Teacher's pedagogical competencies on the utilisation of instructional materials for teaching history subject in public secondary schools in Zanzibar: A case of the Pemba North Region

This study examined teachers' pedagogical competencies and the factors influencing the use of instructional materials (IMs) in teaching history in secondary schools in Zanzibar. A census sampling technique was employed, involving 81 history teachers from 35 public secondary schools in the Pemba North Region, Zanzibar. Data were collected using a closed-ended 5-point Likert scale questionnaire and classroom observation. Descriptive and inferential statistics with IBM SPSS Statistics version 26 and thematic analysis were employed to analyse quantitative and qualitative data. The findings revealed that teachers' pedagogical competencies in using instructional materials were low (mean = 1.93). Moreover, the study found a significant link between pedagogical competence and both in-service training (p = 0.012) and the teachers' subject specialisation (p = 0.006). The study concludes that most history teachers in Zanzibar's public secondary schools face considerable challenges in effectively utilising IMs. Addressing the challenges will require strengthening teachers' pedagogical and professional knowledge. The study recommends capacity-building initiatives, including continuous in-service training, workshops, seminars and the recruitment of fully qualified teachers to improve the teaching of history in public secondary schools in Zanzibar.