Beginning primary teacher's perspectives on the role of subject specialization in Botswana colleges of education: implications for the professional development of those who did not specialize in languages (English & Setswana

Abstract

In recent years, there have been a number of innovations and reforms aimed at making education relevant to the needs of the society. Despite the premium placed on education, there continue to be challenging and persistent issues negatively affecting teacher education. One of these challenges is the generalist approach of primary schools whereby teachers teach all subjects in the curriculum. This is often a departure from their pre-service training where they were trained as specialists. The purpose of this study is to establish new teachers’ perspectives on the role of subject specialization in Botswana Colleges of Education and the implications of this training for the professional development of those who did not specialize in languages. This study adopted a survey research design in which questionnaires were the main data collection instrument. This study targeted two primary schools in the Southern Region with a sample of twenty (20) beginning teachers (with Diploma Certificates in primary schools). Of this sample of twenty, ten (10) completed the questionnaires. The results of this study reveal that beginning teachers advocate for specialization in primary schools because it allows them an area they can teach with confidence. These teachers raised the issue of in-service development and support as a source of information on matters pertaining to language teaching because for those who did not specialize in languages, teaching this complex subject is a challenge and can be highly demotivating.