Re-visioning Zimbabwe’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics for Secondary Schools through the Science Teacher Education Programme
Albert Mufanechiya 
& Matseliso Mokhele Makgalwa
Issue: Vol.5 No. 6 August 2024 Article 4 pp. 111-129
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2024564 | Published online 28th August, 2024.
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
The study highlights the necessity of developing innovation, creativity, and scientific competencies among Zimbabwean secondary school learners for their future social and economic engagement and participation. It explored the government’s efforts to enhance access to STEM education through the Science Teaching Education Programme (STEP) for secondary schools. Five STEM lecturers and ten STEM student teachers were purposefully selected to participate in the study. Focus group discussions with respect to student teachers, in-depth interviews with lecturers and on-site observation of the infrastructure were the data collection instruments. The research, employing a phenomenological framework, identified challenges such as resource constraints, inadequate infrastructure, and lecturer turnover as factors threatening the successful implementation of the programme. The study recommended that the government and other educational stakeholders provide additional support and resources for STEM lecturers, such as professional development opportunities, mentorship programmes, and access to cutting-edge technology and tools to produce teachers who can make a difference through the STEP programme. Thus, the study expands knowledge on discourses regarding growing challenges related to the effective institutional provision of STEM education in Zimbabwe.
Keywords: College of Education, Science Teaching Education Programme (STEP), Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Secondary Schools, Student Teachers, Technology
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Dr. Albert Mufanechiya is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Educational Foundations and Curriculum Development at Great Zimbabwe University and is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of the Free State. His research focuses on education curriculum issues and professional teacher development and learning.Dr.Mufanechiya’s commitment to education extends beyond academia, he has worked with several NGOs in Zimbabwe providing expertise and guidance in community engagement projects. He has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and contributed several chapters to educational books.
Prof. Matseliso Mokhele-Makgalwa is a Vice Dean: Research, Engagement, and Internationalization in the Faculty of Education at the University of the Free State. Her research interests lie in the areas of curriculum development, implementation and reforms, teacher education, particularly on continuous teacher professional development of mathematics and science teachers and Early Childhood Education practitioners. An accomplished and polished scholar, has published numerous research articles in peer-reviewed journals and has presented several papers at both national and international conferences, a recipient of multiple prestigious awards and has successfully supervised several master’s and PhD students to completion. Her passion to building South Africa’s scientific and research knowledge base is unequalled.
Mufanechiya, Albert & Matseliso Mokhele Makgalwa.”Re-visioning Zimbabwe’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) for Secondary Schools through the Science Teacher Education Programme.” Journal of Education and Learning Technology 5, no.6 (2024): 111-129. https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2024564
© 2024 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
