ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Teachers’ perception of job satisfaction and retention in Ghana: Perspectives from special needs educators

The study aimed at examining special education teachers’ perception of job satisfaction and retention in Ghana. Specifically, the study sought to find out if teachers’ perception of their job has any impact on their retention in the special schools. The study employed descriptive survey design and utilized quantitative methods in data collection and analysis. Data for the study was collected from 140 teachers sampled across the country from the three categories of special schools in Ghana. In this study, the independent variable of teachers’ perceptions of their job satisfaction was examined to find out their effect on the dependent variable of teacher retention. Descriptive statistics including frequencies and percentages were computed. Further statistics such as regression analysis and independent sample t-test were also employed. The study found that generally, the three categories of teachers expressed dissatisfaction of their job and indicated that given the opportunity, they would quit the job of teaching in special schools. The test statistic revealed that there were no statistically significant differences among the teachers in these three school categories in relation to their job satisfaction and retention. The study further found that teachers with more teaching experience in the special schools were more satisfied with their jobs compared to those with less teaching experience. The study recommended that the Ministry of Education through the Division of Special Needs Education should recognize the unique and challenging roles of special school teachers and motivate them to remain in the special needs schools. These teachers can be recognized through the Annual National Best Teachers’ Awards.

Source: UCC
Teachers’ perception of the impact of instructional strategies on children with reading difficulty in some selected districts in Central Region

The study investigated teachers’ perception of the impact of instructional strategies on pupils with reading difficulties in selected districts in the Central Region of Ghana. A concurrent embedded mixed method design was used for this study. Proportionate stratified sampling procedure was used to select ninety-five (95) upper primary teachers. The response rate was 100% representing 95 teachers. Data were collected using a questionnaire and interview schedules Statistical tools used in data analysis were mainly frequency distribution and percentages, means and standard deviations, independent samples t-test and One-Way Analysis of Variance. For all tests, the level of significance was calculated at 0.05. Thematic analysis was used in the analysis of the qualitative data. The study revealed that Teachers had negative perceptions about pupils with reading difficulties. Also, role play, read aloud, direct instruction and group activities were the frequently used strategies teachers used in teaching pupils with reading difficulties. Furthermore, inadequate teaching and learning materials and low parental involvement were the two major problems teachers faced when teaching pupils with reading difficulties. It is recommended that Ghana Education Service in collaboration with all the head teachers must organise a workshop on reading difficulty for teachers in the three districts and the Ghana Education Service find means of providing resources to support teaching of reading in the schools in all the districts.

Source: UCC
Teachers’ Perception Of The Standards-Based Curriculum And Its Implementation In Primary Schools Within The Cape Coast Metropolis

The study examined basic school teachers’ perception of the new standards-based curriculum within the Cape Coast Metropolis. The study was guided by five objectives which were converted into three research questions and two hypotheses. The descriptive survey design, specifically, the cross-sectional design, with a quantitative approach was employed in the conduct of the study. The study targeted all public primary school teachers in the Cape Coast Metropolis, with a total number of 748. Through a multi-stage sampling technique, questionnaires were administered to 300 basic school teachers. Two hundred and seventy-nine of the questionnaires were however completed and returned, this resulted in a 93% response rate. Hence, all the analyses were based on 279 respondents. The various scales on the questionnaire were standardised scales adapted from authors in the area of curriculum implementation. The data collected were analysed using means and standard deviations as well as one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The study discovered that basic school teachers within the Cape Metropolis generally had positive perceptions regarding the implementation of the standards-based curriculum. The study further discovered that challenges such as large class sizes and increased workload on the part of teachers affected the smooth implementation of the standards-based curriculum. Curriculum developers are therefore entreated to liaise with head teachers to ensure a reduction in large class sizes as well as teachers’ workload, in order to enhance the effective implementation of the curriculum.

Source: UCC
Teachers’ Perception of their Initial Preparation in Teaching Senior High School Physics

This study investigated New Zealand (NZ) physics teachers’ and physics educators’ views about their Initial Teacher Education (ITE). Specifically, the study explored how well the ITE prepared physics teachers for classroom practice and to become effective teachers. The study employed mixed methods to answer the questions that were formulated to guide the study. The perspectives of the physics teacher educators and physics teachers nationally indicated that the teachers considered themselves not well prepared in some content areas including electronics, modern physics, and atomic and nuclear physics. A significant difference in perspective also existed between teachers who were educated in NZ and those gaining initial teaching qualifications from overseas. The findings from the study suggested that the non education degree which provided the teachers most of their content knowledge was perhaps inadequate for a teaching career. The implications for ITE of physics teachers are discussed in the paper.

Source: UCC
Teachers’ perception on the importance of teaching citizenship education to primary school children in Cape Coast, Ghana

This paper is a survey aimed at determining teachers’ perception on the importance of teaching Citizenship Education to primary school children. Perception is an attribute which helps to shape individuals’ world view and attitude. It, therefore, follows that the way teachers perceive the importance of Citizenship Education has a bearing on their commitment to its impartation on learners. To determine teachers’ perception, the researcher hopes to administer a questionnaire designed for the purpose to primary school teachers in Cape Coast Metropolis. Data gathered were analyzed using simple percentage, mean and standard deviation. Findings revealed that teachers in the area of study have realized the importance of teaching citizenship at the primary school. Based on this finding, it was recommended among other things that deliberate effort should be made by teachers to impart the knowledge they have acquired in citizenship education to the children they teach. It was also recommended that primary school teachers should be well motivated in cash or kind by all stakeholders in education to ensure effective citizenship education delivery at primary school level.

Source: UCC
Teachers’ Perceptions of the New History Curriculum At the Basic School in the Cape Coast Metropolis

The study sought to explore teachers' perceptions of the new History curriculum at the basic school level in the Cape Coast Metropolis. Five research questions and one hypothesis guided the study. The study adopted the quantitative approach, specifically a descriptive survey research design. A systematic sampling was used to select 35 schools from 70 schools. Purposive sampling was used to select 225 teachers comprising 49 males and 176 females from the 35 schools selected. A closed ended questionnaire was employed in collecting data for the study. Analysis of data was done with the use of both descriptive and inferential statistics. The specific descriptive statistics adopted in analysing the research questions were frequency counts and percentages, means, and standard deviation. Inferential statistics specifically, One-Way-Analysis of Variance was used to analyse the hypothesis. The study found that teachers had a positive perception about the new history curriculum at the basic school level; teachers had positive perceptions of the content of the new history curriculum for pupils, although they reported that the content of the new history curriculum was overloaded; and teachers agreed that the teaching and learning resources (TLRs) needed in the teaching and learning of the new history curriculum were unavailable. The study recommended that teachers should make a conscious effort to instil in pupils the values of the new history curriculum since they have a positive perception about the curriculum; the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) should review the content of the new history curriculum so that some topics will be fused into other topics; school heads should collaborate with organisations and prominent individuals to help them acquire the needed TLRs for teaching history

Source: UCC
Teachers’ Problems of Teaching of Oxidation-Reduction Reactions in High Schools

The study explored how teachers taught redox reactions to senior high school students. Within a case-study research design, six chemistry teachers with a minimum of 7 and a maximum of 12 years teaching experiences from three schools were interviewed. The results revealed four themes; inhibition of instruction, weak instructional strategy, inability to teach concepts, and teachers’ professional development. It was found that teachers employed weak instructional strategies such as expository and out of class group assignments in teaching redox reactions. The study recommends that chemistry educators and researchers should design and develop subject-specific pedagogical content knowledge for teaching redox reactions.

Source: UCC
Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Ghanaian Language Curriculum Implementation in Senior High Schools in North and South Danyi Districts, Volta Region

͘Issues of teacher self-efficacy in implementing a curriculum have been a major concern in the field of education. The reason behind this is that the role of the teacher in implementing any curriculum cannot be overemphasized. It is, therefore, necessary to explore the self-efficacy belief of teachers in implementing a curriculum. This study aimed at exploring the perceived efficacy beliefs of teachers in implementing the Ghanaian language and Culture curriculum in the North and South Danyi District of the Volta region. To achieve this, the descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. Data was collected through a questionnaire and analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. The study revealed that Ewe teachers exhibited a high sense of efficacy in implementing the Ghanaian language and Culture curriculum. It was further established in this study that the self-efficacy believes of the Ewe teachers predicted their fidelity in implementing the Ghanaian language and Culture curriculum. Nonetheless, there appear to be no significant differences between the self-efficacy believes of teachers based on gender. It has therefore been recommended in this study that the Ministry of Education through GES should continue to organize in-service training for Ewe teachers in the areas of Student Engagement, Instructional Strategies, and Classroom Management to enhance fidelity in curriculum implementation in schools. The study further recommended that the teacher should continue to share their own success stories and stakeholders of education should also appreciate, commend, and encourage on their work.

Source: UCC
Teachers’ testing practices of achievement test in junior high schools in the Sissala East Municipality, Ghana

The study sought to investigate achievement test practices of teachers in Junior High Schools in the Sissala East Municipality. Descriptive survey was used to investigate the practice of achievement testing of teachers in Junior High Schools in Sissala East Municipality. The study employed the multistage sampling techniques (purposive, stratified and simple random sampling technique). Questionnaire was used to collect data from 248 Junior High School teachers in the Sissala East Municipality. The results show that, Junior High Schools teachers in the Sissala East Municipality averagely adhere to most principles of test construction. The results again showed that, majority of the teachers in the Sissala East Municipality averagely adhere to test administration principles in their achievement test. The results gave evidence that most Junior High Schools teachers in the Sissala East Municipality have no good scoring skills and this always affect the achievement test scores. Furthermore, it was evident that most of the achievement test strategies were not used among Junior High Schools teachers in the Sissala East Municipality. The results also showed that there are numerous challenges that confront the use of achievement test among Junior High Schools teachers in the Sissala East Municipality. Large class size is one of the problems that most teachers complained of. The study concluded that teachers in the Sissala East Municipality were not well equipped with test construction, administration and scoring skills. It was recommended that more workshops and in-service training should be organized to teachers in Junior High Schools with respect to their testing practices (construction, administration and scoring of tests).

Source: UCC
Teachers’ use of language in teaching mathematics in Basic Schools in Cape Coast, Ghana

In this paper, I present the initial analysis of data collected on how teachers in two basic schools in Cape Coast use language in teaching mathematics to classes four and six pupils and why they use language the way they do. I present an overview of initial findings from classroom observations, semi formal interviews and stimulated recall interviews with three teachers. The data revealed that English is the preferred choice of language for classroom interaction despite pupils’ limited proficiency in the language. This was largely due to teachers’ perception that English was the language of mathematics and schooling in general.

Source: UCC
Teachers’ Use of Life Themes Pedagogy in Christian Religious Studies: A Survey of Senior High Schools in Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana

The purpose of the study was to assess the extent to which teachers in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana employed instructional practices that conformed to the Life Themes pedagogy in their teaching of Christian Religious Studies (CRS). The outcome of the study would determine whether or not teachers related the teaching of Religion to the existential experiences of learners. This will provide guidance for policy makers and teachers on the need for making students’ real life experiences the basis for teaching Christian Religious Studies. Thirtysix Christian Religious Studies teachers responded to a five-point Likert scale questionnaire. The teachers who were used for the study were selected using the purposive sampling method. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the data collected. The study revealed that teachers’ instructional practices conformed to the Life Themes pedagogy to a large extent, and that they were able to bridge the gap between the students’ existential experiences and biblical experience. The study recommends that, in-service training be organised for teachers; group work should be encouraged; questioning and discussion methods should be used extensively; and practical dimension of the subject (CRS) should be explored.

Source: UCC
Teachers’ views on the role of science practical activities in the teaching of science in Ghanaian senior secondary schools

Ghana, like many other countries, has a strong tradition of doing practical work in senior secondary school science. In line with this tradition, the Senior Secondary School (SSS) science syllabuses issued by Curriculum Research and Development Division, and the West African Examination Council emphasize attainment of scientific knowledge, development of laboratory skills, and attitudes. This study surveyed the views of 50 science teachers’ in 10 SSS in the Central Region of Ghana on the role science practical activities play in the teaching and learning of science using a questionnaire. Teachers’ views on the role of science practical activities were mainly that of using them to support the teaching of scientific knowledge, and to some extent the development of attitudinal and laboratory skills. There was little emphasis on the use of science practical work to develop students’ cognitive skills

Source: UCC
Teachers’, Students’ and Parents’ Perception of Home Economics Programme in Senior High Schools In North Tongu

The purpose of this study was to assess perceptions of the image of Home Economics held by teachers, parents and students of Senior High Schools in the North Tongu District. This was achieved through examining their awareness and knowledge of the content of the Home Economics programme and any differences that existed in the perception of both Home Economics and non Home Economics students by gender. A descriptive survey was employed to carry out the study. A total of 691 respondents made up of 263 teachers, 87 parents and 341 students were randomly sampled. Questionnaires were administered to all categories of respondents. Data was analysed by using descriptive statistics and Independent sample t-test was used to test the hypotheses. The study showed that teachers and students had good knowledge and awareness of the content areas of the Home Economics programme. It also found that teachers, students and parents of the students also had good perceptions about the programme. They perceived the programme to be relevant to learners in their future. The study revealed that there was no statistical significant difference in the perception of male and female students. It was found that there was a significant statistical difference between Home Economics and non-Home Economics students’ perception of the Home Economics programme. It was recommended that the Ghana Education Service should educate Ghanaians through teachers on the importance of Vocational and Technical Education to help improve the perceptions of people.

Source: UCC
Teachers‟ knowledge and practices of school-based assessment at primary schools in the Savelugu Municipality

The study sought to investigate teachers‟ knowledge and practices of school-based assessment in the Savelugu Municipality of Northern Ghana. The descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. A total of 270 primary school teachers in the Savelugu Municipality were randomly selected for the study. A 44-item questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. Frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviation, independent t-test and ANOVA were the statistical tools used for the analysis. Findings from the study revealed that primary school teachers‟ knowledge in SBA was high. Also, primary school teachers confirmed the practice of SBA. Again, the study revealed that primary school teachers in the Savelugu Municipality are confronted with challenges in their quest to practice SBA. The findings indicated that teachers‟ knowledge and practices in SBA was not influenced by the teachers‟ years of teaching. The study further concluded that in-service training on SBA had little or no impact on teachers‟ knowledge in SBA. It was therefore recommended that Ghana Education Service should provide all schools with the adequate SBA guidelines to serve as a guide and references document to ease teachers burden in conducting SBA.

Source: UCC
Teachers‟ Participation in Decision Making and Job Satisfaction in Basic Schools in the Asikuma-Odobenbrakwa District

This study examined teachers‟ participation in decision making and job satisfaction in basic schools in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District.The cross-sectional descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. Through the use of multi-stage (cluster and proportionate) technique and the simple random sampling procedures, 260 teachers were involved in the study. Questionnaire was used to gather the requisite data for the study. Data were analysed through the computation of descriptive and inferential statistics such as frequencies, percentages, mean of means distributions and multiple regression. The study established that to a moderate extent, teachers were involved in decisions pertaining to: the management of curriculum and instruction, management of physical and material resources, management of students‟ and teachers‟ activities, and management of school community partnership. Also, the majority of the teachers were fairly satisfied with their participation in school based decisions. Again, there was a moderate, positive correlation between teachers‟ involvement in school-based decision making and their job satisfaction. The study recommended that, the Ministry of Education (MoE), the Ghana Education Service (GES), and headteachers should highly involve teachers in decisions regarding advice on acquisition of text books for the new syllabus, and the registration of students for national exams (BECE) online.

Source: UCC
Teachers‟ Perception On The Implementation Of The Primary School Mathematics Curriculum

This study investigates the perception of teachers regarding the implementation of the primary school mathematic curriculum in the Poase Cement Circuit, in the Kadjebi district. The research employed a sequential exploratory design. 6 teachers were selected using a purposive sampling method to collect qualitative data through a semi-structured interview. Results from the interview were analyzed thematically. A survey was conducted on 51 teachers to collect quantitative data using a modified Stages of Concern Questionnaire of the Concerns–Based Adoption. Results were analyzed through descriptive analysis, including mean and standard deviation calculations. The key findings of the study indicated that teachers were generally aware of the curriculum implementation, but expressed inadequate knowledge about its implementation. Teachers admitted that the new curriculum personally affected them and believed it facilitated faster and more innovative student learning. However, the lack of textbooks and other teaching and learning materials hindered effective curriculum implementation. Additionally, teachers perceived an increase in their workload due to the new curriculum. Based on the findings, several recommendations were made. First, there is a need for comprehensive teacher training programmes to enhance teachers‟ understanding and proficiency in implementing the new curriculum. Second, efforts should be made to provide adequate textbooks and materials to support effective teaching and learning. Finally, strategies to manage and alleviate the increased workload on teachers should be explored, such as collaborative planning and resource sharing.

Source: UCC