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Papers by rosemary ngara

Tutoring is an age-old practice .There are some requisites for tutors to be effective. Content kn... more Tutoring is an age-old practice .There are some requisites for tutors to be effective. Content knowledge is an essential ingredient for effective tutoring and many other personal attributes. If a tutor is received as genuine and having a genuine desire to listen, students will be willing to open up and discuss their problems. Good mastery of subject matter by the tutor contributes to tutor effectiveness as students turn up for tutorials if they feel they benefit from tutors` contributions. Much of the quality of tutoring depends on the attitude of the instructor and their capabilities in using technology. Research suggests that the effectiveness of distance learning is based on preparation, excellent communication skills and the instructors' understanding. A survey was conducted at Zimbabwe Open University in Masvingo region to establish tutees' perceptions of the effectiveness of the tutors' teaching courses in the Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood Development Programme (BECDECD) using questionnaires. Respondents were of the opinion that most tutors had impressive subject mastery and were usually thoroughly prepared for tutorials and methodology used was viewed by most participants as suitable. However, there were sentiments that tutors hardly communicated with students outside tutorial sessions. Tutors' marking was viewed as communicative, but feedback was not timely and tutors did not use any modern teaching media. Some of the personal attributes such as openness, humility and accessibility were viewed as wanting on the part of some tutors. The study recommended that more tutor workshops be run to emphasize and reemphasize essential ingredients of effective tutoring and that the tutors make use of technology available at the regional campus, among other things.

International journal of research in social sciences, 2014

The study sought to find out teachers' views on the restructuring of teacher development programm... more The study sought to find out teachers' views on the restructuring of teacher development programmes in Zimbabwe to suit inclusive classrooms. The study also sought to identify opportunities and constraints in development of schools for all in Zimbabwe. A descriptive survey was conducted using questionnaires as data gathering instruments. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics. Research findings indicated that the effective way of training in special needs education (SNE) is in-service training. If pre-service, it should have bias towards inclusion. SNE training should be ongoing or continuous after the basic training in teacher education. Resource shortage, (human and material), lack of specific legislation and negative attitudes were some of the challenges encountered in attempts to restructure teacher development for meaningful inclusion. A number of recommendations were made including the following. There is need to include SNE in all teacher education training courses at both diploma and degree programmes. In-service training backed by part-time learning should be offered to all teachers to provide them with adequate training knowledge skills and techniques to manage the diverse learning needs of children with SEN. The existing teacher education curriculum of having a component of SNE in teacher training colleges and universities to regular school teachers should be restructured to suit the inclusive objectives.

Journal of Educational Policy and Entrepreneurial Research, Nov 2, 2015

School drop out among girls is a global phenomenon. Girl child dropout is a serious problem that ... more School drop out among girls is a global phenomenon. Girl child dropout is a serious problem that affects national development. This study sorts to investigate factors that affect girl children's school dropout in Masvingo district. Failure to finish school undermines girls' development resulting in them having a misty future. The study employed the qualitative case study strategy to probe deeply into factors that contribute to girl child school dropout. The participants were purposively selected in order to allow them to provide the information needed to understand the cases of girl child dropout. The study employed questionnaires and interviews to solicit data. The study has revealed that there are a number of factors associated with this phenomenon. Secondary school comes at a particularly vulnerable age for girls as they enter into puberty. The main challenges the study found include poverty, cultural preference in educating boys, teen pregnancy and early marriages.

Journal of social sciences research, Jun 19, 2015

Learners are at risk of sexual abuse by teachers. This study set to explore the perceptions of le... more Learners are at risk of sexual abuse by teachers. This study set to explore the perceptions of learners, teachers and educational psychologists on child sexual abuse in schools. The study is informed by Maslow's hierarchy of needs. In an attempt to provide acceptable answers to research problem the qualitative phenomenology design was employed and semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. Purposive sampling was used to select schools and participants in Masvingo district. The schools selected were 4 and participants were 19 Accepted ethical measures were adhered to during the study. Tesch's open coding method of data analysis was used to identify themes and categories. The study found out that child sexual abuse in schools is rampant and that teachers are among the perpetrators of this abuse. Child sexual abuse was said to fall into two categories namely; contact or non-contact sexual behaviour. According to the results of the study multiple factors cause teachers to sexually abuse. Some of these factors include abuse of power by teachers, poverty of learners, lust on the part of the teacher, and disregard of law by teacher. Students were said to be contributors of their own sexual abuse through their seductive behaviours and dressing. In light of these findings recommendations are made with regards to the need for how various stakeholders in the school namely; the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Zimbabwe, policy makers, school heads, teachers, parents and learners to thoroughly understand the forms and root causes of child sexual abuse so as to be able to fight this scourge.

JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH, 2015

Work Related Learning (WRL) provides a platform for students to link theory and practice. Univers... more Work Related Learning (WRL) provides a platform for students to link theory and practice. Universities in Zimbabwe have WRL as part of their curricula and whilst some universities refer this programme to as "student attachment", others have adopted the term WRL. The period of student placement at work places may differ among universities. There has however, been a general move from short term periods to longer periods of attachment. When effectively carried out, WRL can benefit students, academic staff / institutions as well as the employer. The aim of this study was to identify barriers to effective learning of students on WRL. A case study was conducted with students on WRL in Gweru urban area. A questionnaire was administered to 50 students who were at 15 different workplaces during the period May-June 2014. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with a total of eight co-ordinators of the WRL programmesat the Midlands State University in Gweru and supervisors at...

Journal of Educational Policy and Entrepreneurial Research, 2015

The study set to explore problems associated with the undergraduate research supervision process.... more The study set to explore problems associated with the undergraduate research supervision process. The study utilized the qualitative case study design. Three universities namely; Great Zimbabwe University, Midlands State University and Zimbabwe Open University- Midlands region were included in the study. Data was collected from 15 university lecturers who supervise undergraduate research projects and 45 students undertaking undergraduate research projects. Participants were purposefully selected on the basis that they would provide rich data on the supervision of research projects. Focus group discussions and questionnaires were the data tools used to solicit data from the participants. The study revealed that the supervisors’ inadequate research skills and expertise, students’ research in-competencies, non-supportive relationships of supervisors with students, and negative feedback from supervisors hamper students’ research progress. The study recommends strengthening research supe...

Mentoring has been increasingly recognized as a key strategy in professional training and develop... more Mentoring has been increasingly recognized as a key strategy in professional training and development in education. In teacher training, mentoring may be regarded as a relationship and a process whose aim and purpose is to induct student teachers into the community of practice of teaching. It is a process in which professional support is given by and within school. The mentor role was that of an elder, trusted loyal friend, responsible for the growth and development of the protégé, whose characteristics were integrity, wisdom and personal involvement. However the notion of mentoring is not clear as it seems, considering how it is performed and there are challenges affecting mentoring. In Zimbabwe, in teacher education, mentoring is one of the Teaching Practice training strategies which is largely employed by schools in conjunction with teacher training colleges. A survey was conducted in Masvingo urban to determine mentor and mentee conceptions on mentor roles and mentor qualities in mentoring student teachers from two teachers' training colleges in Masvingo .The study established that there were some differences in the way roles and qualities of mentors were conceived by student teachers and the mentors but the key roles of an effective mentor were conceived as a guide and a helper in purely teaching matters. Opinions were divided on the assessor role of mentors but being highly knowledgeable about teaching children in the primary school, warm and being trustworthy were most commonly identified traits of effective mentors. The study recommended that workshops be run conjointly by training colleges and appointed school mentors so that mentors and colleges speak the same voice on mentor roles and qualities.

Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research, Dec 29, 2018

Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research, Mar 29, 2019

European Journal of Education Studies, 2017

While Teaching Practice (TP) students are expected to carry out teaching duties as guided by thei... more While Teaching Practice (TP) students are expected to carry out teaching duties as guided by their training institutions and instructions from the school managers, there is need that all stakeholders get involved to improve the quality of the practicum. As such, the purpose of TP supervision is meant to achieve the set of objectives of training and building up a teacher to the level of acceptable standard. This study was conducted with the open distance students who were following up a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education at Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU). The study employed focus group method with participants and a few open ended questionnaires were administered. In the study, it was established that TP supervision was regarded as effective in some ways such as being timeous but not productive in giving students room to air their opinions as discussions were dictatorial and hurriedly done. The study suggests, among other things, a relook by the University on the minimum numbers of s...

Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research, 2017

Staff induction is designed to give newly appointed employees the support they need in any organi... more Staff induction is designed to give newly appointed employees the support they need in any organisation. If properly designed and provided, induction activities can be instrumental in ensuring that new staff become productive in the shortest possible time. In their new organisation, new staff should be familiarised with the environment and processes, introduced to key persons, and trained in the use and application of new IT systems. Despite the many ways in which staff induction is critical to efficiency in institutions, it was necessary to find out whether universities also provide apposite inductions for new staff. A case study was conducted to investigate the views of newly appointed lecturers on the adequacy of their induction at Midlands State University (MSU) and Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) in the city of Gweru in Zimbabwe. Twenty-two lecturers were conveniently and purposively sampled to participate in this study. The findings of the study indicated that some critical com...

Journal of Educational Policy and Entrepreneurial Research, 2014

In Open and Distance Education there is great desire to provide quality of the whole educational ... more In Open and Distance Education there is great desire to provide quality of the whole educational context and quality of individual educational programmes. In an effort to offer responsive market driven programmes, Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) continuously introduces new educational curricula and the Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood Development (BEDC) is one such programme which was introduced in September 2010.While it is in its initial cycle there seem to be some problems ,such as the untimely provision of resources, which can easily compromise on the quality of the programme and its products. A case study which was qualitative in nature was conducted to determine lecturers' opinions on the effectiveness of quality assurance mechanisms that are being used to quality assure the BECD programme in terms of its fitness, relevance and efficiency or effectiveness. Open-ended questionnaire and focus group discussions were the instruments by which research data were gathered. Participants were of the mind that some appropriate methods and processes were being used and followed in an effort to quality assure the BECD programme. The accreditation of the BECD programme prior its installation, conducting of researches on the lecturer and student perceptions on all aspects of the implementation of the BECD programme, assessment of students each semester and continuous auditing of the BECD programme through institutional reports were some of the mechanisms the participants opined as being used to quality assure the BECD programme. Nonetheless some loopholes in the QA processes were opined by the participants. Among these were untimely provision of curriculum materials, failure to act on research recommendations/findings by the institution, and the tendency to hide weaknesses in institutional reporting. The researchers recommend practical use of research findings and honest reporting about implementation of BECD and timely provision of BECD curriculum materials.

Greener Journal of Educational Research, 2013

In open and distance learning collaboration in teacher development programmes is called for.Colla... more In open and distance learning collaboration in teacher development programmes is called for.Collaboration if effectively implemented contributes to positive changes in teacher development standards and expanded views of didactic activities. Several stakeholders can contribute to effective teacher development through collaboration.However collaboration levels seem to be very low and ineffective in some ways.A study was conducted to determine conceptions of lecturers at Zimbabwe Open University on the types of collaborative activities existing in teacher development in ODL and their adequacy and to get their views on challenges presenting themselves in the university’s attempt to uphold the collaborative nature of Teacher education related activities.An open questionnaire was used to generate data from lecturers.The study established that collaboration in teacher education was called for on the part of lecturers in many activities among which were programmes’ design, teaching practice...

International journal of research in social sciences, 2016

The study explored challenges associated with conducting action research by Post Graduate Diploma... more The study explored challenges associated with conducting action research by Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) students at Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU). The study involved participants at ZOU Midlands regional campus. Data were generated from five lectures who supervised action research and 30 students in PGDE Intake 13. An open-ended questionnaire was used to generate data from students while a focus group discussion was held with the lecturers. The study revealed that challenges were programme and lecturer related. Students had very inadequate knowledge on the theory of action research reports. The PGDE programme was regarded as not giving students sound preparation in action report theory and writing. Some supervisors lacked adequate knowledge on the essence of action research. The study recommended adequate action research theory coverage by students, use of a well-defined action research writing format by both supervisors and students and early allocation of students t...

International Open and Distance Learning Journal, 2017

In its 2017 Strategic Plan, Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) proposed that every Masters student sh... more In its 2017 Strategic Plan, Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) proposed that every Masters student should prepare and submit assignments online. Every student is also encouraged to access learning materials online and to use the MyVista platform. It appeared that the authorities envisioned this idea without having adequate information on the sufficiency, accessibility, and ability to use the ICT materials by the students. It also appeared that use of ICT materials by ZOU students was minimal. A study was then carried out to investigate the challenges faced by ZOU students of the Midlands Regional Campus in accessing and using ICT materials for learning, research and producing assignments. Using convenience sampling, 15students who visited the ICT laboratory during the first semester of 2017 were selected and interviewed. Data wereanalysed usinghermeneutical analysis techniques. Findings were that students had challenges in being involved in collaborative learning with other students and...