Influence of Graduate Teachers’ Knowledge of the Senior High School Social Studies Curriculum/ Instructional Objectives on Assessment Items

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed at determining the influence of graduate teachers’ knowledge of the Senior High School Social Studies curriculum/ instructional objectives on assessment items.
 Methods: This study employed a qualitative and interpretive methodology, using the case study design. The population for the study included all the 15 graduate Social Studies teachers at the Senior High Schools in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The researchers by the use of the purposive sampling technique, selected ten (10) trained graduate Social Studies teachers out of the fifteen (15) teachers for the one-on-one interview. Qualitative data collection instruments were used in gathering data for the study. The data collection methods involved an interview guide made up of fifteen (15) semi-structured items for ten (10) graduate Social Studies teachers at the Senior High School level.
 Results: Findings from the study indicate that teachers’ assessment practices were to a very large extent not influenced by the objectives of the subject. The observational session revealed that not only did the performances in the test items match with performances in the curriculum/instructional objectives; but the choice of assessment techniques was inappropriate as the participants for instance used pencil-and–paper test in evaluating learning objectives dealing with valuing and the development of skills. Interestingly enough, even though all the participants agreed that the overall goal of Social Studies is citizenship education; their assessment practices did not reflect the curriculum/instructional goals of the subject.
 Conclusion: From the findings, the participants failed to consider the curriculum/ instructional objectives in their assessment practices. Most of the participants’ choices of assessment techniques were incongruent with their instructional objectives. Even though the participants demonstrated a very good knowledge of the objectives of teaching the subject, they failed to translate theory into practice.
 Recommendations: In order to ensure success in improving the educational system, there must be monitoring in the curriculum design, and its implementation. Educational policy could fail if there are lapses at any of the levels, that is, curriculum design, implementation and monitoring. In this study, however, the improvement of attitudes must be seen as the hallmark of social studies programme at the training institutions. This can be done with an increase in supervisory role carried out by the training institutions or universities in the country to see how their products are performing. These could help the programme to achieve its goals and objectives of teaching it.