PhD Viva Voce

Qualifications Attained:

Mr. Chiligati Richard Michael is a PhD Candidate (by Thesis) in the Department of Education Psychology and Curriculum Studies (EPCS), School of Education at the University of Dar es salaam (UDSM). He is working at Morogoro Teachers College as a Science and Education tutor. Mr. Chiligati holds a Bachelor degree (Bachelor of Education in Science) from UDSM in 2008. He obtained Master of Education in Teacher Education, (Science and Mathematics) from the Aga Khan University in 2014. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Education at UDSM, School of Education. Mr. Chiligati teaches several subjects including Science, Mathematics Education, Research, Measurement and Evaluation. His research area is on pre-primary education and numeracy teaching in particular.

Abstract:

The present study aimed at analysing numeracy skills teaching in selected pre-primary schools’ children in Kilosa District, Morogoro Region. The study was guided by three research objectives which were to: identify and analyse the numeracy skills being taught to pre-primary school children; analyse types and characteristics of teaching and learning materials that are used by teachers in numeracy instructions in pre-primary school classrooms; and examine the methods of numeracy teaching being used by teachers to pre-primary school children. An interpretive paradigm informed the socio-cultural theory of numeracy teaching, which guided the study. It used a qualitative research approach and a case study design to study ten public primary schools. The researcher purposefully selected twenty participants for the study, including ten head teachers and ten pre-primary school teachers. The study employed semi-structured interviews, classroom observation, and documentary analysis methods to collect data. Thematic Analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings showed that all pre-primary school classes taught numeracy skills. However, they mostly taught counting and matching skills instead of measuring, sorting, and seriation. Furthermore, the findings indicated that all pre-primary school teachers used teaching materials for numeracy instruction. Teachers, on the other hand, tended to use visual teaching materials more frequently than audio and audio-visual ones, primarily because of their availability and ability to inspire creativity. Although most pre-primary school teachers used teaching materials that adhered to recommended characteristics, a few of them used glass and sharp materials that were unsuitable for children. Moreover, the results indicate that all pre-primary school teachers in the investigated schools implemented the recommended teaching methods in their numeracy instruction. However, due to incompetence and a lack of pre-primary school teachers' pedagogical knowledge and training, the majority of teachers ineffectively used methods such as questioning, role plays, demonstrations, songs, and plays. The present study's results highlight the need for pre-primary school teachers to prioritise professional development through in-house and in-service training programs. Additionally, there are need of improving the teaching and learning environments in pre-primary schools by providing material support and renovating the classrooms.