ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
The teacher factor in junior secondary school girls' achievement and attitude towards mathematics

This study was conducted to find out how school environments, particularly teachers, contribute to junior secondary school girls‘ achievement and attitude towards mathematics. The study involved 262 girls from twelve (12) mixed and six (6) all-girls junior high schools and their mathematics teachers. An achievement test and questionnaires were the instruments used to collect data. The data from the achievement test and the questionnaires were analysed using the independent samples t-test and Pearson product -moment correlations at 5% significant level. The results revealed that female teachers were of the belief that boys show higher ability in mathematics than girls, and girls learn better in cooperative activities while the male teachers indicated that boys and girls were equal in these respect. Non-mathematics major and non-professional teachers were of the view that girls achieve lesser in mathematics than boys while the mathematics major and professional teachers believe that boys and girls achieve at the same level in mathematics. Girls taught by mathematics major and professional teachers performed significantly better than girls taught by non-mathematics major and non-professional teachers. The girls rated the behaviour of male and professional teachers significantly more positive than that of the female and non-professional teachers. It was found that teacher-student relationship influence students‘ attitude toward mathematics, and there is a significant positive correlation between girls‘ attitude and achievement in mathematics. The implications of the findings were discussed and one of the recommendations made was that, mathematics teachers must put an end to any practices or behaviours that dispirit the girls in their learning of the subject.

Source: UCC
Teacher Identification Of Gifted And Talented Students In The Study Of Accounting: A Survey Of Selected Second-Cycle Institution In Accra Metropolis

The focus of this study was to explore teachers’ ability to identify gifted and talented students in the study of accounting. The case study design was used which employed qualitative approach to gather important data from the respondents. Twenty-four (24) accounting teachers, three (3) heads of department and three (3) chairpersons of guidance and counselling committees were the participants for the study. Data for the study was collected through interviews, focus group discussions, and documentary review. The data for the study was analyzed through triangulation to ensure edibility and reliability. It emerged from the study that, teachers are concerned about a variety of class management concerns. The study further revealed that, teachers have insufficient awareness of giftedness and educating gifted children. The study therefore recommends that stakeholders in education (MoE, and GES) should consider providing teachers with relevant materials to handle variety of classroom issues. Again, a professional development training programme for teachers would be needed to enable teachers to obtain in-depth knowledge about gifted/talented students.

Source: UCC
Teacher management and support services in Wassa West district of Ghana

Support services are expected to be provided by management bodies to make the teacher work better. The study aimed at finding out the extent the District Education Office (DEO), the District Education Oversight Committee (DEOC) represented by the District Assembly, the traditional authority and heads of government departments in the district, the School Management Committees and the Parent Teacher Associations (SMC/PTA) are working to support the teacher. The study covered 40 schools in the Wassa West District and 347 teachers, 78 SMC/PTA members, 18 DEO staff and 11 members of the DEOC were involved in the study. It was found that the district education office does not perform well when it comes to the welfare of the teacher like providing accommodation and suitable school environment within which the teacher should work. The activities of the DEOC were found to be concentrated in the urban areas. The SMC/PTA was found to be working well in the rural communities. It was further found that the policies on capitation, school feeding programme and school materials for needy children have created irresponsibility among some parents and that has affected the finances of the SMC/PTA.

Source: UCC
Teacher management and support services in Wesley Grammar School

Teachers have great responsibilities in the development of an educational system, sharing in curriculum development, producing materials for teaching and learning and participating in the design and administration of new forms of educational assessment. Efforts to manage and support teachers are therefore critical in improving the quality of teaching and learning. The study aimed at examining the roles teachers play in achieving school goals, teacher management and support services available in Wes-G, and adequacy of teaching materials, supervision and incentive support for teachers to remain committed in the service. A descriptive research design was adopted for the study. Both simple random sampling and purposive sampling methods were used to obtain a total of 57 respondents (50 teachers and seven teacher managers) to respond to issues. Both questionnaire and interview guide were used to gather data. The study found that teachers combined both their teaching and assigned duties to ensure the achievement of school goals. Some of the challenges teachers encounter in administering their duties included low knowledge in ICT, inadequate TLMs and poor remuneration. Management and support services available for teachers at the Wesley Grammar school included infirmary, subsidised accommodation, supervision, welfare fund and term bonuses. A majority of the sampled teachers were not satisfied with the incentive packages received from the school. It is therefore recommended that teachers should be trained on ICT, adequate instructional materials should be made available to teachers, and more accommodation facilities should be provided for teachers.

Source: UCC
Teacher motivation and Job Satisfaction in selected Senior High Schools in the Tain District of the Brong Ahafo Region

The purpose of the study was to find out how motivation of teachers relate to the satisfaction they have on their job. This was done by looking at the strategies that account for teachers likening of their Job and the teachers’ attitude towards motivational schemes.The study adopted a simple survey which was considered in collecting data to facilitate the testing of research questions raised in the study. The sample was drawn from two main Senior High Schools in the Tain District of the Brong Ahafo Region. Data was collected through the use of research questions which were administered only to teachers. The results of the study showed that motivation is not really given much attention by the school administrators.Though teachers are aware that some of the motivational factors, strategies or schemes raised will motivate them to work well, the administrators are not giving much attention to them.The study recommended among other things that school administrators should give much attention to motivational tools in other to help achieve the goals for the establishment of the schools. The school climate should also be made friendly in such a way as to bring about a cordial relationship between the headmaster or headmistress and the teachers. Moreover, the heads of schools must involve the staff in all aspects of decision making in the school.

Source: UCC
Teacher motivation and school performance: evidence from three selected senior high schools in Prampram District

Human resource, in the 21st century, is regarded as the most vital asset for good and effective performance of any organisation worldwide (Armstrong & Baron, 2005). Educational institutions can never survive without relying heavily on human resource (teachers). It was in this light that, this study examined the relationship between teacher motivation and school performance in three selected Senior High Schools (SHSs) within the Prampram district, Ghana. The study employed the quantitative approach and descriptive research design due to its research objectives. The census technique was employed to solicit for information from all the 113 teachers of the three selected schools. Structured questionnaires were administered to the teachers and the data obtained was processed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24. The data was then analysed using both descriptive (frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations) and inferential (Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Linear regression) statistical tools. The study found that, quality of teaching, and teachers’ abilities to complete curriculum activities on schedule were the major and highest indicators of teachers’ performance in the schools’ understudy. The study also found that, teacher empowerment, working condition and work-life-balance had positive impacts on teacher performance in the schools’ understudy. The study therefore recommended that, Ghana Education Service (GES) should implement regular teacher-stakeholder consultation meetings which would allow teachers to reveal the challenges associated with their inabilities to complete curriculum.

Source: UCC
Teacher motivation in selected senior high schools in the Kwabre District of the Ashanti Region

The classroom teacher is the key to the quality of any educational system. Serious motivational problems are affecting teachers in Ghana at both the junior and senior high school levels. The current levels of motivation have resulted in increased teacher absenteeism, high teacher turnover and professional misconduct. Many graduate teachers are being lost from the educational system as they leave for better paying jobs in the private sector or join other departments where promotions prospects are perceived to be better. The study set out to examine the level of motivation of teachers in the Kwabre District of the Ashanti region and its impact. Data were collected from a sample population of eighty-one teachers from four schools out of the seven in the District, and respondents were randomly selected to respond to a set of structured questionnaires. The responses revealed that the teachers in the District were only satisfied with two things namely: the attention given to their personal welfare needs, and the geographical location of the District in the region for economic reasons. Fifty percent of the teachers would still choose the same district if they were fresh graduates, with the remaining fifty percent claiming otherwise. According to the teachers, to improve upon the level of motivation in the district, the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports and the District Assembly could introduce good incentive packages for teachers, improve their physical working environment as well as adopt the right policies that will make the teaching work more challenging, among others.

Source: UCC
Teacher participation in decision - making: A case study of some selected basic schools in the Shama Ahanta East Metropolis

This study was about teacher participation in decision-making. It was conducted in the Shama Ahanta East Metropolis. In all, 152 respondents, comprising 143 teachers and 9 heads of schools from 15 schools were employed in the study. Questionnaire and interview schedule were the main instruments used for data collection. The questionnaire was used to obtain responses from the teachers while the heads of institutions were interviewed by use of interview schedule. The data were analysed with the statistical package for social sciences, version 10.0 for windows and responses were reported by frequency and percentages. The findings of this work point to the fact that decision making is an integral part of school administration and is most often done collectively by both heads and teachers. It came to light that teacher participation in decision making affects teacher job satisfaction and willingness to work extra man-hours when they are called upon to do so. However, the data also showed that most heads of institutions in some unusual situation are forced to take decisions without consulting their subordinates. These were situations when collective decision-making will slow down the action needed for a reasonable conclusion. It was suggested that future research concerning decision-making should look at how effective communication and motivation of teacher affect participation in decision making in schools in Ghana.

Source: UCC
Teacher participation in decision making in the administration of senior high schools in the Cape Coast metropolis

The study sought to examine teacher participation in decision making in the administration of Senior High Schools. Descriptive survey was used for the study and six Senior High Schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis was used for the study. The main instruments used for the study were questionnaire and interview guide. One - hundred and fifty teachers responded to the instruments and the return rate for the questionnaire distributed was 83.3%. Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) was used to obtain frequencies and percentages for the analysis of the data. The most outstanding finding of the study was that, majority of the teachers indicated that their school administrators have created channels that allow teachers to participate in making school decisions. In addition, it also came to light that teacher participation in school decisions enables teachers to have a good working relationship with their school administrators and also promotes co - operation in the school. It was recommended that suggestion boxes, staff meetings and workshops should be organized regularly to solicit ideas from teachers.

Source: UCC
Teacher participation in decision making process in senior high and technical schools in the Kwaebibirem district in the Eastern region of Ghana

Teachers perceived that they were not engaged in the school decision making process. Some perceived, they were deliberately neglected and sidelined in school decision making. They openly display apathy and non-commitment to teaching and learning in the schools. The purpose of this study was to investigate the opportunities that exist for decision making and the categories of teachers engaged in the decision making process in the second cycle institutions in the Kwaebibirem district in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The descriptive survey design was used. The five public senior high and technical institutions in the district were covered involving 105 respondents made up of 100 teachers and the 5 heads of institutions. Questionnaire was the main instruments used for the study. The items of the questionnaire were adopted from research instrument designed by Wiredu-Kusi (1990) who conducted similar study in the Cape Coast Municipality. Data collected were analysed using frequencies and percentages. The study revealed that, there were frequent staff meetings and structures or opportunities for all teachers to participate but teachers were not engaged in planning and budgeting decisions of the schools. There were both positive and negative perceptions held by the respondents about school decision making. However, teachers indicated that participation in school decision making gave them job satisfaction and a sense of we-feeling. It is recommended that heads of the schools investigated must properly and adequately involve teachers in school decision making, especially in planning and budgeting for the school to erase the negative perceptions.

Source: UCC
Teacher participation in decision-making in senior high schools in the Kadjebi district

The purpose of this study was to find out the state of teachers’ participation in senior high school decision-making in the Kadjebi District. Questionnaires were used to collect data from 84 randomly selected professional teachers on the level of teacher participation in school decision-making, the school decision-making areas of teachers’ participation, the ways of involving teachers in school decision-making, the teachers’ demographic characteristics associated with their participation in school decision-making and the factors which influence teachers’ participation in school decision-making. The study revealed that teachers were most often in consultative decision-making with their school heads. Also the teachers always participated in curriculum and instructional activities and occasionally engaged in school operation and decisions that promote school-community relationship. However, they never participated in decision-making on students’ admission and placement staffing and financial matters. Teachers participated in school decision-making through delegation, school meeting, school Board of Governors, and school committee system. It is recommended that heads of schools adopt leadership styles that would create the needed environment for teachers to participate in all areas of school decision-making of their schools in order to bring about improvement in their performance and that of their students.

Source: UCC
Teacher participation in decision-making in teacher training colleges in the Upper West region

Teacher participation in decision-making at the teacher training colleges promotes a good atmosphere for administrative work and also enhances teaching and learning. However, most teachers were not involved in decisionmaking at the teacher training colleges. The purpose of this study was to find out whether teachers were involved in decision-making process. The research design used was descriptive survey. The study sampled the opinions of tutors and principals regarding decision-making in teacher training colleges in the upper west region. Questionnaire was used to collect data from 30 professional teachers. Six of them were purposively selected and the remaining 24 teachers were selected through balloting. Descriptive statistics was employed to analyse data collected. Preference was given to teachers who have spent a period of at least two years in their respective colleges. The questionnaire was to sample views of teachers on the extent of teacher participation in decision-making, the structures put in place with regard to teacher participation, the perception of principals on teachers' involvement and teachers demographic characteristics associated with their involvement in decision -making. The study revealed that, teachers' were willing to participate in school decision- making but principals were not certain as to whether teachers should participate or not. However, teachers participated fully in decisions that were related to curriculum development and instruction. It is recommended that teachers must be allowed to make full use of structures put in place for decision-making at the teacher training colleges' level. These structures referred to various committees set by principals to ensure maximum participation of all teachers in decision -makin

Source: UCC
Teacher Preparedness in Teaching Religious and Moral Education in the Junior High Schools in the Twifo - Hemang Lower Denkyira District

The study examined the preparedness of Religious and Moral Education teachers in teaching Religious and Moral Education in Junior High Schools in the Twifo-Hemang Lower Denkyira District. The mixed method research design was adopted for the study. Through the use of census and convenience sampling procedure, 48 RME teachers were selected to participate in the study and 10 schools were used for observation respectively. Questionnaire, observation guide and content analysis were used to gather the necessary data for the study. The data were analysed through the computation of descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviation and correlation. The study revealed that teachers had adequate content knowledge in RME. Though teachers were pedagogically prepared, there were factors such as lack of electricity that hindered their use of technology in teaching. The study revealed that RME teachers prepared to assess pupils during and after lessons; however, they did not use other forms of assessment other than written test. Again, RME teachers possessed adequate knowledge about preparing psychologically in teaching, even though they got frustrated at times. Moreover, there was a moderate positive correlation between teachers’ content and pedagogical knowledge preparedness. The study recommended that Head Teacher supervision, and that of Circuit Supervisors should be regular and intense in our schools. The Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service and National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) should organise in-service training for teachers on modern pedagogies.

Source: UCC
Teacher qualifications, experience and perceptions as predictors of implementation of the SHS French curriculum in Ghana

Curriculum implementation has been bedeviled with myriad of challenges in recent times. The focus and purpose of this study was therefore to ascertain the extent to which three teacher-related factors predict the French curriculum in the SHS. Twenty one (21) French teachers, representing 45% of entire French teacher population in the Western region of Ghana were purposively selected and surveyed. The findings revealed that the majority of teachers were experienced with at least first degrees even though the study found that teachers had negative beliefs and perceptions about the French programme due to their perceived non-involvement in national curriculum programmes. Teachers’ qualification was found to be the best predictor of implementation (B= 0.857, p = 0.044). It was concluded that teacher variables affect curriculum implementation and so governments should imbibe the concerns of teachers in the design of curriculum so as to ensure successful implementation of national curricula.

Source: UCC
Teacher quality and assessment literacy as predictors of senior high technical students’ performance in core mathematics in Akuapem north municipality

This study examined the connections between teacher quality, assessment literacy, and students' performance in core mathematics in the Akuapem North Municipality. The study used a descriptive survey design and an extensive census approach to collect data from teachers. Its key goals were to assess teachers test construction skills, evaluate their feedback methods, and investigate how their qualifications and teaching experience affected students' core mathematics performance. Three research questions and two hypotheses led the investigation. The data suggested that, on average, teachers had a moderate level of skill in test construction. Furthermore, core mathematics teachers had a moderate level of proficiency with respect to offering assessment feedback. A further in-depth examination of the data revealed notable positive relationships between the quality of assessment feedback practices and critical criteria such as pedagogical knowledge, knowledge of the subject, and classroom management. This study's recommendations include the introduction of professional development programs, curricular modifications, and the encouragement of research projects targeted at improving methods for assessment.

Source: UCC