Teachers' Retention in Tanzanian Remote Secondary Schools
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Teachers’ Retention in Tanzanian Remote Secondary Schools - Exploring Perceived Challenges and Support Linnaeus University Dissertations No 240/2016 TEACHERS’ RETENTION IN TANZANIAN REMOTE SECONDARY SCHOOLS - Exploring Perceived Challenges and Support RAYMOND BONIFACE LINNAEUS UNIVERSITY PRESS Teachers’ Retention in Tanzanian Remote Secondary Schools – Exploring Perceived Challenges and Support Doctoral dissertation, Department of Education, Linnaeus University, Växjö, Sweden, 2016 ISBN: 978-91-87925-97-9 Published by: Linnaeus University Press, 351 95 Växjö Printed by: Elanders Sverige AB, 2016 Abstract Boniface, Raymond (2016). Teachers’ Retention in Tanzanian Remote Secondary Schools - Exploring Perceived Challenges and Support, Linnaeus University Dissertation No 240/2016, ISBN: 978-91-87925-97-9. Written in English Teacher retention is a global challenge, and many developed and developing countries are struggling to staff and retain teachers in schools, particularly in low-performing, remote, and less desirable areas. In most of these countries, Tanzania in particular, the efficacy of fiscally inclined teachers’ retention strategies continues to be dubious. The aim of this study is to explore teachers’ perceived school level challenges and the support of retaining teachers in remote secondary schools in Tanzania. The study is inspired by a supportive management theoretical framework, particularly Organizational Support, Leader-Member Exchange and Coworkers’ Exchange. It is motivated by a pragmatic knowledge claim. Data were sequentially collected in three phases using interviews and survey questionnaires. A sample included 258 secondary schools teachers from 28 remote schools in the Dodoma region in central Tanzania. Mixed methods data analysis techniques were used. The current study identifies younger males of a well-educated and experienced teaching workforce as being the chief staffing in remote Tanzanian secondary schools. Such a teaching workforce is challenging to retain in remote areas, as it is rarely satisfied with the teaching career and highly susceptible to frequently changing employers and working contexts. Moreover, findings show that teachers perceive problems related to housing, social services, conflicts in schools, the inability to influence changes in schools, the teaching and learning situation and limited opportunities as the chief reasons for not remaining in remote schools. Furthermore, findings show that teachers perceive meaningful retention support as being contextually definitive. The catalyst is high quality exchanges amongst teachers which spearhead the development of intra- and extra-role practices, school citizenship behaviours, intraschool social capital (an investment), all of which could bind teachers together, enhancing performing and supporting each other beyond formal contracts. Such a situation triggers teachers’ beliefs that changes, improvement, adaptability and survival within difficult remote environments is possible, and this consequently influences the intention to voice and/or conversely, to exit. Teachers’ empowerment, justice practices and working voicing arenas are important practices for enhancing retention support, especially in remote areas. Keywords: Challenges, Organizational Support, Remote Schools, Secondary Education, Support, Teacher Retention, Tanzania. Svensk sammanfattning Att få lärare att stanna kvar i yrket är en global utmaning i många industri- och utvecklingsländer. Utmaningen ligger i att rekrytera lärare och sedan behålla dem, inte minst i lågproducerande, avlägsna och mindre attraktiva områden. I de flesta av dessa lågproducerandeländer, i synnerhet i Tanzania, är effekten av statsfinansierade strategier för att behålla lärare betänkligt låg. Syftet med undersökningen är att utforska vilka utmaningar som lärare upplever på skolnivå samt vilket stöd som erbjuds för att behålla lärare i avlägsna högstadie- och gymnasieskolor i Tanzania. Undersökningen är inspirerad av teoretiska ramar hämtade från stödjande ledarskapsforskning, speciellt organisationsstöd, medarbetarutbyte och ledar-medarbetar-utbyte. Undersökningens drivkraft är ett pragmatiskt kunskapsanspråk. Materialet insamlades i tre steg genom intervjuer och enkäter. Urvalet omfattade 258 högstadie- och gymnasielärare från 28 avsides belägna skolor i Dodomaregionen i centrala Tanzania. Analystekniken bygger på blandad metodik. Resultaten visar att yngre välutbildade och erfarna manliga lärare utgör det huvudsakliga lärarkollegiet i avsides belägna högstadie- och gymnasieskolor i Tanzania. Att behålla sådana lärarkrafter i avlägsna trakter är en utmaning, eftersom dessa sällan är nöjda med sin lärarbana och därför är synnerligen benägna att byta arbetsgivare och arbetsplats. Resultaten visar dessutom att lärare upplever problem i samband med bostad, socialtjänst, konflikter på arbetsplatsen, oförmågan att utöva inflytande på förändringar inom skolan, undervisnings- och lärandesituationen samt begränsade möjligheter som de främsta skälen till att inte stanna kvar på avsides belägna skolor. Därutöver tyder resultaten på att det enligt lärarnas uppfattning är kontexten som avgör om det stöd som erbjuds för att få dem att stanna kvar är meningsfullt. Den avgörande faktorn är lärarsamarbete av hög kvalitet som bidrar till att utveckla praktiska lösningar. Utöver lärarrollen och medborgarnas uppträdande gentemot skolan, handlar lärarsamarbetet om skolans eget sociala kapital (som investering), med andra ord allt som kan föra samman lärarna, öka deras prestation och skapa ömsesidigt stöd utöver formella kontrakt. Lärarsamarbete får lärare att tro på att förändring, förbättring, anpassning och överlevnad i avlägsna miljöer är möjligt. Denna tro leder i sin tur fram till ett beslut att antingen stanna och göra sin röst hörd eller att ge sig av. Självbestämmande, rättvis behandling och fungerande arenor för påverkan är viktiga praktiska förutsättningar för att öka stödet till att få lärare att stanna kvar, särskilt i avlägsna trakter. Nyckelord: utmaningar, organisationsstöd, avsides belägna skolor, högstadie- och gymnasieutbildning, stöd, att behålla lärare, Tanzania. Dedication -To my family- Acknowledgements I thank God Almighty for the gift of living to witness this day. My parents, my late father, Boniface N. Rweyendera, and mother, Rosemary Kokushubira. My beloved brother and guardian, Mukyanuzi, F. B. (PhD) and his family for being the strong strand under which the genesis of my academic history lives to rest. I extend my sincere appreciations to the World Bank and the University of Dar es Salaam for funding my studies. I specifically extol assiduous support from my supervisors: Associate Professor Martin Stigmar, senior lecturer Jan Håkansson, and senior lecturer Christer Ohlin. Your sharp, close, critical friendly curiosity and scrutiny, unconditional presence for support, reminders, and prompt feedback made my study journey not only a success but enjoyable as well. Tack så mycket. Equally to Professor Per Gerrevall for his thoughtful constructive suggestions: Thank you. I extend my profound gratitude to teachers who participated in the study. They were cooperative in filling in questionnaires and participating in interviews open-heartedly. Thank you very much. Thanks to John D. Kazungu and Associate Professor Per Lindqvist, Jens Gardesten and Professor Emeritus Jeremias Rosenqvist, for overseeing and giving constructive insights as opponents during the ‘mellanseminarium’ and ‘slutseminarium’, respectively. Your contribution to the success of my work is well appreciated. I thank the university of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) for granting me four years’ study leave. Thanks are extended to my colleagues at the School of Education (SoED), UDSM for their encouragement. Special thanks to my long-time colleague and friend Hillary A. Dachi (PhD) for his praiseworthy friendly support and mentorship. Eugenia Kafanabo (PhD) for her support in handling financial requests to the World Bank at the UDSM. My fellow PhD students: D. J. Kazungu, Ibrahimu Nzima, Richard Y. Shukia, and others, who shared different occasions in the course of study. All colleagues at Linnaeus University, particularly at the School of Social Sciences, and the Department of Pedagogy, including Gunilla Broberg, Bodil Rönn, Joakim Krantz, Ingeborg Moqvist-Lindberg, Stefan Sellbjer and many others for their heartfelt support in different ways. Once again, much appreciation goes to Christer Ohlin for his collegial presence in times of need, particularly in the early days of arrival in Sweden and Linnaeus University. Thank you Christer, the Tanzanian Swede! I cannot forget my lovely family for missing my presence during all the study duration. Thank you abundantly for your forbearance and encouragement. Lastly, I collectively say, thank you very much for each and every one who in some way contributed towards making my PhD studies efficacious. God bless you. Raymond Mwemezi Boniface, Växjö, Linnaeus University, Sweden, March, 2016. ii Table of Contents Dedication ....................................................................................................... i Acknowledgements ........................................................................................ ii Table of Contents ......................................................................................... iii List of Figures .............................................................................................. vii List of Tables ..............................................................................................