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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 11, No. 3
Publication Date: March 25, 2024
DOI:10.14738/assrj.113.16720.
Ndossi, R. E. N., & Boundja, C. (2024). Teaching/Learning Philosophy in High School: Case of Congo. Advances in Social Sciences
Research Journal, 11(3). 447-463.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Teaching/Learning Philosophy in High School: Case of Congo
Reine Espoire Ngoma Ndossi
Laboratory for multidisciplinary studies and research and human
and environmental sciences/Marien Ngouabi University/ Congo
Claver Boundja
Laboratory for multidisciplinary studies and research and human
and environmental sciences/Marien Ngouabi University/ Congo
ABSTRACT
This article is a study and research carried out among students in final year literary
classes and Philosophy teachers, at the Nganga Edouard high school in Brazzaville
Congo), during the 2019-2020 school year. We wanted to answer the following
question: what are the didactic and pedagogical problems that philosophy teachers
encounter in the transmission of knowledge related to existence and its problems?
This question is linked to the didactics and pedagogy of philosophy in high school.
Propose didactics and pedagogy of philosophy, more adapted to the theme entitled
“the philosophical teaching of existence and its problems”. We arrive at the following
results: the difficulties of philosophical teaching on existence and its problems in
literary final year classes are linked to the misuse of didactics and pedagogy by
teachers; the theme of existence and its problems is not well taught in high school
because of the limitations experienced by teachers regarding the methodical
explanation of the subjects; the teaching of this theme is too theoretical and far from
the real existence and daily experience of learners. We suggest an interactive
didactic approach; a participatory pedagogy; an integration of the real problems of
the learners' existence, in the content of the lessons.
Keywords: behaviorism, structuralism, didactic problems, pedagogical problems,
philosophy of existence.
INTRODUCTION
Among the disciplines that are on the school education program in Congo, Philosophy occupies
an important place, because it helps learners to better understand and analyze the problems of
human existence in society. It is for this reason that in the literary terminal program, there is
the theme entitled “Existence and its problems”. According to the National Institute of Research
and Educational Action (INRAP), the objective of this theme is to lead learners to detach
themselves from ignorance of the fundamental problems of human existence, to move towards
knowledge of the solutions, proposed by classical philosophers. The teaching of this theme
should contribute to healing the ills of the soul, as a remedy for social problems. Our study leads
to the result that this objective is not achieved.
Furthermore, INRAP's general education program allows teachers to achieve objectives and
evaluate learners based on the knowledge acquired. Among the elements which constitute this
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 11, Issue 3, March-2024
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
theme there are among others: existence, the different approaches to God, the proofs of the
existence of God, the problems of freedom, and the problem of death. Hence, we could already
read from philosophers like Saint Thomas Aquinas, Descartes, Spinoza, Hegel, Sartre, Plato and
Heidegger that existence is complex. In fact, the teaching of philosophy in Congo aims at a
utilitarian end which is none other than awakening a critical mind and teaching learners how
to think for themselves, how to put man at the center of existence, and show learners the
philosophy that addresses social problems.
Our research starts from the observation that the notion of the real existence of Congolese
society, despite its challenges, is poorly developed in the teaching of the theme of “Existence
and its problems”. The central question of our research is the following: what are the didactic
and pedagogical problems that philosophy teachers encounter in the transmission of
knowledge linked to existence and its problems? This question is linked to the didactics and
pedagogy of philosophy in high school (M. Tozzi, P. Barranger, M. Benoit and C. Vincent write,
1992).
The Main Hypothesis of Our Research Is the Following:
• The difficulties of philosophical teaching of existence and its problems in literary
Terminale would be due to the misuse of didactics by teachers.
Secondary Hypotheses:
• The theme of existence and its problems would not be well taught in high school because
of the limitations experienced by teachers regarding the methodical explanation of the
subjects;
• The philosophical teaching of existence and its problems in literary final year would be
too theoretical and far from real existence and the daily experience of learners.
Main Objective:
To propose didactics and pedagogy of philosophy, more adapted to the theme entitled “the
philosophical teaching of existence and its problems”.
Specific Objectives:
• To suggest an interactive methodological approach to teachers;
• To propose pedagogy, capable of encouraging student participation;
• To insert, into the teaching content, real problems of the learners' existence.
OPERATING FRAMEWORK
Methodology
The variation of a problem or the verification of hypotheses in research presupposes at first
glance the use of some technique, methods or means which must be adapted. Methodology is
understood as a set of steps followed to reach and demonstrate a truth or what is perceived as
such. This means that methodology is a means that leads to the destination, that is, a path to
follow to avoid being lost in research. Based on this definition, we say that methodology is an
approach adapted by researchers, teachers, in order to do good work.
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Ndossi, R. E. N., & Boundja, C. (2024). Teaching/Learning Philosophy in High School: Case of Congo. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal,
11(3). 447-463.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.113.16720
Taking into account the nature of the hypotheses, the methodology used in this work is the field
survey with a view to collecting data from philosophy teachers and learners of the literary
terminal. The main thing was to be in contact with the different sources in order to clarify the
philosophical teaching of existence and its problems in Terminale A (TA).
We started from a survey carried out at the Nganga Edouar high school in the final A classes,
where we found that the learners had difficulty assimilating the course on existence and its
problems. This is why we focused our study on this chapter in order to carry out an in-depth
study to verify whether this problem relates to didactics.
The programs are developed by the services of the Ministry of Primary Secondary Education
and Literacy (MEPSA), in collaboration with other Ministries and partners concerned. The
responsibility for developing these programs having a national character is the responsibility
of the Institute for Educational Research and Action (INRAP), under the authoritative eye of the
supervisory Ministry. These programs contain the following elements: The purposes, goals,
objectives, content, learning activities, means of evaluation. This helps to facilitate teachers to
properly develop their course in the learning process.
The general philosophy teaching program in TA was analyzed with the aim of verifying the
presence or absence of notions on existence and its problems in TA, as well as the importance
devoted to the lessons. To do this, the 2014 editions were consulted to conclude whether or not
the concepts studied were present in the documents.
The questionnaire is a research tool consisting of both closed and open questions. In this work,
we have two types of questionnaires, one questionnaire intended for philosophy teachers, and
the other for TA learners. It should also be noted that we only worked with repeaters from
Nganga Edouard high school.
Concerning the teachers' questionnaire, our objective is to question them on questions
relatively based on the philosophical teaching of existence and its problems. On the other hand,
the learners' questionnaire is made up of questions focused on the non-assimilation of
existence and its problems, which justifies the learners' inability to fully understand this
chapter in class.
In our questionnaire, we developed closed, single-choice questions to which the respondent
must answer yes or no,
Multiple choice questions where the respondent can choose between several possibilities, open
questions which give the latitude to direct the answer in the desired direction by justifying it.
Operation of the Study
Field of Investigation:
To properly write this document, field work was necessary as is usual in all research work in
educational science. The field of investigation of this study was carried out in the city of
Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo, which has sixteen (16) general education high
schools, namely: La Révolution, AA Neto A and B, Thomas Sankara A and B, Kintéle, Massengo,