Academic literature on the topic 'Teachers – Uganda'

Following a productive fact-finding mission to Uganda in April 2012, two members of the Education team, Gemma Garrett and Jane Thomson, have come up with a plan to address some of the challenges being encountered by Ugandan science teachers and their students at the secondary school level. Working closely with our Ugandan Local Ambassador, Deus Tusibira, the pair returned to Uganda in September to implement some of their ideas, get feedback and gather momentum for the scheme.

Different educational contexts or learning environments differently influence visual arts tutor’s performance and pre-service teachers’ learning. The purpose of this research was to examine the role the college context plays in the tutors’ presentation of knowledge and the pre-service teachers’ learning in visual arts in National Teacher Colleges in Uganda. The researcher used interviews, observations, document reviews and focus group discussions to collect data. The results revealed that there were inadequate teaching resources, poor infrastructure and limiting educational policies and administrative support. The research recommended that the ministry of education and sports provide adequate teaching resources, review the limiting educational policies and conduct refresher courses and professional development programs for tutors in National Teacher Colleges in Uganda. Keywords: educational context, pre-service visual arts teachers, teachers’ learning.

The study was an investigation of the Knowing Process of rural secondary science teachers in Uganda. The problem of the study was the poor performance of students in sciences in the rural secondary schools in Ugandan Certificate Examinations (UCE). The central point was to find out the beliefs of the rural secondary science teachers about how the educators come to know anything. A non-experimental research design was employed in the study. The research was carried using a purposive sampling technique. Regarding data collection, the researcher administered fifty (50) questionnaires to fifty (50) teachers; interviewed ten teachers and carried out classroom observations often live lessons. The findings of the study revealed that teacher’s conceptions about the mode of knowing to fall under three sources of knowledge, namely, authority, sense-perceptual experience, and reason. It was clear that teachers assume that learners do not have knowledge; hence the Bucket theory of mind is central in their teaching-learning process. Many teachers appeared to do things the way they were taught; in other words, a number of rural science teachers tended to be doing activities whose underlying assumptions they were not clear of. A functional approach to the teaching of Philosophy in Educational programs is recommended.

Rukundo A. & Magambo J. (2013). Professional impotence: Impact of alcohol abuse on secondary schoolteachers in Uganda. International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research, 2(2), 69-74. doi: 10.7895/ijadr.v2i2.104 (http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v2i2.104)Aims: We conducted this study to explore the impact of alcohol consumption on teachers’ jobs in Uganda. Specifically, we investigated the types of alcohol consumed by schoolteachers, reasons for alcohol abuse among teachers, justifications for mixing different types of drinks while drinking, and the effects of alcohol abuse on secondary schoolteachers. Design: Cross-sectional, descriptive.Participants: We involved 54 teachers (79.6% males and 20.4% females) in focus group discussions (FGDs) and four teachers (all male) in in-depth interviews.Measurement: Interviews were conducted to validate the data from FGDs as done by vanTartwijk, den Brok, Veldman and Wubbels (2008). Thematic analysis was employed to describe themes and emerging trends.Results: Data gathered from both in-depth interviews and FGDs show that teachers in Uganda drink a variety of “local” and “exotic” types of alcohol, for a variety of reasons. Results also indicate that during drinking sessions, teachers mix drinks for different reasons, but mainly to increase or decrease the potency of alcoholic drinks, depending on their types. All participants mentioned that over-consumption of alcohol negatively affects the teacher’s job and career in ways that include poor performance, neglect and loss of job.Conclusion: While teachers in Uganda drink many types of alcohol for apparently “good” reasons, those teachers who over-drink eventually fall into job inefficiency.

Teacher stress is evident in many developed countries; however, teacher stress is also evident in many low-income sub-Saharan countries such as Uganda where teachers face additional challenges compared to their North American/European counterpart. The goal of this study was to pilot test a mindfulness and yoga self-care workshop designed for teachers working in post-conflict Northern Uganda to help them cope with stress. Twenty teachers participated in the workshop and were compared to a group of matched wait-list teachers on psychological well-being measures. Results show that self-care teachers showed greater reductions in levels of anger, fear, sadness and perceived hostility, and greater increases in levels of emotional support and friendship compared to wait-list teachers. Moreover, longitudinal exploratory data analyses suggest that many of these effects gradually emerge over the course of the three-month school term. These finds are discussed in the context of how school psychologists can help teachers in developing countries through from yoga-based, mindfulness-type programs, and the need for more scaled-up research.

Background: By 2050, 80% of the world’s older population will reside in developing countries. There is a need for culturally appropriate training programs to increase awareness of eldercare issues, promote knowledge of how to better allocate resources to geriatric services, and promulgate elder-friendly policies. A monthly distance geriatric education programme between a public hospital in Singapore and health institute in Uganda was implemented. This study explored the enablers and barriers to the delivery of culturally appropriate geriatric education programmes via a videoconferencing platform. Methods: We conducted 12 in-depth interviews with six teachers from Singapore and six learners from Uganda. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analyzed using an inductive thematic approach to analysis with the aid of the NVivo software. Results: Enablers included inter-personal real-time interactions between teachers and learners whereas misaligned perceptions of cross-cultural differences between Singaporean teachers and Ugandan learners were a barrier. Rapport building, teacher motivation and institutional support were perceived to contribute to the programme’s sustainability. Overall, Ugandan learners perceived that the training improved knowledge, skills, attitude and practice of geriatric care. Participants suggested that future initiatives consider aligning cross-cultural perceptions between partners, conducting a training needs analysis, exploring complementary modes of information dissemination, and allotting time for more interaction, thereby reinforcing mutual sharing. Adequate publicity and appropriate incentivisation may also better sustain the programme. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that cross-cultural training via a videoconferencing platform was feasible. Our results inform planners of future distance educational programmes of how to improve standards of cross-cultural competency and forge promising international partnerships.

(1) Background: Teachers’ personal and strenuous working conditions reflect the realities of the teaching vocation that may result in increased stress levels and associated negative consequences, such as negative emotions. It is also well-known that teacher stress contributes to more violence against students. However, little is known about personal and school context factors that contribute to teachers’ stress. The current study examined whether, in addition to school-related factors, job perceptions, including the feeling of pressure at work and perceived school climate and teaching difficulties, contribute to teachers’ stress. (2) Methods: A representative sample of 291 teachers from 12 public secondary schools in southwestern Uganda responded to self-administered questionnaires. (3) Results: Teaching difficulties and feelings of pressure at work contributed to teachers’ stress. Furthermore, stress did not vary with teachers’ sociodemographic variables. (4) Conclusions: Teachers’ perceptions of their working conditions were associated with teacher stress levels. Therefore, more efforts need to be geared towards improving the working conditions of teachers as a way of reducing stress.

Abstract School-based sexuality education makes teachers important gatekeepers of students’ access to information about sexual and reproductive health and rights. The school setting has the potential to reach large numbers of students. However, teachers’ professional identities may go beyond, differ from or even conflict with the qualities required of sexuality educators. To gain a better understanding of the role of professional identity in the delivery of school-based sexuality education, this study used cultural schema theory to study teachers’ professional identities, and how these motivate them to provide sexuality education. In-depth interviews were conducted with 40 sexuality education teachers at secondary schools in Kampala, the capital of Uganda. Sexuality education lessons were observed to validate the findings from the interviews. Results identified five cultural schemas of professional identity: (i) upholder of ethics and regulations; (ii) authority figure; (iii) counsellor and guide; (iv) role model; and (v) guardian. The study concludes that teachers’ cultural schemas of professional identity motivate them to adhere to moral discourses of abstinence and sexual innocence. To support teachers in taking more comprehensive approaches to sexuality education, it is important that they receive adequate teacher training and support from the Ugandan government, the school administration and the wider community.

This study investigated the relationship between teachers’ characteristics and their use of ICT in teaching in rural secondary schools located in Bwera Sub County, Kasese District of Uganda. Bwera Sub County is a hard-to-reach rural area in western Uganda. Specifically, the study examined whether teacher characteristics, namely, teachers perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and teacher ICT competence, influenced teachers’ use of ICT in teaching with the secondary schools. Using the correlational research design, data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire on a sample of 127 school teachers. Descriptive results revealed that teachers rated their use of ICT and perceived competence as poor, rated ICT's usefulness as good, and their use of ICT as fair. Regression analysis revealed that perceived usefulness, ease of use, and ICT competence had a positive and significant influence on ICT use in teaching and learning. It was concluded that perceived usefulness is a prerequisite for teachers’ use of ICT, perceived ease of use is imperative for the use of ICT, and competence is essential for the use of ICT. Therefore, it was recommended that in rural secondary schools, the Ministry of Education and headteachers should provide awareness training to teachers about the usefulness of IC, train teachers to use ICT, and develop their ICT competence.

In 2012, Israel deported 500 South-Sudanese refugee children and their families. A year later, a civil war broke out in the young South Sudan and the deportees, along with over one million South-Sudanese citizens, fled to the neighboring Uganda. Since then, many of these children have studied in boarding schools in Uganda. We explore, using qualitative methods, the perceptions and experiences of six Ugandan teachers all working with these children for at least 5 years. The research is unique in studying children who have previously lived and studied in a developed Western environment, and experienced, subsequently, a transition to the global south, with far more conservative social norms and an authoritarian, teacher-centered conception of education. The results show a clear progression in the teachers’ conception of the children, beginning with an impression of the children as rebellious, tending to initiate conflicts, and disrespectful. Gradually, they came to view them as being open and assertive, often very articulate and communicative. They observed changes in the children’s behavior: acquiring language skills, being cooperative with staff, integrating with the other children and caring. Working with the refugee children had a great impact on the teachers’ perceptions and on their personal and professional conduct: they substituted punishments—including physical caning—with other methods of discipline. They endorsed open academic methods based on dialogue in class and between teachers and students, and encouraged experiment-based learning methods. On the other hand, the teachers initial perception of children’s parents as ignorant and disruptive remained unchanged and little effort, if any, was made throughout the years of this educational encounter to include the parents in the educational process. The teachers’ recommendations focused mainly on three issues: preparing the children and the staff to the new experience in order to facilitate integration, enhancing the communication and mutual work with the children’s parents, and giving more attention to the children’s emotional state. The discussion section addresses the limitation of this study, directions for future research, and practical implications.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 280-295).
This study constructs an account of teachers' recontextualizations of the 'problem solving approach', a pedagogic approach prescribed for teaching primary school science by Uganda's official curriculum. It describes how sixteen teachers, located in eight primary schools, interpret and enact the pedagogic prescriptions of the problem solving approach. The study further explores the extent to which school contexts in which the teachers work influence their recontextualizing processes. The conceptual and analytical framework for the study draws on Basil Bernstein's theory of pedagogic discourse, extended with concepts from Paul Dowling's social activity.

Claims about the potential of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to transform education in the less developed countries of the world abound. This qualitative case study, which took place at Bondo (pseudonym) Primary Teachers’ College (PTC) in Uganda, from April to December 2008, was guided by two specific research questions, (1) What is the relationship between ICT policy and educational practice in Uganda? (2) To what extent do teacher educators use ICT in their professional practice and what challenges do they face in developing digital literacy? To address question one, the researcher did a content analysis of the National ICT policies and held a key informant interview with the ICT minister in Uganda. In order to address question two, the researcher drew on data collected from a sample of six teacher educators using questionnaires, focus group discussions, online group discussions, and journal reflections. The study found that at policy level, Uganda has made significant progress in systematizing the integration of ICT in education. The introduction of ICT training programs in PTCs has received positive response from the teacher educators, who are eager to use ICT in their professional practice and to develop their digital literacy skills. However, the study established that the teacher educators only use ICT in their professional practice to a limited extent, due to factors such as limited Internet access points at the PTC and in their communities. Other challenges include inadequate training and lack of support for professional development, cultural constraints, and irrelevant materials from the Internet. Another major concern is that ICT initiatives in Uganda are geared more towards accessing global information than using ICT for knowledge production and wealth creation. It also emerged that ICT is still being used to perpetuate teacher-centered, examination-oriented, information-based teaching and learning in PTCs. The study concludes with a recommendation for more qualitative case studies on the possibility of incorporating ICT programs such as the e-Granary Digital Library, which do not rely on connectivity, as a basis for ICT and digital literacy skills development.

Research indicates that students perform better academically in schools with higher levels of trust than in schools with lower levels of trust. School leaders are primarily responsible for building cultures of trust but are often at a loss as to how to do so effectively. With the assumption that as perceptions of school leader trustworthiness improve, teachers will be more likely to place their trust in that school leader, this research seeks to clarify how Ugandan headteachers improve teachers' perceptions of headteacher trustworthiness. In particular, we examined how specific types of headteacher visibility related to teachers' perceptions of headteacher relational and competence trustworthiness. This qualitative research used grounded theory methodology to interpret and analyze the interview responses of 28 Ugandan secondary school teachers in eight schools in Mukono District, Uganda. Findings from this research suggest that teachers' perceptions of headteacher relational trustworthiness were strongly related to both the level of risk and formality of headteacher visibility. Additional findings suggest that perceptions of both headteacher relational and competence trustworthiness were influenced by differences in teacher and headteacher personal characteristics. The final finding indicates that certain types of headteacher visibility moderated the influence that teacher characteristics have on perceptions of trustworthiness. These findings can inform school leaders about how to more effectively improve teachers' perceptions of school leader trustworthiness. The grounded theory model presented will provide opportunities for further theory building and testing with respect to the relationship between school leader visibility and teachers' perceptions of school leader trustworthiness.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this dissertation I report on an ethnographic survey study undertaken on bi-/multilingual education in ten primary schools in Uganda. The primary aim of this study was to explore how teachers understand and manage the process of transitioning from mother tongue (MT) education to English as a language of learning and teaching (LoLT). In this study I used a multi-method approach involving questionnaires, classroom observations, follow-up interviews and note taking. Data was analysed using a theme-based triangulation approach, one in which insights gleaned from different sources are checked against each other, so as to build a fuller, richer and more accurate account of the phenomenon under study. This data was gathered firstly from teachers and classes in the first three years of formal schooling (P1 to P3) in order to understand the nature of multilingualism in the initial years of primary schooling and how teachers use MT instruction in preparation for transition to English-medium education that occurs at the end of these three years. Secondly, data from P4 and P5 classes and teachers was gathered so as to examine the manner in which teachers handle transition from MT instruction in P4 and then shift into the use of English as LoLT in P5. The study has identified discrepancies between de jure and de facto language policy that exist at different levels: within schools, between government and private schools in implementing the language-in-education policy, and, ultimately, between the assumptions teachers have of the linguistic diversity of learners and the actual linguistic repertoires possessed by the learners upon school entry. Moreover, the study has revealed that it is unrealistic to expect that transfer of skills from MT to English can take place after only three years of teaching English and MT as subjects and using MT as LoLT. Against such a backdrop, teachers operate under circumstances that are not supportive of effective policy implementation. In addition, there is a big gap between teacher training and the demands placed on teachers in the classroom in terms of language practices. Moreover, teachers have mixed feelings about MT education, and some are unreservedly negative about it. Teachers’ indifference to MT education is partly caused by the fact that MTs are not examined at the end of primary school and that all examination papers are set in English. Furthermore, it has emerged that Uganda’s pre-primary education system complicates the successful implementation of the language-in-education policy, as it is not monitored by the government, is not compulsory nor available to all Ugandan children, and universally is offered only in English. The findings of this study inform helpful recommendations pertaining to the language-ineducation policy and the education system of Uganda. Firstly, there is a need to compile countrywide community and/or school linguistic profiles so as to come up with a wellinformed and practical language policy. Secondly, current language-in-education policy ought to be decentralised as there are urban schools which are not multilingual (as is assumed by the government) and thus are able to implement MT education. Thirdly, the MT education programme of Uganda ought to be changed from an early-exit to a late-exit model in order to afford a longer time for developing proficiency in English before English becomes the LoLT. Fourthly, government ought to make pre-primary schooling compulsory, and MT should be the LoLT at this level so that all Ugandan children have an opportunity to learn through their MTs. Finally, if the use of MT, both as a subject and as a LoLT, is to be enforced in schools, the language of examination and/or the examination of MTs will have to be reconsidered. In summary, several reasons have been identified for the mentioned discrepancies between de jure and de facto language-in-education policy in Uganda. This policy was implemented in an attempt to improve the low literacy levels of Ugandan learners. It therefore appears as if the policy and its implementation will need revision before this achievable aim can be realised as there is great difficulty on the teachers’ side not only in the understanding but also in managing the process of transitioning from MT education to English as LoLT.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie proefskrif lewer ek verslag oor ‘n etnografiese opname van twee meertaligheid wat in 10 laerskole in Oeganda uitgevoer is. Die hoof doel van die studie was om vas te stel hoe onderwysers die oorgang van moedertaalonderrig na Engels as taal van onderrig en leer (TLO) verstaan en bestuur. Ek het ‘n veelvuldige metode-benadering in hierdie studie gevolg en gebruik gemaak van vraelyste, klaskamerwaarnemings, opvolgonderhoude en veldnotas. Data is geanaliseer deur gebruik te maak van ‘n tema-gebaseerde trianguleringsbenadering, een waarin insigte verkry uit verskillende bronne teen mekaar geverifieer is om sodoende ‘n voller, ryker en meer akkurate verklaring vir die studieverskynsel te gee. Hierdie data is eerstens onder onderwysers en leerders in die eerste drie jaar van formele skoolonderring (P1 tot P3) ingesamel om vas te stel (i) wat die aard van veeltaligheid in die beginjare van laerskool is en (ii) hoe onderwysers moedertaal (MT) gebruik om leerders voor te berei vir die oorgang na Engels-medium onderrig wat aan die einde van hierdie drie jaar geskied. Data is tweedens onder P4- en P5-onderwysers en in P4- en P5-klaskamers ingesamel om sodoede die wyse te ondersoek waarop onderwysers die oorgang van MT-onderrig in P4 en die skuif na die gebruik van Engels as TLO in P5 hanteer. Die studie het diskrepansies tussen de jure- en de facto-taalbeleid op verskeie vlakke geïdentifiseer: binne skole, tussen die regering en privaatskole in die implementering van die taal-in-onderwys-beleid, en ook tussen die aannames wat onderwysers oor die talige diversiteit van leerders het en die werklike talige repertoires waarmee hierdie leerders die skoolsisteem betree. Die studie het verder getoon dat dit onrealisties is om te verwag dat oordrag van vaardighede van MT na Engels kan plaasvind ná slegs drie jaar van (i) Engels en MT as vakke en (ii) gebruik van MT as TLO. Teen hierdie agtergrond werk onderwysers onder omstandighede wat nie effektiewe beleidsimplementering ondersteun nie. Daar is ook ‘n groot gaping tussen onderwyseropleiding en die eise wat aan onderwysers in die klaskamer gestel word in terme van taalpraktyke. Verder het onderwysers gemengde gevoelens oor MTonderrig, en sommiges is sonder voorbehoud negatief daaroor. Onderwysers se onverskilligheid teenoor MT-onderrig word gedeeltelik meegebring deur die feit dat MTe nie aan die einde van laerskool geëksamineer word nie en dat alle eksamenvraestelle in Engels opgestel word. Dit het ook geblyk dat Oeganda se voorskoolse onderwyssisteem die suksesvolle implementering van die taal-in-onderwys-beleid kompliseer, aangesien hierdie vlak van onderwysg nie deur die regering gemonitor word nie, nie verpligtend of toeganklik vir alle Oegandese kinders is nie en universeel in slegs Engels aangebied word. Die bevindinge van hierdie studie maak nuttige aanbevelings moontlik aangaande die taal-inonderwys- beleid en die onderwyssisteem in Oeganda. Eerstens is daar ‘n behoefte aan die opstel van ‘n landswye taalprofiel van gemeenskappe en skole sou ‘n goed-ingeligte en prakties uitvoerbare taalbeleid daargestel wou word. Tweedens behoort die huidige taal-inonderwys- beleid gesentraliseer te word, aangesien sommige stedelike skole (in teenstelling met wat deur die regering aangeneem word) nie veeltalig is nie en dus wel daartoe in staat is om MT-onderrig te implementeer. Derdens behoort die MT-onderrigprogram in Oeganda verander te word van een waarin leerders MT-onderrig vroeg verlaat tot een waarin hulle MT-onderrig laat verlaat, sodat daar meer tyd is vir die verwerwing van Engelse taalvaardighede voordat Engels die TLO word. Vierdens behoort die regering preprimêre onderwys verpligtend te maak en behoort MT die TLO op hierdie vlak te wees sodat alle Oegandese kinders die geleentheid het om deur middel van hul MTe te leer. Laastens, as die gebruik van MT (as ‘n vak sowel as as TLO) in skole verplig gaan word, behoort die taal van eksaminering herbesin te word en/of die eksaminering van MTe heroorweeg te word. Opsommenderwys: Daar is verskeie redes geïdentifiseer vir die genoemde diskrepansies tussen die de jure- en de facto- taal-in-onderwys beleid in Oeganda. Hierdie beleid is ingestel in ‘n poging om die lae geletterdheidsvlakke van Oegandese leerders aan te spreek. Dit blyk dat die beleid en die implementering daarvan hersien sal moet word voordat hierdie haalbare doelwit gerealiseer sal kan word, want onderwysers vind dit merkbaar moeilik nie net om die huidige beleid te verstaan nie maar ook om die proses van oorgang van MT-onderrig na Engels as TLO te bestuur.
Ekisengejje (Luganda) Mu kiwakano kino, njogera ku kunoonyereza okwesigamizibwa ku kwekaliriza ekibinja ky’abantu ab’awamu n’engeri gye bakwatamu ebyenjigiriza nnanniminnyingi mu masomero ga pulayimale kkumi mu Uganda. Ekigendererwa ky’okunoonyereza kuno ekikulu kyali okwekaliriza engeri abasomesa gye bategeeramu ne gye bakwatamu enseetuka y’okuva mu kusomera mu lulimi oluzaaliranwa okudda mu Lungereza. Mu kunoonyereza kuno, nakozesa enseetuka mpendannyingi omuli olukalala lw’ebibuuzo, okwekaliriza okw’omu kibiina, okubuuza ebibuuzo eby’akamwa n’okuwandiika ebyekalirizibwa. Ebiwe byakenenulirwa mu miramwa nga giggyibwa mu ebyo ebyakuηηaanyizibwa mu mpenda ez’enjawulo. Enkola eno yeeyambisa ebyakukuηηaanyizibwa mu mpenda ez’enjawulo nga buli kimu kikkuutiriza kinnaakyo ne kiba nti ekijjo ekinoonyeerezebwako omuntu akitebya mu ngeri enzijuvu era engagga obulungi. Okusooka, ebiwe byakuηηaanyizibwa okuva mu basomesa ne mu bibiina ebisookerwako ebisatu (P1 okutuuka ku P3) n’ekigendererwa ky’okutegeera ennimi eziri mu myaka egisooka egya pulayimale n’engeri abasomesa gye batandikamu okusomesereza mu nnimi enzaaliranwa nga bateekateeka abayizi okubazza mu kuyigira mu Lungereza. Okuyigira mu Lungereza kutandika okubaawo ng’emyaka esatu egisooka giweddeko. Ebibiina, P4 ne P5 nabyo byatunuulirwa n’ekigendererwa ky’okwekaliriza engeri abasomesa gye bakwatamu enseetuka y’okuggya abayizi mu kuyigira mu nnimi enzaaliranwa mu P4 okubazza mu kuyigira mu Lungereza mu P5. Okunoonyereza kuno kuzudde empungu wakati w’enteekera y’ebyennimi eragirwa n’ekozesebwa ku mitendera egy’enjawulo: Empungu esooka eri mu kussa mu nkola enteekera y’ebyennimi mu byenjigiriza wakati w’amasomero ga gavumenti n’ag’obwannannyini ate ne wakati w’ebyo abasomesa bye bakkiririzaamu ku nnimi abayizi ze boogera n’ennimi abayizi bo ze boogera nga tebannayingira masomero. Mu ngeri y’emu okunoonyereza kuno kukizudde nti si kya bwenkyanya okusuubira abayizi okuzza mu Lungereza ebyo bye bayigidde emyaka esatu mu nnini enzaaliranwa nga mu myaka gye gimu egyo Olungereza n’olulimi oluzaaliranwa babadde baziyiga ng’amasomo. Mu mbeera efaanana bw’etyo, abasomesa bakolera mu mbeera etabasobozesa kutuukiriza nteekera ya bya nnimi mu byenjigiriza. Mu ngeri y’emu, waliwo empungu nnene wakati w’obutendeke abasomesa bwe balina n’ebyo ebibasuubirwamu okukola mu kibiina nga beeyambisa olulimi. Si ekyo kyokka, abasomesa si batangaavu ku kusomeseza mu nnimi enzaaliranwa, era n’abamu boogera kaati nga bwe batawagira nkola eno. Endowooza y’abasomesa ku kusomeseza mu nnimi enzaaliranwa yeesigamiziddwa ku kuba nti ennimi enzaaliranwa tezibuuzibwa ku nkomerero ya pulayimale ate era n’okuba nti ebibuuzo byonna ku nkomerero ya pulayimale bibuuzibwa mu Lungereza. Ng’oggyeeko ekyo, kyeyolese mu kunoonyereza kuno nti okusoma kwa nnasale mu Uganda kukaluubiriza okussa mu nkola enteekera y’eby’ennimi mu byenjigiriza kubanga eddaala ly’okusoma lino terirondoolwa gavumenti, si lya buwaze ate era abaana bonna mu Uganda tebafuna mukisa kusoma nnasale, n’ekirala nti okutwaliza awamu ebisomesebwa ku ddaala lino biba mu Lungereza. Ebizuuliddwa mu kunoonyereza kuno bisonga ku bisembebwa ebiyinza okuyamba mu kutereeza enteekera y’eby’ennimi mu byenjigiriza ko n’omuyungiro gw’ebyenjigiriza gwonna mu Uganda. Okusooka, kyetaagisa okukuηηaanya ennimi ezoogerebwa mu bitundu ne/oba mu masomero ne kiyamba mu kussa mu nkola enteekera y’eby’ennimi mu ngeri entangaavu. Eky’okubiri, kisaana obuyinza bw’enteekera y’eby’ennimi mu byenjigiriza eriwo kati buzzibweko wansi kubanga waliwo amasomero g’omu bibuga agataliimu nnimi nnyingi (nga gavumenti yo bw’ekitwala) era nga bwe gatyo gasobola okussa mu nkola enteekera y’eby’ennimi mu byenjigiriza. Eky’okusatu, enteekateeka y’okusomeseza mu nnimi enzaaliranwa eya Uganda esaana eyongezebwe okuva ku myaka 3 etuuke ku myaka 6 okutuuka ku 8. Ebbanga eryo eggwanvu liyamba omuyizi okukaza Olungereza n’oluvannyuma asobole okuluyigiramu. Eky’okuna, gavumenti esaana efuule okusoma kwa nnasale okw’obuwaze era ennimi enzaaliranwa zisaana zibeere olulimi oluyigirwamu ku ddaala lino kibeere nti abaana bonna mu Uganda bafuna omukisa okuyigira mu nnimi zaabwe enzaaliranwa. N’ekisembayo, bwe kiba nti okukozesa ennimi enzaaliranwa mu masomero ng’olulimi oluyigirwamu ate era ng’essomo kinaagobererwa mu masomero, olulimi olubuulizibwamu ebibuuzo ne/oba okubuuzibwako ebibuuzo bisaana bifiibweko nate. Mu bufunze, ensonga nnyingiko ezinokoddwayo ng’ezireetawo empungu wakati w’enteekera y’eby’ennimi mu byenjigiriza n’ebyo ebikolebwa mu masomero mu Uganda. Enteekera eno yassibwa mu nkola n’ekigendererwa ky’okwongera ku mutindo gw’okuyiga okusoma n’okuwandiika mu bayizi b’omu Uganda. Wabula ate kifanana okuba nti enteekera eno n’engeri gy’essibwa mu nkola bijja kwetaaga okuddamu okufiibwako olwo ekigendererwa ekyabiteekerwa kiryoke kituukibweko. Kino kiri bwe kityo kubanga waliwo enkalubira ya maanyi mu basomesa mu kutegeera ne mu nkwajja y’okuteekateeka abayizi okubaseetula

Leaders and policy makers in Uganda developed a national strategy of placing female administrators in traditionally male-dominated coeducational secondary schools in the belief that their vision would promote equitable education by changing gender regimes that play in schools. Gender regimes are patterns of gender arrangements that could disadvantage the education of boys or girls (Connell, 2002). The purpose of this study was to discover if female administrators perceived and had developed strategies to change gender regimes in their schools. Participants were 13 female administrators of government-supported coeducational mixed/day secondary schools in Kampala and Wakiso urban districts. Participants ranged in age from 37 to 59 years and in school experience from 12 to 32 years. Nine participants held masters' degrees and 4 were currently enrolled in masters' programs. All participants were members of a female organization. The investigator used qualitative methodology to collect and analyze data and to report findings. With each participant, the investigator engaged in an open dialogue and used a semi-structured protocol to conduct an interview that was recorded and transcribed. The investigator examined archival records and collected artifacts from each school. Data were analyzed emically with NVivo software to facilitate the iterative process of identifying and refining themes. Themes had to reach a threshold of 50% to be considered significant. The findings revealed that female administrators perceived gender regimes related to family culture, school culture, sexuality, and power and authority. All female administrators had developed strategies to change the gender regimes that disadvantaged girls' education. These perceptions and strategies indicated that gender regimes were part of the vision of female administrators, but insufficient evidence was collected to determine the degree they were part of their strategic goals. These findings are significant because if these female administrators can change the gender regimes at play in their schools, they will make a significant contribution to providing equitable education to their students. While these findings cannot be generalized, this work may help other educators gain a better understanding of the influence of gender regimes in their schools.

This case study investigated teachers’ perceptions of contextual influences on their instruction and student engagement on sexuality discourses within four selected schools in Kampala, Uganda. The question that guided the study was: What and how are the contextual factors as perceived by health education teachers in Uganda influencing classroom discourses on sexuality? The research is grounded within two relevant theoretical frameworks; constructivism and the conceptual change theory (CCT). Constructivism acknowledges that individuals have preconceived notions rooted in their social, cultural and historical backgrounds, and CCT enables teachers to develop strategies that allow learners opportunities to reexamine their preconceptions about phenomena with a view of aligning them with canonical science. Through a narrative methodological approach, teachers narrated their stories based on their lived classroom experiences. Data sources included researcher’s field notes, e-mail correspondences, semi-structured questionnaires, and audio recordings of the teachers’ narratives. The data corpus was analyzed following intense dialogic analysis procedures, which encompassed elements of thematic and structural analytical methods as well as other broad interpretive dimensions such as how talk among speakers is dialogically produced. The findings revealed that while there is some form of sexuality education in schools and while teachers are very enthusiastic about its implementation, it is largely constrained by a plethora of contextual factors. Four themes that best addressed the inquiry were identified: 1) Dilemmas around navigating conflicting social stances; 2) Competing dichotomies with regards to adolescent sex health provision; 3) Teachers’ inadequate training to play the envisioned roles as sexuality educators; and 4) Relegation of Sex Health Education (SHE) to extracurricular status undermines its value and potential. The teachers therefore have a steep task to continue searching for appropriate pedagogical approaches to diffuse these dilemmas. This thesis provides a nuanced approach to understanding the practical realities and complexities involved in designing a framework for SHE delivery in schools, and also suggests various approaches teachers can employ to bring about meaningful learning.
Education, Faculty of
Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of
Graduate

Thesis (Ph.D.)--George Mason University, 2009.
Vita: p. 255. Thesis director: Elizabeth Sturtevant. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Oct. 12, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 240-254). Also issued in print.

Our NGO, Uconnect1, is distributing hundreds of refurbished computers to dozens of mostly rural primary and secondary schools in Uganda, training teachers and students to set up their own computer labs, assisting them in getting connected to the Internet and guiding them to open their schools’ labs to the parents and local community after hours on a fee-paying basis. We have attempted to develop each aspect of the project’s operations in such a way that it is sustainable, scalable and reproducible. This article will describe strategies we have used in our quest to make the Internet available to the widest number of people, and point out bottlenecks that challenge us to overcome.

This chapter analyses the extent to which the teacher-centred delivery approach has influenced the quality of learning in private secondary school education in Uganda. Theories applied are: The Stimulus-Response (S-R) Learning theory, the Social Learning theory and the Transmission model. A Self-administered questionnaire, Focus Group discussion and interview guides were used to collect data. Discussion of the chapter centered on how the teacher's roles inside the classroom result into attainment of problem solving skills, interpersonal skills and preparing the learner for occupation. Findings showed that, to equip learners with higher order skills, teachers demonstrated all the five roles. However, effective use of this approach was encumbered by a number of limitations that recommendations are provided. Key among these is incorporating a number of activities to inter-marry the philosophies of the teacher-centred and the student-centred approaches in secondary school education.

Improvements in instructional coherence have been shown to have large impacts on student learning, yet analysis of such coherence, especially in developing countries and at a systems level, is rare. We use an established methodology, the Surveys of Enacted Curriculum (SEC), and apply it to a developing country context to systematically analyze and quantify the content and coherence of the primary curriculum standards, national examinations, and actual teaching delivered in the classroom in Uganda and Tanzania. We find high levels of incoherence across all three instructional components. In Uganda, for example, only four of the fourteen topics in the English curriculum standards appear on the primary leaving exam, and two of the highest-priority topics in the standards are completely omitted from the exams. In Tanzania, only three of fourteen English topics are covered on the exam, and all are assessed at the “memorization” level. Rather than aligning with either the curriculum standards or exams, teachers’ classroom instruction is poorly aligned with both. Teachers tend to cover broad swathes of content and levels of cognitive demand, unrelated to the structure of either the curriculum standards or exams. An exception is Uganda mathematics, for which standards, exams, and teacher instruction are all well aligned. By shedding light on alignment deficits in the two countries, these results draw attention to a policy area that has previously attracted little (if any) attention in many developing countries’ education policy reform efforts. In addition to providing empirical results for Uganda and Tanzania, this study provides a proof-of-concept for the use of the SEC methodology as a diagnostic tool in developing countries, helping education systems identify areas of instructional (in)coherence and informing efforts to improve coherence for learning.