Department of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education Phd Theses

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An Assessment of Strategies that Enhance the Teaching and Learning of Business Studies at Advanced Level in Imbizo District of Bulawayo Metropolitan Province
(2018) Moyo, C.; Sibanda, L.
The study focused on assessing strategies that enhance the teaching and learning of Business Studies at Advanced Level. Interpretivist paradigm, qualitative approach and case study design were adopted in this study. Purposively selected participants comprised four teachers and twenty-nine students. Data collected through semistructured face to face interviews and focus group interviews were thematically analysed. The study established that schools used case studies, collaborative learning, computer-aided learning and brainstorming to enhance teaching and learning. Nonetheless, the results revealed that the main challenges encountered in using the strategies included lack of finance and locally published textbooks. The study concluded that though schools faced numerous challenges, there were some elements of good practices that had positive impact on instructional delivery of Business Studies. The study recommends that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should encourage the Business Studies teachers to author local textbooks which are relevant to the students.
Influential Factors to Financial Management in Chegutu District Secondary Schools of Mashonaland West Province, Zimbabwe
(2020) Ndhlovu, J.; Sibanda, L.; Mathwasa, J.
The study explored factors that influence financial management in Chegutu District Secondary Schools of Mashonaland West Province, Zimbabwe. The study was stimulated by the serious financial challenges in secondary schools as characterised by failure to follow laid down procedures, disagreements, inadequate training and lack of knowledge by both school heads and SDC members in managing finances. The interpretive paradigm and qualitative approach guided the study. A case study design was adopted and purposively sampled participants constituted five school heads, five School Development Committee chairpersons, five School Development Committee treasurers and five school bursars. Thematically analysed data was collected through semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The findings revealed that manuals and policy circulars influence the way schools formulate their budgets as they give clear steps that should be followed. It also emerged from the study that the school finance committee is responsible for drawing the school budget after consultation with other stakeholders. It was found that training of school heads, School Development Committee members and bursars influence financial management to a larger extent and there is a very strong relationship between financial management training and effectiveness of financial management in secondary schools. The study concluded that good working relationship among stakeholders and lack of knowledge by both school heads and School Development Committee members in managing school finances greatly influence the way they execute their duty of managing school finances. The study recommends further research that explores strategies that can be established for improving the way schools manage finances.
Issue-Based Learning and Transformative Pedagogies: Zimbabwe
(2023) Sibanda, L.; Phuthi, N.
Managing Learner Behaviour in a Virtual Classroom: Experiences of Selected Private High School Teachers in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, Zimbabwe
(2021) Sibanda, L.
The study examined experiences of private high school teachers in managing learners’ behaviour in virtual classrooms. The study was motivated by paradigm shift from physical classroom to virtual classroom in most educational institutions globally because of corona virus pandemic. A qualitative study, rooted in interpretive paradigm employed case study design. The participants who constituted ten teachers were purposively selected from two private high schools in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province. The data solicited through emailed openended questionnaire were transcribed, coded and thematically analysed. The findings revealed that there is a mixture of good and bad behaviour in a virtual classroom just like in a physical classroom. The results showed that private high school teachers have adopted diverse strategies to manage learners’ behaviour in virtual classrooms such as use of collaborative learning, ensuring that learners’ videos are on throughout the lesson, constantly referring to learners by their names to remain alert, punctuality in starting online lessons and marking attendance register. The study established that private high school teachers experienced innumerable challenges in managing learners’ behaviour in virtual classrooms. It emerged that some learners absent themselves from lessons although they have all resources supporting their learning, and there was lack of collaboration from some parents who were reluctant to guide their children in behaviour modification. The results further suggest that the private high schools support the management of learners’ behaviour through various ways which include providing timetable which is shared with learners and parents to ensure that learners do not miss the lessons and distributing school rules with consequences well spelt out, to learners and parents. It emerged that the school heads regularly engage learners to moral and values sessions. The study established that the parents are appraised of their children’s attendance and performance through a weekly summary report sent by the schools. The study concludes that the selected private schools apply whole school approach to manage learners’ behaviour in virtual learning. The study recommends that private high schools should train parents to acquaint them with roles they should play in assisting their children in virtual learning.
Positive Discipline Practices in Schools: A Case of Mzilikazi District Secondary Schools in Zimbabwe
(2017) Sibanda, L.; Mpofu, M.
The study assessed factors constraining use of positive discipline practices in Mzilikazi District Secondary Schools. Qualitative approach and case study design were employed. Purposively selected participants from four secondary schools comprised four school heads; twenty members of the disciplinary committee, four school counsellors, forty prefects and four School Development Committee chairpersons. Data analysed thematically were collected using face to face semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews. Results revealed that lack of role models, ineffective communication, not rewarding positive behaviour, ineffective monitoring and inadequate financial resources constrained use of positive discipline practices in selected schools. The study concluded that factors that constrained use of positive discipline practices in schools mainly emanated from teachers, learners, parents and the members of the community. It is recommended that schools should initiate training programmes for teachers and parents to positively influence their discipline practices in enhancing use of positive discipline practices.
Provision of quality education in private schools: reflective practices in low-cost private secondary schools in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, Zimbabwe
(2021) Midzi, S.; Sibanda, L.; Mathwasa, J.
Quality in education has become a cause for concern to every stakeholder in education. The study sought to assess the provision of quality education in low-cost private secondary schools in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province. The study adopted the interpretivist paradigm in qualitative approach, using a case study design. Semistructured interviews and document analysis were used for collecting thematically analysed data from purposively sampled four school heads and six teachers from lowcost private secondary schools. The study established that in pursuit for quality education, selected schools employed qualified teachers who engage in continuous professional development programmes to sharpen their teaching skills. The findings revealed that the schools understudy are making efforts to offer practical science and computer lessons using the limited resources to ensure the provision of quality education. It emerged that selected schools use e-learning and multimedia resources which arouse learners’ interests and increase the retention rates. It came out that the schools understudy have environmental clubs which work together with school health departments in attending to sanitary issues. Whilst selected schools practiced heterogeneous grouping, the findings revealed that learners with physical disabilities are not enrolled in those schools due to lack of appropriate physical facilities and there are no teachers with relevant expertise to teach learners with special needs. The study revealed that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education provided guidelines in the form of policy documents and circulars to monitor the provision of quality education in the selected schools. Despite the efforts made by low-cost secondary schools in providing quality education, the study found that high staff turnover is negatively affecting the quality of education due to lack of continuity in learning. The findings indicated that inadequate learning resources and infrastructure such as libraries, computer and science laboratories, internet services, and lack of teachers with special needs expertise adversely affected the provision of quality education. The study concludes that lack of financial resources is a hindrance in the provision of quality education in low-cost secondary schools. The study recommends that a comparative study on provision of quality education should be conducted in private trust secondary schools.
Strategies for Achieving Equity-Based Education: Towards an Equitable Education System
(2023) Sibanda, L.
This chapter focuses on strategies for achieving equity-based education. The concept of equity-based education has been examined. Factors that influence equity in education which include funding, access to high-level curriculum, teacher quality and discipline have been discussed. The discussion revealed that funding is a distinct indicator of equity in education, hence, establishing sustainable partnerships between the government and other potential funders is advisable. The chapter also revealed numerous equity strategies such as free and compulsory primary and secondary education for children, providing access to excluded groups of learners, improving the quality of teaching, adopting various forms of assessment strategies, increasing resource allocation, creating equitable learning environments, and creating an equity framework. The chapter suggests solutions and recommendations, and provides future research directions. Finally, conclusion is drawn from the arguments posed by literature observations.
Teaching Social Skills as a Proactive Discipline Management Strategy: Experiences of Selected Secondary Schools in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, Zimbabwe
(2018) Sibanda, L.
The study examined how secondary schools use proactive teaching social skills strategy to maintain discipline among learners in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province. The study was ingrained in interpretive paradigm, adopted qualitative approach and employed a case study design. Purposive sampling technique was used to select four secondary schools and participants who comprised two education officers, four school heads; four school counsellors, twenty members of the disciplinary committee, forty prefects and four school development committee chairpersons. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews, and were analysed thematically. The study established that learners were taught social skills during guidance and counselling lessons and club sessions which were part of the co-curricular programmes offered in schools. It was found that the topics taught during the teaching of social skills included conduct, relationships, community involvement; decision-making skills, communication skills, drug and substance abuse, career guidance, stress management, honesty and integrity, conflict resolution, assertiveness, self-awareness and health issues, among others. The study also revealed that some learners were engaged in community activities to reach out to underprivileged members of the society. The results further indicated that the teaching social skills strategy was effective because it taught learners to be responsible for their behaviour and contributed to the reduction of unbecoming behaviour cases in schools. Nevertheless, the teaching social skills strategy faced constraints mainly from some teachers’ and parents’ negative attitudes towards social skills activities. The study concluded that the use of proactive teaching social skills strategy yielded positive results as schools exposed learners to multiple activities that contributed to the modification of learner behaviour which created a safe teaching and learning environment. The study recommended that schools should intensify the training programmes for teachers and parents to positively influence their attitudes towards the teaching of social skills in order to reinforce positive behaviour among learners.
The Competence-Based Advanced Level Mathematics Curriculum: Implications for Students’ Enrolment in one University in Zimbabwe
(2021) Chikusvura, N.; Sibanda, L.; Mathwasa, J.
The study set out to examine the relevance of the competencebased Advanced Level mathematics curriculum for entry into university mathematics-related degree programmes. The study adopted a qualitative approach ingrained in the interpretive paradigm which employed a case study design. Four A-Level mathematics teachers, eighteen Lower Sixth and six Upper Sixth mathematics major students were purposively sampled to respond to semi-structured face-to-face interviews and focus group interviews. The study found that the implementation of the competence-based Advanced Level mathematics curriculum was negatively affected by incompetent teachers and supervisors, lack of resources and lack of support from other stakeholders. The study concluded that these impediments impacted negatively on students who aspired to pursue mathematics-related degree programmes at university and that there is a mismatch on the mathematics units in the competence-based Advanced Level mathematics curriculum and university requirements for mathematics-related degree programmes. The study recommends ministerial corroboration fostering university degree programmes requirements to be taught in high school, stakeholder involvement and continuous professional development for mathematics teachers and supervisors.

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