Literacy and Numeracy Teaching in Tanzanian Classrooms: Insights from Teachers’ Classroom Practices

Abstract

The study investigated the literacy teaching practices in Tanzanian classrooms in the provision of primary education. It comprehensively assessed why primary school leavers do not have reading, writing and numeracy competencies. Three objectives guided this study; first was to explore teachers’ classroom practices in the teaching literacy in standard one (grade one) and two (grade two) in public primary schools. Secondly, it was to examine standard two and three mastering of literacy skills in Kiswahili language in public primary schools; and the thirdly to find out problems associated with the teaching and learning literacy skills in Tanzanian primary school classrooms. This study employed case study research design within qualitative research approach. The study conducted in one of the districts in Tanga region.

The study involved a total of 582 respondents from various categories; namely, District Education Officer, head teachers, academic teachers, class teachers and pupils who were selected through purposeful sampling approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interview, classroom observation and documentary review. Qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis.  Later on data were tabulated and responses calculated in percentages. The study findings indicated that there were serious problems of literacy teaching in public primary schools where most the teachers do not have adequate skills of teaching it. About 64% of standard two pupils cannot read, write and do simple numeracy while for standard three it is about 54% cannot do that. In addition, factors that contributed to illiteracy were pupils’ late enrolment in standard one, shortages of teaching and learning resources, and parents’ level of education, inadequate literacy teachers and teachers with poor literacy teaching skills. Teachers of literacy need professional learning in order improve their teaching skills.

Key words: literacy, teaching, reading, numeracy, teaching skills