Research sites and participants
The three research sites selected for fieldwork study were the USP, where the
researcher is based; the Ministry of Education in Suva; and selected primary
and secondary schools.
The researcher included a select sample of Ministry of Education officers in
this study to determine the policy directives being pursued and to gauge the
level of understanding and shared ideas about the significance of pedagogy
in the education system in Fiji.
Teacher educators at the USP were sampled to ascertain the extent to which
pedagogy is prioritized in the teacher education programmes on offer, as well
to learn about the general understandings of the education system in Fiji and
the pedagogical practices of teachers.
This study only examined teacher education at the University of the South
Pacific, rather than also studying other teacher education facilities, because
the USP has been the premier tertiary education provider in the region
since 1968. With its main campus located in Suva, the USP provides pre-
service training, in-service initial teacher education, postgraduate degrees in
education and professional development for Fiji teachers. Teacher education
programmes are offered through the School of Education, in the Faculty of
Arts, Law and Education.
Permission was obtained from the Ministry of Education to conduct this
research at three primary schools and five secondary schools in the central
division. Ten teachers were selected from each school.
The selected primary schools were two peri-urban schools and one urban
school. All of the selected schools are co-educational, offering mainstream
public education from years 1 to 8. These schools represent typically-sized
primary schools with student populations of 699, 692 and 906, respectively.
Average class size is between 35 and 40 pupils, with one teacher designated
for each class.
The secondary schools sampled included one all-girls school and four co-
educational schools, all of which offer mainstream public education from
years 9 to 13. Three schools are categorized as urban schools with one peri-
urban. School populations range from 350 to 1,600. These schools represent
typical secondary schools with small, medium and large school rolls. Class
sizes vary in these schools, with between 20 and 40 enrolled in compulsory