Using the Capacity Approach to improve the sustainability of teacher inservice training 4 Investigating teachers’ well-being in Tanzania

The findings discussed in this paper are drawn from a larger project, which sought to understand the values, beliefs and lived experiences of Tanzanian teachers (Tao 2013) Data was collected from the Arusha region in Tanzania in 2010 at three government primary schools: a rural school with 1,253 students and 25 staff; an urban school with 1,448 students and 39 staff; and a peri-urban school with 1,867 students and 31 staff. Despite their differing environments, all three schools had similar levels of material deprivation (general lack of textbooks, classrooms, and desks, amongst others), a lack of in-service training for teachers, and student populations from generally low socio-economic backgrounds. The ratio of female to male teachers varied at each school (rural: 68% women; urban: 95% women; peri-urban: 81% women). There were also variations in teachers’ age, levels of experience and ethnic backgrounds, but greater homogeneity was apparent in characteristics such as religious affiliation (Christian), socioeconomic level (low), and qualification (completion of lower secondary and teacher training college).

Since the central focus of the research was to provide nuanced explanations for a variety of teachers’ practices, ethnographic case studies were used. Methods included focus groups, semi-structured and informal interviews, questionnaires and participant observation with teachers, as well as with head teachers, school committees, and District Education Officers. Participant observation as a full-time member of staff (which entailed teaching Standard 3 - English in classes of 65 - 120 students) facilitated close relationships with teachers and students, and provided insights into the daily conditions, pressures and politics that teachers face.