Science Didactic Competencies Development in Teacher Training Colleges. Perspectives of Final Year Students at Nyamata TTC in Rwanda

Abstract

Science didactic competencies development is essential in teacher training because it equips pre-service teachers with the pedagogical skills, practical knowledge, and instructional strategies necessary to effectively teach science and foster student understanding. This study investigated the perceptions of final-year students at Nyamata TTC in the Eastern province of Rwanda regarding the effectiveness of science didactic competencies development within their teacher training program. The purpose was to examine how well the college prepares pre-service science teachers in key didactic competencies, including lesson planning and curriculum interpretation, pedagogical content knowledge, inquiry-based learner-centered teaching, practical and laboratory skills, assessment and evaluation, and classroom management and communication. A descriptive research design was employed, guided by Shulman’s Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) Theory (Shulman,1986). It used quantitative approach to collect data with structured questionnaire administered to 96 final-year students. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to determine the levels of confidence across the different competency areas. The results indicated that the majority of students expressed high confidence in most competencies, particularly in lesson planning, assessment and evaluation, and classroom management. However, a relatively low confidence was noted in areas such as improvising teaching aids using locally available materials, integrating ICT tools, and managing large classes. The study concluded that Nyamata TTC’s teacher training program effectively develops core science didactic competencies, but it requires enhanced support in resourcefulness and technology integration to fully prepare graduates for real classroom conditions. It is recommended that the college strengthen innovative teaching aid development, and enhance ICT integration to bridge the gap between training and classroom realities.