Education

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    An analysis of pre-service teachers’ perceptions of their knowledge and application of pedagogical content knowledge in literacy and language.
    (The University of Zambia, 2024) Kaponda, Makisa
    In Zambia, there is growing concern regarding the effectiveness of pre-service programs graduating primary teachers. While teacher educators continue to produce primary teachers, there is uncertainty about how these programs contribute to student teachers' acquisition and application of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). Recognizing the pivotal role of PCK in effective teaching, this case study aimed to fill a notable gap in the literature by investigating how pre-service teachers perceive and navigate the complexity of PCK, particularly in literacy and language. The study had specific objectives, including gaining insight into their preparedness, identifying gaps between their knowledge and its application in the classroom, and finding ways to support the acquisition of pedagogical content knowledge. The study used qualitative methods and employed a descriptive case research design, aligning with the suggested instruments for data collection. The study focused on second-year student teachers during their school experience, and participants were selected through homogeneous purposive sampling, resulting in a sample of 14 participants, including 10 student teachers and 4 mentors. Data collection utilized three instruments: semi-structured interview guides, focus group discussion interviews, and lesson observations. The study revealed diverse perspectives on teachers' preparedness for the school experience, emphasizing the need for standardized approaches to pedagogy in language and literacy due to varied experiences among student teachers. Positive relationships between student teachers and mentors were highlighted as crucial for professional development, with an emphasis on practical observations and constructive feedback. Regarding the acquisition and application of pedagogical content knowledge, the findings illuminated how PCK is translated into classroom actions, revealing challenges and successes during school experience. In enhancing literacy and language skills, student teachers expanded their knowledge using programs like Jolly Phonics to address content and pedagogy gaps. Recommendations included continuous encouragement, addressing fears related to teaching language and literacy, promoting collaboration between colleges and schools, and providing additional training opportunities to address identified challenges in pedagogical skills, methodologies, and instructional practices, with a specific focus on areas where steps may have been missed. Keywords: Student teachers, pedagogical content knowledge, school experience, graduation, language and literacy
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    Contextualizing environmental education within the green economy and growth agenda: a case of Lusaka district, Zambia.
    (The University of Zambia, 2023) Mukosha, Charles Mumba
    This study aimed at exploring how Environmental Education could be contextualized within the Green Economy and Growth agenda in Lusaka, Zambia. It was governed by three objectives namely: exploring how Environmental Education can support the Green Economy and Growth agenda through promoting the efficient use of natural resources, establishing how Environmental Education can be used to influence social inclusivity within the Green Economy and Growth agenda, and examining how Environmental Education can be used to integrate the low-carbon economy into the Green Economy and Growth agenda in Lusaka, Zambia. The study was guided by qualitative approach whose specific research design was hermeneutic phenomenology. The study sample size comprised 22 participants who were chosen using nonprobability purposive sampling. Homogeneous purposive sampling was used to extract data from the six University of Zambia Environmental Education 2024 fourth year students, and expert purposive sampling was applied by the researcher in order to obtain data from key informants who included officials from Zambia's Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, a private company called Community Markets for Conservation, a non governmental organisation called Green Cosmos Zambia, and lecturers of Environmental Education at the University of Zambia. A structured schedule of focused group discussion guide and an interview guide were used to gather data from the participants. The data was processed using thematic analysis and descriptive analysis to produce themes and codes, which served as a roadmap for the formulation of the thesis and conclusions. The findings of this study revealed that Environmental Education could be used to influence social inclusivity within the green economy and growth through educating and raising awareness about efficient use of resources, promoting sustainable behaviours, encouraging innovation, fostering responsible production and consumption, and building skills and capacities. The findings also reviewed that environmental education may be used to influence social inclusivity through enhancing inclusive curriculum and content, diversity in leadership and representation to promote social inclusivity. Furthermore, Environmental Education could serve as a fundamental catalyst for transforming attitudes, behaviors, and systems towards sustainability, thereby contributing to the achievement of a low-carbon green economy. Given a thorough review of the study's essential findings, it is recommended that the government, through the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, consciously incorporate Environmental Education into the larger plan to green the economy and all green transitional approaches
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    An analysis of the legiblity of handwriting among grade 5 learners in the selected primary schools of Mongu district, Zambia.
    (The University of Zambia, 2023) Sishwashwa, Kapamba
    Handwriting has been neglected in the Zambia’s literacy education system. Despite its importance, it gained minimal consideration from educators, policy makers or researchers into mainstreaming educational processes (Sedita, 2022). Therefore, the study sought to analyze the legibility of handwriting among Grade five learners in selected public primary schools of Mongu district of Western province. The study utilized qualitative research methods, including interviews and document analysis, to examine the Grade five learners’ handwriting legibility in depth. Thematic analysis was employed to organize and reduce data into meaningful themes through the coding process. The study focused on Grade five learners in six selected public primary schools. It involved interviewing eleven teachers (1 male and 10 females), and analyzing sixty learners’ books to assess handwriting legibility. The study revealed that fifth graders’ handwriting was generally poor, with issues related to letter formation, alignment, case combination, spelling, spacing, and messiness, mirror and reversal letter writing. It also identified several factors influencing poor handwriting among fifth graders such as: school factors: overcrowded classrooms and insufficient desks, lack of teaching resources for handwriting, curriculum constraints with limited time for handwriting instruction, inadequate teacher training and orientation on handwriting and absence of proper assessment and remediation policies. Teacher factors: Insufficient teacher knowledge in teaching handwriting skills, teachers’ own poor handwriting and negative attitudes toward teaching handwriting. Learner factors: Age and developmental levels, learning disabilities, limited background knowledge in handwriting, absenteeism and lack of interest and motivation in writing. While home-based factors included scarcity of literacy materials at home, insufficient support from family members and some family members’ illiteracy. Addressing these factors is crucial for improving handwriting quality in educational settings. Hence, the study recommended that, the MoE through policymakers, curriculum developers, educators should prioritize investing in the appropriate space design in terms of providing conducive learning environment for handwriting instruction, timetabling handwriting as a separate subject, introduction of handwriting assessment and remediation, and enhanced monitoring of handwriting instruction. In conclusion, conducting research across various districts to explore handwriting legibility can offer valuable insights for enhancing instruction and practice.
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    A user experience (UX) evaluation of adopted higher education institution library portals in Zambia.
    (The University of Zambia, 2023) Tembo, Dokowe Thelma
    This study aimed to evaluate the user experience of adopted library portals in Zambian universities. This encompassed the adoption and usability of the library portals. The research objectives were threefold: first, to determine the extent of adoption of library portals in Zambian universities; second, to assess the integration of key library portal features with existing library portals; and third, to examine users' perceived usability of these portals. A survey design was employed in the study. A mixed-method approach was then used which involved the analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data., this involved the distribution of 62 questionnaires to universities registered under the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to collect their URLs. A heuristic evaluation was conducted to assess portal characteristics, involving 12 expert librarians as participants. Additionally, a System Usability Scale (SUS) was utilized to gauge the perceptions of lecturers and students towards the portals, with a sample of 60 lecturers and 324 students. This study was worth carrying out because it aimed at providing answers to the effectiveness of the information design of Zambian university academic library portals as information communication channels and also to show if there was a need to change and improve the current portals. It was also important because it can also be used as a guideline in the creation of a policy that can help librarians as they set up their library portals The findings revealed that only three Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Zambia had adopted library portals: ZCAS University, Mulungushi University and the University of Zambia (UNZA). The study indicated that participants generally rated the usability of these portals as average. Specifically, the average SUS scores for UNZA (n=132, SD=53.685), ZCAS University (n=68, SD=60.28) and Mulungushi University (n=124, SD=51.865) were all above the 50 SUS score threshold. Despite being categorized as 'Ok' according to the SUS scores, the study revealed that this rating falls within the marginal acceptability range. The results underscored the limited presence of library portals in Zambian HEIs and the need for universities to prioritize the redesigning of their existing portals to enhance information provision and overcome distance barriers. Furthermore, the study recommended that the three universities with library portals focus on improving their platforms to encompass all essential characteristics of effective library portals. Keywords: User Experience, Library Portals, Higher Learning Institutions, Usability, Satisfaction, Efficiency, Effectiveness, Accessibility, Usefulness, Zambia, Universities.
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    Exploring lived experiences of COVID-19 survivors within their communities in Lusaka, Zambia.
    (The University of Zambia, 2024) Nyondo, Lydia
    The study explored the lived experiences of COVID-19 survivors within their communities in Lusaka District, Zambia. The exploration of the lived experiences was guided by three objectives which were; To explore experiences of COVID-19 survivors in terms of stigma from their communities during and after the illness, to ascertain experiences of COVID-19 survivors in terms of discrimination from their communities during and after the illness and to establish experiences of COVID-19 survivors in terms of support received from their communities during and after the illness. In order to have an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of COVID-19 survivors within their communities in Lusaka District, Zambia, the study used the interpretive phenomenological design within a setting of qualitative methodologies. The population of the study comprised male and female COVID-19 survivors who lived and worked in Lusaka District, Zambia. Typical case purposive sampling procedure and snowball was used to come up with a sample size of ten (10). Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. The semi-structured interview guide was used as the research instrument. The study established that COVID-19 survivors had varied experiences in terms of stigma, discrimination and support in the communities. These experiences oscillated between presence and absence of stigma, discrimination and support in the communities. The experiences of stigma included humiliation, blame, condemnation, rejection, reprimands, and prejudice while forms of discrimination included avoidance, deprivation, isolation, neglect and abandonment. In terms of support, survivors received encouragement, love, care and warmth. The study's findings thus supported the assertions made in the literature that COVID-19 survivors had encountered stigma, discrimination and community support both during and after their illness. The provision of counselling services to stigmatization and discrimination victims was one of the recommendations made because the victims acknowledged being emotionally impacted. Additionally, in order to encourage behavior change and responsible actions toward COVID-19 survivors, the Ministry of Health should coordinate with the Ministry of Education to undertake awareness campaigns about the dangers of discrimination and stigma.