Abstract:
Values education is one of the elements of key competencies besides
knowledge/understanding and skills in Competence Based Curriculum (CBC)
that has been implemented in Rwanda since 2016. Hence, the focus of this
research was to explore the implementation of values education by lower primary
grade teachers to illuminate children’s behaviours by addressing the following
questions: How do Rwanda’s lower primary school teachers perceive disruptive
behaviour? How do Rwanda’s lower primary school teachers implement values
education? What values are embedded in Rwanda’s lower primary school
storybooks? How do Rwanda’s lower primary school teachers promote values
education via storytelling?
This qualitative research used a phenomenology method with interpretivist
paradigm. Data were collected qualitatively by means of interviews, observations,
and document analysis from fifteen lower primary school teachers who were
purposively selected from five schools in Rwanda. The analysis of data was done
thematically in the framework of the social constructivism theory of teaching and
learning.
Four major findings are highlighted in this study. First, it was found out that
teachers hate the teaching career due to the children’s misbehaviour which
makes them want to quit the teaching profession. Second, the study revealed
that the word ubukesha used in the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC)
framework to mean value has various interpretations among teachers, which
makes the teaching of values problematic. Third, it appeared that lower primary
grade stories are rich in values. Fourth, though teachers are aware of the
important role of teaching values such as promoting positive behaviours among
learners, this study revealed that the teaching of values via stories is not well
implemented because many teachers rely on indoctrination or do not teach the
values embedded in the stories.
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Therefore, it is recommended that teachers be trained on values education,
which increases positive behaviours among children. It is also suggested that the
confusing term ubukesha be replaced by other meaningful terminologies such as
indangagaciro to mean values. Additionally, to ensure deeper learning of values,
teachers should prioritize constructivist teaching and learning which encourages
critical thinking and active and collaborative learning.
