AN EXAMINATION OF TEACHERS AND STUDENTS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES ON THE USE OF PARTICIPATORY TEACHING METHODS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS
ABSTRACT
The study aimed at investigating teachers’ and students’ beliefs and practices on use of participatory teaching methods in secondary schools in Moshi Municipality. Data for this study was collected from five secondary schools in Moshi Municipality in Kilimanjaro Region. The study involved 100 respondents of these 30 were teachers and 70 were secondary school students. The study employed mainly qualitative approach in which data were collected using interview schedules, observation and documentary reviews and analyzed using content analysis. The study revealed that on the whole research participants agree effective application of participatory teaching methods could help to improve the quality of secondary education in Tanzania as in all five secondary schools teachers had wide knowledge about the concept participatory teaching methods; both teachers and students had positive attitudes towards participatory teaching methods; and that most of the secondary school teachers used group discussion as the only participatory teaching method. However, use of participatory teaching methods faced challenges related to inadequate teaching and learning materials, poor classrooms environment, lack of in-service training, lack of support from the heads of schools, lack of well constructed and equipped laboratories and libraries, and large numbers of students in the classrooms. There is a need for to have regular in-service training pertaining to pedagogical skills, increase supply of teaching resources, construct more classrooms and schools to have well equipped laboratories and libraries for effective application of participatory teaching methods.