THE EFFECTS OF TEACHERS’ DRESS CODE ON LEARNERS’ LEARNING EXPERIENCE IN FOUR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN SOUTH EAST AND SOUTH-WEST EDUCATION DIVISIONS

Abstract

The Ministry of Education Science and Technology does not clearly identify the dress code for teachers in Malawi and as a result teachers dress is different in various schools because they decide for themselves what to wear depending on the schools preference. The purpose of the study was to find out if teachers dress code has effects on learners in Malawian secondary schools. Based on the interpretative paradigm, the study adopted case study design and qualitative methodology to address the issue at hand. Forty-five participants were selected for the study. Purposive sampling, convenience sampling and random sampling were used to select the sample participants for the study and to select schools for the study. The participants were selected from four secondary schools in the South East Education Division (SEED) and South-West Education Division (SWED). Data were generated using documentary analysis, in-depth interviews, focus group discussion and observation. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data. The findings of the study revealed that learners behave according to the way the teacher dresses and the messages conveyed through their dress. The implication is that from the various trends of dress codes, the mode of teachers‟ dressing matters in the type of messages it sends to learners‟ besides the subject matter. This can either negatively or positively affect the learning experience of learners depending on their gender, social values, norms and religious affiliation. The thesis concludes that government through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) should provide a set standard of teachers‟ dress code for all its teachers working in the ministry and perhaps also extend for those teaching in the private schools.