Department of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education Phd Theses

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Department of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education Phd Theses

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    PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT SERVICES FOR ADOLESCENT MALE LEARNERS WITH BEHAVIOURAL PROBLEMS: A CASE OF THREE INSIZA DISTRICT SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN MATABELELAND SOUTH PROVINCE, ZIMBABWE.
    (Common Ground Research Networks, 2024) Dhlula, C; Sibanda, L.
    This study sought to examine how educators provided psychosocial support services to adolescent male learners with behavioural problems in three Insiza District Secondary Schools, Matabeleland South Province. The study was guided by interpretivist paradigm, adopted qualitative approach and employed case study design. Data were collected from a population sample comprising twelve male learners, three educators and three counsellors through focus group discussions for learners, and in-depth semi-structured interviews for educators and counsellors. The results of the study revealed that educators established the needs of the individual learners first before applying the intervention. The study found that the strategies used by educators to provide psychosocial support services to adolescent male learners involved promoting mindfulness, promoting social, emotional and behavioural learning, enhancing connectedness among learners, staff, and families, providing psychosocial skills training and cognitive behavioural interventions and guidance and counselling. The findings further indicated that adolescent male learners with behavioural problems were taught life skills such as team work, responsibility, good decision making, critical thinking, stress management, health and life skills, honesty and integrity. They are also taught tolerance, selfsufficiency, relationships, self-esteem, self-control, communication skills, conflict resolution, and, leadership skills and community involvement. The study established that educators encountered a number of challenges in provision of psychosocial support services to adolescent male learners with behaviour problems. The challenges comprised inadequate training, stress and emotional strain, lack of support, time constraints, difficulty in establishing rapport, and vicarious traumatisation. The study concluded that despite the challenges faced in providing psychosocial support services to adolescent male learners with behaviour problems, educators in selected Insiza District Secondary Schools used varied strategies to assist learners. The study recommended that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should intensify training of educators to equip them with requisite knowledge and skills on provision of psychosocial support in schools.
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    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.
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    Issue-Based Learning and Transformative Pedagogies: Zimbabwe
    (2023) Sibanda, L.; Phuthi, N.
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    TEACHERS AND LEARNERS’ EXPERIENCES OF IMPLEMENTING BLENDED LEARNING DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC LOCKDOWN IN MANGWE DISTRICT, ZIMBABWE
    (2023) Moyo, Mncedisi; Sibanda, Lwazi
    Implementation of blended learning should be characterised by an array of strategies for effective instructional delivery to take place in the classroom. Hence, this study sought to explore the experiences of teachers and learners on implementation of blended learning in Mangwe District Secondary Schools, Matabeleland South Province during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. This qualitative study was hinged on the interpretivist paradigm and employed a case study design. The participants who comprised eight teachers and twenty-four learners were purposively sampled from four secondary schools. Data collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were thematically analysed. The findings indicated that the flipped classroom, self-blend, and flex approaches were mainly used to implement blended learning during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in selected schools. The study further found that these strategies were implemented through the use of WhatsApp social media platform. The study concluded that in spite of the challenges encountered, selected schools made efforts to ensure that blended learning was implemented through the cited strategies. The study recommended that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should capacitate teachers on various learning management systems and online assessment tools through in-service training sessions to support implementation of blended learning.
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    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.