Challenges and Coping Mechanisms of Career Mothers Teaching In Selected Senior High Schools in the New Juaben Municipality of Ghana (Published)

Over the years, women’s position has changed remarkably from just a home keeper and baby maker and they are seen in various sectors actively engaged in work outside the home. Despite these great strides, women seem to face many challenges, including discrimination and gender stereotypes. This study explored the challenges and coping mechanisms of career mothers teaching in selected senior high school in the New Juaben Municipality. The study adopted the qualitative research approach and used a case study design to explore the experiences of these career mothers. The study population consisted of career mothers teaching in senior high schools in the New Juaben Municipality. Purposive sampling technique was adopted to select twenty participants for the study. A semi-structured interview schedule was used to collect data from the participants. The data was analysed using thematic approach. The study revealed that career mothers teaching in senior high schools faces challenges associated with managing the roles they perform at their workplace and the performance of family responsibilities. They indicated that they cope with conflicting role demands by structuring and planning their day-to-day activities through prioritization in term of their responsibilities. It was also revealed that career mothers needed support from their married partners, family members, and friends in their bid to cope with their conflicting roles. It is recommended that Ministry of Education through Ghana Education Service should develop policies that are gender sensitive to enable career mothers achieve their plights of balancing their work and family life effectively. Such policies may include job breaks, work sharing, flexible working plans and childcare support

Keywords: Challenges, Ghana, Senior High School, career mothers, coping mechanisms

Retrospective Assessment of the Successes and Challenges of Double Track system in Senior High Schools in Sekyere Central District of Ghana (Published)

In our world today, education has gained the recognition as one of the ways of enhancing standards of living and achieving developmental goals. The double tract system was an intervention strategy which was introduced by the government of Ghana to help solved the challenges involved in the Free Senior High School policy programme. This study sought to identify the successes and challenges of the double track system in senior high schools in Sekyere central district. The study used a descriptive cross-sectional survey and quantitative method to collect data from randomly sampled 150 teachers, 300 students and 150 parents in senior high schools in Sekyere central district. Structured questionnaire was used for the data collection. The results of the study showed that the double track system has led to improvement in teacher-student ratio, increased contact hours, efficient use of school resources and the employment of new teachers. On the contrary, the study identified inadequate stakeholders’ consultation prior to its implementation, inadequate provision of logistics and funds by the governments, incompletion of syllabus owing to increased number of holidays, difficulties in maintaining school facilities as a result of all year usage as the major challenges confronting the implementation of double track system. Moreover, majority of teachers perceived that the intervention has not positively affected quality of education at the senior high school because of several setbacks whiles majority of parents and students were of the view that the intervention has positively affected quality of education at the senior high school level. I therefore recommend that government should ensure adequate supply of resources for effective management of this programme in the various senior high schools.

Citation: Benedict Osei-Owusu  and Akenten-Appiah Menka (2021) Retrospective Assessment of the Successes and Challenges of Double Track system in Senior High Schools in Sekyere Central District of Ghana, British Journal of Education, Vol. 9, Issue 9, pp.18-30

Keywords: Challenges, Perception, Quality of Education, Senior High School, Successes, double track system

Knowledge and Perception of Senior High School Social Studies Teachers on the Teaching and Learning for Nation Building (Published)

It is impervious to note that the main goal of Social Studies has been mentioned as citizenship education which involves preparing citizens for active participation nation building. However, it appears Social Studies teachers give little attention to the inculcation of the spirit of nation building in their students. The purpose of this study therefore was to determine whether SHS Social Studies teachers in Ghana have knowledge of and do teach towards Nation Building as a process of fostering unity in their classrooms and in society at large. The study adopted descriptive survey design. A total of 260 Social Studies teachers were selected from Senior High Schools in the Eastern Region for the study. The data collected was analysed using descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) and inferential statistics (independent samples t-test and Pearson Product Moment Correlation-PPMC. The study found that most Senior High School Social Studies teachers have positive knowledge about Nation Building. It was further concluded that, most Senior High School Social Studies teachers in the Eastern Region have positive perception about practices of Nation Building. It was recommended that to maintain effective teaching and learning of nation building as an integral part of the Social Studies content, policy makers should come out with guidelines that will guide teachers’ classroom pedagogy towards achieving the former.

Citation: Eric Koomson and  Isaac Eshun (2021) Knowledge and Perception of Senior High School Social Studies Teachers on the Teaching and Learning for Nation Building, British Journal of Education, Vol. 9, Issue 9, pp.1-18

Keywords: Nation Building, Senior High School, Social Studies, Social Studies Teachers

Formative Assessment Practices of Senior High School Teachers in the Ashanti Mampong Municipality of Ghana (Published)

This study investigated the Senior High School (SHS) teachers’ formative assessment practices in the Mampong Municipality of Ghana. Three research questions guided the study: What is SHS teachers’ knowledge of formative assessment? What are SHS teachers’ formative assessment practices? How does formative assessment contribute to improvement in teaching and learning? Stratified and simple random sampling methods were used to select 80 teachers from the four public SHSs in the Municipality for the study. The study used a questionnaire for data collection. The study revealed that about half of the teachers lacked the conception of formative assessment and its sub-concepts. Generally, the teachers were involved in certain practices which unknown to them were formative assessment practices. They saw these practices as norms and daily routines that needed to be done as part of the teaching and learning procedures. To them, these practices contributed to improvement in teaching and learning. From the findings, the researchers recommended that, to increase the understanding of SHS teachers on formative assessment and its sub-concepts, pre-service teacher training must place much emphasis on the theory and practice of formative assessment and in-service training activities should be organised for teachers already in the field. Stakeholders of education need to give this the needed support.

Keywords: Assessment, Continuous Assessment, School-based assessment, Senior High School, Summative Assessment, formative assessment practices

The Understanding of Senior High School Mathematics Teachers of School-Based Assessment and Its Challenges in the Cape Coast Metropolis (Published)

This study focuses on the understanding of mathematics teachers of School-Based Assessment (SBA). It explores the challenges mathematics teachers in the Senior High School face in the management of assessment and ways of improving assessment practices. A total of 110 educators comprising 100 male and 10 female mathematics teachers participated in the study. A questionnaire and an interview schedule were used to collect data for the study and frequencies and percentages were used to analyze the data. Findings revealed that mathematics teachers in Senior High Schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis do not understand SBA guidelines and do not use them so they still practise the old ‘continuous assessment’ scheme which seems to be directing classroom practices. Considering the revelations from the study that majority of the teachers still used dated continuous assessment, it is obvious that they are not abreast with new trends and development relating to assessment practices. In view of this, in-service training in the form of workshops and seminars could greatly contribute to upgrading their skills and introducing them to effective ways of implementing SBA. This is clearly acknowledged in the submissions of majority of the teachers involved in the study. Taking cognizance of the universal nature of the teaching, learning and assessment of mathematics, it is likely that the problems associated with it in the schools in Cape Coast Metropolis would be found elsewhere across the globe. This study therefore seeks to serve as basis for similar studies in different jurisdictions so as to make its finding more encompassing.

Keywords: Mathematics, School-based assessment, Senior High School