Teacher qualification and teaching techniques in nursery schools in Kicukiro District, Rwanda

Abstract

The scarcity of qualified teachers in Early Childhood Education in Rwanda in general, and in Kicukiro District in particular, raised interest and curiosity to conduct this study. Its main purpose was to examine the relationship between the qualification of teachers and their teaching techniques in preschools in Kicukiro District. The study used a cross-sectional sub-design of descriptive survey research. Data were collected from 151 teachers and 10 head teachers through a close ended questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. The findings showed that teachers are not adequately qualified. Indeed, the majority of them rarely use learner-centred approach. The study concluded that there was a strong, moderate and low positive correlation between teacher’s professional training, teaching experience, refresher courses, academic qualification and teaching techniques used. From these findings, it was recommended to improve the qualification of teachers in nursery schools by providing in-service continuous professional development for teachers and strengthening the pre-service training of ECE teachers.

Keywords: Teacher qualification, teaching quality, teaching techniques, early childhood education, early childhood development center