'Making do': Teachers' coping strategies for dealing with textbook shortages in urban Zambia

Textbooks are a critical component of quality education in developing countries. This article investigates textbook availability and teachers' coping strategies in the face of poor textbook access in Zambia. Driven by change theory, the study concludes that teachers' educational beliefs, teaching approaches and use of alternative materials together determine the strategies used to handle shortages. Teachers need more textbooks, but there is little indication that provision will improve in the near future. We therefore argue for the integration of some of the positive teacher-developed adaptations into teacher training programs, with the goal of improving outcomes in the near term.