ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Teaching and classroom assessment practices of Integrated science teachers in junior high schools.

The study explored teaching and classroom assessment practices of teachers who taught Integrated Science in public and private junior high schools in educational districts overserved with teachers yet produced low students’ performance in Integrated Science in Basic Education Certificate Examinations in the Central Region of Ghana. The study followed the Convergent Parallel Mixed Methods Research Design. Multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select a total of 246 teachers comprising 162 from public and 84 from private schools as well as 48 Form 2 junior high school students made up of 24 boys and 24 girls from the four overserved educational districts. Data on teachers’ teaching and classroom assessment practices were obtained through Questionnaire, Interviews and Lesson Observation. The results revealed that one-half of teachers who taught integrated science in both school-type possessed no professional certificate. Of these, majority (88.1%) were from private schools. Also, majority (74.4%) of teachers from the public schools possessed no professional certificate but had a background in senior high school science. It was found that teachers mainly used the expository method to teach, which did not resonate with the teaching methods prescribed in the 2012 JHS integrated science syllabus. The study found that teachers used in-class exercise and homework for classroom assessment. In private schools, teachers used in class exercise and homework more than those in public schools. Also, Integrated Science teachers used lower order questions which elicited factual knowledge for classroom assessment. It was recommended among others that only professional teachers with background in science should be made to teach integrated science in the junior high schools.

Source: UCC
Teaching and learning materials,teacher-factors, student characteristics and performance of home economics students in core subjects: a case of Aburaman Senior High School

A number of arguments have been made concerning factors affecting academic performance of home economics students in core subjects. The available studies suggest that student-characteristics, teacher-factors and Teaching Learning Materials have a positive relationship with academic performance and achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine how teaching and learning materials, teacher- factors and students-characteristics relate to home economics students, performance in core subjects. The research design used was descriptive survey to determine the relationship of the three variables. Using the purposive sampling technique 180 students and 19 tutors and 1 headmistress were selected for the study. Results revealed that, lack of interest, inadequacy of time, difficulties in understanding concepts, and inability of teachers to use TLMs, inadequacy of relevant TLMs for core subjects, the teachers’ difficulties in explaining abstract concepts to students and students’ difficulties in understanding lessons were the causes of poor performance of home economics students in the core subjects. From the findings, it was recommended that teachers should be motivated in order to motivate the students to learn, teachers should be engaged in more in-service training to use more practical approach and the Ghana Education Service should timely provide adequate teaching and learning materials for the students and teachers to use. This will enable the teachers to have adequate time for each student.

Source: UCC
Teaching and Learning of Integrated Science Among Non-Science Students in the Central Region of Ghana

There has been a growing recognition of the need for a scientifically literate population to tackle worldwide. As a result, governments and educational institutions have invested significant resources in improving science education. This study investigated the teaching and learning of Integrated Science among non-science students in the Central Region of Ghana. The study focused on the non-science students’ perception, attitude towards science, how science is taught and the availability of teaching and learning resources in teaching Integrated Science. The study used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design and 522 non-science students and 10 integrated science teachers in the Cape Coast Metropolis were selected using multi-stage sampling techniques. A questionnaire, semi-structured interview guide and observational checklist were used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data and the data were analyzed using means, standard deviation, one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and thematic analysis. The study found that non-science students generally have a negative perception of science and negative attitudes toward science. Teachers teaching non-science students use lectures as the predominant teaching approach. It was also found that non-science students have limited access to resources like laboratories, textbooks, and charts, hindering their engagement with scientific principles. Based on the findings, it was recommended that the Ghana Education Service, through the heads and science teachers, should organize science fairs and interactive workshops that allow students to engage with science in a practical and enjoyable way to promote a more positive attitude and perception of science among non-science students.

Source: UCC
Teaching health education in early childhood development centres in Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana

Health education has become an integral part of our daily living and it is taught in all levels of education the world over. Employing a quantitative approach the study examined the teaching of health education in early childhood development centers in the Cape Coast municipality, Ghana. Thirty registered early childhood development centers in the metropolis were surveyed and 120 teachers selected by simple random sampling technique. The study revealed that health education is taught in most of the centers but it is taught by people who have no training in health education. It was also established that no in service training is organized for teachers on health education. Again teaching of health education is not monitored and inspected by educational authorities in the metropolis. The study recommends that the educational authorities in the metropolis should assist teachers who handle health education in the early childhood development centers in the form of training and also help the centers to recruit professionals to teach health education. Monitoring of the teaching of health education in the centers should also be given due attention

Source: UCC
Teaching in Universities in Ghana: The tensions and dilemmas

This study explored lecturers' experience of teaching and learning within an expanding higher educational system. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore lecturers' perceptions and experiences of teaching an undergraduate module. Interviewees raised issues pertaining to the wider departmental, institutional and sociopolitical context. The findings suggest that lecturers perceive numerous external factors to impinge upon their teaching impacting on their roles as lecturers. and an attempt to militate against these in various ways in order to achieve ongoing enhancement of learning for students.

Source: UCC
Teaching Methods and Learning Strategies of Economics in Senior High Schools in Central Region of Ghana

The purpose of this study was to explain and describe the extent to which background factors (student and school) influence learning strategy choice of Senior High School (SHS) Economics students in the Central Region of Ghana. The study employed the partially sequential dominant status-quantitative design. Data were gathered through questionnaires, observation and interviews. In all, 720 third year students were selected from 24 public and private schools in the region using stratified random sampling. Purposive sampling techniques were used to pick three schools for classroom observation and six students for the interviews. The study showed that teachers used student-centred methods of teaching even though the observation showed otherwise and the cognitive learning was the most preferred learning strategy of students in the region, the interviews showed that students mostly preferred meta-cognitive learning strategies. Regression results showed that learning styles and teaching methods significantly predicted cognitive learning strategies whereas learning styles, teaching methods, motivation, and student status significantly predicted students‟ use of meta-cognitive learning strategies. Finally, learning styles, teaching methods, student status, and school-type significantly predisposed students to use of resource management learning strategies. Among other things, the study concluded that using student-centred teaching methods can help students „learn how to learn‟. Therefore, teachers should shift from the use of traditional teacher-centred methods to student-centred methods to improve learning outcomes in economics at the SHS level.

Source: UCC
Teaching of agricultural science at the basic education level in developing countries: a case study of the nature and constraints at Cape Coast district of Ghana

Agricultural education is vital for economic development of most developing countries including Ghana. The central aim of the agricultural education at the basic level is to train students in the basic principles of agriculture, provide avenues for the development of their skills and change the attitudes of the young children towards agriculture. The study was undertaken using a descriptive survey design to assess teachers and head teachers’ perceived constraints to effective teaching of agricultural science at the basic education level in Cape Coast District of Central Region of Ghana. Pretested and validated questionnaires were used to collect the data from 54 randomly selected respondents constituting the sample size for the study. The findings of the study revealed that the majority of the teachers were mature and experienced. Their major training in agriculture was at the training college level. Only a few have had in-service training in agriculture. Few teachers used supervised practicals at the school farms. Visits to nearby farms and seeking the assistance of resource people were never used. Constraints identified were related to technical aspects of agriculture, the syllabus, teaching materials, pre-service and in-service teacher training, teacher motivation, supervision, negative attitudes of students and parents towards agriculture, teaching environment, and evaluation. Action strategies to improve teaching of agriculture are provided

Source: UCC
The Teaching of Integrated Science and Teacher Support Services

This is an investigative and explorative study into the challenges of teaching integrated science in the public Junior High Schools in the Kwahu West Municipality. It also looked at the teacher support services available in the Municipality to help science teachers deal with challenges that might exist to hinder their performances. All the 60 integrated science teachers, the 50 heads of public Junior High Schools as well as the eight circuit supervisors and science coordinators in the municipality were purposively selected for the study. A descriptive survey design was used for the study. Data were collected with a set of questionnaire and an interview schedule and were analysed using frequencies, percentages and the independent sample ttest. It was found out that even though the support services were available in the Municipality, their quality cannot be said to be the best and enough to help the science teachers deal with challenges they might face. It was, therefore, recommended that there would be the need for regular organisation of professional development activities as well as provision of science workshop, science equipment and motivational strategies for science teachers by the Ghana Education Service to help them deal with the challenges.

Source: UCC
Teaching Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) Online: Challenges and Solutions

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges for physical education teacher education (PETE), and PETE appears to suffer the most when transitioning from face-to-face to virtual (online) environments due to the characteristics of PE. There is no literature found to address the profound challenges and solutions for teaching PETE online that we so desperately need nowadays. The present study examined specific challenges and solutions for online PETE. Future research directions are provided.

Source: UCC
Teaching Practice Supervision as Quality Assurance Tool in Teacher Preparation: Views of Trainee Teachers about Supervisors in University of Cape Coast

Quality assurance in teacher training is significant to the overall attainment of teacher quality at the pre-tertiary level of any educational system. Despite institutional efforts being put into teaching practice, coupled with the immeasurable investments trainees are making, quality appears to be an elusive goal. This paper therefore examined teaching practice (TP) in the context of preparing quality teachers for actual field service. As a case study, the study documented evidence on teaching practice as laid down by the university of Cape Coast using questionnaires on 125 trainee teachers in the faculty of education. The study found that TP was beneficial to pre-service teachers in diverse ways even though trainees had some concerns which tended to water down quality of the exercise. As a result, novel recommendations were made to teacher training institutions to possibly look at innovative ways of streamlining activities to improve TP supervision and assessment in Ghana.

Source: UCC
Teaching space utilization at the Central University College,Accra.

Studies on Space Utilization in our educational institutions are not new but this is the first time a study on Space Utilization has been conducted in a privately owned tertiary institution in Ghana. This study was conducted specifically to find out the key challenges private universities face in the use of space and time in the day to day administration of their facilities and to provide information on Time Utilization Rate, Space Utilization Rate and Global Utilization Rate for the planning of short and long term educational investments and students intake. In all, 60 Academic staff: 30 Administrators and 14 Technicians making a total of] 04 respondents was involved in the study and data were collected through the use of questionnaire, interview guides and observation checklist. After the analysis of the data, it was revealed that, the Global Utilization Rates of the teaching space facilities from Mondays to Fridays, were tilted towards the morning sessions for the whole 2005/2006 academic year as against the afternoon and evening sessions. The GUR (87.43%) for general purpose classrooms and the average GURs (101.92%) for the laboratories recorded in this research were higher than all the established norms of 80% and between 40-70% for classrooms and specialized rooms by British Department of Education and Science which suggested congestion. It is recommended that the instructional rooms with large class size could be divided to accommodate large student enrolment. Full- time lecturers should be recruited to replace part-time lecturers who do not fully engage the student due to other commitments.

Source: UCC
Teaching styles and motivational strategies of primary school teachers in the cape coast metropolis

The purpose of the study was to investigate the teaching styles and motivational strategies of public primary school teachers in the Cape Coast Metropolis. The descriptive survey design was deemed the most appropriate research design to use in conducting the study. A sample size of 342 made up of 255 trained teachers and 87 pupils were captured for the study. The table of random numbers was used first to select 63 public primary schools within the Cape Coast Metropolis. An interview schedule for pupils and research questionnaire for trained teachers were the data collection instruments used. The data that was collected was first grouped and coded using numerical values (coded manual) for the data view of the Test Analytics for Surveys (TAfS), a tool of Predictive Analytic Software (PASW) Version 18.0. Majority of the respondents indicated that the colleagues of the trained teachers and their pupils often compliment the trained teachers on their good manners. The respondents again admitted that trained teachers use caring voice to ask pupils to maintain good behaviour. It was concluded that the various teaching styles and motivational strategies used by trained teachers in the various public primary schools within the metropolis do not influence or predict pupils’ academic performance directly. It was recommended that teachers use caring voice when teaching in order to make learning interesting for pupils. It was also recommended that trained teachers ensure they engage pupils more during the teaching process (learner-centred).

Source: UCC
Teaching undergraduate courses in an expanding higher education system: The dilemma and challenges

This study explores the experiences of lecturers working with undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds with low academic skills. A qualitative study involving interviews with fifteen (15) participants from three (3) Public universities was used to gain information around participants' views on teaching and learning in relation to undergraduate courses. The findings suggest that lecturers face profound teaching challenges which affects how they teach, the way they structure their courses, and the way they evaluate students. Recommendations were made to address the dilemma and challenges in higher education system.

Source: UCC
The TEAM (Trauma Evaluation and Management) course: medical student knowledge gains and retention in the USA versus Ghana

Introduction Trauma and injury are significant contributors to the global burden of disease, with 5 million deaths and 250 million disability-adjusted life years lost in 2015. This burden is disproportionally borne by low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Solutions are complex, but one area for improvement is basic trauma education. The American College of Surgeons has developed the Trauma Evaluation and Management (TEAM) course as an introduction to trauma care for medical students. We hypothesized that the TEAM course would be an effective educational program in LMICs and result in increased knowledge gains and retention similar to students in high-income countries (HICs). Methods The TEAM course was taught and students evaluated at two sites, one LMIC (Ghana) and one HIC (USA), after obtaining approval from the HIC Institutional Review Board and medical schools at both sites. Participation was optional for all students and results were de-identified. The course was administered by a single educator for all sessions. Multiple-choice exams were given before and after the course, and again 6 months later. results A total of 62 LMIC and 64 HIC students participated in the course and completed initial testing. Demographics for the two groups were similar, as was participant attrition over time. LMIC students started with a relative knowledge deficit, scoring lower on both pre-course and post-course tests than HIC students, but gained more knowledge during the initial teaching session. After 6 months, the LMIC students continued to improve, whereas the HIC students’ knowledge had regressed. Most students recommended course expansion. Conclusion The TEAM course is a useful tool to provide the basic principles of trauma care to students in LMICs, and should be expanded. Further study is needed to determine the impact of TEAM education on patient care in LMICs.

Source: UCC
Technical efficiency in maize production in Ejura Sekyedumase district

Inefficiencies in maize production do not only have adverse effect on the output of maize but it also poses a serious threat to income generation, food security and the general welfare of the people. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the level and determinants of technical efficiency of maize farmers. The proportionate stratified and simple random technique was used to select 306 maize farmers. Descriptive statistics was used to describe farm and farmer specific characteristics and the stochastic frontier model was also used to estimate the level and determinants of technical efficiency. Findings indicate that land, labour and fertiliser influenced output positively whilst seeds and agrochemicals negatively affected output. The mean technical efficiency was found to be 67%, indicating that farmers could improve the productivity of maize by 33% without requiring extra inputs. Farmers were also operating at an increasing returns to scale as the estimated returns to scale was 1.22. The study also indicated that farmer specific characteristics such as age, sex and off-farm work activities were significant determinants of technical efficiency. Major constraints limiting maize farming were the purchasing price of maize, access to capital, price fluctuations, availability of labour and rainfall pattern. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture through the agricultural extension agents should organise educational programmes for maize farmers on the need to improve upon their production activities through the efficient combination of inputs given that the farmers were producing below the frontier.

Source: UCC
Technical efficiency in rice production on the Weta irrigation scheme in the Ketu North district of the Volta region, Ghana

This study investigated technical efficiency in rice production on the Weta Irrigation Scheme in the Ketu North District of the Volta Region of Ghana during the 2014/2015 cropping season. A two-stage sampling procedure was used to select a sample of 290 rice farmers from a population of 1,024. Primary data, collected from 285 respondents using structured interview schedule, were used for the study. A translog stochastic frontier production function which incorporates a model for inefficiency effects, using the Maximum Likelihood Method was employed in the analysis of the data.Results indicated that the majorinput factors that significantly influenced the output of rice were land area under cultivation, fertiliser input, irrigation cost and equipment. The socio-economic characteristics of rice farmers which were significant determinants of technical efficiency in the study area were age, sex, farming experience and membership of a farmer based organisation. Low purchasing price of rice, lack of government support, difficulty in accessing capital and erratic rainfall patterns were identified as the major constraints faced by rice farmers in the study area. Furthermore, the mean technical efficiency index was estimated at 70.7 per cent which implies that the rice farmers were not fully technically efficient. Thus there was the opportunity for them to increase their output by 29.3 per cent via efficient reallocation of available resources. Also the results indicated decreasing returns to scale technology among the rice farmers. Finally, the study recommended among others that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture should introduce fertilizer subsidies and establish guaranteed prices for rice to encourage rice farmers to produce.

Source: UCC