‘A good teacher should…’: exploring student perceptions of teaching quality in Rwandan secondary education

ABSTRACTThere have been significant efforts to enhance teaching quality in Rwandan secondary schools. Despite this focus, there has been little attention to understanding this construct, and especially what it means for students who are most affected by it. To address this gap, this study explored w...

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Main Authors: Emma Carter, Pui Ki Patricia Kwok, Lydie Shima, Nidhi Singal
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2023-12-01
Series:International Journal of Adolescence and Youth
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2023.2261545
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author Emma Carter
Pui Ki Patricia Kwok
Lydie Shima
Nidhi Singal
author_facet Emma Carter
Pui Ki Patricia Kwok
Lydie Shima
Nidhi Singal
author_sort Emma Carter
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACTThere have been significant efforts to enhance teaching quality in Rwandan secondary schools. Despite this focus, there has been little attention to understanding this construct, and especially what it means for students who are most affected by it. To address this gap, this study explored with students comprehensively what they valued in a ‘good’ teacher. Data drew upon 75 group discussions involving 419 students across 12 schools from six Rwandan districts. Through thematic analysis, findings revealed an understanding of ‘good’ teachers via multiple dimensions. Students highlighted the importance of teacher disposition and responsible behaviors. Teacher–student relationships were also strongly valued as was holistic learning including positive values and being influenced cognitively and affectively. These results provide important implications for teacher professional development and policies in response to the contextualized preferences.
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spelling doaj.art-e66824ab20274b019b8c26fa3a5cf51a2023-12-18T12:05:49ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Adolescence and Youth0267-38432164-45272023-12-0128110.1080/02673843.2023.2261545‘A good teacher should…’: exploring student perceptions of teaching quality in Rwandan secondary educationEmma Carter0Pui Ki Patricia Kwok1Lydie Shima2Nidhi Singal3Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UKFaculty of Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UKLaterite, Kigali, RwandaFaculty of Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UKABSTRACTThere have been significant efforts to enhance teaching quality in Rwandan secondary schools. Despite this focus, there has been little attention to understanding this construct, and especially what it means for students who are most affected by it. To address this gap, this study explored with students comprehensively what they valued in a ‘good’ teacher. Data drew upon 75 group discussions involving 419 students across 12 schools from six Rwandan districts. Through thematic analysis, findings revealed an understanding of ‘good’ teachers via multiple dimensions. Students highlighted the importance of teacher disposition and responsible behaviors. Teacher–student relationships were also strongly valued as was holistic learning including positive values and being influenced cognitively and affectively. These results provide important implications for teacher professional development and policies in response to the contextualized preferences.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2023.2261545Teaching qualitygood teachersstudent perspectivesRwanda
spellingShingle Emma Carter
Pui Ki Patricia Kwok
Lydie Shima
Nidhi Singal
‘A good teacher should…’: exploring student perceptions of teaching quality in Rwandan secondary education
International Journal of Adolescence and Youth
Teaching quality
good teachers
student perspectives
Rwanda
title ‘A good teacher should…’: exploring student perceptions of teaching quality in Rwandan secondary education
title_full ‘A good teacher should…’: exploring student perceptions of teaching quality in Rwandan secondary education
title_fullStr ‘A good teacher should…’: exploring student perceptions of teaching quality in Rwandan secondary education
title_full_unstemmed ‘A good teacher should…’: exploring student perceptions of teaching quality in Rwandan secondary education
title_short ‘A good teacher should…’: exploring student perceptions of teaching quality in Rwandan secondary education
title_sort a good teacher should exploring student perceptions of teaching quality in rwandan secondary education
topic Teaching quality
good teachers
student perspectives
Rwanda
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2023.2261545
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