Teacher education within the context of open and distance learning in Zimbabwe : a case study

Abstract

The research was carried out to assess the value of the Bachelor of Education, Educational Administration, Planning and Policy Studies (B.ED-EAPPS) degree programme offered by the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) as a further teacher education programme for primary teachers in Zimbabwe offered through open and distance learning.

The research utilised the case study design and had relevant data collecting instruments which included questionnaires, write ups and interviews. Both random and non-random sampling methods were used to come up with samples used quantitatively and quantitatively.

The research was immensely useful as it provided an attempt to determine whether it was worth the while for primary school teachers to study for the BEDEAPPS degree programme and more so in view of the large numbers of non-degree primary school teachers either studying for it or on its waiting list. Nothing of the sort had been done since the inception of the BEDEAPPS degree programme in 1993.

The research produced findings that reflected that the BEDEAPPS degree programme had much to offer in the area of further teacher education of an in-service nature than had been envisaged by those who originated the programme. It was realised that while the programme's emphasis was on management and supervision it was not devoid of the instructional expertise that is relevant to classroom practitioners. Moreover, there was a traceable link between college training experiences of the BEDEAPPS students and Teachers' College graduates and the course content they had to work on. These findings made revelations on the diversity of further teacher education whose structure and content could be designed to respond to a specific further education need. Findings also revealed that open and distance learning was a suitable and effective means of delivering such a programme provided an enhancing technological back-up can be easily accessed.

The research had time related and operational limitations whose impact on the whole process were, however, repulsed by controls effected by the researcher. The diversity of data collecting instruments also played a positive role in ensuring checks and balances in the type and authenticity of data collected.

The research had, among its findings, a grounded research theory which was extrapolated from the data that was collected using the seven data collecting instruments mentioned earlier on. It was possible, after thorough scrutiny of data collected, to conclude that the BEDEAPPS degree programme was a performance enhancing qualification to those primary school teachers who were involved in classroom teaching since it made them effective instructors and managers both within their classroom confines and the larger school-wide operational environment.