province, Seke District.

The major concern of the study was that despite having remedial education programs in Zimbabwe schools, the performance in peri-urban primary schools is not below expectation. The purpose was to examine the challenges experienced by remedial education programs in peri-urban primary schools as perceived by remedial teachers, and school administrators. The study used document analysis as the foundation of data collection. Interview questions were used to collect data from teachers and school administrators. Focus group discussions was used to collect data from teachers through using ZOOM online meeting. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to analyze the collected data. The collected data was clustered into themes in line with the study objectives. The findings identified challenges such as lack of remedial learning resources, stigma and discrimination, class size, facilitator expertise, and high teacher-learner ratio. Therefore, the study concluded that remedial education in Zimbabwe's peri-urban primary schools was ineffective. The study recommended that there is need for the government through the Ministry of Education to revise and review the Zimbabwe school remediation policy, train teachers on how to administer remedial lessons, and provide adequate support to promote effective remedial education.

A Collaborative Approach to Promote Sustainable Learning for Vulnerable Learners in Zimbabwean Rural Secondary Schools

Purpose. Many children who attend rural schools are faced with challenges which make them vulnerable. Vulnerability does not only affect those learners, but it also disrupts the teaching and learning process; that is teachers and other learners and the well-being of people in the community. Arguably, the responsibility of supporting learners who are vulnerable so that they can attain an education which is sustainable rests in the hands of the entire community. The purpose of this study was to explore how a collaborative approach utilising community capitals can promote sustainable learning for vulnerable learners in Zimbabwean rural secondary schools. The study used the Community Capitals Framework (CCF) as the analytical framework for the study. Methodology. The study employed a qualitative methodology using Participatory Action Research (PAR) and Critical Emancipatory Research (CER) paradigms. Data were generated through discussion meetings and photovoice with learners, teachers, and parents from two rural secondary schools in Zimbabwe. Fairclough’s (1992) critical discourse analysis principles and a photovoice methodology were used for data analysis. Results. Results show that there is a need to develop a good learning environment, community engagement, and untap opportunities in local capitals to support the vulnerable learners, enhancing sustainable learning. The study also stresses the need for a positive relationship and engagement with communities, alongside leveraging all the types of capital in the community, including human capital, cultural capital, built capital, and social capital to mitigate some of the risks that learners may face. Conclusions. From the study, it is evident that a stakeholder-supported approach and leveraging on community capital is an appropriate way of addressing learner vulnerability and fostering learning in the rural secondary schools in Zimbabwe. The involvement of the community can also be used as a force to encourage the development of an environment conducive to learning that will foster the achievement of the education goals for vulnerable learners.

The Efficacy of Inclusive Education Practices in Zimbabwean Rural Schools: Challenges and Opportunities

Purpose. The purpose of this research is to assess the extent of implementation and the efficiency of inclusive education practices at a selected secondary school in Zimbabwe. Methodology. The study employed a qualitative research design; data was gathered through interviews, and observed responses, from 15 purposive-selected participating teachers, holding different teaching positions. Consequently, the study relied on social learning theory (SLT) to determine how the process of implementing and participatory education for all is in its local context. Results. The results show that although Zimbabwe has robust national legislation that protects the rights of students with disabilities to access inclusive education, the process is plagued by poor physical facilities, lack of appropriate training for teachers, and social prejudice towards people with disabilities. Some of the implementation differences that stood out included the areas of students with disabilities, policy, resources, and teachers. Accordingly, the study concludes that unless teachers in Zimbabwean secondary schools begin to practice inclusive education in a more focused manner, it is unlikely that many of the disabled students will be empowered to participate fully. Conclusions. Among the suggestions are improving physical and communication access to school buildings, and providing on-going staff training on integration, promoting cooperation among the various actors, and the development of sound assessment mechanisms. This study adds to the existing literature on the predictors of effective inclusive education in Zimbabwean secondary schools. It offers implications on how to foster the educational experiences of students with learning disabilities.

COMBATING DRUG AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONG ‘PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOL’ LEARNERS IN WATERFALLS DISTRICT, HARARE, ZIMBABWE

The study investigates the causes of drug and substance abuse and proffers workable solutions to overcome the challenge within theprivate high school environment in Zimbabwe. The researchers used a qualitative research design and data collection method in the form of semi-structured interviews. The participants of this study involved five private high school learners, three private high school teachers and two headmasters from Waterfalls, Harare, Zimbabwe. Data was thematically analyzed. The study established that private high school administrations are neglecting the fundamental pillars of education, thereby compromising the standard of moral fiber in learners. Nonprocedural enrollment policies, lack of weekend and holiday rest and no sporting activities were established as the key causal factors of drug and substance abuse among learners in private high schools. The study concludes that the unconducive learning environment in private high schools in Zimbabwe is fertile ground for learners to succumb to drug and substance abuse usage. Whereas on the contrary, learners should have time to relax, play sports, and engage in creative activities. Therefore, this study recommends the enforcement of standardized healthy living principles of practice in private high schools in Zimbabwe.

Child-Directed Healing Play and student–teacher relationships. Evaluating a promising practice among primary-aged children in Zimbabwe

This mixed methods study evaluates the effectiveness of Child-Directed Healing Play (CDHP) in improving student–teacher relationships in 7 Private Primary Schools in Zimbabwe. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) questionnaires were administered to 31 trained teachers. Sixty-two children (22 girls and 40 boys) aged between 3 and 12, from ECD to Grade 7 were screened using the Youth Outcome Questionnaires (YOQ) completed by parents. Thirty-one children were assigned into intervention group (IG) and 31 in control group (CG). Quantitative data were gathered at two points in time: prior to the intervention (pre-test) and after the completion of the intervention (post-test) using the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS) Short Form. Qualitative data were collected using CDHP Session Evaluation Forms. Results showed that 32 % of teachers had 0 ACEs while 40 % had 1 to 2 and 28 % had 3–5 ACEs. The p-values for the “Closeness” and “Conflict” variables were 0.05355 and 0.1378 respectively, indicating the intervention may have improved the “Closeness” and reduced the “Conflict” in the relationships, although the results did not reach statistical significance. Qualitative findings reveal the effectiveness of CDHP in improving closeness through establishment of therapeutic relationships characterised by increased openness, trust, emotional regulation and mutual understanding. The improved closeness between the teacher and student is reflective of the intervention’s potential to be both curative and preventive (resilience-building).

A contemporary examination of instructional leadership activities and distributed leadership practices in elementary education

While the success of schools is often attributed to the efforts of principals, it is important to determine how schools can embrace distributed instructional leadership to enhance academic performance among learners. It is evident that instructional leadership alone is inadequate and necessitates complementation with a distributed leadership model. This study exclusively focuses on how instructional leadership aligns with distributed leadership, paying special attention to distributed instructional leadership implementation in primary schools in Zimbabwe. In this particular qualitative study, the interpretivist theory served as the guiding framework. The study involved observation and conducting interviews with school teachers and principals to gain insight into the instructional and distributive leadership activities that were taking place within their respective schools. The analysis of the data was approached through the lens of Hallinger and Murphy’s model of instructional leadership. The findings of the study highlighted the importance of active involvement from all members within a school for effective leadership. Furthermore, it was revealed that a holistic approach to school leadership styles is essential, emphasizing the interconnected nature of instructional and distributive leadership activities (distributed instructional leadership). The study ultimately determined that distributed instructional leadership is achieved through collaborative efforts in formulating school visions and embracing shared supervision practices among the members of staff. It was also identified that creating opportunities for staff development in the schools plays a pivotal role in reaching the goals of distributed instructional leadership.

Teachers’ challenges encountered in the marketisation of education systems at primary schools in the Mbare-Hatfield district

Different forms of markertisation and privatisation have encircled the teaching profession. Internet sites that offer to produce academic work for a fee make academic work into a commodity that can be bought and sold. Most schools in Zimbabwe, the Southern African Development Community region, Africa, and beyond cannot easily afford internet services. This study explored the teachers’ challenges in understanding the educational systems due to the marketisation of education. This study utilized the mixed methods approach and the case study design because of its strength in discovering more about unexplored problems. Two school head participants and forty teachers were selected from schools in the district. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires were used to get data from the research participants. The results unearthed that the education system is one such tool for perpetuating class divisions and social inequality. Contemporary literature has provided evidence in the exploration of teachers’ challenges encountered in the marketisation of education. To the extent that I have reviewed the literature, I found a substantial gap in knowledge about the impact of the challenges encountered in the marketisation of education. The study's objective was to determine the challenges teachers face in giving equal opportunities to poor and minority students due to the marketisation of education. There are some gaps caused by digital divides and government withdrawal from funding for public schools since the early 1990s when ESAP was embraced as an economic blueprint. The marketisation of education has negatively affected teacher integrity, sometimes leading to teacher misconduct. In recent years, the professional status of teachers seems to have been compromised. This is probably due to the changing nature of teacher professional work. Modern-day teaching practices are embroiled in an increasing struggle for private gain. Teachers must learn to cross social boundaries to make learning meaningful and relevant for all students.

School inspectors’ perspectives of their instructional leadership support to schools in Zimbabwe

Over the past 2 decades, worldwide research has established that the district office of education matters. Various policy initiatives are directing district offices to shift from limited managerial functions and begin to directly support learner instruction. The intention of this article, therefore, was to tease the question: How do school inspectors provide instructional leadership support to schools in Zimbabwe? Guided by the instructional leadership conceptual framework, we employed a qualitative research methodology in which we used 2 case studies focusing on 6 officers purposively drawn from 2 district offices in the Masvingo province of Zimbabwe. Data collection tools used were document analysis and semi-structured interviews. The findings indicate that school inspectors carried out school staffing; spearheaded need-driven circuit-level and district-level professional development; instituted supervision of schools; supported school development efforts; and ensured stakeholder and partner engagement. But school inspectors provided limited support to scaffold learner instruction. To improve district instructional leadership support at school level, we recommend strategic human and material resource mobilisation and utilisation. Inevitably, more research is needed to allow deeper insight into the observed inadequacies of the current district office in Zimbabwe.

Developing English Language Writing Skills Using the Process Model in Zimbabwean Schools

Developing English Language Writing Skills Using the Process Model in Zimbabwean Schools

Turning the page on energy poverty? Quasi-experimental evidence on education and energy poverty in Zimbabwe

We investigate the long-term causal effects of education on energy poverty among households headed by men and women, leveraging the 1980 Zimbabwe school reform as a quasi-experiment. This reform, which significantly expanded educational opportunities for all children, serves as an ideal setting for assessing the impact of education on energy poverty within a regression discontinuity design, with age at reform determining exposure. Exposure to the reform resulted in a 2.08-year average increase in schooling and a 28.3 percentage point (pp) increase in the probability of completing secondary schooling. The reform's impact was more pronounced for women, increasing their schooling by 2.35 years (compared to 1.68 years for men) and for rural residents, with a 2.53-year increase (compared to 1.00 year for urban residents). A one-year increase in education reduces the risk of energy poverty by an estimated 8.56%, more pronounced among male-head families (5 pp) than among female-headed households (4.6 pp). This increased education enhances labour market outcomes, household economic status, infrastructure quality, and access to information and promotes progressive societal norms. These findings underscore education's crucial role in sustainable and gender-inclusive economic development, highlighting the potential of educational policy in reducing energy poverty and advancing gender equality in low-income countries.

Navigating the ethical quagmire: an in-depth analysis of ethical leadership practices amidst turbulence and multiple deprivation in four Zimbabwean schools

ABSTRACT This paper presents findings from part of a qualitative case study that explored ethical leadership in four Zimbabwean high schools in the context of turbulence and multiple deprivation as conceptualized, experienced and practiced by school heads, heads of department and teachers. By making use of social constructivism on ethical leadership, data was generated and analyzed utilizing thematic analysis as well as Multiple Ethical Paradigms, Turbulence Theory and African Philosophy of Ubuntu. To generate data, semi-structured interviews, document reviews and questionnaires were used. The findings revealed that ethical dilemmas affected ethical school leadership practices and identified ethical dilemmas faced by the school personnel. This paper argues that leaders that care, are just, critical and professional; who are knowledgeable of the different levels of turbulence; are ethically grounded and operate within the spirit of Ubuntu; acknowledge their agency should be able to ethically deal with the ethical dilemmas. What needs to be highlighted are the values of ethical leadership training and democratic leadership processes which help sustain ethical leadership practices thus enabling their schools to flourish. Hence, this paper postulates that, due the various challenges faced by the school personnel, they are hindered from making ethical decisions.

Secondary school students' perceptions of the 21st -Century 4Cs in Zimbabwe

The volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous future world has highlighted the importance of critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity and innovation (4Cs) in today’s classrooms. Framed by the Partnership for 21st-Century Learning (P21) Learning and Innovation theme, the study investigates the perceptions of the 4Cs by secondary school students from four schools in Zimbabwe. Two hundred and thirty-six (236) students participated in this quantitative study. Data were collected using online and paper questionnaires. Exploratory and first-order confirmatory analysis revealed a four-factor model with excellent fit indices. The second-order confirmatory factor analysis confirmed that the individual 4Cs were sub-constructs of a higher latent factor, Learning and Innovation (4Cs), where the students strongly endorsed collaboration, followed by communication, critical thinking, creativity, and innovation in decreasing magnitude. Age has a significant influence on critical thinking. The findings highlight the need for teachers to embed critical thinking and creativity acivities within collaborative and communication learning activities.

Rethinking the Role of the Principal in the Strategic Management of Human Capital in Public Secondary Schools in Zimbabwe

Effective leadership and management are at the centre of the strategic management of human capital in education. Principals in schools as organizations promote the effective execution of strategies by coordinating staff members toward accomplishing school goals and objectives to improve student outcomes. Principals are critical in implementing strategic plans and providing a conducive setting for teaching and learning that allows human capital to grow and perform better. Principals must be strategic and forward-thinking by aligning school systems, culture, and processes to achieve all goals. Principals in public secondary schools in Zimbabwe face challenges in strategically managing human capital. Evidence mainly points to the teachers’ low motivation levels and lack of training and coherence in support mechanisms that would enable principals to strategically manage human capital in Zimbabwean schools. Thus, this necessitates the need to rethink the role of the principal. The study aimed to explore ways to rethink and redefine the principal’s role in Zimbabwean schools where education is in crisis. Following an interpretivist paradigm, a qualitative approach using a case study design was employed to gather data. The study found a need for policy change to strengthen the principal’s management and instructional leadership role when managing human capital effectively in schools. Such a bold move would pave the way for an upgrade in principals’ leadership and management capacities so they can effectively manage teacher performance and thereby improve academic performance.

COVID-19, mother-teachers and teen suicide-personality disorder: Exploring the synergies and readying for contingencies in Indigenous-Christian contexts

The emergence of COVID-19 affected all facets of life. Lockdown restrictions, introduced in various countries, meant the majority of people had to stay home in the interests of social distancing. Schools and other learning institutions in Zimbabwe and elsewhere were closed and the phenomenon of home-schooling was introduced to ensure that learners do not lag behind. Home-schooling meant that in addition to the parenting role, parents- in particular mothers, had to become teachers. The impact of this sudden change of roles on the mental health of mothers and teen suicide, a form of borderline personality disorder, is yet to be studied. Is the growing scourge of teen suicide in Zimbabwe a result of COVID-19 inspired home-schooling experiences? Data solicited through face-to-face interviews and documents analyses and analysed through the lens of family systems theory seem to suggest that family disruptions and most mothers’ terrible experience with home-schooling was in part responsible for children’s (learners’) suicide ideation. To this end, we suggest that when teen education and child development catastrophe in the mould of COVID-19 occurs, manuals and toolkits on home-schooling should be developed to guide parents and children.

Averting, Fending off and Deflecting Learning Gaps before Entrenchment: Promising Student Support Strategies used by Teachers in Selected Zimbabwean Schools

Averting, Fending off and Deflecting Learning Gaps before Entrenchment: Promising Student Support Strategies used by Teachers in Selected Zimbabwean Schools

An Analysis of the Textile Technology and Design Subject Operations for Secondary Schools in Zimbabwe

An Analysis of the Textile Technology and Design Subject Operations for Secondary Schools in Zimbabwe

Social work with encamped refugees: reflections from Tongogara refugee camp in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT In this article, we draw on our joint experiences as social work practitioners and researchers in a rights-restricting practice context, a refugee camp. We reflect on social workers’ roles in navigating the conundrum, that is, advocating against and in some unfortunate instances, perpetuating exclusionary systems. Refugee camps are physical zones designed to disentitle refugees of rights reserved for citizens. Faced with structural restrictions, social workers working with refugees have negotiated for rights with and on behalf of their clients at the center of their practice. We offer accounts of contextual application of anti-oppressive social work approaches for refugee wellbeing and access to rights like shelter, water, food, health, education, livelihoods, nutrition, sanitation, and protection. In the second half of our analysis, we offer a critical analysis of human rights education in Zimbabwean schools of social work given the manifest rights violations in the country’s refugee welfare practice context. We examine the extent to which the pedagogy of human rights and notions of indiscriminate human development, democracy, and justice are infused in curricula to equip aspirant social workers with the requisite skills to transform their practice orientation from social control to the social change function which the practice context demands.

Parents’ views on teaching comprehensive sexuality education to their young children in Zimbabwean schools

Parents’ views on teaching comprehensive sexuality education to their young children in Zimbabwean schools

The Sustainability of Curriculum Reform and Implementation Through Teacher Participation: Evidence from Social Studies Teachers

Globally, there is a movement toward curriculum development and reform as states, governments, and education departments work to provide future-focused curricula to address the demands and difficulties of the 21st century. Despite public knowledge that curriculum reform and implementation are universal trends infested with intractable challenges, little is understood about why the participation of teachers in reform activities from design through implementation should be considered essential. This paper, a part of earlier work, reports on a qualitative case study examining how teachers made sense of their participation in curriculum reform and implementation activities. Twelve teachers representing six primary schools in Zimbabwe were interviewed in Focus Group Discussions and semi-structured interviews to gather data. Using the sense-making theory as a lens, thematic analysis of qualitative data suggests that teacher participation in curriculum reforms enables teachers to be co-designers, which in turn improves ownership of the innovations, leading to an improved implementation fidelity of the new curriculum as teachers are provided with the authority to go through the implementation process with a comparable level of rigor as policymakers. These insights could inform curriculum design and development policy, potentially improving curriculum implementation worldwide. The study implores policymakers to rope in teachers as potent fountains of curriculum content and as partners in curriculum design and development. The study contributes to scholarship on policy formulation and implementation in educational settings.

Effect of the Dialogue and Argumentation Strategy on the Academic Achievement of Ordinary Level Students in Zimbabwe

The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of the dialogue and argumentation strategy on the academic achievement of mathematics students studying the subject at ordinary level. The research strategy used was a descriptive survey. A quantitative approach that used a structured questionnaire for data collection from a sample of 100 O’ level Mathematics teachers was used. Data validation was done using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used for data analysis. The empirical findings of the study indicated that all the factors of dialogue and argumentation strategy namely: collective teaching, purposeful teaching, supportive teaching, reciprocal teaching, cumulative teaching and pedagogical repertoires have a significant and positive influence on the teaching of ordinary level mathematics. These results demonstrate that the dialogue and argumentation strategy has a significant effect on the academic achievement of ordinary level mathematics students. The main study limitation was that the findings of this study might not be transferable nationally since the study was delimitated to only schools in Gutu district of Masvingo province in Zimbabwe. These results have implications on the effective teaching of ordinary mathematics in secondary schools in Zimbabwe.