Proceedings of The 7th International Conference on Social sciences, Humanities and Education
Year: 2022
DOI:
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Evaluating Gender Equity and Equality in the English Language Teacher Curriculum, ICT Policies and Learning Materials in Botswana, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa
Michael Thomas, Oris Tom-Lawyer, Samuel Amponsah, Maureen Kalane, MM van Wyk
ABSTRACT:
Research on English language teacher training and gender equality in Africa is a strategic priority according to UN Sustainable Development Goals 4.c and 5 and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (Mustapha & Mills, 2015). Several British Council reports – “Gender in Nigeria” (2012), “The 51%” (2016a), “Meeting the Challenge of the Sustainable Development Goals” (2016b) and “Developing Skills Programming through a Gender Lens” (2020) – reinforce the link between gender inequality and reducing poverty. This project addresses this agenda by evaluating the English language curriculum of teacher training courses in four African ODA countries. It adopts a mixed methods approach in which quantitative data will be collected using questionnaires and qualitative data via narrative enquiry, semi-structured interviews, observation and documentary analysis. The CIPP Curriculum Evaluation will be used as a theoretical framework extending it to a comparative study of Botswana, Ghana and South Africa; this is germane as its use in this context is novel. Preliminary studies suggest that gender inequality tends to favour females as the males in the college of education piloted seem to have abandoned the teaching profession to the females. The college is well equipped with regard to ICT tools. However, the students do not seem to be utilising the tools. Significantly too, the college has a problem of overcrowded classes.
keywords: CIPP Evaluation Framework, Four African ODA Countries, Teacher Training; Gender Lens, College of Education