Active Learning Strategies Utilization and the Surrounding Dilemma in Ethiopian Public Universities

Abstract

This study was conducted on 304(260 males and 44 females) Ethiopian public university teachers. Its major purposes were (1) to identify teachers‟ utilization of active learning strategies and its status (2) to assess the differences of teachers‟ active learning strategies utilization with respect to the experiences of the university, faculty type, HDP training status and professional course dosage level and (3) to examine teachers and academic officers dilemmas in the utilization of active learning strategies. The research design was a descriptive survey type. Questionnaire and interview were used to collect the required data to the study. One sample t-test, ANOVA, post Hoc mean comparison and qualitative description were used to analyze the collected data. One sample t-test showed that since all the observed means are significantly below the expected mean (3), university teachers‟ utilization of active learning strategies is in its minimal position. One way ANOVA results, however, indicated that teachers from high experienced university tended to utilize active learning strategies relatively more than the less experienced university teachers did. The same ANOVA results, on the other hand, revealed that there are no significant differences in teachers‟ active learning strategies utilization as the function of their HDP training status and professional course dosage level. The result of Post Hoc mean comparison depicted that engineering faculty teachers were relatively best of all other faculty teachers in utilizing active learning strategies and they were followed by natural science teachers. Taking group discussion as a substitution of active learning, imposing teachers to use active learning strategies regardless of examining the context, using active learning strategies mainly for social science contents, and practising agenda which are inconsistence with active learning strategies were found as the major dilemmas observed in the utilization of active learning strategies.