Assessing Attitudes of Primary School Teachers towards Free Primary Education in Swaziland: The Case of Shiselweni Region

ABSTRACT : This study was designed to assess the attitudes of P rimary S chool teachers towards FPE ( Free Primary Education ) recently introduced in Swaziland, with the ultimate aim of establishing how the teachers feel about the change given the increase in enrolments in the schools. The survey research design was employed. Data were sourced from 118 teachers (females = 50%) through a semi-structured questionnaire and follow-up interviews. While data were largely analysed through the L ikert scale analysis procedures described in this study, Cramer’s V was the statistic used to test if gender significantly influenced attitudes towards F PE . The study found that the majority of the teachers (73%) had negative attitudes towards F PE mainly because of, among other things, larg e teacher - pupil ratios (1:70) which increased their workload ; shortage of resources and infrastructure ; being viewed as lowering educational standards ; and the fact that the teachers were not consulted despite being the key implementers. Cramer’s V yielded an insignificant positive relationship (0.06) between gender and attitudes ; and this meant that gender did not significantly influence the teachers’ attitudes towards the introduction of F PE . KEY WORD : A ssessing ; T eacher A ttitudes ; Free Primary Education ; I ncreased E nrolments ; G ender. ABSTRAKSI : “Menilai Sikap Guru-guru Sekolah Dasar terhadap Pendidikan Dasar Gratis di Swaziland: Kasus Daerah Shiselweni ”. Penelitian dirancang untuk menilai sikap guru -guru Sekolah Dasar terhadap PDG ( Pendidikan Dasar Gratis ) yang baru -baru ini diperkenalkan di Swaziland, dengan tujuan akhir me nentukan bagaimana perasaan para guru tentang perubahan tersebut mengingat meningkatnya pendaftaran murid di sekolah. Desain penelitian survei digunakan dalam penelitian ini. D ata bersumber dari 118 guru (perempuan = 50%) yang diperoleh melalui kuesioner semi-terstruktur dan wawancara lanjutan. D ata sebagian besar dianalisis melalui prosedur skala Likert, sedangkan V Cramer adalah statistik yang digunakan untuk menguji apakah jenis kelamin secara signifikan mem pengaruhi sikap. Studi ini menemukan sebagian besar guru (73%) memiliki sikap negatif terhadap P DG terutama karena, antara lain, besar nya rasio guru - murid (1:70) yang meningkat kan beban kerja ; kurangn ya sumber daya dan infrastruktur ; dipandang akan menurunkan standar pendidikan ; dan fakta bahwa guru tidak diajak urun-rembug meskipun sebagai pelaksana kunci. V Cramer menghasilkan hubungan positif yang tidak signifikan (0 . 06) antara gender dan sikap; dan ini berarti bahwa gender tidak berpengaruh secara signifikan terhadap sikap guru. KATA KUNCI : Menilai ; S ikap G uru ; P endidikan D asar G ratis ; P eningkatan P endaftaran ; Gender . About the Authors: T.D. Mushoriwa , Ph.D. is a Full Professor at the University of Fort Hare in South Africa; V.T. Mlangeni is a Teacher at the Nhlangano Central High School in Swaziland; and M. Kurebwa is a Lecturer at the Zimbabwe Open University, Midlands, in Zimbabwe. Corresponding author is: tmushoriwa@ufh.ac.za How to cite this article? Mushoriwa, T.D., V.T. Mlangeni & M. Kurebwa. (2016). “Assessing Attitudes of Primary School Teachers towards Free Primary Education in Swaziland: The Case of Shiselweni Region” in MIMBAR PENDIDIKAN: Jurnal Indonesia untuk Kajian Pendidikan , Vol.1(2) September, pp.143-150. Bandung, Indonesia: UPI [Indonesia University of Education] Press, ISSN 2527-3868 (print) and 2503-457X (online). Chronicle of the article: Accepted (July 16, 2016); Revised (August 17, 2016); and Published (September 30, 2016).