Funding Teaching Practice in two East African universities: Its influence on the behaviour and practices of a supervisor

• Published in: Africa education review 2013-01, Vol.10 (sup1), p.S117-S133
• Main Authors: Kagoda, Alice Merab, Katabaro, Joviter
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Africa; Data collection; Developing Nations; Education; Educational Finance; Educational Practices; Foreign Countries; Funding; Inflation; Interviews; Learning; Participant Observation; Pedagogy; Preservice Teacher Education; Qualitative Research; Quantitative analysis; School environment; Schools; Schools of Education; Student Teacher Supervisors; Student Teaching; supervisor's behaviours and practices; Tanzania; Tanzania (Dar es Salaam); Teacher Behavior; Teacher education; Teachers; Teaching; Teaching methods; Teaching Practice; Uganda
• ISSN: 1814-6627; 1753-5921
• DOI: 10.1080/18146627.2013.855436

Teaching Practice is a learning process through which teacher trainees are exposed to a school environment during their internship. Time spent in the field ranges between eight and ten weeks and students are posted to different parts of the respective countries under study. The teacher trainers referred to as supervisors assume the role of mentors, facilitators of teacher trainees' learning experiences through evaluation and reflection and fostering classroom performance. Today, faculties of education are overwhelmed by the ever increasing number of teacher trainees with disproportionate increases in human, financial and other resources essential in teacher training. The number of teacher trainees going for school practice ranges between 2500 and 3000 for each university each year. Funding Teaching Practice has not only been limited but has also not matched the current inflation rates in the two countries. The main purpose of this study was to identify how funding affects the practices and behaviour of supervisors as well as their competence in handling the expected pedagogical/education tasks during school practice. This study was done in Uganda, Makerere University, and University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. The methods used for data collection by researchers were qualitative using participant observation and interviews. Quantitative data were gathered as complementary information. Results show that supervisors are always in a hurry to move to the next school which might be between 10 and 30 kilometres apart. Teacher trainees are inadequately supervised mentored and have limited time for feedback from supervisors. One wonders whether there is any intended learning that takes place. The researchers recommend adequate orientation of supervisors, as well as a Diploma Course in the Theory and Practices in Teacher Education. Government needs to increase the funding for school practice if proper and adequate orientation of trainee has to bear meaningful results.