Content matching of the syllabus and the official history textbook of senior high schools in Ghana

Abstract

The senior high school History syllabus was redesigned in 2010 to reflect the 2007 education reform in Ghana while the 1993 History textbook designed after 1987 education reform continue to be used to support the implementation of the 2010 History syllabus. Reasonably, it is important to investigate the alignment between the 2010 History syllabus and the 1993 official History textbook. This paper, therefore, examines the alignment between the History syllabus and its official textbook used in senior high schools in Ghana in the post-2007 reform era. The case study approach was employed, using a combination of in-depth interviews and content analysis to elicit the needed responses. It was found that there was a disconnect between the History syllabus and the official History textbook. The study also found that the official History textbook was perceived as not containing detailed information on the selected topics in the syllabus. The implications of the findings are discussed in the main text. It is recommended that curriculum developers must ensure both harmony between the two curriculum documents and a more comprehensive coverage of the selected topics in the official History textbook.