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The study assessed the views of in-service participants of the University of Botswana (who are pursuing Bachelors degree in Primary Education) regarding the empowerment of Early Childhood Education teachers with Information and... more
The study assessed the views of in-service participants of the University of Botswana (who are pursuing Bachelors degree in Primary Education) regarding the empowerment of Early Childhood Education teachers with Information and Communication Technology skills. Both quantitative and qualitative research designs were adopted. Eighty-two final year students constituted the sample. A semi-structured questionnaire was used. The findings showed that the respondents strongly believed that the Early Childhood Education teachers in Botswana should be empowered with Information and Communication Technology skills. However, they didn't find the existing curriculum feasible due to lack of in-depth content and pedagogy adopted to deliver the content. The findings showed that the student teachers were not able to realize the usefulness of the popular, generic packages and communication tools. The participants of the study suggested for a comprehensive curriculum with spread-out modules that could offer basic Information Communication Technology skills initially, and provide advanced features in succession, in order to enable them infuse content with technology; perform administrative tasks efficiently; conduct research in Early Childhood Education; and generate local-specific multi-media packages for young Batswana.
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In an effort to implement the recommendations of the 1 994 Revised National Policy on Education (RNPE) (Republic of Botswana, 1994) and to fulfill the aspirations of Vision 201 6 (Republic of Botswana, 1 997), Early Childhood Care and... more
In an effort to implement the recommendations of the 1 994 Revised National Policy on Education (RNPE) (Republic of Botswana, 1994) and to fulfill the aspirations of Vision 201 6 (Republic of Botswana, 1 997), Early Childhood Care and Education (ECC&E) Policy was released in 2001 in Botswana. After five years of operation it became imperative to review the status of the ECCE programs in terms of adherence to the stipulated policy requirements and maintenance of quality standards. Hence a study funded by the Office of Research and Development (ORD), University of Botswana (UB) was conducted in the southern part of Botswana which has the highest concentration of various types of ECCE programs. The study was conducted in two phases the first covering the heads and teachers of the ECCE centres while the second phase included the ECCE Policy Stake Holders (EPSH) of Botswana. The present paper concentrates on the second part covering the important EPSH who are responsible for the implementation of the policy. In doing the research, a structured interview schedule was used. The data was analyzed qualitatively. The findings showed that there is an increased participation in child care provision, education and registration of ECCE centres (Republic of Botswana, 2006-b); thus the existing centres do adhere to the ECCE policy requirements to a certain extent. However greater efforts are required to ensure an effective implementation of the 2001 ECCE policy and to raise the quality and proper delivery of ECCE programs in Botswana.
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A comprehensive study was conducted in primary schools of the Southern region of Botswana, to determine the attitudes of the main stakeholders of primary education (i.e. teachers, pupils and parents) regarding the importance of... more
A comprehensive study was conducted in primary schools of the Southern region of Botswana, to determine the attitudes of the main stakeholders of primary education (i.e. teachers, pupils and parents) regarding the importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in primary education. The Office of Research and Development (ORD), University of Botswana, funded the study. The findings showed that the majority of teachers, pupils and parents, in both government and private schools, value and support the idea of ICT in primary school education although the private schools had an edge over government schools in most cases. However, the challenge is to make information technology accessible to all primary schools and to develop a conducive environment by planning and providing the required infrastructure and resources. The findings of the study led to a few recommendations.
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Preschool teachers need a knowledge base that includes pedagogical and didactical knowledge together with the subject knowledge. This paper sheds light on preschool teachers’ experiences in mathematics and science teaching in the early... more
Preschool teachers need a knowledge base that includes pedagogical and didactical knowledge together with the subject knowledge. This paper sheds light on preschool teachers’ experiences in mathematics and science teaching in the early years. The paper covers the situation in Botswana, a developing country and Sweden, a developed one. The aim is to present a comparison of the pedagogical and didactical knowledge of a preschool teacher in mathematics and science. The study highlights Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and didactical considerations of maths and science teaching in preschools with reference to varied contexts, cultures and values. The Research intends to find out existing practices and derive the best method of teaching math and science in countries with diverse cultural and traditional framework. The survey conducted used a sample of 72 preschool teachers in Sweden and 64 in Botswana. Questionnaires and Focus Group Discussions were used for data collection; quantitative as well as qualitative analysis was used to compare the groups in the research study. The findings show that the context and culture play a significant role in teaching learning process. In a developing country like Botswana, the teachers were untrained in ECE and needed professional training to acquire pedagogical and content knowledge to plan maths and science activities and use available resources effectively. In a developed country like Sweden, on the contrary, teachers were trained in ECE, who planned activities and used available resources effectively and yet emphasised on updating content knowledge through specialized training. Both the countries however, need a Science Centre, documentation of experiences, knowledge handling and an administrative support to execute the BEST PRACTICE in teaching of mathematics and science to young children.
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This paper focuses on the expressive roles played by fathers in Botswana in the early childhood years and the challenges they experience in executing care. The study was carried out in the Central Region of Botswana. Ten preschools were... more
This paper focuses on the expressive roles played by fathers in Botswana in the early childhood years and the challenges they experience in executing care. The study was carried out in the Central Region of Botswana. Ten preschools were randomly selected. Using the maximum variation/heterogeneous purposive sampling technique and simple random sampling technique, 40 fathers and 20 mothers were selected as sample. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used to analyze quantitative data; qualitative data was categorised using codes and themes and analyzed descriptively. The findings revealed that fathers lag behind in executing the expressive roles in Botswana; factors, such as residential proximity, parental relationship, and societal culture, influenced fathers’ involvement; fathers involvement in their childrens’ lives influence their development and performance at preschool; recommended that both fathers and mothers need to be sensitized about the importance of executing fathers’ expressive roles, through workshops and training.
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Teaching of Mathematics and Science in Preschools : A Comparative Account of Botswana and Sweden
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Research Interests: Demography, Creative Drama, Anxiety, Cognitive Flexibility, Curriculum, and 15 moreBotswana, Affective Learning, Attitudes, Barriers, Attitude, Constructivist Approach, Awareness, Continuous Assessment, Behavioral, Classroom Teacher, ANXIETY, Authentic Tasks, Class Management, Class Teachers, and Demographic information
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Developmentally Appropriate Technology in Early Childhood (DATEC) aims to identify the most appropriate applications of Information and Communication Technology to support the development of children under eight years of age. Botswana has... more
Developmentally Appropriate Technology in Early Childhood (DATEC) aims to identify the most appropriate applications of Information and Communication Technology to support the development of children under eight years of age. Botswana has a unique spread of population density and deep-rooted socio-cultural values. There is a need to address the compatibility of these aspects with the application of Information and Communication Technology in the proposed Early Childhood Education programmes throughout Botswana. The researcher felt that the views of the in-service teachers, (who are now students of the Bachelor of Education Programme) in the University of Botswana and have specialized in Early Childhood Education, would be a valuable input towards an appropriate Early Childhood Education curriculum. Hence, a study was proposed to assess the views of the teachers, regarding DATEC in Botswana. Forty (40) fourth year students (Level 400) of Bachelor of Education (Primary) Programme of U...
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This paper focuses on the expressive roles played by fathers in Botswana in the early childhood years and the challenges they experience in executing care. The study was carried out in the Central Region of Botswana. Ten preschools were... more
This paper focuses on the expressive roles played by fathers in Botswana in the early childhood years and the challenges they experience in executing care. The study was carried out in the Central Region of Botswana. Ten preschools were randomly selected. Using the maximum variation/heterogeneous purposive sampling technique and simple random sampling technique, 40 fathers and 20 mothers were selected as sample. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used to analyze quantitative data; qualitative data was categorised using codes and themes and analyzed descriptively. The findings revealed that fathers lag behind in executing the expressive roles in Botswana; factors, such as residential proximity, parental relationship, and societal culture, influenced fathers’ involvement; fathers involvement in their childrens’ lives influence their development and performance at preschool; recommended that both fathers and mothers need to be sensitized about the importance of executing f...
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Abstract. The study examines the perception of Early Childhood Educators’ (ECEds) on factors associated with the inclusion of children with disabilities in Early Childhood Education (ECE) settings in Botswana. ECEds (128) completed a... more
Abstract. The study examines the perception of Early Childhood Educators’ (ECEds) on factors associated with the inclusion of children with disabilities in Early Childhood Education (ECE) settings in Botswana. ECEds (128) completed a Support Scale for Preschool Inclusion (SSPI) to air their views regarding the necessary/available factors for the inclusion of Children With Disabilities (CWD) in ECE settings. Findings of the study revealed that factors like principal support, family involvement, appropriate materials, peer acceptance of CWD, knowledge and skills about curriculum adaptation/ implementation, promoting positive interaction among children, positive attitudes of school personnel for inclusion, and a few others were considered necessary by ECDs; believed that most of them were not available in ECE settings; and in-service training, extra time for collaboration and reduced class size were least available. The findings suggested professional development of ECEds along with ad...
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Preschool teachers need a knowledge base that includes pedagogical and didactical knowledge together with the subject knowledge. This paper sheds light on preschool teachers’ experiences in mathematics and science teaching in the early... more
Preschool teachers need a knowledge base that includes pedagogical and didactical knowledge together with the subject knowledge. This paper sheds light on preschool teachers’ experiences in mathematics and science teaching in the early years. The paper covers the situation in Botswana, a developing country and Sweden, a developed one. The aim is to present a comparison of the pedagogical and didactical knowledge of a preschool teacher in mathematics and science. The study highlights Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and didactical considerations of maths and science teaching in preschools with reference to varied contexts, cultures and values. The Research intends to find out existing practices and derive the best method of teaching math and science in countries with diverse cultural and traditional framework. The survey conducted used a sample of 72 preschool teachers in Sweden and 64 in Botswana. Questionnaires and Focus Group Discussions were used for data collection; quantitat...
Research Interests:
The study assessed the views of in-service participants of the University of Botswana (who are pursuing Bachelors degree in Primary Education) regarding the empowerment of Early Childhood Education teachers with Information and... more
The study assessed the views of in-service participants of the University of Botswana (who are pursuing Bachelors degree in Primary Education) regarding the empowerment of Early Childhood Education teachers with Information and Communication Technology skills. Both quantitative and qualitative research designs were adopted. Eighty-two final year students constituted the sample. A semi-structured questionnaire was used. The findings showed that the respondents strongly believed that the Early Childhood Education teachers in Botswana should be empowered with Information and Communication Technology skills. However, they didn't find the existing curriculum feasible due to lack of in-depth content and pedagogy adopted to deliver the content. The findings showed that the student teachers were not able to realize the usefulness of the popular, generic packages and communication tools. The participants of the study suggested for a comprehensive curriculum with spread-out modules that c...
Teaching of Mathematics and Science in Preschools : A Comparative Account of Botswana and Sweden
A comprehensive study was conducted in primary schools of the Southern region of Botswana, to determine the attitudes of the main stakeholders of primary education (i.e. teachers, pupils and parents) regarding the importance of... more
A comprehensive study was conducted in primary schools of the Southern region of Botswana, to determine the attitudes of the main stakeholders of primary education (i.e. teachers, pupils and parents) regarding the importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in primary education. The Office of Research and Development (ORD), University of Botswana, funded the study. The findings showed that the majority of teachers, pupils and parents, in both government and private schools, value and support the idea of ICT in primary school education although the private schools had an edge over government schools in most cases. However, the challenge is to make information technology accessible to all primary schools and to develop a conducive environment by planning and providing the required infrastructure and resources. The findings of the study led to a few recommendations.
Research Interests:
In an effort to implement the recommendations of the 1 994 Revised National Policy on Education (RNPE) (Republic of Botswana, 1994) and to fulfill the aspirations of Vision 201 6 (Republic of Botswana, 1 997), Early Childhood Care and... more
In an effort to implement the recommendations of the 1 994 Revised National Policy on Education (RNPE) (Republic of Botswana, 1994) and to fulfill the aspirations of Vision 201 6 (Republic of Botswana, 1 997), Early Childhood Care and Education (ECC&E) Policy was released in 2001 in Botswana. After five years of operation it became imperative to review the status of the ECCE programs in terms of adherence to the stipulated policy requirements and maintenance of quality standards. Hence a study funded by the Office of Research and Development (ORD), University of Botswana (UB) was conducted in the southern part of Botswana which has the highest concentration of various types of ECCE programs. The study was conducted in two phases the first covering the heads and teachers of the ECCE centres while the second phase included the ECCE Policy Stake Holders (EPSH) of Botswana. The present paper concentrates on the second part covering the important EPSH who are responsible for the implemen...
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The study intends to assess science teaching in preschools of Botswana. It also aims to find out the Knowledge Base that refers to the Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK) and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) of the preschool teachers and... more
The study intends to assess science teaching in preschools of Botswana. It also aims to find out the Knowledge Base that refers to the Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK) and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) of the preschool teachers and benchmark the Best Practices (BP) for teaching of science in preschools. The study adopts a qualitative paradigm and conducted case studies in preschools. It used focus group interviews, observations and document analysis for collecting data. The data was analysed descriptively. The findings of the study reveal a definite lack of science teaching in preschools and showed a slight preference towards mathematics teaching in comparison. Although the ECE teachers said that they possessed content knowledge, used varied pedagogy, and they referred to adoption of appropriate pedagogy as the best practice for science teaching, the author felt that in the absence of trained ECE teachers and a relevant standard ECE curriculum, it is practically impossible to en...
Five years after the release of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Policy in Botswana in 2001, it was felt necessary to review the current status of the ECCE programmes with special reference to achievement of standards of... more
Five years after the release of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Policy in Botswana in 2001, it was felt necessary to review the current status of the ECCE programmes with special reference to achievement of standards of quality of education with reference to the recommendations in the ECCE policy. This effort has been supported by the Office of Research and Development (ORD), University of Botswana for conducting a review of ECCE programmes of Botswana. The study included the heads of the ECCE centres of Gaborone, Botswana. A survey research design was adopted for the study. The study used both quantitative and qualitative approaches. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The findings showed that the ECCE service providers are trying to adhere to the ECCE Policy document; however a major groundwork needs to be done to provide more trained teachers and a standard, prescribed curriculum. This would enable one to maintain the standard recommended by the...
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Background: Education in mathematics and science is important at all school levels and should ideally start in the preschool, which implies that preschool teachers should have an adequate knowledge base in these subjects.Aim: This study... more
Background: Education in mathematics and science is important at all school levels and should ideally start in the preschool, which implies that preschool teachers should have an adequate knowledge base in these subjects.Aim: This study aimed to investigate preschool teachers’ knowledge bases, including their subject matter knowledge (SMK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in mathematics and science.Setting: The study presents an account of preschool teachers’ knowledge bases in mathematics and science in Botswana and Sweden and how they influence their teaching choices and strategies.Methods: A pragmatic paradigm with a survey design and a mixed-methods mode with quantitative and qualitative approaches was used. Using a purposive sampling procedure, 64 preschool teachers from Botswana and 67 from Sweden participated in the study. Questionnaires and observation schedules were used to collect the data.Results: The findings showed that the Swedish preschool teachers had SMK and ...
The current study presents an account of mathematics and science knowledgebase of private Gaborone preschool teachers and assesses its influence on their classroom teaching. It assesses their Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK) and Pedagogical... more
The current study presents an account of mathematics and science knowledgebase of private Gaborone preschool teachers and assesses its influence on their classroom teaching. It assesses their Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK) and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and scales their views on the Best Practices for mathematics and science teaching in preschools. A pragmatic paradigm with a concurrent mixed-method mode was used to conduct this study. Using a random-purposive sampling procedure, 64 preschool teachers were selected. Questionnaire and focus group discussions were used for data collection. The quantitative data was analysed using descriptive analysis and presented with the help of frequency Tables and Graphs. The qualitative data was coded and synthesised to receive meaningful information. The findings show that 80% of teachers were trained as primary school teachers; only 14% had professional training in Early Childhood Education (ECE). It further revealed that the teachers ...
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This article presents a study regarding preschool teachers’ skills and competencies in teaching science and mathematics. The aim of the project was twofold; one to find out the preschool teachers’ knowledge about mathematics and science... more
This article presents a study regarding preschool teachers’ skills and competencies in teaching science and mathematics. The aim of the project was twofold; one to find out the preschool teachers’ knowledge about mathematics and science concepts and then to develop support material to empower them with skills and competencies to teach these concepts in preschools. A qualitative approach was adopted, and a case study method was used. Data were collected through two workshops and focus group discussions with preschool teachers. The study revealed that the preschool teachers had content knowledge, but lacked pedagogical knowledge that is crucial in teaching of preschool children, and they provided science and mathematics experiences in preschools scarcely. A resource book of 33 local games and rhymes thus was developed as a support material to empower the teachers with skills and competencies to use play to teach science and mathematics in preschools. The resource book developed consis...