Experience-based School Principals’ perspectives on the development of and roles of social relationships on Tanzania’s pre-primary school children’s learning

Abstract

This paper investigated the perceived role of the social relationships in the pre-primary school children’s learning. It basically focused primary school principals’ perspectives on social relationship among pre-primary children and in relation to the school community. To achieve the study purpose, four specific objectives guided the study that engaged 12 school principals in Mbozi district in Mbeya region through the use of purposive sampling strategy. Informed by the phenomenographic research design, a semi-structured interview was used to collect data from the school principals using face-to-face conversations that lasted for 30 - 50 minutes. The analysis followed the three conceptual tasks and revealed that school principal’s conceptions about a child’s social relationship staved off the development of inacceptable manner made possible through collaboration between family members (parents) and other community members. Cooperation and respecting child’s needs are the two essential elements of positive teacher-child and child-child relationships. Importantly, teaching children to be cooperative and respect one another and adults help in strengthening social relationship in the society.