Original Research
Teachers’ perceptions of the quality of the new Expressive Arts textbooks for Malawi primary schools
Submitted: 09 March 2016 | Published: 20 July 2016
About the author(s)
Grames Ghirwa, Department of Education and Curriculum Studies, University of Johannesburg, South AfricaDevika Naidoo, Department of Education and Curriculum Studies, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Abstract
The national government in Malawi implemented an outcomes-based curriculum reform in 2007. To facilitate implementation, new textbooks were developed for the primary school curriculum. This study intended to explore teachers’ use and perception of the new Expressive Arts textbooks. The participants consisted of 192 Expressive Arts teachers, grades 5–8, selected by purposeful sampling. Data were collected through questionnaires and semistructured interviews. It was found that teachers believed that the textbooks were poorly designed, contained factual inaccuracies, did not support higher-level thinking of the learners, did not represent the lived experiences of the children using them and reinforced gender stereotyping. The study therefore suggests that there is need for review of the textbooks and that it is necessary to provide textbooks timely and in adequate quantities according to the needs of each school to ensure an effective implementation of a new curriculum.
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Crossref Citations
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