Abstract:

After becoming independent in 1968, education became one of the main preoccupations of the Mauritian Government to meet the new challenges awaiting the country. Shaped by the type of schooling development in the French and British colonial times, the Arts has been an important area of the curriculum in Mauritius as primary education was made compulsory in 1991. The Arts has been a core, non-examinable subject taught at primary level since 2010 [1]. Until 2016, the Arts was taught by the class teacher who was responsible for the teaching of core subjects like Maths, English, French, History and Geography and Sciences. Research demonstrated that Mauritian school teachers did not share the same views of its importance, as teaching at primary level was highly exam-oriented. Teachers preferred teaching core subjects and very rarely taught the Arts at school [2]. As from 2016, reforms in the Mauritian Educational system have enabled the creation of a new category of teachers namely, the ‘Holistic Education Animators’ [3]. These teachers have the responsibility to teach the Arts (creative arts, music, dance and drama), Health and Physical Education and Values Education at primary school level with the view of focusing on the development of the intellectual, emotional, social, physical and artistic skills of pupils [3]. These trainee teachers are currently being trained at the Mauritius Institute of Education (MIE) , a teacher education institute while they are also on placement in schools [3].
Informal talks with these trainee teachers at the MIE reveal that views and perceptions about Arts education seem to be formed during the beginning phase of teaching which starts with the pre-service teacher education. These beliefs also often provide an insight into how these pre-service teachers will teach the Arts once they are teaching in schools.
Qualitative data was gathered through a survey administered to 40 pre service teachers. A focus group discussion was also carried out with 10 pre service teachers. The objective was to investigate factors that influence teachers’ beliefs about their own perceived capabilities in teaching Arts education. Participants were furthermore asked to share information on their past levels of Arts engagement.
The main findings suggest that most participants believe that their capabilities in teaching Arts education are limited. The main factors that contribute to such an opinion are participants’ limited past and current engagement and exposure to Arts offering limited experiences to draw upon. Participants also reveal that they have no support or guidance at school regarding the teaching of the Arts since they belong to the first cohort of ‘Holistic Education Animators’ who are being trained in Mauritius. Limited cognitive learning, limited resources and facilities at school, and somewhat negative experiences during observation and interaction in the course of school placement also affected their self-efficacy in Arts education. It is evident that the school environment and school culture during placement also affect participants’ self-efficacy in teaching Arts education. However, trainees also claimed that they are hopeful that with further training and more facilities at school, the landscape for the teaching of Arts will be brighter one.

Keywords:

Arts education, pre-service teacher self-efficacy, and beliefs.