An Exploratory Case Study of Mistake-Related Teacher Responses in Kenyan Classrooms

• In Event: Interrogating the Experiences of Principals, Teachers, School Counselors

Abstract

In this study, we explore how three Kenyan primary school teachers in a private school network (Bridge Kenya) respond to Grade 1 student mistakes during day-to-day classroom interactions. Careful qualitative analysis of video-recorded lessons allows us to examine the nature of micro-level mistake-related student-teacher interactions during daily instruction. While there were several attributes consistent with the training and curriculum provided to teachers by the school network instructional designers, each teacher also had a distinctive approach to feedback. The look and feel of responses to student mistakes varied by classroom, including which types of mistakes are focused on most intensely (or overlooked), the tone of voice of the teacher, the amount of verbal interaction, how directions are clarified, and more.

Authors

• Maleka Donaldson, Smith College

• Timothy Sullivan