Tutors ' Interpretations of Competence-Based Curriculum in Tanzania: Implications for Practice in Teacher Education
Abstract
In the light of new forms of curriculum policy in the world, teachers are increasingly seen as important agents and so it is important to find out how they conceptualize it. This may inform the development of a well-informed teacher education programme at pre-service and in-service levels. This article illuminates what tutors ' understanding is of the competence-based curriculum (CBC) in the Tanzanian context. The study draws on Basil Bernstein ' s concept of ' reconceptualization ' to reveal how tutors interpret/understand the concept of CBC. Informed by the interpretive perspective, data were obtained from semi-structured interviews with tutors from four teacher colleges. Data were analysed thematically. Two main conceptions of CBC among tutors were identified: CBC as an application-oriented curriculum and CBC as an activity-based curriculum. As regards the latter category, tutors are less sensitive to applying what is learnt beyond the classroom and subject context, which seems to be the main focus of CBC in Tanzania. The results generally suggest that tutors interpret CBC in different ways, thus giving it different meanings. Therefore the study recommends the need to carefully design and provide relevant teacher education at pre-service and in-service levels. This strategy would in turn minimize the dilution of the intended curriculum.
Key words: Competence-based curriculum, Tanzania, teacher colleges, tutors, tutors ' understanding.
References
Anderson-Levitt, K. M. (2008). Globalization and curriculum.In M. F. Connelly (Ed.), TheSage handbook of curriculum and instructions (pp. 349-368). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Bernstein, B. (1996/2000).Pedagogy, symbolic control and identity. Maryland, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Bertram, C. (2012). Bernstein ' s theory of the pedagogic device as a frame to study History curriculum reform in South Africa. Yesterday & Today, 7, 1-11. Retrieved February 22, 2014, from http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?pid=S2223 03862012000100002&script=sciarttext&tlng=pt.
Biesta, G. J. J. (2006). Beyond learning: Democratic education for human future. Boulder, CO: Paradigm.
Biesta, G. J. J. (2014). Pragmatising the curriculum: Bringing knowledge back into the curriculum conversation, but via pragmatism. The Curriculum Journal, 25(1), 20 - 49. Retrieved November, 15, 2015, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09585176.2013.874954.
Bryman, A. (2012). Social research methods (4th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among fiveapproaches (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Fox, D. (1983). Personal learning theory. Studies in Higher Education, 8(2), 151-163.doi:10.1080/03075078312331379014
Henshall, A. D., & Fontanez, B. C. (2010). Educational change. New York: NovaScience Publishers.
Kouwenhoven, G. W. (2003). Designing for competence in Mozambique: Towards acompetence-based curriculum for the faculty of education of the Eduardo Mondlane University. PhD Thesis. Enschede, Netherlands: University of Twente.
Lamnias, C. (2002). The contemporary pedagogic device: Functional impositions and limitations. Pedagogy, Culture and Society, 10(1), 21-38.doi:10.1080/14681360200200131
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985).Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (2007a).Curriculum for diploma in teacher education programme in Tanzania (Edition of 2013). Dar es Salaam: Government Press.
Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (2007b).Curriculum for ordinary levelsecondary education in Tanzania (Edition of 2013). Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: Government Press.
Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (2011).Taarifa ya utafiti kuhusu kushuka kwa kiwango cha ufaulu wa mtihani wa kidato cha nne 2010. Dar es Salaam.
Nnko, G. U. (2013). Implementation of competence-based curriculum in preparing English language prospective teachers in Tanzania teacher colleges. Unpublished MA (Ed) dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Nzima, I. (2016). Competence-based curriculum in Tanzania: Tutors ' understanding and their instructional practices. PhD Thesis. Växjö, Linnaeus University.
Paul, A. (2012). An investigation on the implementation of the revised competence-based biology curriculum in Diploma teacher training colleges in Tanzania. Unpublished M. Ed(Science) dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Priestley, M., Edwards, R., Priestley, A., & Miller, K (2012). Teacher agency in curriculum making: Agents of change and spaces for manoueuvre. Curriculum Inquiry, 42(2), 191-14.
Tilya, F. & Mafumiko, F. M. S. (2010).The compatibility between teaching methods and competence-based curriculum in Tanzania. Papers in Education and Development, 29, 37-56.
Seezink, A., &Poell, R. F. (2010). Continuing professional development needs of teachers in schools for competence-based vocational education: A case study from the Netherlands. Journal of European Industrial Training, 34(5), 455-474.
Schiro, M. S. (2013). Curriculum theory: Conflicting visions and enduring concerns (2nded.)Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Shemwelekwa, R. (2008). The effectiveness of adoption of competence-based education for teaching and learning Mathematics in secondary schools in Tanzania. Unpublished M. Ed(Science) dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Sundberg, D., & Wahlström, N. (2012). Standards-based curriculum in a denationalized conception of education: The case of Sweden. European Educational Research Journal,11(3), 342-356. doi: 10.2304/eerj.2012.11.3.342.
