The Future of Education

In order to improve the quality of education, reflective of current societal demands, many countries undergo a curriculum reform. It has been a decade since Tanzanian secondary education curriculum underwent a reform, moving from a content-based to a competency-based curriculum (CBC). The CBC aimed to make teaching and learning more interactive and productive, incorporating technological advancements within the curriculum. However, despite the efforts that have been made to change teaching from teacher-centred to student-centred, including learning by doing, the implementation of CBC reform is still questionable. Many studies conducted in the Tanzanian context in response to the CBC argued that it has not been implemented as intended. However, little is known about how teachers negotiate these difficulties with CBC enactment. This study explored the factors that influence teachers’ CBC enactment, and how teachers negotiate those factors. A qualitative approach was applied, with in-depth interviews and Focus Group Discussion as the methods of data collection. The data was analysed through thematic analysis where the data were coded, and themes were formulated. The conceptual framework  adopted as the analytical lens connected three categories of factors of influence; Personal, Internal and External (PIE), as developed by Ryder and Banner (2013). The findings indicated a state of entanglement of the three group of factors, pulling to at each other, resulting in a high amount of tension between the teachers and CBC enactment. Because of this tension, the teachers experienced a state of conformity, subterfuge, accountability and resistance to CBC enactment. In addition, high stake national assessment and school league tables had a negative impact on the CBC reform enactment in the Tanzanian educational context. The study finds that teachers’ professional development for CBC enactment must bear in mind the local country-context and situated experiences that influence teachers’ perceptions of various facets of the curriculum and its subsequent implementation.

Keywords: Competency-based curriculum, enactment, accountability;

References:
[1] Ryder, J., Banner, I., 2013. School Teachers’ Experiences of Science Curriculum Reform. International Journal of Science Education. 35, 490–514. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2012.665195