“Respect is an Investment”: Community Perceptions of Social and Emotional Competencies in Early Childhood from Mtwara, Tanzania
Education programs in Africa increasingly aim to develop and measure social and emotional competencies. However, assessments are typically adapted from those developed in other continents and are not derived from local perspectives. In the current study, we conducted focus groups and individual inte...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Mercy College
2018-07-01
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| Series: | Global Education Review |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://ger.mercy.edu/index.php/ger/article/view/401 |
| _version_ | 1811332985265324032 |
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| author | Matthew Jukes Prosper Gabrieli Nkanileka Loti Mgonda Florentina Nsolezi Grace Jeremiah Jovina Tibenda Kristen L. Bub |
| author_facet | Matthew Jukes Prosper Gabrieli Nkanileka Loti Mgonda Florentina Nsolezi Grace Jeremiah Jovina Tibenda Kristen L. Bub |
| author_sort | Matthew Jukes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Education programs in Africa increasingly aim to develop and measure social and emotional competencies. However, assessments are typically adapted from those developed in other continents and are not derived from local perspectives. In the current study, we conducted focus groups and individual interviews with teachers, parents and students in 4 randomly selected rural primary schools from Mtwara region in Tanzania, 3 of which had recently begun participation in a pre-primary education program. The aim was to understand the social and emotional competencies in early childhood that participants viewed as important for school and for life in general. Compared to existing frameworks of social and emotional competencies, participants placed more emphasis on aspects of social responsibility, for example respect, obedience and being an attentive listener. Individual competencies such as curiosity, self-direction and self-belief were valued more by teachers than parents and seen as most important for success at school. In general, most social and emotional competencies – even individual competencies - were discussed in terms of social relationships. Findings have implications for how cultural values are taken into account in assessment, curriculum design and parent and community engagement around pre-school education. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T16:45:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0f379b5961ce45559933c9e0be6ae163 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2325-663X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T16:45:16Z |
| publishDate | 2018-07-01 |
| publisher | Mercy College |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Education Review |
| spelling | doaj.art-0f379b5961ce45559933c9e0be6ae1632022-12-22T02:39:05ZengMercy CollegeGlobal Education Review2325-663X2018-07-0152160188“Respect is an Investment”: Community Perceptions of Social and Emotional Competencies in Early Childhood from Mtwara, TanzaniaMatthew Jukes0Prosper Gabrieli1Nkanileka Loti Mgonda2Florentina Nsolezi3Grace Jeremiah4Jovina Tibenda5Kristen L. Bub6RTI InternationalUniversity of Dodoma, TanzaniaUniversity of Dar es SalaamUniversity of Dodomat. Augustine University of TanzaniaUSAID Tusome PamojaUniversity of IllinoisEducation programs in Africa increasingly aim to develop and measure social and emotional competencies. However, assessments are typically adapted from those developed in other continents and are not derived from local perspectives. In the current study, we conducted focus groups and individual interviews with teachers, parents and students in 4 randomly selected rural primary schools from Mtwara region in Tanzania, 3 of which had recently begun participation in a pre-primary education program. The aim was to understand the social and emotional competencies in early childhood that participants viewed as important for school and for life in general. Compared to existing frameworks of social and emotional competencies, participants placed more emphasis on aspects of social responsibility, for example respect, obedience and being an attentive listener. Individual competencies such as curiosity, self-direction and self-belief were valued more by teachers than parents and seen as most important for success at school. In general, most social and emotional competencies – even individual competencies - were discussed in terms of social relationships. Findings have implications for how cultural values are taken into account in assessment, curriculum design and parent and community engagement around pre-school education.http://ger.mercy.edu/index.php/ger/article/view/401EducationAssessmentPreschool educationSocial and emotional competencies |
| spellingShingle | Matthew Jukes Prosper Gabrieli Nkanileka Loti Mgonda Florentina Nsolezi Grace Jeremiah Jovina Tibenda Kristen L. Bub “Respect is an Investment”: Community Perceptions of Social and Emotional Competencies in Early Childhood from Mtwara, Tanzania Global Education Review Education Assessment Preschool education Social and emotional competencies |
| title | “Respect is an Investment”: Community Perceptions of Social and Emotional Competencies in Early Childhood from Mtwara, Tanzania |
| title_full | “Respect is an Investment”: Community Perceptions of Social and Emotional Competencies in Early Childhood from Mtwara, Tanzania |
| title_fullStr | “Respect is an Investment”: Community Perceptions of Social and Emotional Competencies in Early Childhood from Mtwara, Tanzania |
| title_full_unstemmed | “Respect is an Investment”: Community Perceptions of Social and Emotional Competencies in Early Childhood from Mtwara, Tanzania |
| title_short | “Respect is an Investment”: Community Perceptions of Social and Emotional Competencies in Early Childhood from Mtwara, Tanzania |
| title_sort | respect is an investment community perceptions of social and emotional competencies in early childhood from mtwara tanzania |
| topic | Education Assessment Preschool education Social and emotional competencies |
| url | http://ger.mercy.edu/index.php/ger/article/view/401 |
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