Godlove Lawrent

2 Publications in AERD

Author Publications

Education sector development and teacher identity construction: a reflective experience

By Godlove Lawrent

Introduction: Tanzania, like other developing countries, has adopted numerous educational reforms geared towards addressing challenges rooted in either the colonial or post-colonial educational systems. However, the influence of these reforms on teacher professionalism is seldom studied. This study, therefore, gained insights into how the secondary education expansion policy related challenges affected teachers as teaching professionals. Methods: The qualitative case study design was adopted in order to capture the holistic overview of the phenomena under exploration. Individual interviews, focus group discussion, and document analysis were utilized for gathering data. The main participants were teachers and school principals who were purposively selected from the Iringa region, Tanzania. The region promptly managed to build at least one secondary school in each ward (i.e., at least two villages) as per the government’s expansion enactment directives. Results: It was revealed that the inadequate enactment of the expansion policy adversely affected teachers’ self-beliefs about their own teaching aptitudes, their apathy towards teaching, as well as their social status. These issues undermined successful implementation of the policy itself. Discussion: The study adds to a growing body of literature around how teachers “construct” what secondary expansion means for them as both effective and ethical professionals. Copyright © 2024 Lawrent.

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Early grade teachers’ professional development programs for promoting school safety: Does it make a difference?

By Pambas Tandika Basil

This study explored the influence of training on helping teachers to promote greater school safety. A qualitative case study design was adopted, and 213 early grade teachers from Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar took part in the study. Data were gathered through individual semi-structured interviews before being thematically analysed. It was evident that teachers were inadequately prepared in terms of autonomy and supportive communication to help their pupils develop crucial skills for creating a safe learning environment. In- service professional development programs related to social and emotional learning would enhance teachers’ ability to support their pupils to address school safety concerns. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd

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