Formal teacher competence and its effect on learner reading achievement in multilingual learning contexts of Livingstone district in Zambia.
type: CreativeWork
description: This study examined formal teacher competence and its effect on learner reading achievement in multilingual learning contexts of Livingstone District in Zambia. Guided by the Expertise, Translanguaging, and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) theories, the study addressed the following objectives: to examine the effect of teacher professional qualifications on learners' reading achievement in multilingual learning contexts, to analyze how professional qualifications influence the pedagogical content knowledge of teachers in primary schools, to identify challenges teachers face in teaching learners from multilingual learning contexts, and to examine strategies to enhance teacher competence. Adopting a mixed-methods research approach with a convergent parallel design, the study collected data through teacher interviews, classroom observations, and learner achievement tests. Findings revealed significant variations in learners' reading achievements based on teacher qualifications. Teachers holding Bachelor’s degrees in Primary Education demonstrated the highest effectiveness (Cohen's d = 1.33), followed by those with Primary Diplomas (Cohen's d = 0.85) and those with degrees in English Language/History (Cohen's d = 0.84). These results highlight that higher qualifications specifically tailored for primary education lead to improved learner reading achievement in multilingual classrooms. Furthermore, the study found that teachers with relevant primary education degrees possessed better pedagogical and content knowledge to enhance reading achievement, compared to those with general secondary education degrees. Statistical analyses supported these findings, with the dependent variable approximating a normal distribution (p = 0.583) and the Levene test confirming homogeneity of variances across teacher qualification groups (p > 0.05). The One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) further revealed significant differences in learner performance based on teacher qualification. Lea…
abstract: This study examined formal teacher competence and its effect on learner reading achievement in multilingual learning contexts of Livingstone District in Zambia. Guided by the Expertise, Translanguaging, and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) theories, the study addressed the following objectives: to examine the effect of teacher professional qualifications on learners' reading achievement in multilingual learning contexts, to analyze how professional qualifications influence the pedagogical content knowledge of teachers in primary schools, to identify challenges teachers face in teaching learners from multilingual learning contexts, and to examine strategies to enhance teacher competence. Adopting a mixed-methods research approach with a convergent parallel design, the study collected data through teacher interviews, classroom observations, and learner achievement tests. Findings revealed significant variations in learners' reading achievements based on teacher qualifications. Teachers holding Bachelor’s degrees in Primary Education demonstrated the highest effectiveness (Cohen's d = 1.33), followed by those with Primary Diplomas (Cohen's d = 0.85) and those with degrees in English Language/History (Cohen's d = 0.84). These results highlight that higher qualifications specifically tailored for primary education lead to improved learner reading achievement in multilingual classrooms. Furthermore, the study found that teachers with relevant primary education degrees possessed better pedagogical and content knowledge to enhance reading achievement, compared to those with general secondary education degrees. Statistical analyses supported these findings, with the dependent variable approximating a normal distribution (p = 0.583) and the Levene test confirming homogeneity of variances across teacher qualification groups (p > 0.05). The One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) further revealed significant differences in learner performance based on teacher qualification. Lea…
author: Moyo, Stephen
language: en
date published: 2025
date modified: 2026-07-27T22:06:15Z
provider: University of Zambia
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: The University of Zambia