STUDENTS’ INVOLVEMENT IN QUALITY ASSURANCE PROCESSES: CURRENT PRACTICES IN TEACHER COLLEGES IN TANZANIA

Abstract

Students’ involvement in quality assurance processes when in Teacher Colleges, determines quality assurance competences they will demonstrate in schools after graduation. This paper therefore, sought to examine current practices of students’ involvement in quality assurance processes in public Teacher Colleges in Tanzania. Specifically, the study explored the existing modalities of students’ involvement in quality assurance processes in Teacher Colleges and evaluated those modalities towards development of quality assurance competences among students for their teaching career. Through descriptive survey design and mixed approaches, data were collected by using semi-structured questionnaires from 85 district school quality assurance officers and 89 members of Teacher Colleges Management Teams then triangulated through interview to 12 students’ representatives from public Teacher Colleges, 12 Teacher Colleges Principals and 12 zone school quality assurance officers from 12 education zones of Mainland Tanzania. The descriptive statistics and content analysis techniques were used to analyze quantitative and qualitative data respectively. The study found that, public Teacher Colleges in Tanzania involve their students in quality assurance processes to safeguard their needs and interests. However, the existing modalities of students’ involvement in quality assurance processes in Teacher Colleges limit their physical and psychological energy for developing quality assurance competences for their teaching career. This observation is attributed with the shared school quality assurance framework among Teacher Colleges, Primary and Secondary Schools. From these results therefore, the study concludes that, there is a dire need of policy review to distinguish quality assurance practices in Teacher Colleges from Primary and Secondary Schools in order to spearhead the development of quality assurance competences among students in Teacher Colleges. To achieve this goal, the study recommends: Establishment of quality assurance framework specific for Teacher Colleges, incorporating quality assurance competences in teacher education curriculum and coaching & mentoring college management teams on how to involve students’ involvement in quality assurance processes. Further studies can develop a model of students’ involvement in Teacher Colleges’ quality assurance processes.