Perceived realities of rural primary school teachers in Malawi : applying Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory

Erlendsdóttir, Guðlaug and Mtika, Peter; Carmo, Mafalda, ed. (2023) Perceived realities of rural primary school teachers in Malawi : applying Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory. In: Education Applications & Developments VIII. Education Applications & Developments . InScience Press, pp. 544-557. ISBN 978-989-53614-6-5

Preview

Text. Filename: Full-Book-Contents_Education-Applications-Developments-VIII.pdf Final Published Version License: Download (19MB)| Preview

Abstract

The ability of teachers to enhance the quality of education depends on the teachers’ knowledge, skills, motivation and conducive working environment. This study examines teachers’ experiences in four rural primary schools in Malawi, focusing on the impact of their working and living conditions on the quality of education. The study followed a qualitative research approach, collecting data through semi-structured interviews. Data were obtained from 24 teachers, four headteachers and four primary education advisors (PEA). Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory was applied to interpret data. The teachers, headteachers and PEAs are represented in the microsystem, their interactions comprise the mesosystem, their working and living conditions are represented in the exosystem, and the macrosystem consists of the customs and laws of society. The findings show that the microsystem, which involves teachers, headteachers and PEAs, appears somewhat active; teachers teach despite numerous challenges. However, interactions between units within that system are weak, resulting in limited mesosystemic interaction. Implications of the findings are discussed later in this chapter.

ORCID iDs

Mtika, Peter ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6017-4617

• Share and Export
  

  RDF+XMLEP3 XMLMultiline CSVData Cite XMLBibTeXHTML CitationOpenURL ContextObject in SpanReferRIS (EndNote Online, Zotero, Ref manager, etc)MPEG-21 DIDLAtomASCII CitationRefWorksSimple MetadataMODSMETSDublin CoreRIOXX2 XMLEndNoteOpenURL ContextObjectRDF+N3JSONRDF+N-Triples
• Item metadata

  Item type:	Book Section
  ID code:	90709
  Dates:	Date Event 19 June 2023 Published
  Subjects:	Education > Theory and practice of education > Primary Education
  Department:	Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS)
  Depositing user:	Pure Administrator
  Date deposited:	25 Sep 2024 13:58
  Last modified:	20 Dec 2024 01:10
  Related URLs:	Journal or Publication
  URI:	https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/90709