Enhancing Teacher Professional Growth: A Study of Reflective Practices in Tanzanian Teacher Colleges

Enhancing Teacher Professional Growth: A Study of Reflective Practices in Tanzanian Teacher Colleges | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Enhancing Teacher Professional Growth: A Study of Reflective Practices in Tanzanian Teacher Colleges Raphael Tumaini O'maitarya This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8938184/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Persistent gaps between policy aspirations and classroom practice continue to undermine reflective teacher preparation in resource-constrained contexts. This mixed-methods study examines how reflective practices are integrated within Tanzanian diploma-level teacher education and identifies the institutional mechanisms shaping reflective depth. Drawing on survey data (n = 120), interviews (n = 8), document analysis, and observations across four colleges, the study analyzes the relationship between assessment structures, tutor capacity, and student engagement. Findings indicate strong rhetorical endorsement of reflection but limited procedural enactment: only one-third of reflective components carried formal assessment weight, and most observed reflections remained descriptive. Regression results show that assessment weighting and tutor modeling are the strongest predictors of reflective depth (β = .42, p < .01). The study introduces the African Critical-Pragmatist Model, specifying how assessment design and tutor preparation operate as institutional levers that determine whether reflection becomes structurally embedded or remains symbolic. Psychology Educational Philosophy and Theory General Practice Reflective Practice Teacher Education Reform Assessment Design Tutor Preparation Professional Learning Institutional Policy Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare potential competing interests as follows: The author declares that there are no competing interests Supplementary Files SUPPLEMENTARYFILES.docx Supplementary Files Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8938184","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":595086998,"identity":"f7c4d4ed-9ae0-40a5-b00c-d09f6640117f","order_by":0,"name":"Raphael Tumaini O'maitarya","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA8UlEQVRIie3PPQrCMBiA4S8EnISuFX/OEHAQz+Ji6OAUdOygkqldegAH0RMIumSuBOpS6FpwqQjOjgUdTMRJaKubYN4hCSEPHwEwmX4ylAFMngcOQ1ftGPMKggkAIS8S6wv0MdHKe40rq+dLdL2SO9340stOq9nA8hXJXVFIWrGDGwtCqIipr9YDW0jEURAfC4kN47BZ1ySknk1FxLgiGHklxDrj212T5KTIMmLrSmI7tSZokuopfMq21eRc6wek2xWpmjKMQrZTZF/6F8vBae522iIZXRr5dM5WidxnuVtM3pPPNfz4vWr+zWOTyWT6kx5/zV3WEz+BYAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1825-0097","institution":"University of Dar es Salaam","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Raphael","middleName":"Tumaini","lastName":"O'maitarya","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-02-22 09:31:41","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":true,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":true,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":true,"humanSubjectConsent":true,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8938184/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8938184/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":103511502,"identity":"40eeb110-1c9f-4270-bfb4-56718a6c8c25","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-26 14:09:58","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":724152,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"TitlePageManuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8938184/v1_covered_c72355f0-e5d1-41e6-8a9c-b01699521512.pdf"},{"id":103506519,"identity":"73d61c10-2611-4ad6-8f23-a20d7bbff0a3","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-26 13:37:17","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":32949,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSupplementary Files\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"SUPPLEMENTARYFILES.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8938184/v1/56833115180b456ba5837b48.docx"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare potential competing interests as follows: The author declares that there are no competing interests","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEnhancing Teacher Professional Growth: A Study of Reflective Practices in Tanzanian Teacher Colleges\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"University of Dar es Salaam","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Reflective Practice, Teacher Education Reform, Assessment Design, Tutor Preparation, Professional Learning, Institutional Policy","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8938184/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8938184/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003ePersistent gaps between policy aspirations and classroom practice continue to undermine reflective teacher preparation in resource-constrained contexts. This mixed-methods study examines how reflective practices are integrated within Tanzanian diploma-level teacher education and identifies the institutional mechanisms shaping reflective depth. Drawing on survey data (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;120), interviews (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;8), document analysis, and observations across four colleges, the study analyzes the relationship between assessment structures, tutor capacity, and student engagement. Findings indicate strong rhetorical endorsement of reflection but limited procedural enactment: only one-third of reflective components carried formal assessment weight, and most observed reflections remained descriptive. Regression results show that assessment weighting and tutor modeling are the strongest predictors of reflective depth (β\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;.42, p \u0026lt; .01). 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