This dissertation, "Pre-primary Educational Policy and Practice in Tanzania: Observations From Urban and Rural Pre-primary Schools" by Lyabwene, Mtahabwa, was obtained from The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) and is being sold pursuant to Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License. The content of this dissertation has not been altered in any way. We have altered the formatting in order to facilitate the ease of printing and reading of the dissertation. All rights not granted by the above license are retained by the author. Abstract: Abstract of thesis entitled "Pre-primary Educational Policy and Practice in Tanzania: Observations from Urban and Rural Pre-primary Schools" Submitted by MTAHABWA Lyabwene for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Hong Kong in December 2007 This study examined the relationship between pre-primary educational policy and practice in two urban and two rural pre-primary schools in Tanzania. Data collection and interpretation were guided by Socio-cultural Theory (Vygotsky, 1978). Participants were teachers (n =5) in the four pre-primary schools and their pupils; Heads of the pre-primary schools (n = 4); policy- makers (n = 3) and parents (n = 14). A multi-method data collection strategy, which included observations, documentary analysis and interviews was deployed. Each pre-primary class was observed over a period of two weeks and about 6 hours of videotaped observations were subject to systematic analysis. Teachers were interviewed after lessons conducted to discern the meanings behind specific practices. Following a historical perspective, policy and teacher preparation curricula over the past 10 years were analysed to determine the macro policy context behind teacher practices. Other documents that were reviewed included lesson plans, children's progress forms, school inspectors' reports and vregulatory guidelines for pre-primary classes. Policy-makers provided information about the macro-policy context while other participants provided information on the micro-policy context. The teachers stated how they interpreted policy and how it influenced their practices. The Heads provided information on its impact on their pre-primary schools and the efforts they made to improve teaching and learning. Parents were interviewed to discern what they considered "a good pre-primary school-age child" and the actions they took to socialise such a child. Observational data were coded using a system developed for the study. Information garnered from the documentary analysis and interviews were subject to a content analysis. These data were used to draw conclusions about perceptions of policy while observations provided authentic data about the relationship between policy and practice. Results indicated that (i) while aspects of the policy were laudable, it lacked specificity, failed to reflect socio-cultural realities and that it was not accompanied by a Plan of Action or implementation plan; (ii) The same policy was applicable for urban and rural areas but there were vast differences in practice between urban and rural pre-primary schools. Structural factors such as teacher/pupil ratio, group size, resources, available space and syllabi availability were much less favourable in the rural schools; (iii) Cultural beliefs were reflected in teachers' lessons where communication was predominantly teacher dominated; and (iv) Teacher qualification was the main factor differentiating classroom practices and was critical in determining the quality of classroom interactions. Teachers who had undergone training in pre-primary education tended to use more appropriate pedagogical behaviours than those without training, regardless of context. Findings have led to the development of a model specifying the relationship between pre- primary policy and practice in the Tanzanian context. Implications of the results for different facets of policy for