Assessing the Extent to which Teachers Apply Thematic Approach in the Teaching and Learning of History in Malawi

Abstract

The study aimed at assessing the extent to which teachers apply thematic approach to teaching and learning of history in Malawian secondary schools since 2012. It was a qualitative study that aimed at finding out how thematic curriculum was introduced to teachers, how they integrate themes, the challenges, and it's effectiveness in improving learners'perfomance. It used oral interviews, classroom observation, and document analysis on 10 history teachers, 1 QAO, 18 history students in 6 secondary schools in Northern Education Division. The results of the study indicated that teachers are thing their best in implementing the new thematic curriculum. Only that they face a number of challenges attributed to:ambiguity in the design of the curriculum, shortage and unavailability of authentic teaching and learning resources and lack of proper orientation of teachers to authentic curriculum pedagogies. These problems have led to continued use of teacher centered approaches to the teaching and learning of history to prepare learners for national examinations. The study recommends that curriculum developers should be clear in what they intend to achieve in the model of the curriculum chosen and provide authentic teaching and learning materials. The study has also expanded current gaps in literature with respect to attempts to develop an innovative curriculum, implementation process and benefits students would get from a well-designed history curriculum.