A Systematic Review Comparing Teacher-Centred and Learner-Centred Teaching Approaches in Tanzanian Secondary Schools

This study investigates the effectiveness of teacher-centred and learner-centred approaches in promoting meaningful learning in Tanzanian secondary schools. Despite the widespread use of both teaching methods, there remains limited empirical evidence regarding their comparative impact on student outcomes in Tanzania. To address this gap, a meta-analysis was conducted on 35 studies published between 2000 and 2024 from various academic repositories. The methodology involved synthesising data from these studies to evaluate the effect sizes of learner-centred methods compared to teacher-centred approaches. An effect size of 5.9997 (95% CI: 5.0230 to 6.9761) was found in favour of learner-centred methods, highlighting their superior ability to enhance student engagement, comprehension, and retention. The study also revealed significant heterogeneity (I² = 93%) among the studies, suggesting that the outcomes were influenced by differences in study design and contextual settings. This research is original in its comprehensive examination of Tanzanian educational contexts and contributes valuable insights for selecting teaching/learning methods to maximise learning outcomes. The findings underscore the importance of employing diverse learner-centred teaching approaches to accommodate varying student needs and context, ultimately improving the quality of education in Tanzanian secondary schools’ classrooms.