CROSSCUTTING CONCEPTS IN THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE: MODEL FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IN TANZANIA SECONDARY SCHOOLS
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Date
2019-07
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Abstract
This study analyzed the integration of crosscutting concepts in the teaching of English
language in Tanzania secondary schools. The education policy in Tanzania since 2014
recommends the integration of crosscutting concepts at all levels of education. The
teaching of English language curriculum however, is a contested issue, which
continues to raise concerns and bitter debates questioning its singular curriculum
soundness and appropriateness of its content for the subject, which is flexible to allow
integration of crosscutting concepts from various disciplines. This study adopted an
exploratory sequential mixed-methods design where both qualitative and quantitative
data were collected and analyzed sequentially. This study was guided by Cummins
theory of second language teaching. Data was collected by means of document
analysis, questionnaires, and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and analyzed using
descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test, Pearson product-moment correlation
coefficient, multiple regression analysis, and content analysis. Research participants
include 92 teachers of English and 458 form one students from 9 randomly sampled
schools. The findings of this study revealed that although crosscutting concepts are
not entirely lacking from textbooks, syllabus, and students’ exercise books, they are
not well and comprehensively integrated. The extent of integration of crosscutting
concepts in English language teaching is moderate, among other findings. The
outcome of the findings of the study is an interdisciplinary curriculum model which if
implemented would improve the integration of crosscutting concepts in the teaching
of English language in secondary schools in Tanzania. The study recommends that
the English interdisciplinary curriculum model developed in this study be used to
achieve effective integration of crosscutting concepts in the teaching of English
language to secondary schools in Tanzania.