Discussion Paper 28. Who becomes a Primary School Teacher in Lesotho: characteristics and experiences of the DEP Student Teachers upon entry into NTTC.
Abstract
This study focussed on the characteristics of the first cohort of student teachers who entered the National Teacher Training College in Lesotho to take the Diploma in Education (Primary), and used a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. A questionnaire collected data on their backgrounds and experience, along with their perceptions and expectations of teaching and the teaching profession. A smaller sample of students wrote autobiographical essays about their memories of primary school. The findings show, inter alia, that most students are female, most come from relatively humble backgrounds and very few have good grades at COSC. They bring with them powerful memories and images of primary schooling, mostly of a traditional kind, which seem likely to persist in their own practice. It is suggested that the College must recognise more clearly what kinds of students are recruited, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and what they bring with them, so that the curriculum can be designed to acknowledge their ideas and perceptions while also working to challenge and change them.
Citation
Sussex, UK: Centre for International Education, 49 pp.
Links