Department of Teacher Education
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Item Analysis of study skills employed by Ghanaian high school science students(Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences, 2020) Aboagye, G.K.; Amponsah, K.D.; Johnson, E.A.This study was motivated by the desire to explore the study skills employed by science students in senior high schools (SHS) in the Cape Coast metropolis across the Central Region of Ghana. A total of 600 SHS second-year science students, 354 males, and 244 females, took part in the investigation. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design. The “Study Skills Scale” the questionnaire was utilized for data collection to determine the kind of study skills employed by the science students, across gender, age range, and school type. The arithmetic mean was used to establish the degree to which students employ study skills strategies in their learning. Similarly, the consequence of gender, age range, and school type on the eight subscales of study skills strategies was determined using a one-way multivariate examination of variance. Findings from the investigation indicated that SHS science learners employ study skills strategies in their learning to a large extent for all the subscales of study skills strategies. However, female students employ the memory and concentration study skills strategies more effectively than their male counterparts; demographic variables, such as age range and school type, do not influence students’ study skills significantly. The implications of this study for policy and practice were discussed.Item Exploring postcolonial relationships within policy transfer: the case of learner-centred pedagogy in Ghana(Comparative Education, 2023) Sakata, N.; Okrah, A.K.; Yates, C.; Edjah, H.Framed by Homi Bhabha’s concepts of hybridity and the third space. of enunciation, This study explores postcolonial relationships conceivably enacted through policy borrowing processes of learner-centred pedagogy (LCP) in Ghana. Nine Ghanaian and nine foreign stakeholders were interviewed. Conscious of the power imbalance implicit in traditional aid, the case project attempted to challenge the asymmetrical power relationships by allocating policy leadership and responsibility to Ghanaian stakeholders. However, the third space of enunciation created within the project, it did not seem to lead to a hybridization of pedagogical ideas: while it was the Ghanaians themselves who promoted LCP within the project, the conceptual basis of the reform was dependent on knowledge and experiences, which they gained in the West. This article concludes that the postcolonial turn through hybridization of indigenous and Western pedagogies was not observed, although hybridity may happen in the process of actualizing LCP at school and in the classroom levels.Item Using phenomenography to unearth factors influencing the delivery of guidance services(Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 2022) Sedofia, J.; Tutu-Danquah, C.; Fia, S.D.Which factors influence the delivery of school guidance services in Colleges? Education (CoEs) in Ghana? The guidance needs of students in the CoEs may not be fully met if the factors that influence guidance service delivery at that level of education are not explored for effective upgrade of service quality. This phenomenographic study therefore explored factors influencing the delivery of guidance services in CoEs in Ghana. We interviewed second-year teacher trainees (n = 24) and counsellors from three randomly selected CoEs in the Volta region of Ghana (n = 3). The findings indicate that material resources and awareness influenced guidance service delivery in the CoEs. It was also found that although students reported that confidentiality and attitude influenced service delivery in the colleges, the counsellors did not agree with this. Finally, the study discovered that human resource do not influence guidance service delivery in the colleges. It was recommended that college authorities should provide the material resources, such as offices, computers, and test batteries, that are needed for counselling, and counsellors should publicise the guidance programme to raise awareness and lead to the development of positive attitudes towards the program. This study contributes to the guidance and counselling literature by illuminating the factors influencing guidance service delivery in CoEs. This should be of interest to practitioners, policymakers and researchers in school guidance and counselling.Item COVID-19 and tertiary students’ knowledge, usage and challenges of using online learning platforms(Cogent Education, 2022) Yeboah, R.The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in most universities engaging in emergency online learning, which they were not adequately prepared for. The emergency nature of the learning process raises questions on how students are able to effectively engage in the process. This study explored undergraduate students from the Department of Teacher Education at the University of Ghana’s knowledge, usage and challenges of using online learning platforms during the 2019 2020 is the second semester of the academic year. The students had to complete all courses online in the middle of the semester because of the pandemic. Five hundred and thirty-eight (538) students participated in the study; a survey was used to collect data from the students. Descriptive statistics (percentages and frequencies) and inferential statistics (t-test) were used to analyse the data. The results show that not all students who took part in online learning knew about online learning platforms, indicating that students were not given the needed training before all courses were migrated to be taught online. Almost half (45%) of the students were not engaged in online platforms for learning before COVID-19, indicating engaging Online learning was a very new experience for many of the students. As a result, some students were not able to use and engage in the online platforms and a lot of them indicated they were not comfortable learning online. Access to internet data (61%), stable electricity (54%), technological equipment (47%), internet connectivity problems (77%) and geographical location (47%) did not allow some students to participate well in online learning.Item Examining Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Impact Of Government Of Ghana’s Wi-Fi Technology Program On Teaching Practices: An Empirical Study From The Senior High Schools In The Cape Coast Metropolis(Cogent Education, 2024) Asomah, R.K.; Amponsah, K.D.; Agyei, D.D.; et al.The study discusses the impact of a nationwide deployment of Wi-Fi technology in some Senior High Technical Vocational Schools (SHTVs) in Ghana, using the first four levels of Guskey’s framework. A stratified sampling approach was used to select 119 teachers as participants in the study. An embedded mixed-methods research design was employed to collect data using a questionnaire with both closed-ended and open-ended items. The findings revealed that the deployment of Wi-Fi technology impacted positively on the teachers’ learning experiences and was positively perceived by the teachers in facilitating teaching and learning practices. However, the study also revealed some deficits in reliability, trust, and connectivity associated with the Wi-Fi technology, highlighting the need to explore factors that maximize the output of technological initiatives. The study identifies the school’s organization and the teachers’ learning experiences as two key predictors of maximizing the use of Wi-Fi technology in educational establishments. The study recommends equipping teachers with the requisite competencies in the use of Wi-Fi technologies through professional development programs, training, and the enactment of ICT curriculum-based policies in schools. These policies and support will promote and enhance the effectiveness of of Wi-Fi technology among teachers, enabling them to shift from traditional to more technologically inclined, student-centred learning.Item Exploring postcolonial relationships within policy transfer: the case of learner-centred pedagogy in Ghana(Comparative Education, 2023) Sakata, N.; Yates, C.; Okrah, A.K.; et al.Framed by Homi Bhabha’s concepts of hybridity and the third space. of enunciation, this study explores postcolonial relationships conceivably enacted through policy borrowing processes of learner-centred pedagogy (LCP) in Ghana. Nine Ghanaian and Nine foreign stakeholders were interviewed. Conscious of the power imbalance implicit in traditional aid, the case project attempted to challenge the asymmetrical power relationships by allocating policy leadership and responsibility to Ghanaian stakeholders. However, the third space of enunciation created within the project, it did not seem to lead to a hybridization of pedagogical ideas: while it was the Ghanaians themselves who promoted LCP within the project, the conceptual basis of the reform was dependent on knowledge and experiences, which they gained in the West. This article concludes that the postcolonial turn through hybridization of indigenous and Western pedagogies was not observed, although hybridity may happen in the process of actualizing LCP at school and in the classroom levels.Item Making primary school science education more practical through appropriate interactive instructional resources: A case study of Ghana(Cogent Education, 2019) Yeboah, R.; Abonyi, U.K.; Luguterah, A.W.This instructional resource production project explored low cost and waste materials for developing practical and interactive resources for teaching science at the basic school level. Developing countries, including Ghana, are not able to provide teachers with instructional resources for teaching and learning due to financial constraints. Science in particular is a subject that pupils and students in Ghana generally do not perform well both at the basic and senior high levels which is evident from the end of level examinations over the years. The study used exploratory and descriptive approaches under qualitative research. Convenience sampling was used to select low cost and waste materials to work with, and observation was used to collect data from the production process. The research found that waste materials can be used safely to develop appropriate and useful instructional resources that are very practical for teaching and learning of science lessons. This research projects to science teachers that they can freely turn col lected waste and low-cost materials into useful resources for effective lessons.Item Making primary school science education more practical through appropriate interactive instructional resources: A case study of Ghana(Cogent Education, 2019) Yeboah, R.; Abonyi, U.K.; Luguterah, A.W.This instructional resource production project explored low cost and waste materials for developing practical and interactive resources for teaching science at the basic school level. Developing countries, including Ghana, are not able to provide teachers with instructional resources for teaching and learning due to financial constraints. Science in particular is a subject that pupils and students in Ghana generally do not perform well both at the basic and senior high levels which is evident from the end of level examinations over the years. The study used exploratory and descriptive approaches under qualitative research. Convenience sampling was used to select low cost and waste materials to work with, and observation was used to collect data from the production process. The research found that waste materials can be used safely to develop appropriate and useful instructional resources that are very practical for teaching and learning of science lessons. This research projects to science teachers that they can freely turn col lected waste and low-cost materials into useful resources for effective lessons.Item Game-based learning in Ghanaian primary schools: listening to the views of teachers(International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education, 2023) Yeboah, R.; Amponsah, K.D.; Mintah, P.C.; Sedofia, J.; Donkor, P.B.K.This research explores how primary school teachers use games to enhance pupils’ learning and development of conceptual knowledge. The study employs an illustrative case study design; data was collected through interviews with thirty (30) teachers who were selected using purposive sampling technique. Twenty teachers had some knowledge of game-based learning, ten teachers, however, did not know anything about the concept game-based learning. The results show that the use of non-digital games of different kinds to engage pupils is common in the learning of Maths, English, and Science. Teachers ascribed positively that the integration of game-based learning motivates pupils to come to school, actively engages them in the learning process, helps pupils to easily assimilate lesson contents, makes lessons lively and fun, and builds collaborative skills amongst pupils. Inadequate resources, noisy classes, time constraints, large class sizes, the reluctance of some pupils to participate, and inadequate knowledge are challenges reported by the teachers.Item Teachers’ and Educational Administrators’ Conceptions of Inquiry: Do They Promote or Constrain Inquiry-Based Science Teaching in Junior High Schools?(Journal of Curriculum and Teaching, 2021) Mohammed, S.M.; Amponsah, K.D.This study sought to examine whether teachers’ and educational administrators’ conceptions of inquiry promote or constrain inquiry-based science teaching in junior high schools. The study also explored any connections between participants’ conceptions of scientific inquiry, inquiry teaching, and inquiry learning. Multiple-case study involving semi-structured interviews was used to collect data from 18 integrated science teachers and 23 educational administrators from rural and urban areas in the Central Region of Ghana. Analysis of the qualitative data involved open coding and categorisation of participants’ responses. We found that all the teachers and educational administrators held either uninformed or partially informed conceptions of scientific inquiry and inquiry teaching and learning which, constrain inquiry-based science instruction in junior high schools. We also found that participants’ conceptions of scientific inquiry reflected in their conceptions of science teaching and learning. Again, we found that the uninformed conceptions of inquiry developed from participants’ lack of exposure and experiences with inquiry-based science instruction when they were students. We recommend regular explicit-reflective in-service trainings to promote teachers’ and educational administrators’ conceptions and teachers’ practice of inquiry-based science teaching. We also recommend reforms in preservice science education that emphasise the engagement of prospective teachers in collaborative explicit-reflective inquiry investigations and instructional practices.