Science teacher quality and effectiveness: Gweru Urban Junior Secondary School students’ points of view

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions among junior secondary science students from Gweru Urban secondary schools in Zimbabwe towards science teachers' teaching quality and effectiveness. This qualitative study approached and interviewed Form 2 students from 10 different schools in Gweru urban. The results show that three key dimensions of science teacher quality and effectiveness emerged: teacher's scientific knowledge, teacher’s pedagogical skills and teacher's social competence. Findings suggest that the teachers can promote and enhance teaching effectiveness by applying a positive student approach, understanding students’ learning difficulties, acknowledging the individual student, being someone the students can trust, being able to organise and teach in interesting and flexible ways, using good teaching methods, their ability to plan and structure the content and the use of practical investigative science in the classroom. Student perspectives, however, retain a humanistic vision of teaching and learning. Students want teachers who care and respect them, who help them learn and make learning interesting and fun. This study adds value by unveiling the key antecedents and predictors of students perceptions thus confirm previous findings that teacher quality is an important educational issue. It is apparent from this study that quality teachers must embrace the vision of caring for students and their learning.The results of the research indicated that students highly value teachers who are both passionate about the subject taught and passionate about their students. Secondary school science students prefer teachers who teach science in a way that is both interesting and relevant to the student.