Thesis (MEd )--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study addresses the issue of girls‘ inclusion in a secondary school in Tanzania. Many girls in developing countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, do not have the opportunity to attend secondary school although education is a basic human right. Gender discrimination is one of the major barriers to girls‘ attainment of higher education in Tanzania. The purpose of this study is to explore teachers‘ understandings of girls‘ inclusion at a Tanzanian secondary school. Data for this research was collected through individual and focus group interviews and observation in order to process meaning and understanding from participants. Although teachers were the primary focus of this study, girls and parents were also interviewed as key informants. Content analysis was the dominant method used to analyze the data. Findings from the study indicate that teachers in this context are representative of the prevailing structures of the social-cultural life where they impact girls‘ development in education. In addition, the socialization of girls contributes to the way girls perceive themselves, a situation they reflect from the existing social values. The study concludes by recommending that secondary school teachers and administrators, parents, community and religious leaders, and the government revisit socio-political structures that perpetuate gender stereotypes and discrimination against girls in secondary schools in Tanzania. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie navorsing spreek die insluiting van meisies in 'n hoërskool in Tanzanië aan. Baie meisies in ontwikkelende lande, spesifiek Sub-Sahara Afrika het nie die geleentheid om hoërskool by te woon selfs al is opvoeding beide 'n mensereg en basiese behoefte nie. Rasse diskriminasie is een van die grootste probleme vir veral meisies tot die verkryging van hoër opvoeding in Tanzanië. Die doel van hierdie studie was om onderwysers se begrip van meisies se insluiting by 'n Tanzaniese hoërskool na te vors. Data vir die navorsing is verkry deur onderhoude, fokusgroep onderhoude en observasies om betekenis en begrip van deelnemers te verwerk. Onderwysers was die hoof fokus van die studie; alhoewel, daar ook met die meisies en ouers onderhoude gevoer is as hoof deelnemers van die studie. Inhoud analise was die dominante metode wat gebruik is om die data te analiseer. Die navorsing het bevind dat onderwysers binne hierdie konteks heeltyd verteenwoordigend is met die voortdurende strukture van sosiale kulturele lewe waar hul meisies se ontwikkeling in die opvoeding beïnvloed het. Verder dra die sosialisering van meisies by tot die manier waarop meisies 'n situasie sien en wat bestaande sosiale waardes weerspieël. Hierdie navorsing sluit af deur hoërskool onderwysers, ouers, die gemeenskap, godsdiensleiers asook die politieke strukture aan te moedig om die sosio-politieke strukture te hersien ten opsigte van geslag stereotipering en diskriminasie teenoor meisies in skole.

One gender related issue addressed in the Education and Training Policy of Tanzania is the thrust to ensure that gender equality prevails in the schooling process. One way of implementing gender equality is the elimination of gender role stereotyping in school textbooks. Tanzania scholarship on gender shows that there is knowledge gap on how gender roles are depicted in textbooks. Furthermore there are no adequate mechanisms to ensure the production of textbooks that are free from gender stereotyping. Based on a Liberal Feminist Framework, the study using content analysis method has examined the extent to which gender roles had been portrayed in the 40 textbooks in the six subjects taught in Tanzanian government primary schools. Further, employing interviews, the study examined mechanisms instituted by the Ministry of Education and Culture (MOEC) and Publishers to ensure that the production of textbooks is not gender biased. The findings of this study include the following:  Female compared to male characters were being under represented in:  Frequency of appearance and power related aspects such as leadership, ownership of property and association with technology,  leisure and sports activities;  The depiction of reproductive and productive roles is biased into traditional femininity and masculinity;  Gender biased language is minimal; and  Personality traits are differentiated between traditional masculinity and femininity groupings; and  The mechanisms to eliminate gender stereotyping in producing textbooks are inadequate as the emphasis is on producing textbooks that matched with the official curriculum. The Hidden Curriculum Theory and the corresponding Social Learning Theory instruct that gender biased hidden messages in textbooks are acquired by students through socialization. Gender biased hidden messages have the negative impact of creating a society that disrespects gender equality. While both boy and girl learners are negatively affected by these messages, girls are more affected in not building positive self-esteem, have less career options and few role models. The study concludes with recommendations to stakeholders in textbooks production to produce non-sexist textbooks. The recommendations are intended to generate awareness on the importance of producing textbooks that are non-sexist. This is coupled with recommendations for further studies. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Comparative Education)

One gender related issue addressed in the Education and Training Policy of Tanzania is the thrust to ensure that gender equality prevails in the schooling process. One way of implementing gender equality is the elimination of gender role stereotyping in school textbooks. Tanzania scholarship on gender shows that there is knowledge gap on how gender roles are depicted in textbooks. Furthermore there are no adequate mechanisms to ensure the production of textbooks that are free from gender stereotyping. Based on a Liberal Feminist Framework, the study using content analysis method has examined the extent to which gender roles had been portrayed in the 40 textbooks in the six subjects taught in Tanzanian government primary schools. Further, employing interviews, the study examined mechanisms instituted by the Ministry of Education and Culture (MOEC) and Publishers to ensure that the production of textbooks is not gender biased. The findings of this study include the following:  Female compared to male characters were being under represented in:  Frequency of appearance and power related aspects such as leadership, ownership of property and association with technology,  leisure and sports activities;  The depiction of reproductive and productive roles is biased into traditional femininity and masculinity;  Gender biased language is minimal; and  Personality traits are differentiated between traditional masculinity and femininity groupings; and  The mechanisms to eliminate gender stereotyping in producing textbooks are inadequate as the emphasis is on producing textbooks that matched with the official curriculum. The Hidden Curriculum Theory and the corresponding Social Learning Theory instruct that gender biased hidden messages in textbooks are acquired by students through socialization. Gender biased hidden messages have the negative impact of creating a society that disrespects gender equality. While both boy and girl learners are negatively affected by these messages, girls are more affected in not building positive self-esteem, have less career options and few role models. The study concludes with recommendations to stakeholders in textbooks production to produce non-sexist textbooks. The recommendations are intended to generate awareness on the importance of producing textbooks that are non-sexist. This is coupled with recommendations for further studies. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Comparative Education)