STRATEGIES TEACHERS USE TO PREPARE JUNIOR CERTIFICATE STUDENTS FOR FINAL EXAMINATIONS IN SOCIAL STUDIES: THE CASE OF BOTSWANA PUBLIC SCHOOLS

This study was carried out to identify some strategies or teaching methods that teachers in public schools in Botswana use to prepare students for final examinations in Social Studies. Respondents were also asked to arrange the identified strategies or teaching methods in order of effectiveness (that is, beginning with those strategies considered to produce the desired results and ending with those that produced poor results). A total of eight (8) Social Studies teachers were selected from four (4) public schools in Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana. A questionnaire was used to collect data. Though a survey by nature, the data collected were by and large, qualitative. As a result, the data were analyzed qualitatively. The major finding was that most teachers used group work as the main teaching strategy. On the effectiveness of the strategies or methods, the patterns varied indicating that the sequencing depended on the situation or context in which each teacher operated, or the teacher’s choice. The teachers’ qualifications and experience did not have an effect on the findings. The small size of the sample may be a limitation to the generalizability of the findings of the study.