Teachers’ Perspectives on the Development of 21st Century Skills in Early Childhood Development

Nomatter Manzunzu & Joyce Maera
Midlands State University
Faculty of Education
Department of Educational Foundations, Primary Education & Pedagogy
Email: manzunzun@staff.msu.ac.zw/ maeraj@staff.msu.ac.zw

Abstract: The study focusses on teachers` perspectives on the development of 21st century skills in Early Childhood Development (ECD). The study was motivated by mixed reactions by various teachers on the competency-based curriculum. A qualitative approach was adopted in order to get in- depth information from the teachers in their natural setting. A case study design was adopted drawing on five schools which were purposively sampled to obtain rich data. Semi- structured interviews were used to generate data. The study comprised ten Early Childhood Development teachers and five school heads who were purposively sampled. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The findings reveal that teachers have a good understanding of the 21st century skills. A few teachers, however, conflated the 21st century skills with learning areas. Findings further reveal challenges such as misconceptions on play pedagogies and lack of resources. The study recommends, strategies such as engaging in income generating ECD projects will capacitate schools to buy teaching and learning materials for teachers necessary in developing the 21st century skills. Another recommendation is the implementation of staff development for teachers and administrators on ECD curriculum.