Abstract
A descriptive study was utilized to determine competence level of high school agriculture teachers regarding curriculum reforms in Swaziland. The objectives of the study were to describe current competencies possessed by selected high school agriculture teachers and to identify knowledge gaps of high school agriculture teachers on the new topic contents included in the Swaziland General Certificate of Secondary Education (SGCSE) agriculture syllabi and to assess the availability of teaching facilities. To collect data for this study, observational data collection procedures were employed. A total of eight agriculture teachers from the four regions of the country were observed to assess their competencies on organizing and planning for lessons, command of the subject matter, classroom management, innovative teaching, method of instruction and assessment of the SGCSE agriculture curriculum. A content analysis procedure was also employed to assess objectives, content topics contained in the syllabi, learning approaches used, available teaching facilities and assessment used. Findings from observations showed that agriculture teachers had high competence levels in planning and organizing for lessons, command of subject matter and classroom management. Teachers also demonstrated lack of expertise in innovative teaching, incorporating educational technology in method of instruction and assessing practical skills and ability. Based on the findings of the study, a conclusion drawn was that while high school agriculture teachers had high competence levels in the key aspects of teaching and learning process, they had low competencies in teaching the new content topics included in the SGCSE agriculture syllabus and needed in-service training on the new topics. A study involving survey on high school agriculture teachers is recommended to determine their perceived competencies in addressing the new objectives incorporated in the SGCSE agriculture syllabus, as well as teaching the new content topics incorporated in the SGCSE agriculture syllabus.
 4 Ndwandwe_2014 NACTA Journal.pdf | [ ] | 318 kB |
