A multi-case study of instructional decision-making processes of teachers in kindergarten classrooms within the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana

Mumuni Thompson

doi:10.21438/rbgas.050902

Abstract

The study contributes to the ongoing debate with respect to the significance of early childhood teachers' instructional decision-making that take in consideration their theoretical knowledge (explicit theories) and practical experiences (implicit theories) and how they impact their instructional decision-making processes in diverse socio-cultural contexts of children. To address this gap in the literature, a qualitative multi-case study into the perceptions and classroom practices of four kindergarten teachers in two Ghanaian schools, Tata and Kariba, was carried out from May to November 2015. One research questions guided the study, namely: What factors and beliefs influence teachers' instructional decision-making in a kindergarten classroom? Data sources used were semi-structured individual interviews and pair-based interviews and field notes of classroom observations. Both within and across case interpretative analysis was used. The study's findings revealed that these teachers' explicit theories and implicit theories of teaching influenced their instructional decision-making processes in kindergarten classrooms. It was recommended that future researchers should explore early childhood teachers' explicit and implicit theories of teaching. It was also recommended kindergarten teachers to appreciate their roles as effective instructional decisions makers towards quality teaching and learning.

Highlights

Research into teachers’ thinking on how to make informed instructional decisions, has been an area of research interests to researchers in early childhood education over a decade
Professional factors While both Kate and Sophia valued instructional strategies suggested in the kindergarten curriculum and used them to inform their instructional decision-making process, both teachers further perceived their professional education as a basis for their instructional decision-making processes
Professional factors, the teachers’ experiences, the teachers’ reflection in action, and the teachers’ reflection on action appeared to have informed the teachers’ instructional decision-making processes

Summary

Introduction

Research into teachers’ thinking on how to make informed instructional decisions, has been an area of research interests to researchers in early childhood education over a decade. The study’s finding revealed deficiencies that are closely-linked to instructional decision-making processes of preservice teachers and further recommended the need to empower the teachers to develop theoretical and practical insights regarding instructional decision-making in diverse kindergarten settings. These insights reflected the views of preservice early childhood teachers, there is the need to explore how kindergarten teachers make their instructional decisions. This need is illustrated in many ways: For example, children come to every learning contexts with certain uniqueness in terms of interest, learning needs and potentials It takes early childhood educators who have theoretical and practical insights into instructional decision-making to make decisions which would inturn, impact individual children’s development in diverse ways

Results

Discussion

Conclusion