Understanding Teachers’ Usage Of YouTube As A Pedagogical Tool: A Qualitative Case Study Of Basic School Teachers In Ghana
Date
2024
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
E-Learning and Digital Media
Abstract
YouTube has been widely considered as a pedagogical tool over the last few decades. Recent
findings from research portray YouTube videos as an instructional part of learning that contributes
to best practices in teaching. Much of the studies have focused on usage by teachers and students at
the tertiary level without much attention given to basic school teachers. Using an exploratory
Using a qualitative case study design and the ICT Pedagogical Beliefs Classification framework, we explored
teachers’ usage of YouTube as a pedagogical tool. We drew on the experiences of 18 teachers in
3 private schools in Ghana to find out how Youtube was used in instruction. Four dominant ways of
usage were identified. YouTube was used as a teaching tool, a means of enhancing specific topics, a
means of learning new and varied ways of teaching, and as a means of developing teachers’
professional competence. Findings showed that whilst some of the ways of usage align with
constructivist methods of teaching others still fall within traditional and teacher-centered approaches
to teaching. We argue that for teachers to enact meaningful pedagogies with technology through a
more student-centred model, their knowledge and skills need to be developed alongside the
reshaping of their motives and reasons and subsequently, the ways in which they use technology for
teaching. We recommend the planning and reinforcement of innovative instructional design.
technological integration for teachers through informed policy and the use of training interventionsto build new skills geared towards constructive and creative teaching suited to developing a net
generation of students.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Constructivist, Youtube, Ghana