Use and Abuse of massed Practice in Kenyan Primary

44
jErA/rare 3
Use and Abuse of Massed Practice in Kenyan Primary Schools
Maureen Mweru, PhD
Early Childhood Studies Department,
Kenyatta University,
Email: [email protected]
Introduction
Abstract
In recent years, an increase in the number of hours children spend in
the classroom has been witnessed in Kenya. Although the Kenyan Ministry
of Education stipulates that the average teacher-pupil contact hours per
week for the upper primary classes should be 28 hours, pupils are usually
in the classroom for almost 60 hours. These pupils are exposed to what
psychologists call massed practice which is learning that takes place in
a single block rather than sessions separated by rest intervals or gaps.
It is not clear why school authorities would choose to encourage massed
practice. This study therefore set out to establish the factors maintaining its
use. The population of the study was teachers in primary schools in Nairobi
and focus group discussions were used to collect data. The findings of the
study were that an overloaded curriculum and pressure to excel in national
examinations were some of the factors supporting its use. This however
had resulted in feelings of burnout, an increase in the sexual relationships
between teachers and pupils and a dislike for school by the pupils. This
study therefore recommended a re-examination of the current curriculum and
introduction of awareness seminars on the dangers of massed practice.
Research (Uwezo-Kenya, 2010;
Wasanga, Ogle & Wambua, 2010) has
revealed the prevalence of extra tuition
in Kenyan primary schools. School
authorities expect pupils in the upper
primary school classes to be in the
classroom on weekdays from 6:30 am
to 6:00 pm and from 8:00 am to 1:00
pm on Saturdays and during school
holidays. In essence, these pupils are
exposed to what psychologists call
massed practice. Massed practice
refers to the learning that takes place
in a single block rather than sessions
separated by rest intervals or gaps
(Rhodenizer, Bowers, Bergondy, and
Martin, 2007).
Key words: massed practice, distributed practice, teachers, primary
schools, Kenya.
The converse of massed practice
is distributed practice which involves
study sessions that are relatively short
in duration and characterised by rest
periods in between. Massed practice
therefore involves relatively little or no
rest between repeat performances of a
skill and the amount of practice time is
usually greater than the amount of rest
time between repetitions.
Résumé
Le nombre d’heures que les enfants passent dans la salle de classe
a augmenté ces dernières années au Kenya. Bien que le Ministère de
l’Education au Kenya prescrive une moyenne hebdomadaire de 28 heures
de contact à l’école primaire, les enfants y passent généralement 60 heures.
Les écoliers en question sont soumis à ce que les psychologues qualifient
d’apprentissage massé et qui correspond à un .enseignement sans pause
au lieu de cours séparés par des pauses. Les raisons pour lesquelles les
responsables d’établissements encouragent l’apprentissage massé ne sont
pas claires. La présente étude se propose donc d’étudier les facteurs qui
contribuent à pérenniser cette pratique. La population cible de l’étude est
constituée d’enseignants du cycle primaire à Nairobi et des groupes de
discussion cible ont été utilisés pour collecter les données. Les résultats de
cette étude ont révélé qu’un programme d’études surchargé et l’obligation
d’exceller lors des examens nationaux sont quelques uns des facteurs
qui favorisent cette pratique. Mais cette méthode a contribué à générer
le sentiment d’épuisement professionnel, une recrudescence de rapports
sexuels entretenus entre les enseignants et les écoliers et le rejet de l’école
par les écoliers. La présente étude a, par conséquent, recommandé une
révision du programme d’études actuel et l’introduction de séminaires de
sensibilisation sur les risques de l’apprentissage de masse.
Mots-clés : Apprentissage massé, pratique participative, enseignants,
écoles primaire.
© Editions Universitaires de Côte d’Ivoire (EDUCI)
Context
Although the Kenyan Ministry of
Education stipulates that the average
teacher-pupil contact hours per week for
the upper primary classes should be 28
hours and 20 hours for the lower classes,
young children who are between 8 and
14 years old are expected to spend an
average of 12 hours everyday in the
school compound. This means these
children also have to wake up early and
leave home while it still dark in order to
be in school as early as 6.30 am.
Practising massed practice
in schools clearly goes against the
Kenyan government’s policy guidelines
which stipulate the number of hours
children should spend in school. Edwin
Sutherland’s differential-association
theory (1942) could probably throw some