ABSTRACT

This article examined perceptions on curriculum implementation regarding rural Zimbabwean early childhood development (ECD) teachers in 2017. The study aimed to locate teachers as agents of change in schools by reviewing their perceptions in implementing the recently introduced ECD framework. In this qualitative multiple case study, 30 rural teachers from Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces shared their views as well as strengths and weaknesses of the competence-based curriculum. Implicit in the teachers’ descriptions of effective curriculum implementation were their perspectives on effective classroom instruction. Such perspectives offer much insight into challenges experienced in curriculum implementation for rural schools. Using teacher agency as a theoretical framework, findings of the study revealed that teachers lack support regarding proper infrastructural facilities, and schools lack human, financial, and material resources for successful curriculum implementation. The researcher recommends that as a basis for future policy, the concerns of teachers, parents, and learners in complex ECD settings need to be highly prioritized by the curriculum makers ahead of planning and implementing a new curriculum.

摘要

本文研究了 2017 年津巴布韦农村幼儿发展 (ECD) 教师对课程实施的看法。该研究旨在通过审查教师在实施最近引入的幼儿发展框架时的看法，将教师定位为学校变革的推动者。在这个定性的多案例研究中，来自津巴布韦 10 个省的 30 名农村教师分享了他们的观点，以及基于能力的课程的优缺点。教师对有效课程实施的描述中隐含着他们对有效课堂教学的看法。这些观点为农村学校在课程实施过程中遇到的挑战提供了很多见解。以教师代理为理论框架，研究结果表明，教师缺乏对适当基础设施的支持，学校缺乏成功实施课程所需的人力、财力和物力资源。研究人员建议，作为未来政策的基础，在规划和实施新课程之前，课程制定者需要高度重视教师、家长和学习者在复杂 ECD 环境中的担忧。