Challenges Hindering School Management Support of Project-Based Learning in Fostering Critical Thinking Skills in Secondary Schools as Perceived by Heads of Schools and Teachers in Ubungo Municipality

Monica Goodluck Malisa & Daniel Kosia Mokoro
Department of Education
Tumaini University Makumira (TUMA), Arusha-Tanzania
Email: monicamalisa262@gmail.com/ danielkosia@yahoo.com

Abstract: This study examined school management support of project-based learning in fostering critical thinking skills in secondary schools in the Ubungo Municipality which was guided by transformational leadership theory. The study adopted a convergent parallel design under a mixed-method research approach. The sample size of the study was 55 respondents out of 1306 population. Simple random, purposive and stratified sampling techniques were used to select teachers and heads of schools respectively. Instruments for data collection were questionnaires and structured interviews. Quantitative data adopted statistical analysis while the qualitative data were thematically analyzed. The study found that some factors such as poor learning environment, poor policy implementation inadequate financial support as well as difficulty in accessibility of teaching and learning materials hinder to the high extent the integration of project based learning in secondary schools. The study recommends that the Ubungo Municipality should provide a sufficient budget to schools so that school management can provide all necessary materials at the right time so that PBL can be effectively implemented by the teachers in schools.