Fussy, Daniel Sidney
3 Publications in AERD
Author Publications
Export PDFCultivating a research culture in Tanzanian higher education
By Fussy, Daniel Sidney
Higher education institutions (HEIs) are primarily responsible for producing high-quality research and training the next generation of researchers to achieve socio-economic development. However, empirical evidence suggests that a significant number of HEIs in Tanzania and sub-Saharan Africa generally have limited involvement in research. This situation requires an in-depth analysis of how this challenge is addressed. This paper1 reports the findings of a study that examined how Tanzanian HEIs cultivate a research culture. Data were generated through interviews with senior leaders, academic staff and postgraduate students from four public and private Tanzanian HEIs. The study found that research culture is cultivated by creating research governance tools; reinforcing desired research behaviours; building research capacity; supporting research dissemination; and promoting research collaboration and networking. Overall, these approaches to research development were found to be less rigorous in fostering a robust research culture because many structural constraints remain that need to be addressed by key stakeholders in the higher education sector. Universities committed to cultivating a research culture should prioritise strategies that promote an equitable, transparent and inclusive research environment that recognises and supports academics as critical thinkers, researchers, educators and learners rather than simply as producers of measurable research outputs. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Supporting the Development of Students’ Scientific Literacy
By Iddy, Hassan
Science teachers are increasingly encouraged to critically engage their students with scientific knowledge and expertise, with the expectation that such instructional practices will support the development of scientific literacy (SL). Drawing on Bildung framework, this qualitative study was conducted in Tanzania to explore how science teachers’ classroom practices facilitate the development of students’ SL. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and non-participant classroom observations with science teachers and students from six secondary schools. The study has identified five instructional practices that were used to support students’ development of SL, namely guided reading, code-switching, educational print and visual aids, science experiments, and science projects. While there is evidence that the instructional practices used provided opportunities for students to contribute their thinking, experience and understanding to the science learning, the instructional practices were mostly print-based, paper-based and teacher-led, resulting in little engagement in active scientific thinking and literacy learning. Overall, the knowledge base developed by this study is of practical use to science teachers and educators in making decisions about appropriate instructional practices and what should be the regular focus of pre-service teacher education and professional development programs. © 2024 Association for Science Teacher Education.
Literacy practices as an arena for girls’ development of literacies
By Fussy, Daniel Sidney
Literacy practices play a catalytic role in equipping girls with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to make qualitative improvements on their lives. This paper reports on a qualitative study that identified existing literacy practices and the support available to enable the development of literacies among girls. Interviews and observations were used to generate data from in and out-of-school-girls, teachers, the ward education officer, parents, and religious, traditional and village leaders. The study found that girls had access to a variety of print materials, and used print more than any other literacy materials. Similarly, the engagement with traditional literacy practices like poems, folklore, metaphors, music or rituals was not reported by the participants, which may simply suggest that they do not associate the traditional literacy practices with literacy learning. This implies further that many traditional ways of acquiring literacies, which were part of the cultural heritage and ways of learning language of older generations, are being forgotten and possibly slowly vanishing. To support girls’ acquisition of literacies, it is essential to build the capacity of communities, parents, teachers, religious and local leaders who can help girls fully integrate all available literacy sources into their literacy learning. © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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