Teachers’ Use of Teaching Strategies in Mathematics and Integrated Science in Junior High Schools in Ablekuma South Sub Metropolitan District

Abstract

This study sought to investigate Junior High School teachers’ use of teaching strategies, specifically teaching strategies in teaching Mathematics and Integrated Science in Accra. This case study attempted to explore what teaching strategies teachers use in teaching these core subjects, and whether these strategies are the supposed approved teaching strategies to be used in teaching these subjects, and the outcome of using these strategies as regards the students’ performance in the subjects. The population for the study comprised both male and female Junior High School Mathematics and Integrated Science teachers in the Accra metropolis who had taught these subjects for at least one year. Ten (10) Schools made up of five (5) public and five (5) private were selected by purposive sampling from the Ablekuma South Metropolitan District of Accra, which has about 68 public and private Junior High Schools. Twenty (20) Junior High School teachers in all were sampled for this study, comprising ten (10) Mathematics and ten (10) Integrated Science. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and observation to get participants’ views on teachers’ use of teaching strategies in Mathematics and Integrated Science. Open coding of teaching strategies into categories and identifying broad themes and ideas was done to help check for frequencies and aid analysis. The study gave empirical evidence on teaching strategies used in teaching Mathematics and Integrated Science in Junior High Schools in Accra and revealed their appropriateness or otherwise in teaching these core subjects as well as how they impact the performance of students in the subjects in the classroom and ultimately at the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE).