The study analysed how the management of the quality of education of Rural Day Secondary Schools has been affected by the internal efficiency of the school system. Both quantitative and qualitative techniques were used in the study. The study measured the internal efficiency of selected Rural Day Secondary Schools, and analysed the views of school managers and school heads on the quality of education of Rural Day Secondary Schools, and strategies that can be used to improve the quality of education thereof.The study found out that the internal efficiency of Rural Day Secondary Schools was low. At least 30% of students entering Rural Day Secondary Schools were overage; and the overall survival rate was 57.4% Dropouts were mainly caused by inability to pay school and examination fees and long distances walked by students to school. Students repeated classes mainly at Form 4. The average "O" level examination pass rate was 9.8%. The reasons for the low pass rates include the calibre of students enrolled; lack of resources; low teacher morale; long distances walked by students to school, and an unsuitable curriculum. BSP (Z) has been the most effective programme in addressing the quality of education, while the Quality Assurance Division is the least effective. ZIMSEC has improved access to "O" level examinations and the relevance of the examination questions, but is fraught with mismanagement, while the Clients' Charter has not been fully implemented due to inadequate training. SDCs have improved the supply of resources in the schools, but lack basic understanding of education policies.The study recommended that more funding be allocated to Rural Day Secondary Schools to boost resources and curtail dropouts, and that low-cost boarding facilities be introduced to deal with the problem of long distances walked by students. There is also a need to re-engineer the curriculum and make it more responsive to the plight of rural students. Training is needed for SDCs, on the Clients' Charter. It was further recommended that BSP (Z) should try to reach out to remote schools; ZIMSEC should improve examinations management, and the Quality Assurance Division should be revamped to carry out effective teacher supervision. / Further Teacher Education / D. Ed. (Education Management)

The study analysed how the management of the quality of education of Rural Day Secondary Schools has been affected by the internal efficiency of the school system. Both quantitative and qualitative techniques were used in the study. The study measured the internal efficiency of selected Rural Day Secondary Schools, and analysed the views of school managers and school heads on the quality of education of Rural Day Secondary Schools, and strategies that can be used to improve the quality of education thereof.The study found out that the internal efficiency of Rural Day Secondary Schools was low. At least 30% of students entering Rural Day Secondary Schools were overage; and the overall survival rate was 57.4% Dropouts were mainly caused by inability to pay school and examination fees and long distances walked by students to school. Students repeated classes mainly at Form 4. The average "O" level examination pass rate was 9.8%. The reasons for the low pass rates include the calibre of students enrolled; lack of resources; low teacher morale; long distances walked by students to school, and an unsuitable curriculum. BSP (Z) has been the most effective programme in addressing the quality of education, while the Quality Assurance Division is the least effective. ZIMSEC has improved access to "O" level examinations and the relevance of the examination questions, but is fraught with mismanagement, while the Clients' Charter has not been fully implemented due to inadequate training. SDCs have improved the supply of resources in the schools, but lack basic understanding of education policies.The study recommended that more funding be allocated to Rural Day Secondary Schools to boost resources and curtail dropouts, and that low-cost boarding facilities be introduced to deal with the problem of long distances walked by students. There is also a need to re-engineer the curriculum and make it more responsive to the plight of rural students. Training is needed for SDCs, on the Clients' Charter. It was further recommended that BSP (Z) should try to reach out to remote schools; ZIMSEC should improve examinations management, and the Quality Assurance Division should be revamped to carry out effective teacher supervision. / Further Teacher Education / D. Ed. (Education Management)

The study focused on investigating challenges and prospects of quality education in rural primary schools in developing countries particularly in Zimbabwe. Reviewed literature indicated that two theories; education as human capital and education as human right advanced increased access to education. Decline of quality of education in the expansion programme portrayed by the decrease of pass rates to below 50 percent, pupils’ low literacy and numeracy prompted investigation. A case study of Ngezi rural primary schools was explored using a sample of 50 respondents selected through stratified random technique. Data were gathered by a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods defined as triangulation. Self- administered questionnaires for heads and teachers, interview guide for grade 7 pupils and SDC and observation guide were the instruments employed for data collection. Analysis of the data was done using descriptive statistics. Findings were that quality of universal education was affected by inadequate supporting inputs and facilities, inappropriate teaching methods and unmotivated teachers. However 80 percent of the schools were staffed with qualified teachers depicting government’s commitment to quality education. 40 % of the schools without qualified leadership were indicative of the effect of poor school conditions to staff turn up. In studies carried out in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and India quality also declined as access was increased due to similar causes. Recommendations were to create a strong collaboration among stakeholders through communication to ensure the four conditions for quality are met simultaneously as they are interdependent and reforming the curriculum to suit means and needs of the people.

Attempts to address global pressure to achieve Education For All (EFA) have been hampered by two fundamental challenges in developing countries, namely an acute shortage of teachers and the large rural populations in these countries. In addition there is a trend for qualified competent teachers to shun working in rural settings. While recruitment of professionally unqualified graduate teachers into the teaching profession has become internationally accepted, to address particularly rural school postings and EFA commitments, there remain outstanding questions regarding how such teachers grow and develop in those rural contexts. An understanding of how these teachers develop professionally is crucial. The study explored professional development experiences of professionally unqualified practicing teachers in rural secondary schools. Through a double site study involving two international sites, Zimbabwe and KwaZulu–Natal, South Africa, an interpretive/qualitative design was adopted. Three-interview series supported by document reviews and photo elicitations were employed to explore these teachers’ experiences. Data was transcribed and manually analysed inductively utilizing open coding. The findings suggest that professional development for these teachers occurs in a number of sites, namely: through the Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) / Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) programme; in the school through practice and school meetings; in the wider professional sites; and in informal communities. Drawing on Cultural Historical Activity Theory to describe, analyse and understand data, I argue that the professionally unqualified practicing teachers experience professional development through interaction in multiple domains of formality and experience: formal, non formal, informal and experiential. Professional development occurs across these domains however, findings show that these teachers feel incapacitated by lack of support. This implies a need for more supervisory and resource support. The teachers conceive their professional development experiences in rural secondary school contexts as underpinned by having to ‘make-do’, relational dimensions, interdependence and agency as well as resourcefulness, creativity and improvisation to address gross resource limitations. The thesis suggests a need for further research into enhancing professional development practices of the professionally unqualified practicing teachers in rural school settings. Professional development can be supported. Given that teachers are teaching in under resourced and geographically rural contexts where they have ‘to make-do’, this has a bearing on the achievement of EFA goals within the wider context. In relation to the Cultural Historical Activity Theory, my argument is that the framework provides a useful generic, analytical tool for thinking through how professional development occurs in multi-domains. However, on its own it does not provide a complete lens to make sense of the variations in professional development within the domains and levels of formality and experience. The thesis therefore argues for an additive model to CHAT, which includes domain based distinctions of formality and experience that may expand the framework and deepen its applicability specifically, in trying to understand professional development issues. The thesis therefore suggests the need for more studies, drawing on the framework and developing it to determine its applicability beyond this particular inquiry. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

The study explores Mathematics educators’ use of students’ out-of-school experiences in the teaching of Transformation Geometry. This thesis focuses on an analysis of the extent to which students’ out-of-school experiences are reflected in the actual teaching, textbook tasks and national examination items set and other resources used. Teachers’ teaching practices are expected to support students’ learning of concepts in mathematics. Freudenthal (1991) argues that students develop their mathematical understanding by working from contexts that make sense to them, contexts that are grounded in realistic settings. ZIMSEC Examiners Reports (2010; 2011) reveal a low student performance in the topic of Transformation Geometry in Zimbabwe, yet, the topic has a close relationship with the environment in which students live (Purpura, Baroody & Lonigan, 2013). Thus, the main purpose of the study is to explore Mathematics teachers’ use of students’ out-of-school experiences in the teaching of Transformation Geometry at secondary school level. The investigation encompassed; (a) teacher perceptions about transformation geometry concepts that have a close link with students’ out-of-school experiences, (b) how teachers are teaching transformation geometry in Zimbabwe’s rural secondary schools, (c) the extent to which students’ out-of-school experiences are incorporated in Transformation Geometry tasks, and (d) the extent to which transformation geometry, as reflected in the official textbooks and suggested teaching models, is linked to students’ out-of-school experiences. Consistent with the interpretive qualitative research paradigm the transcendental phenomenology was used as the research design. Semi-structured interviews, Lesson observations, document analysis and a test were used as data gathering instruments. Data analysis, mainly for qualitative data, involved coding and categorising emerging themes from the different data sources. The key epistemological assumption was derived from the notion that knowing reality is through understanding the experiences of others found in a phenomenon of interest (Yuksel & Yildirim, 2015). In this study, the phenomenon of interest was the teaching of Transformation Geometry in rural secondary schools. In the same light, it meant observing teachers teaching the topic of Transformation Geometry, listening to their perceptions about the topic during interviews, and considering how they plan for their teaching as well as how students are assessed in transformation geometry. The research site included 3 selected rural secondary schools; one Mission boarding high school, a Council run secondary school and a Government rural day secondary school. Purposive sampling technique was used carefully to come up with 3 different types of schools in a typical rural Zimbabwe. Purposive sampling technique was also used to choose the teacher participants, whereas learners who sat for the test were randomly selected from the ordinary level classes. The main criterion for including teacher participants was if they were currently teaching an Ordinary Level Mathematics class and had gained more experience in teaching Transformation Geometry. In total, six teachers and forty-five students were selected to participate in the study. Results from the study reveal that some teachers have limited knowledge on transformation geometry concepts embedded in students’ out-of-school experience. Using Freudenthal’s (1968) RME Model to judge their effectiveness in teaching, the implication is teaching and learning would fail to utilise contexts familiar with the students and hence can hardly promote mastery of transformation geometry concepts. Data results also reveal some disconnect between teaching practices as espoused in curriculum documents and actual teaching practice. Although policy stipulates that concepts must be developed starting from concrete situations and moving to the abstract concepts, teachers seem to prefer starting with the formal Mathematics, giving students definitions and procedures for carrying out the different geometric transformations. On the other hand, tasks in Transformation Geometry both at school level and the national examinations focus on testing learner’s ability to define and use procedures for performing specific transformations at the expense of testing for real understanding of concepts. In view of these findings the study recommends the revision of the school Mathematics curriculum emphasising pre-service programmes for teacher professional knowledge to be built on features of contemporary learning theory, such as RME theory. Such as a revision can include the need to plan instruction so that students build models and representations rather than apply already developed ones. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

Too often, literature on participation in community development is void of the rationale for the participation of teachers; the roles they may play; factors for and against their participation; and strategies for inviting and sustaining their participation. This study examines what could be done to ensure the participation of rural based teachers in community development activities, by exploring these issues. A qualitative design and purposeful sampling are used. The sample consists of information-rich informants from the following five categories: officials of the Rural District Council, non-governmental organisation workers, rural based school teachers, Village Development Committee Chairpersons, and ordinary community members. Interviewing is used as the major instrument of data collection. The study reveals that rural based teachers should participate in community development activities, since they have a wide knowledge base and transferable skills, and they are part of and trusted by the community. It reveals that rural based teachers' participation is deterred by political factors, lack of supportive policies, attitudes, conservativeness, lack of specialized training, and labour issues. Twenty two roles are identified for rural based teachers in community development activities. Strategies for inviting them to participate are: the use of policy, change of attitudes, use of media campaigns, training, and inclusion of community development in tertiary education in general, and teacher education in particular. Strategies for sustaining their participation emerge as: the use of incentives, free time or days off and holding responsible offices. Sixteen recommendations are finally presented. / DEVELOPMENT STUDIES / MA (DEVELOPMENT STUD)

Too often, literature on participation in community development is void of the rationale for the participation of teachers; the roles they may play; factors for and against their participation; and strategies for inviting and sustaining their participation. This study examines what could be done to ensure the participation of rural based teachers in community development activities, by exploring these issues. A qualitative design and purposeful sampling are used. The sample consists of information-rich informants from the following five categories: officials of the Rural District Council, non-governmental organisation workers, rural based school teachers, Village Development Committee Chairpersons, and ordinary community members. Interviewing is used as the major instrument of data collection. The study reveals that rural based teachers should participate in community development activities, since they have a wide knowledge base and transferable skills, and they are part of and trusted by the community. It reveals that rural based teachers' participation is deterred by political factors, lack of supportive policies, attitudes, conservativeness, lack of specialized training, and labour issues. Twenty two roles are identified for rural based teachers in community development activities. Strategies for inviting them to participate are: the use of policy, change of attitudes, use of media campaigns, training, and inclusion of community development in tertiary education in general, and teacher education in particular. Strategies for sustaining their participation emerge as: the use of incentives, free time or days off and holding responsible offices. Sixteen recommendations are finally presented. / DEVELOPMENT STUDIES / MA (DEVELOPMENT STUD)