4.1 Introduction

The first part of this section draws on the Curriculum analysis framework and considers a curricular strategy as comprising five interrelated parts: the aims and objectives, content, teaching/learning methods, resources and assessment. In the second part other themes are discussed.

4.1.1 Content of the curriculum as perceived by the students

Bridging course: The one-semester, pre-entry bridging course (Aug.-Nov. 1998) was highly valued by the students, with nearly half the respondents saying it should be lengthened. Diarists also commented positively on this part of the course, praising especially the introduction to ICT and the study/library skills courses. One summed it up as: 'The pre-entry course was very important to me'.

Balance: A key issue in teacher education curriculum is the balance between the different components: subjects and methods, theory and practice. The survey data suggests that while most thought there was enough teaching about subject content, over half wanted more on subject methods. There was an even stronger feeling that the balance between theory and practice was unsatisfactory, with over two-thirds saying there was enough theory and they wanted more practical activity. At this point in the course they were very anxious to get into schools, and indicated that micro-teaching and teaching practice preparation should start earlier.

Asked how useful they found the different aspects of the course, the students put methods and education at the top of their lists:

Table 1: Usefulness of different aspects of the course

Aspect	% ticking 'very useful'	No. ticking 'very useful
Subject methodology	93%	13
Education	71%	10
Subject content	57%	8
Project work	29%	4
Group activity work	23%	3

In one student's view, 'professional studies is the most important subject because [it helps] student teachers apply the information that they've got'. When asked what important new things they had learnt, many students quoted from the education courses. They mentioned skills ranging from lesson planning to handling chalk and facing an audience. Theoretical topics included child development, the importance of reinforcement and motivation, and dealing with different kinds of children, including those with disabilities.

Asked what else should be included in the course, four thought computer education and three wanted more on teaching children with special needs. Others mentioned 'administration', career guidance, and more subject specialisation. At the same time, a couple queried the relevance of some subjects to the primary curriculum. This suggests they are more focussed on the professional preparation aspects of the course than on the academic content. The request for more ICT shows an awareness of the need for modern technology.

Appropriate Academic levels: Another important issue is whether the content is well matched to the students' needs and capabilities. This new Diploma course was designed specifically to raise the academic standards of primary teachers, but many of the first cohort did not have the desired minimum qualifications and some had not done all of the core subjects in high school. There is evidence that some of them were finding some of the work quite hard. In the survey, only 60% said lessons were easy to understand. Certainly they found the exams much harder than school level. Science appeared to give particular problems:

My Physics tutor assumes we all know about physics and does not consider that some have not done science at all.

Maths, Sesotho and R.E. were also mentioned as problematic. One student was clearly floundering when s/he wrote of an R.E. assignment: 'I did not understand what was really wanted'. One wonders how many other students are in this position.

Student need for support in Science and maths was confirmed by the survey, where students were asked whether the core subjects needed more or less time.

Table 2: Subjects requiring more time

Subject	% of respondents ticking 'much more' + 'more' time needed	Numbers of respondents
Science	79%	11
Mathematics	64%	9
Education	50%	7
English	43%	6

A diary comment amplified this need for more time in science:

Physics and chemistry needs understanding and enough time which is not there.

A fairly similar pattern emerges from the response to the question 'Which parts of the course are most easy and most difficult?'

Table 3: Difficulty of selected aspects of the course

Subject	Very easy	Easy	Difficult	Very difficult
Project work	-	25%	50%	25%
Science content	-	38%	46%	15%
Education	8%	54%	23%	15%
Subject methodology		61%	38%	-
Maths content	15%	46%	38%	-
English		92%	8%	-

It is interesting that so few students wanted more time on English and that some thought it easy. Their level of written English, as revealed in the diaries, was, with one exception, far below that needed for teachers using it as a medium of instruction. Tutors considered the low level of English as a major barrier to higher achievement (Stuart et al, 2000). Only one student seemed aware of this lack, describing a scripture union meeting held in English for the sake of foreign participants:

What was embarrassing was that not a single student from NTTC participated [in the discussions]. They only showed interest when Sesotho was used.

Overload: It was clear from the diaries that the timetable was very crowded; students went from one class to another with little time to study on their own, except for the occasional revision lesson:

[there are] too many subjects to be done in a short time, and we are expected to pass them.

They also complained that assignments were badly spaced:

There is too much work to do now... each tutor gives us work ... [thinking] it is the only one to be done

This is consistent with other evidence (Ibid) that departments work in isolation with each other and that there is little overall coordination of the curriculum by senior management.

4.1.2 Teaching and Learning as perceived by students

Students' perceptions of the subject may have been influenced by different ways in which the subjects were taught. English and Mathematics seem to have been rated highest while opinion was divided over science and education. Commenting on the English lecturer, one student wrote:

I would like to congratulate our English tutor. She is always there to help us - so much that we feel a little bit superior.

The Mathematics lecturer was said to be hardworking and in the view of one student opinion also effective in that:

She is giving us a lot of work for practice. This is very essential for the people who do not know maths, especially who did not get enough maths background. The pace helps us all to be at the same stage... I used to hate Mathematics, at least there is a big difference compared to my high school...

In science, some students were clearly experiencing learning difficulties. They expressed concern about understanding concepts. One student reported:

...in physics classes I go out with little understanding of the topic, he (lecturer) is in a hurry...

The Physics lecturer was not able to demonstrate and/or use a 'pacing' skill.

Few students mentioned 'pedagogic content knowledge' which would help them to teach the subject at primary level. One exception was an English tutor who 'sang many songs for children and made us imitate her'.

Evidence from classroom observations suggests that the most common teaching methods are lecture, question and answer, and group work. Student diaries in general were rather vague about what actually goes on, but showed how they enjoy chances to participate:

The education class was also lively, but we were somehow noisy, and the teacher wanted to see how much we understand about types of motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic. We were arguing until she concludes what is right.

It may be that the education tutors model discussion methods more frequently than the subject tutors, since another wrote:

In the psychology lesson, an argument on how to close a lesson was sparked by the hints on micro-teaching. The tutor was able to allow participation on the part of trainees to share their viewpoints.

The one method frequently mentioned was group work. Some commented that it allowed them to participate and put their viewpoint (education) or that it gave them opportunities to practice (maths) but several were less enthusiastic. Analysis of these comments, as well as classroom observations, tends to suggest that there was no proper guidance in relation to group work. One student complained about a Sesotho lesson:

She didn't clarifies [sic] what she really wants, she sent us back to our group but we still failed to get the answer until she tells us.

On several occasions students were left on their own. For example, one student wrote:

We were doing groupwork, and the teacher left us to proceed with the work. We quarrelled until we end up doing nothing. This made me feel uneasy for I want to understand how to do lesson plan format myself.

And of a subsequent lesson:

A member of our group presented a lesson plan- the member did not include our input and had left [out] some of what had to be included in the lesson plan format

Some of the problems experienced by students appeared to be caused by lack of time, or by poor planning and organisation. For example, they indicated that the Educational lecturer did not provide sufficient time for them to practice how to draw up a lesson plan. One student in writing about lesson planning had this to say:

Micro-teaching is introduced and a lesson plan is also expected. The only problem is that we practised a lesson plan once last semester and doing it in our groups. The second time when we are going to deal with it, is the time when marks will be recorded. We needed at least three to four times to practice.

An interesting perspective on teaching problems came out of the focus group discussion, where students said that afternoon lessons were not effective because students tended to sleep after eating a heavy lunch, particularly when lecturers did not involve students in activities - this was indeed confirmed by the observations.

4.1.3 Assessment

Assessment is one of the key components of the curriculum strategy and often has a disproportionate effect on it. The DEP curriculum states that the students shall be assessed by a combination of continuous and final assessment and the curriculum document recommends many types of assignments. We do not have examples of assignments actually given, but according to the survey responses education gives the widest variety, including project work; English gives essays, tests and a group project; maths uses mainly tests with some project work, and in science students write reports on experiments as well as doing tests and the occasional essay.

Student said that they prefer assignments to examinations and they agree that college tests can be passed by memory. About two-thirds of the survey respondents considered the assessment was 'fair', and three-quarters of them said that assignments are usually marked and returned. Students are naturally concerned about assessment, but some complaints from the diaries indicate that some of the tutors' habits leave much to be desired.

For example, one student wrote as follows:

...our tutor entered the class somehow rude - did not listen to anyone, gave a test we did not know about and/or which we were not prepared - we do not want to be treated like little kids/pupils in primary school. Even those are informed about test dates.

Science seems to be particularly problematic. One student complained that the biology tutor had told them to revise the wrong things for the exam. In another case, 70 students failed a physics test, but the tutor took some of the blame on himself for including extra topics and allowed them to retake the test.

On the other hand, according to one diarist, some students cheat on their project work:

The project was supposed to be done in this way. We were supposed to interview the primary school teachers on the system that is being used in terms of grouping and teaching methods that are used. It seemed as if some of the students did not go outside and gather the information. They just used the books and the notes that were given before and then writing in such a way that it would appear as if they interviewed some of the people because the names of the schools as well as those of people interviewed were there. In other cases, one essay appeared to have been written by more than two people.

One might also question whether students had been given enough guidance to know how to carry out research. Observation of classes where this topic was taught suggests too much ground was covered too quickly, leaving the students confused. They say project work is difficult, but it may be they have not been shown how to work in this way. Coming straight from high school, students may need more guidance and supervision undertake independent study of this kind.

Organisation and timing of assignments also create problems. The Arts and Crafts and Home Economics lecturers who both taught practical subjects did not seem to consult about the times for assigning students projects and as a result students were given projects that required extensive time to complete during the same period.

4.1.4 Teaching/learning materials and resources

The curriculum as documented provides lists of textbooks and other reference materials. Understandably, teaching and learning materials does make teaching easier. The National Teacher Training College library is well resourced compared to other institutions in Lesotho, particularly the university library, and has a good selection of reference books on educational foundations. Survey responses confirm this, but indicate that students do want more resources, mainly in the form of primary school textbooks, syllabi and teaching guides. Observations revealed that students seldom use textbooks in class, having to rely on photocopied handouts given by the lecturers.

Some of the practical subjects did not seem to be well resourced, and the survey indicated a perceived need for more labs and specialist rooms for art and domestic science.

4.1.5 Improvements Suggested by Students

The responses to the survey question: 'Which of these would improve your course?' provide interesting information, which can be compared with findings from the other studies. The main difference is that at this point they want more time in schools, whereas by the end of the (old PTC) course, they felt TP had been adequately long.

Table 4: Ranking improvements needed by Importance

Topic	% ticking Very Important and Important	Ticking No importance
More time working in school	100%	-
More teaching on subject content	100%	-
More textbook	93%	-
More teaching on methodology	93%	-
More time to prepare for examinations	86%	7%
Smaller teaching group	85%	-
More notes from tutors	69%	-
More group work activity	64%	7%
More time to study on my own	64%	14%

The students seem anxious to do more practical work in schools, and they want more subject content, more methods and more textbooks. Smaller teaching groups seem less salient for them than for their tutors. In view of the overload, it seems surprising that relatively few think more study time is important, but this perhaps confirms the evidence from the tutors that they are not yet confident of their ability to work on their own.

Asked what would help them do better on assignments, nine out of 14 chose 'better spacing' and eight said 'better teaching'. The responses seem critical both of the teaching itself and the way it is organised.

Students also indicated in several places that more tutors were needed, in particular for the bridging course and for practical subjects.

4.2 Other themes

The next section deals with the student perceptions on more general issues of college relationships, the impact of the course so far, and their views of the teaching profession.

4.2.1 Views About the Lecturers

Two kinds of comments about lecturers emerge from the data. Those relating mainly to their teaching styles and methods were reported above, where it was shown that while some match their teaching to the students' needs, others do not. The second set of comments concerns the tutors' personal and professional relationships with students.

Of the 21 recorded views about lecturers in the diaries, 17 were negative. It appears that not all lecturers are acting as good role models. One student wrote:

My only problem is...the teacher is not practising what she is preaching. She used to tell us that motivation could be used to encourage pupils on what they are doing. But she does not even give verbal motivation such as good when some of us give correct answers".

Some tutors appear not to encourage students, nor to show them respect, often exhibiting bad temper. For example, one of the students felt the tutor was at fault in not showing up to class but blamed students for the mistake:

The professional studies tutor became so angry with us saying we didn't bring his assignment on time yet on that day he did not come to class. He was so angry that he did not teach saying all sorts of things.

Such demotivating attitudes were reported as early as during the bridging course, where a student who was excited about practising using computers felt frustrated by the tutor who refused him the opportunity to do so.

Some tutors seem to treat students as children rather than as the young adults they are:

My home Economics tutor discouraged us a lot when she says she will not hesitate to chase us out of the class if we do something she does not like. For example, talking during her lesson

Another wrote about the Music Lecturer:

I started to realise that a tutor could be angry of what we were not aware of - he scolded us saying that we are like standard one pupil and that we could not sing.

In extreme cases lecturers are reported to use abusive language:

We were writing the final examination while two tutors responsible for invigilating insulted us saying we were possessed by Satan/evil - they wondered if we would pass the examination.

Survey data from this group and from the exiting cohort of PTC add a wider context to these views. Although their diary comments are critical, in the survey most of this group said they tutors were approachable, and two-thirds thought they were more friendly than strict, while only half said they were 'caring'. The exiting group (50+ respondents) were more negative. More than half (58%) thought the tutors were unapproachable, two-thirds saw them as strict rather than friendly, and again only half thought they were caring.

There are many signs that tutors do not always take their responsibilities as seriously as they should. Taking the two surveys together, between a third and a quarter of respondents think tutors cannot be relied on to appear in class, or to mark and return work. Half say they are unpunctual. Evidence from the observations supports this.

There is even evidence of tutors engaging in commercial activities while teaching. One of the lecturers used jokes as a cover for advertising her business "herbal life products", and students questioned the practice of using a lecture hall for selling purposes. Such comments raise serious questions about the tutors' professional standards and behaviour.

4.2.2 Student Teachers' Views about Other Students

In the diaries, student teachers' views about other students were mainly negative, though one noted: 'I cope well with my colleagues'. More frequently, cooperative work seemed a problem, as seen in the comments over groupwork related above. In addition, one noted:

Class [work] is not effective because we took a long time making a quarrel. It is at a time of professional studies when we made a quarrel. Roughly we take a whole period making a quarrel, so some of my group mates goes [sic] outside. I think the students who go outside are bored of listening to others quarrel.

Other concerns were about how new and old student teachers relate to one another. One student reported that:

...the administration and the students' representative welcomed us very well, although the old students treated us harshly.

This needs to be seen alongside comments from the Entry Questionnaire, however. In the earlier survey, students appeared to value cooperation among their peers, and many mentioned 'social life' among the benefits of college life. It is not clear why the views of this particular small group are so negative.

4.2.3 Student views of management

There was little in the diaries directly about this. One student expressed pleasure about the party given by the Director. Another complained about the accounts office:

The service they provided us is not good at all. We are only allowed to pay fees on Tuesdays but when we arrive there, they serve us as if they are doing us a favour.

Implicitly, their complaints about overload and poor organisation of work suggests that the management is not closely in touch with student problems.

4.2.4 Impact of the course so far

Most students seem to have accepted the "progressive" pedagogy of the college, in that all agree children learn best in small groups, and that teachers can improve the results of slow learners. While most think children learn from asking questions, three-quarters agree that teaching facts is the most important thing to do. On the issue of corporal punishment, they seem to be divided with most of them thinking that it doesn't help children learn, but half think it is difficult to keep discipline without it. These responses to the Likert items (see appendix for details) reveal little difference from those they gave a year earlier.

When asked in the survey to write down two important new things they had learned, many of the responses indicated in one way or another a new awareness or insight into the teacher's role, such as:

I realised that teaching is not just to stand and speak; many skills are needed for teaching

Some said that they realised that teaching is difficult and/or entails hard work:

To be a teacher needs more time and effort....

A more cheerful view was that:

teaching is enjoyable and interesting and such a great challenge to one's life.

Asked whether or not their ideas on teaching had changed, less than half said yes. Of the six comments made, five were about new insights into how tough and challenging a task it is:

having thought teaching is simple and less challenging task, I have come to realise that it is not, because to change somebody's mind is not a joke as it requires a lot of skills, teaching involves many tiring activities that need a special attention to deal with.

A more idealistic view appeared just once. One student wrote:

I have learnt that teaching is helping one to study and not giving out what has been studied; also that the pride of teaching does not live in the salary that one earns in the month but in every little achievement that the pupils show.

In general, students seem to be 'learning the discourse' and becoming more aware of the complexity of teaching, as well as the need for hard work, planning and preparation.

4.2.5. Career intentions

In spite of their complaints, the students said they were glad to be at the college and still wanted to be teachers. Some simply expressed general satisfaction about the course:

It has improved my standard of education and knowledge so far

Others stressed the advantages of a Diploma:

[It is] different from PTC in... that our route is wide open to universities. It is not a mater of must to be a primary teacher, one [can] be a career councilor or an education officer.

Nearly all (11 out of 14) agreed that the course has made them more enthusiastic about being a teacher although one was less keen and two said they feel the same. In the survey, only 2 (14%) say that they would rather have gone to university, while nearly all agree that teaching is the best job they can get, that teachers are respected and that friends think they are fortunate. However, nearly half say that they know many teachers who would prefer to be doing something else. Only 3 (21%) say they would rather teach at secondary level.

This evidence is consistent with the data from the other surveys, which found that most respondents intended to remain in the teaching profession, a large majority of them saying they would teach at Primary rather than Secondary level. However, most of them also said they would like to further their studies. This group, with their Diplomas, may not be so content to remain in the primary schools, as indicated by the quote above.