Towards an understanding of Gambian teachers' lives and careers. PhD thesis, University of ...

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by  Christine Middleton

Roberts-Holmes, Guy (1999) Towards an understanding
of Gambian teachers' lives and careers. PhD thesis,
University of Nottingham.
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"Towards
an Understanding of Gambian Teachers' Lives and Careers"
by Guy Roberts-Holmes, MA.
This thesis is
submitted to the University of Nottingham for the degree of
Doctor Philosophy October 1998
of
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Love
and thanks to my parents, Joy and Peter,
who made it all possible.
Love to Pamela
who gave me the confidence and the opportunity to
this thesis.
write
Special thanks to
my supervisor, Chris Day, for his continual guidance,
for this thesis.
support and encouragement
A
million thanks to all the generous and inspiring Gambian students,
teachers
and education officials who gave of their valuable time and
With kindness interest this thesis
energy. out your and would never
have been
possible.
Table Contents
of
Abstract
Chapter One: The Contradictions Gambian Teaching: The
President's
of
Rhetoric Teachers' Working Reality
and
The the thesis 1
organisation of
1.1 Rationale for the 5
research
1.2 The Opulence The Gambia College Graduation Ceremony 6
of
1.3 Mr. Sillah's History Lesson Lamin Primary School 9
at
1.4 The
above experiences were 'key moments' in the development of the
11
research questions
1.5 The
research contradiction and the research questions 13
1.6 The
qualitative methodology and eclectic methods of the research 14
1.7 Brikama town 16
1.8 Conclusion 19
Chapter Two: The limitations of being an outsider 21
Introduction 21
2.1 The Importance of Stating My Value Position Regarding The History
Between England The Gambia 22
and
2.2 I
was first a European and secondly an individual 24
2.3 My
antiracist and anti-imperialist value position in the light of The Gambian
Coup July 22nd 1994 25
of
2.4 My Antiracist Value Positions in this Research 26
2.5 The limitations of being an outsider researching teachers 27
2.6 Similarities and differences between The Gambian teachers
and myself
32
Conclusion 33
Chapter Three; Quantitative Qualitative Research Methodologies
and
Methods 36
and
Introduction 36
3.1 The Perceived Differences between Qualitative Quantitative Research
and
38
3.2 Phenomenology, Participant Observation, Symbolic Interactionism
and
Grounded Theory
40
3.3 Ethnographic `Thick Descriptions' 43
3.4 Interpretative Ethnographic Analysis Cultures 44
of
3.5 The Crisis Interpretative Ethnography 45
within
3.6 Ethnographic Reflexivity 48
3.7 Personal Narratives, Life histories
and The Value of Contradiction within
Life History 50
3.8 The Theoretical Concerns Quantitative Research 52
of
Conclusion 54
Chapter Four: Negotiating
entry and data collection and analysis 57
Introduction 57
4.1 Observational data
collection and building up relationships with Gambia
College Colleagues 58
4.2 Unstructured data
analysis at The Gambia College and the preliminary
focus the teachers 61
upon student
4.3 Documentary data collection at The Gambia College 62
4.4 Data
collection using the questionnaire 63
4.5 Gaining Entry into The Republic of The Gambia 66
4.6 My
anxiety concerning the research 67
4.7 Gaining Permission for the research from the Ministry
of Education 68
4.8 Negotiating Access to a School through the Principal Regional Education
Officer Attempting to Achieve Teachers' Trust 70
and
4.9 'The impossibility of the task'; The First few days in Lamin School 73
4.10 Documentary Data Collection 74
4.11 Observational data collection and Informal 'Chats' in Master's 77
office
4.12 'Informal chats' with teachers under the
mango tree 78
4.13 The Interviewing Processes; The Use Opportunistic Interviews
of and
'Snowballing' 81
4.14 Difficulties in finding
a place to interview the teachers 82
4.15 The interviews 84
semi-structured
4.16 Data 85
analysis
4.17 Triangulation 89
4.18 Research
relationships; 'Impression Management' 92
4.19 The in the 93
complexities of power research relationship
4.20 Research The Issue Reciprocity 'Pay-back' 94
relationships and of and
Conclusion 96
Chapter Five: An Overview The Gambian Education System;
of
Historical
and Contemporary Policies, Structures and Statistics 99
Introduction 99
5.1 The
colonial underdevelopment of The Gambian education system 101
5.2 The historical difference in between the
educational provision urban
the 102
colony and rural protectorate
5.3 The (and lack them)
colonial administration's educational policies of
to 104
compared successful missionary education provision
5.4 Colonial for the African
provision of academic education elite and non-
academic education for the majority population 107
5.5 Gambian
responses to colonial education policies and missionary
109
education
5.6 Jawara's (1965-1994)
neo-colonialism and its impact upon the education
system and teachers' professionalism 112
5.7 Jawara's
power and corruption: A personal experience 114
5.8 Gambian's the July 22nd 1994 Coup 114
euphoria surrounding
5.9 Teachers'
perceptions of the Jawara government's corruption 116
5.10 'Anybody
could become a teacher under the Jawara regime' 118
5.11 The low transition rate from Primary to Secondary Schools
under the
Jawara 118
government
5.12 Teachers'
civil service rights under the Jawara government 121
5.13 The first ten Gambian Education Policy 1976-1986 the building
year and
Lamin Primary School 123
of
5.14 The Second Gambian Education Policy 1988-2003 125
5.15 The
structure of The Gambian education system 128
5.16 Gambian Primary school enrolment since independence in 1967 to the
129
present
5.17 Primary School teacher numbers since independence 132
5.18 Staff
careers and salary profiles 132
5.19 The July 22nd 1994 Coup and its structural
effects upon The Gambian
education system- 'Not less than a miracle in the progression of education
in The Gambia'. 135
5.20 15% Increase in school buildings in
one year 136
5.21 Primary
school enrolments and primary school teacher numbers have
138
risen
5.22 Lamin School teachers'
perceptions of the political changes 139
5.23 'The
new Government are just opportunists
as well' 143
Conclusion 144
Chapter Six: World Bank Structural Adjustment its Contradictory
and.
Effects Upon Lamin's Teachers 147
Introduction 147
6.1 What is Structural Adjustment? 148
6.2 World Bank 'Re-colonisation' Africa 150
of
6.3 The World Bank Structural Adjustment Policies in The Gambia 151
6.4 The Effects Structural Adjustment Education in Africa 153
of upon
6.5 Structural Adjustment Effects Education in The Gambia 155
upon
6.6 The Gambia Education Policy (1988-2003): Raising Both Educational
Access Quality 157
and
6.7 The Gambian Education Policy Phasing Unqualified Teachers by
of out all
2003 159
6.8 The Double Shift: Double the hours and Twice the number of children
160
6.9 The Economic Savings The Double Shift. Raising the Pupil: Teacher
of
Ratio 161
6.10 'Quality is being Sacrificed to Increase Access' (GTU): The Educational
Effects Double Shift Teaching 162
of
_
6.11 The Double Shift: (i) Increasing Access 165
6.12 (ii) Professionalisation of The Gambian teaching force by phasing
out
teachers 166
unqualified
6.13 Teachers' Knowledge of the Double Shift 167
6.14 The Difficulties of Interviewing the Double Shift Teachers 169
6.15 Teachers' Who Refused to Work The Double Shift 171
6.16 Double Shift Teachers; The Motivation of the Improved Salary 173
6.17 Teachers' Patriotic Ideologies Facilitated the Introduction the Double
of
Shift 175
6.18 Benefits Working the Double Shift; Promotion; Reward in Heaven
of and
Working the Children 176
with
Conclusion 178
Chapter Seven: Theoretical Approaches Towards Teachers' Lives
and
Careers 181
Introduction 181
7.1 A Brief History of Teacher Research 183
7.2 Structuralism's Theoretical Approach Towards Teachers' Lives
and
Careers 184
7.3 Structuralism's Career'Ladders, Maps Routes' 185
and
7.4 Seconday
school art teachers' careers and 'disillusioned' teachers 187
7.5 Subjective Careers Research 189
7.6 Teacher's Age Related Career Stages 189
7.7 Age Phases Three Four (Sikes 1985)
191
and
7.8 Teachers Seven Career Phases (Huberman
1993) 193
7.9 Processes of Change and Critical Incidents in Teachers' Lives and
Careers 197
7.10 The Wider Context of Teachers' Lives
and Careers: Extrinsic Critical
Incidents 198
7.11 Personal Critical Incidents 201
7.12 Female Primary Teachers' Careers 203
7.13 'Complex Irrational' Teachers' Lives Careers Post-
and and within
Theories 205
structuralist
7.14 Post-structuralist 'non-unitary for teacher's life
subjectivities' allows a
and career to be contradictory 206
Conclusion 207
Chapter Eight: Teachers' Professionalism and the Contradictory
Processes Teachers' Profession alisa tion 208
of
Introduction 208
8.1 An historical
overview of teacher professionalism 209
8.2 Teachers Imbibed 'Missionary' Ideology 211
with
8.3 The Class
and Gender of Primary Teachers and its Effects upon
Teachers' Professionalisation 213
8.4 The 'Social Democratic Settlement Era' and its Effects upon Teacher
Professionalisation 216
217
8.5 Proletarianisation or professionalisation?
218
8.6 The
proletarianisation advocates
220
8.7 The advocates
professionalisation
Conclusion 223
Chapter Nine: An Analysis of Gambia College Student Teachers'
Attitudes Towards the Teaching Profession 225
Introduction 225
9.1 The Aims of the Questionnaire 227
9.2 The Primary Teachers' Certificate at The Gambia College 228
9.3 There are considerably more male than female student teachers at The
Gambia College 230
9.4 The Student Teachers' Cultural 'Myths' Teaching 231
of
9.5 The Gambia College's Missionary Vocational Ideologies 233
and
9.6 National Development 236
9.7 Teaching is Respected Profession 239
a
9.8 'Teaching (Male PTC 241
pays a good salary' student)
9.9 Student Teachers' General Satisfaction Teaching 245
with
9.10 Student teachers
use of teaching as a means of social mobility 247
9.11 The Social Origins Male Female Student Teachers at The
of and
Gambia College 249
9.12 The teacher's Self-Advancement benefits their family
student extended
252
9.13 Teaching is educative 255
9.14 Teaching is Safe Secure Job 256
a and
9.15 'There to teaching' 256
was no alternative
9.16 The Dissatisfied Students' 'Continuous Commitment' 'Family
and
Investment' in Teacher Training 259
Conclusion 261
Chapter Ten: Lamin School Teachers' Experiences Teaching
of as
Work: A Thematic Analysis 263
Introduction 263
10.1 Teaching
was not a Career of First Choice 265
10.2 Teaching 'Irksome Necessity' 272
was an
10.3 Teaching
was a Career of First Choice: (i) 'I Chose Teaching Because of
My Father's Advice' (Master); The Encouragement of Relatives to Become
Teacher 275
a
10.4 (ii) 'When I Child I Loved My Teachers: Teachers' Admiration for
was a
their teachers 279
childhood
10.5 Qualified Teachers Feelings about their Salaries 281
10.6 (i) Additional Afternoon Salary for Qualified Teachers in Grades Five
and
Six 285
10.7 Unqualified thus Unprofessional; Unqualified Teachers Feelings
and
their Status Salary 286
about and
10.8 Teaching
as a means of learning new ideas 289
10.9 Prevailing Gambian Ideologies Concerning Women Childcare 291
and
10.10 A teaching female teachers to domestic
salary enabled employ workers
294
10.11 Female teachers teach located
predominately younger children and are
lower 295
within career positions
10.12 The female teachers' and the male teachers' took their breaks in
different the 296
parts of school
10.13 Female Teachers and promotion 297
10.14 Mrs. Baldeh's teaching career 300
Conclusion 302
Chapter Eleven: Lamin School Teachers' Perceptions of their
Profession 304
Introduction 304
11.1 Part A: Teachers' Perceptions of their Profession: (i)Lamin School
Assemblies: Nationalism Islam 306
and
11.2 (ii) 'It's
a Duty to Develop my Beloved Country' (Mr. Kawsu Sillah):
Gambian Teacher Nationalism 308
11.3 Community Respect for Teachers' Nationalistic Work 317
324
11.4 Teaching 'a
as noble profession'
11.5 Moral 326
aspects
11.6 Promotions 328
lack 329
11.7 Teachers' Frustration concerning of promotion
11.81t is Not What Know, but Whom you Know' Mrs. Mclntre; Nepotism
you
in the Promotion System 331
(Master); A Fairer
11.9 'Now it's
more a question of merit and service'
Promotion System the New Government? 333
under
11.10'I Praying To Allah for Promotion' Mrs. Jawo; The Teacher's
am
Religious Approach to Promotion 335
Conclusion 336
Chapter Twelve: Teachers' Changing Professional Discourses 338
Introduction 338
12.1 The discourses 342
nationalist
12.2 Teachers
professional nationalist discourses have been enhanced by
President Jammeh's Government 347
12.3 Teachers' Professional Islamic Discourses 350
12.4 Professional moral guides 352
12.5 Teachers' professional employment terms 353
12.6 The discourses of professionalism help teachers to
cope with their
frustrations 354
12.7 The professionalising effects of double shift teaching 356
12.8 A
situated professionalism: similar professional discourses between
Gambian and European teachers 360
12.9 Teachers' shared discourses in different geographical contexts 362
Appendices
Bibliography