Primary school teachers in Zimbabwe tend to face a number of challenges that need to be overcome if they are to handle learners with diverse needs effectively. The main problem has been failure by teachers to deal with gifted learners. The objective of this qualitative study focused on answering the key research question, ‘What are the teacher education initiatives undertaken by Teachers Colleges to prepare trainee teachers in handling gifted learners in primary schools in Zimbabwe?’ The problem is mainly attributed to preparation of teachers during pre-service training. Primary school education in Zimbabwe has tended to ignore gifted learners as compared to learners who experience academic barriers. It has been observed that records kept by trainee teachers on teaching practice reflect some serious planning considerations given to remedial cases in which gifted learners are completely ignored. This suggests that the trainee teachers are not deliberately ignoring gifted learners but have an inherent assumption that they do not need extra attention. The research was grounded in the constructivist paradigm to gain a full understanding of the social life-world of the initiatives by teacher education in the preparation of trainee teachers to handle gifted learners. A phenomenological design was employed to collect data through qualitative methods, namely semi-structured interviews, observation and focus group discussion. The respondents to these data collection methods were lecturers from two teachers colleges, qualified teachers and trainee teachers from two primary schools. The main finding was that gifted education was missing in the teacher preparation to enable trainee teachers to handle gifted learners. The researcher made some recommendations from the conclusions drawn from the research findings. The recommendations included that there is need for a national policy on gifted education to provide guidelines for teacher education programmes and that teacher training colleges should review their curriculum specifically in Theory of Education and Professional Studies to include gifted education. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

Primary school teachers in Zimbabwe tend to face a number of challenges that need to be overcome if they are to handle learners with diverse needs effectively. The main problem has been failure by teachers to deal with gifted learners. The objective of this qualitative study focused on answering the key research question, ‘What are the teacher education initiatives undertaken by Teachers Colleges to prepare trainee teachers in handling gifted learners in primary schools in Zimbabwe?’ The problem is mainly attributed to preparation of teachers during pre-service training. Primary school education in Zimbabwe has tended to ignore gifted learners as compared to learners who experience academic barriers. It has been observed that records kept by trainee teachers on teaching practice reflect some serious planning considerations given to remedial cases in which gifted learners are completely ignored. This suggests that the trainee teachers are not deliberately ignoring gifted learners but have an inherent assumption that they do not need extra attention. The research was grounded in the constructivist paradigm to gain a full understanding of the social life-world of the initiatives by teacher education in the preparation of trainee teachers to handle gifted learners. A phenomenological design was employed to collect data through qualitative methods, namely semi-structured interviews, observation and focus group discussion. The respondents to these data collection methods were lecturers from two teachers colleges, qualified teachers and trainee teachers from two primary schools. The main finding was that gifted education was missing in the teacher preparation to enable trainee teachers to handle gifted learners. The researcher made some recommendations from the conclusions drawn from the research findings. The recommendations included that there is need for a national policy on gifted education to provide guidelines for teacher education programmes and that teacher training colleges should review their curriculum specifically in Theory of Education and Professional Studies to include gifted education. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

This study investigates the challenges experienced by teachers of music literacy in Zimbabwe, and is based on a case study of five primary schools in the city of Gweru. The research builds on a literature review of past studies on Zimbabwean music literacy teaching, and on a review of policy documents. Empirical data was collected through lesson observations, interviews with teachers and administrators, and the analysis of lesson plans. To validate the findings a method of triangulation was used. Results are presented in both narrative and tabular forms in this dissertation, and analysed inductively. Zoltan Kodály’s work informs the theoretical framework, as well as other African and Western music educators, including Dalcroze, Kwami, Nketia, and Suzuki. Consistent challenges recognized by all stakeholders include a lack of resources, inadequate teacher training, and the exclusion of music as an examination subject. Recommendations are provided by way of conclusion. / Art History, Visual Arts and Musicology / M. Mus.

This study focuses on the teaching of Indigenous African Music (IAM) in Zimbabwean primary schools, and proposes a new Experiential Open Class Pedagogy relevant to its multicultural contexts. A postcolonial theoretical paradigm informs the discussion of secondary literature, and the analysis of empirical data obtained through the following methods: interviews, lesson observations, focus group discussions, and the analysis of teaching documents. Case studies were conducted at ten schools in the Gweru district of Zimbabwe. These schools were chosen from a mix of urban, peri-urban, and rural communities. The findings show the continued effects of colonialism on IAM teaching practices and pedagogy. The effects of globalization and the high levels of migrancy in and out of Zimbabwe are discussed as factors shaping the teaching of IAM. Formal models of learning have undermined the status of IAM in favour of Western classical music. Recognizing this bias, but also the fact that culture is dynamic, this study strikes a balance by proposing a new pedagogy that integrates Western and African approaches to music education. The study findings feed into the development of a new hybridised model called the Experiential Open Class Pedagogy (EOCP), which is suitable for multicultural contexts. This pedagogy encourages learners to use their personal experience of IAM practices in the home, and to draw on expertise from their local communities. The participation of children and their elders in the community contributes to the openness of the learning process. A combination of learning at home, in communities, and in classrooms is vital in utilising all the critical avenues to acquiring knowledge and experience of IAM. Recommendations on policy and practice in Zimbabwean primary school education offer solutions to the present challenges. It is important for teachers to be active stakeholders in documenting the very IAM practices they teach by carrying out research, and through continuous improvement initiatives in multicultural contexts. / Art History, Visual Arts and Musicology / D. Phil. (Music)

There is overwhelming evidence the world over on the pedagogical benefits of learning in the mother language. Zimbabwe recognized this significant role played by the mother tongue in education when a policy enshrined in the 1987 Education Act was enunciated. The language-in-education policy, which was amended in 2006, allows mother tongue usage up to Grade Seven. Contrary to the stated policy, primary school teachers continue to use English as the medium of instruction in primary schools. The purpose of this study was thus to explore the barriers that rural primary school teachers face in implementing the proposed policy in Masvingo District of Zimbabwe. Literature suggests that factors that inhibit implementation of a mother tongue education policy in ex-colonial African countries include state-related factors, uninformed language myths and language attitudes which support the dominant role of English. The postcolonial theory paradigm guided this study since the intention was to conduct the research as well as to contribute to how to generate teachers’ participation in mother tongue policy implementation in a postcolonial context. A qualitative case study was employed where semi-structured open ended questionnaires, focus group discussions and individual interviews were used to collect data. Fifteen rural primary school teachers, three school heads and two District Schools Inspectors were purposefully selected to participate in the study. It emerged from the study that all the participants were not knowledgeable about the stipulations of the 2006 language-in-education policy. The major barriers identified include inadequate policy dialogue, unavailability of educational material resources in the mother tongue, language attitudes and individual teacher concerns which contribute to low self-efficacy. A critical analysis of the barriers to implementation success indicates that they are mainly related to postcolonial mentality where language attitudes are deeply entrenched in people’s minds. Participants believed that the challenges they faced could be resolved and they proposed some intervention strategies. The study recommends that teacher education institutions should spearhead the designing of professional development modules that impart knowledge and skills on the implementation of additive bilingual education in primary schools. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics)