The educational value of school-museum visits (SMV) to secondary school learners in Zimbabwe.

Abstract

Zimbabwe’s school curriculum recognises the importance of learning through heritage institutions. National museums in Zimbabwe have been providing heritage education since the late 1900s and educational programmes such as the SMV are still being provided. This study investigated how the SMV empowers secondary school learners to learn curriculum content. This study was undertaken from 2018-2021. The study employed qualitative research approaches. The study reveals that secondary school learners are learning selected aspects of the Heritage Studies, History, Geography, and Science curriculum. The major barriers to learning among secondary school learners are the use of outdated permanent exhibitions, rigid and limited methods of content delivery, and less informed and enthusiastic teachers. National museums in Zimbabwe operate grounded on a behaviourist educational framework, which is restrictive to effective learning in museum settings. Furthermore, the museum’s use of permanent exhibitions inherited from the colonial period, and lack of will and financial resources to change or refocus exhibitions militated against effective learning among secondary school learners. Thus, the outdated exhibitions and limited methods of content delivery utilised by national museums is no longer in sync with the educational needs of the current generations.