Rwandan Journal of Education

Editorial Message

Eugene Ndabaga — 2023-02-27

No Abstract

Sociology of Special Education: Parents and Teachers’ Knowledge, Beliefs and Attitudes towards Persons with Disabilities in Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese District, Ghana

Abdul-Jaleel Saani — 2023-02-24

The study investigated parents and teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes towards persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese district using cross-sectional survey design. Multistage sampling procedures were used to select 400 subjects. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyse the data. The results show that teachers demonstrated attitudes that were eufunctional to the education of PWDs while parents showed attitudes that were dysfunctional to their education. Overall, parents and teachers’ knowledge, beliefs and attitudes are able to predict their positive behaviours toward the education of PWDs substantially when these factors are functional to PWDs’ survival. This phenomenon can help boost PWDs’ confidence. Therefore, management of the District Education Directorate should constantly organise sensitisation and advocacy programmes for members of Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) and family-heads on the rights of PWDs and how to manage them. This will help unlock the socio-cultural barriers to the education of PWDs.

Perceptions and Attitudes of Nigerian undergraduates to sustainable development in some selected universities

Abigail Abenu — 2023-02-24

United Nations advocates the use of education as a tool to drive sustainable development. This study aims to examine the impact the introduction of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has had on undergraduates in Nigeria. A survey involving 536 undergraduates from four selected Nigerian universities was conducted, to examine their perceptions and attitudes toward sustainable development concepts. The result revealed that the inclusion of sustainable development into the curricula of the selected universities brought about positive perceptions of the sustainable development concepts, as seen in the responses of a large proportion (> 74%) of the respondents. Respondents’ attitudes to the sustainable development concepts were largely positive (> 69%), thus showing that desired behaviour that promotes sustainability would be adopted. This study recommends the creation of sustainability centres in Nigerian universities to encourage undergraduates to undertake research that promotes sustainability. Also, the National Universities Commission should ensure that all Nigerian universities include ESD in their curricula.

Effectiveness of School-based Professional Development in Addressing Teachers’ Learning Needs and Improving Learner-centred Pedagogical Practices

Allen Rugambwa — 2023-02-24

The study set out to investigate how school-based continuing professional development (SB-CPD) addresses teachers’ learning needs and contributes to the improvement of learner-centred pedagogical practices in Tanzania secondary schools The study employed questionnaire, interviews, classroom observation, and documentary review to collect data from a sample of 110 teachers and heads of schools participating in an SB-CPD programme called the Probono Teacher Training (PPT) Programme. The study revealed that, even though teachers’ learning needs were not identified through a needs assessment, the teachers perceived the programme effective in addressing their learning needs related to the implementation of the competence-based (secondary education) curriculum. Moreover, the PPT Programme, to a large extent, was effective in improving learner-centred pedagogical practices, particularly in the aspect of applying learner-centred teaching (LCT) strategies in the course of teaching. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that an SB-CPD programme is effective in addressing teachers’ learning needs and improving learner-centred pedagogical practices.

An Assessment of the Challenges Affecting Students’ Conceptual Understanding of Algorithmic Thinking: The Case of Senior 3 Students in a Rwandan School

Ayumi Oka — 2023-02-27

This article reports the current state of Senior 3 students’ algorithmic thinking (hereafter, “AT”) in Kigali, Rwanda. AT is one of the important abilities in computer science education (hereafter, “CSE”), and has great significance for ICT nation toward the Vision 2050. In Rwanda, the programming in CSE has been made compulsory; however, there has been no research on definition of AT skills and on the status of Rwandan students. AT skills require structurization of repeated events (i.e., iteration) toward efficiency. As the case study, 44 students were chosen by convenient sampling and assessed by an unplugged assessment. Then, four of them were interviewed to grasp their understanding more conceptually. Resultantly the majority had basic AT skills. Interestingly, some students were able to grasp repetitive phenomena within the iteration but were not able to represent it using iterative structure. We propose the necessity of teaching how to construct iteration in CSE.

Assessing the Contribution of Educational Non-Government Organizations to Teachers’ Professional Development in Secondary Schools in Nyabihu District, Rwanda

Emmanuel Simpeze — 2023-02-27

Teachers’ Professional development is crucial to meet educational changes. This study analyses the way it shaped teachers’ practices in Secondary schools of Rwanda from the case study of Nyabihu District through coaching and mentoring program. The qualitative and quantitative methods were used to get data by using the questionnaire and the interview. The population was 79 teachers trained in the program .The purposive sampling was used to get 39 trained and 39 not trained teachers in program. The findings revealed that secondary school teachers do not maximize the benefits that accrue from the program. This is due to challenges: lack of time, language barrier, school leadership influence and weak interaction between the teachers. It revealed that 91.1% of the trained teachers on program used Continuous professional Development (CPD) activities in teaching practices while only 19.3% of non- trained teachers use them. The study recommends that teachers’ CPD activities should be given time and all teachers should be trained on Educational Coaching and Mentoring.

Investigating the Effects of Teachers’ Quality on Students' performance in Mathematics in Kamonyi District, Rwanda

Eugenie Kamayubonye — 2023-02-27

Teacher quality has been identified as the basic factor for student performance during the learning process. For this research, a case study was conducted in three selected 12YBE schools of the Kamonyi District to investigate the effects of the teacher quality on learners’ performance in Mathematics. This study involved a mixed research design where both qualitative and quantitative data were collected within a sample of 196 students, 5 teachers, and 3 head teachers from three different schools with Mathematics combinations. The quantitative data were collected using questionnaires while qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS while interviews were analyzed thematically. The findings revealed that some aspects of teacher quality in Mathematics, such as monitoring, communication skills, teacher knowledge, teamwork, and providing constructive feedback, affected students’ success in Mathematics. In this regard, the Rwanda Basic Education Board should organize training related to improving these aspects of teacher quality for increasing students’ performance in Mathematics.

Status of implementation of Inclusive Education in Tanzania: Analysis of Policies, Laws and Guidelines

Francis William Kyambo — 2023-02-27

This study reviewed policies, laws, and guidelines to assess the extent to which they address the education of children with disabilities. The objectives were to assess whether or not their content, context, and actors’ involvement acknowledges education as the right of children with disabilities. The process involved a systematic review of seven documents. It was found that the reviewed policies acknowledge education as the right of children with disabilities. Nevertheless, the content lacked emphasis on enforcement mechanisms, budgetary allocations, and clear strategies relating to monitoring and information management systems. The policies, laws, and guidelines were prepared in a participatory manner through representation from the grassroots to the national level. The study concludes that education for children with disabilities in Tanzania is addressed well through the reviewed documents. It is recommended that implementation to be done in tandem with the acts and conventions on the rights of Children with disabilities.

University Students' Perceptions on Emergency Remote Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Oluwakemi Dessy Olurinola — 2023-02-27

During the COVID-19 induced lockdown, many universities turned to technology to promote continued academic engagement with students remotely. The study sought to elicit Olabisi Onabanjo university students' perceptions of the university's emergency remote learning intervention. To ascertain students' access to technology, the perceptions of the impact of the emergency remote learning on their engagement with lecturers and course content, and their overall well-being. It also sought to understand their views on the benefits and drawbacks of remote learning. Most students indicated that they lacked the necessary technologies for remote learning. Students reported more selfdirected learning, no significant increase in effort, but lower well-being scores during the school closure. Students identify convenience as a significant benefit of remote learning, but network and power supply difficulties are identified as significant challenges. According to the study's conclusions, policy guidelines should include student digital access, workload restrictions, children's safety and well-being in the event of a school lockdown.

Exploring Lecturers’ Perceptions of Undergraduate Distance Learners Experiences with MUELE ICT Support

Susan Kasula Munabi — 2023-02-27

This study explored lecturer’s perceptions of undergraduate, Bachelor of Commerce, distance learners’ experiences of using the ICT support-Makerere University E-learning Environment (MUELE). Interviews held with the lecturers were transcribed, exported to RQDA- R program package- for qualitative content analysis. Coding and categorising of codes led to three themes: The first theme was, “student related issues” summarizing the benefits and challenges that learners faced in their use of the ICT support. The second theme was “the role of Makerere University-institution” which revealed what the university is currently doing to promote the use of the ICT support and suggestions from the lecturers. The third theme was called “introductory training for new users of the ICT support-MUELE” and focused on the need for training of each new user of the ICT support. This ICT support has great potential to involve learners in research and discussions; however, there is need to address difficulties such as expensive internet and limited computers.

Stakeholders’ Perceptions of English as a Medium of Instruction in the Acquisition of Vocational Skills in Vocational Training Centers in Morogoro Tanzania

Wadrine Onael Maro — 2023-02-27

Limited skills among Vocational Education and Training (VET) graduates emanates from English language incompetence among trainees and trainers. This makes it more difficult to interact effectively during training sessions to develop the necessary abilities. The study examined stakeholders' viewpoints on the application of English as a medium of instruction (MOI) for the development of vocational skills in Morogoro region. Interviews, focus group discussions and documentary analysis were used to gather data from 92 participants and analysed using thematic lenses. The findings showed that trainees' use of English as a MOI for skill acquisition was ineffective. Stakeholders differed in their opinions on the use of English as MOI that provoke a thoughtful debate on the appropriate medium of instruction in VET centres. Stakeholders suggest a need to improve English language use in VET centres through the use of remedial strategies and the extension of practical training duration. The study recommends using Kiswahili as a MOI in VET.