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This paper explores the extent to which the objectives of citizenship education has been realized in Botswana. The authors draw on data from interviews and observations of thirty‐two social studies teachers drawn from eighteen junior secondary schools. The majority of the teachers felt that the objective of working to produce good citizens had either been minimally or satisfactorily achieved. The use of inquiry methods and group work were perceived as particularly effective methods of teaching citizenship. About half of the social studies teachers thought they had undergone sufficient training to effectively teach the concepts involved in citizenship education but they highlighted the challenges of irrelevant instructional materials, job dissatisfaction and large class size. The authors recommend providing regular workshops, restructuring pre‐service and in‐service education programmes in order to improve the present situation and to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

The aim of this study is to examine the problems facing University of Botswana's PostGraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) student-teachers with respect to their pedagogical practices during school placements. The study attempts to locate the issue of lesson plans and use of behavioural objectives within the general discourse on school improvement. It highlights the strengths and weaknesses of behavioural objectives, particularly the focus on the input-output process model of teaching and learning. Methods used to collect data for this study include mainly document analysis and classroom observations. The results revealed that student-teachers are more predisposed to rely on the use of knowledge and comprehensiontype of behavioural verbs in their lesson plans. PGDE student-teachers appeared to face a number of difficulties such as poor articulation of instructional objectives; heavy reliance on traditional didactic teaching-learning approaches; failure to specify 'Conditions' under which learning is ultimately evaluated and; the failure to determine the 'Degree of Mastery' expected of the learners. The article concludes by suggesting the shift to medium-to long-term goals of education as an alternative to the existing pedagogical practices.

This study investigated the perceptions of the role of Botswana's social studies teachers at secondary school level in fostering citizenship competencies and skills. Survey questionnaires were used to collect data comprising close and open-ended questions. The total population comprised forty-one respondents purposively sampled from nine junior and senior secondary schools in rural and urban locations. These included thirty four social studies teachers and seven head of departments. Data were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that, contrary to expectations the Botswana's social studies curriculum does not promote the acquisition of citizenship skills. There is a disconnection between what social studies teachers think they do and what actually happens on the ground. In fact, the mere teaching of citizenship skills does not automatically translate into equipping learners with the relevant and appropriate competencies. Successful implementation of citizenship education requires political commitment and social studies teachers who are well trained and competent to handle educational reforms.

This paper explored the myriad problems associated with undergraduate research supervision in social studies and religious education using one of the primary Colleges of Education near Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana as a case study. The study applied qualitative research involving interviews and focus group interviews to solicit information from eight college lecturers and ten final year students doing research in Religious Education and Social Studies. The respondents were purposively selected on the basis that they would provide rich data on the supervision of research projects. Additional information was generated through document and content analysis. The findings revealed that supervisors and student teachers at undergraduate level experience a large array of problems related to research capacity. The students, for example lacked presentation skills which has resulted in failure to present original work. There is also evidence of a relatively inadequate supervisory skills by college lecturers in terms of executing their supervision duties. The study concludes by calling for both supervisors and their supervisees to consider undergraduate research as a two-way process which requires expertise and adequate skills.