Teachers’ perspectives of factors affecting lesson planning practices in the Vanuatu mathematics classroom

Abstract

Sustainable education is becoming a burning concept in debates and discussions the world over. There are concerns that current systems of education are not providing for the needs of all people in a sustainable way. Many countries are taking steps to ensure a type of education that will not only sustain their citizens but will meet the challenges of tomorrow. In Vanuatu, such attempts are made through official documents such as the National Curriculum Statement (NCS); a policy statement aimed at improving teaching and learning and teacher education. The NCS clearly states that good teaching requires strategies that are carefully planned. Drawing from this NCS assertion, this study investigated teachers’ perspectives on the factors that affect their lesson planning practices towards student-centred learning strategies in Vanuatu secondary schools. Twenty secondary school mathematics teachers in Port Vila took part in this 2022 study. First, mathematics lesson plans were collected and analyzed to evaluate whether the teachers were able to plan student-centred learning. Second, the teachers were interviewed individually to gauge their views on factors which might hinder their attempts to design student-centred learning. Data collected was analyzed using a thematic analytical tool. The findings reveal the need for support to teachers in lesson planning, particularly in designing and using student-centred learning strategies.