Effectiveness of teaching and learning Geography fieldwork through rural periodic mobile markets Ofrubabo County, Rukungiri District

Abstract

The study set out to establish the effectiveness of fieldwork teaching and learning as carried out in rural Periodic Mobile Markets in secondary schools of Rubabo county, Rukungiri district. It was guided by three research objectives .These included to investigate the organizational structure and operation modes of rural Periodic Mobile Markets, to assess effectiveness of Geography teacher in the teaching and learning of fieldwork in rural periodic mobile markets and to enhance the understanding of whether or not rural Periodic Mobile Markets contribute to rural development. A qualitative approach was deployed to carry out the study. A cross sectional survey research design was used in the study. Out of the twelve mobile Markets in Rubabocounty,only six were selected using purposive sampling. These included Kisiizi, Buyanja, Nyakishenyi, Rubabo, Nyarushanje and Kebisoni. Subjects selected were 199 comprising of mobile traders, local suppliers, local producers, service providers, market administration officials, teachers and students. Data was collected by means of questionnaires, interviewing, observation and recording. The study findings revealed that the mobile markets are operational on specific days as determined by the threshold and range of goods, that several goods and services are sold and rendered respectively, that Mobile Markets have stimulated agricultural production and other services and have enabled Mobile Marketers to send their children to school; that they have led to the introduction and boosting of Informal Credit Associations, that student prefer fieldwork excursions to classroom instruction inlearning about mobile market content and that in-service Geography teachers were not providing accurate, coherent, meaningful classroom presentations about mobile markets. The study recommended that the government of Uganda through the ministry of Local Government should construct upcountry silos to minimize post harvest losses and assist in storage of merchandise for the mobile markets. The government should also endeavor to construct feeder roads so that accessibility to the mobile markets improve. It was also recommended that since mobile markets were found to alleviate rural poverty, financial support should be channeled through the Informal Credit Associations initiated by these mobile markets. The study also recommended that in service secondary school teachers of Geography be trained on job to enhance efficiency in the new trends of the subject and to equip them with skills of using the environment to enhance teaching learning effectiveness.