Lecturers’ Adoption of ICT Tools in Ghanaian Colleges of Education

This study was conducted with the Descriptive Survey design, to critically examine the extent of ICT facilities utilization and proficiency in the Colleges of Education in Ghana. The target population comprised of students (all departments) and staff (tutors and administrators) of the Colleges of Education selected through Purposive sampling. Total number of students and staff from the four Colleges of Education was 7626 and 246 respectively. The Taro Yamane formula was used to calculate the sample size of the study which gave 153 staff and 380 students. Simple random sampling technique was used to select respondents. The fundamental instruments for information collection for the study was questionnaires, observational guide and interview guide. The information gathered were analysed utilizing the Statistical Package of the Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics, Tables, Percentages, Frequencies, means, Standard Deviations, and t-values were depended on to do the analysis. This study established that ICT proficiency among students and staff in Colleges of Education in Ghana is skewed; while proficiency in word processing and email use is high, proficiencies in the use of other ICT tools such as SPSS, Desktop Publishing, PowerPoint usage and search engines are low. This has been attributed to curriculum design and teaching methodology. The study also predicts that dissertations from these students may be poor due to the skewed proficiency in ICT. Without an effective policy intervention aimed at rectifying this skewedness Students and staff in Colleges of Education may not have adequate functional skills to work in the increasing sophisticated and ICT dominated environment. Based on our findings in this study, we may also postulate that a curriculum designed to develop enough ICT skills in staff and students while encouraging ICT use, together with changes in teaching methodology may help stem this skewedness.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of sports stressors and academic performance of student-athletes in selected colleges of education in Ghana. The study was guided by two (4) specific objectives: (a) To assess the influence of sporting stress on the academic performance of student-athletes in Colleges of Education in Ghana; (b) To compare the GPA of student-athletes in the year of competitive sports and the year of no competitive sports in the Colleges of Education in Ghana and (e) to recommend ways of managing stress to enhance student athlete’s academic performance. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design, in which both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. The study was conducted in Ghana. Simple random sampling was used to select student-athletes while purposive sampling was used to select tutors. The target population for this study was 12 tutors and 768 student-athletes in six (6) Ghana Colleges of Education. The total sample size for the study was 335 (12 tutors & 323 students-athletes). The instruments for data collection were a questionnaire, an interview guide and document analyses. Both, descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20). Descriptive statistics summarized, organized and described the responses when addressing study objectives through the use of means, standard deviations, frequencies, and percentages. Inferential statistics such as ANOVA and Point biserial were used to test the formulated null hypotheses. All hypotheses were tested at p<0.05 alpha level of significance. The study found that competitive sports stressors have a statistically significant influence on the academic performance of student-athletes in colleges of education in Ghana. The study also revealed that competitive sports stress has a statistically significant influence on the academic performance of student-athletes, especially the females, in colleges of education in Ghana. This study therefore, recommends that female student-athletes be given scholarships to motivate and enhance other female students’ participation in competitive sports. The study also recommends that colleges of Education in Ghana introduce stress management strategies to address stressors’ link to academic performance of student-athlete.

The study aimed to evaluate the tutors' pedagogical approaches in teaching the four-year Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) in Social Studies curriculum at the Colleges of Education (CoEs) in Ghana. This study employed a mixed-methods approach. A concurrent embedded research design was adopted for the study. The population of this study consisted of all students, teachers, tutors, Heads of Departments (HoDs), and principals from the 10 selected Colleges of Education (CoEs) that run the B.Ed. Programme in Social Studies curriculum. Purposive and proportionate random sample techniques were used to select 360 teacher-trainees, 27 Social Studies tutors, 10 Social Studies department heads, and 10 principals of CoEs for the study. The main instruments were questionnaire, an interview guide and an observation checklist. The data were analysed using quantitative and qualitative approaches. The quantitative data collected were coded and processed using SPSS, and descriptive and inferential statistics were applied. The qualitative data from the interview sessions were also analysed using thematic analysis. It can be concluded from the study's findings that College of Education tutors adopted and utilised modern pedagogies and technological tools to build competencies necessary for the field of work and lifelong learning while implementing the B.Ed. Programme Social Studies curriculum. The study also revealed that College tutors effectively used various pedagogical strategies in delivering Social Studies lessons to ensure a better understanding of the curriculum's concepts. It is recommended that tutors in Colleges of Education implement the B.Ed. the Social Studies curriculum for Colleges of Education in Ghana and continue to explore, adopt, and utilise other technologically blended pedagogical approaches to deliver Social Studies lessons, ensuring effective lesson delivery. Tutors could explore and use more modern pedagogical approaches in addition to the existing approaches used in implementing the B.Ed. Social Studies curriculum.

This study examined quality assurance practices and their influence on quality training of pre-service teachers, as well as the relationships between leadership roles, quality assurance, and teacher training quality in Colleges of Education (CoEs) in Ghana. A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted, and stratified random sampling was used to sample 132 teaching staff and 357 students from five CoEs in the Eastern and Greater Accra Zone. A questionnaire was employed for data collection. Data were analysed using regression and mediation analysis. The key findings were that: quality assurance was identified to have a positive but statistically insignificant effect on students’ training in Colleges of Education in Ghana with an overall mean score of quality training of students’ measures was 4.75 (SD± 1.52). The overall mean score of leadership role measures from the tutor’s perspective was 4.65 (SD± 0.94). ii) leadership role positively and significantly mediates the relationship between quality assurance and quality training of students in Colleges of Education in Ghana with the overall mean score of leadership role measures from a student perspective being 4.71 (SD± 1.38). The study concludes that leadership strengthens the impact of quality assurance on student teachers’ training. The study recommends that quality assurance units in Colleges of Education in Ghana should be strengthened with the necessary resources to positively influence students’ training.

This study reported on the extent to which Instructional Media (IM) are being utilized at the Colleges of Education in Ghana and how IM utilization affect students’ academic performance. Quasi-experimental design was adopted for the study. Stratified sampling technique was used in selecting five Colleges from the thirty-eight (38) public Colleges of Education in Ghana. The actual sample size used for the study was Sixty-Seven (67) tutors from five selected Colleges of Education namely: Wiawso College of Education, St. Louis College of Education, Jasikan College of Education, Presbyterian Women’s College of Education and Bagabaga. The instruments used for data collection were questionnaire and interview. The collected data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). From the analysis, it was revealed that instructional media were not adequately available in Colleges of Education in Ghana. Many Tutors were not competent enough in integrating technology into teaching and learning. From the analysis, students performed better in subjects where technology was used. It was therefore recommended that instructional media should be made available and accessible in the Colleges of Education; tutors should receive frequent technological training; tutors must be motivated to develop positive attitudes towards technology integration in Education. Again, teacher-trainees must be trained in the use of the various tools for educational purposes.

The study assessed the differences in Principals’ instructional leadership behaviours based on experiences (number of years served as Principal) in Colleges of Education (CsOE) in Ghana using the descriptive survey design. The population of the study was all Principals from the forty-two (42) CsOE in Ghana. The study sampled thirty-six (36) Principals using the simple random sampling technique. The Principal Instructional Leadership Behaviours (PILB) scale was used to collect data. Means, standard deviations and the one-way ANOVA were used to analyse the research question and to test for the hypothesis respectively. The study revealed that Principals often promote collaboration among tutors, provide support for tutors’ work, provide an induction for new tutors and promote in-service training for tutors in CsOE in Ghana. However, the findings from the study gleaned that supervision of instruction was sometimes exhibited by Principals in CsOE in Ghana. The study further found that Principals’ instructional leadership behaviours differed when they were grouped according to their experience. It was concluded that though Principals provide instructional leadership for the benefit of tutors and the general teaching and learning climate of CsOE in Ghana, their instructional supervision should be improved. The study yielded a central recommendation that Principals of CsOE need to improve upon their supervision of instruction to promote the continuous professional development of tutors.

Despite the various interventions to ensure that technical colleges of education graduates are well equipped with the requisite practical skills to be able to train students in the basic concept of technical education and training for the technological advancement of the country, it has not been able to transform most students at the basic level of education. The purpose of this study is mainly to assess factors affecting effective delivery of technical skills practical lessons in selected colleges of education in Ghana. A census of the tutor population of 17 was used for the study. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics and results presented in tables. The study found that, most of the facilities for practical work were non-existence, students have little experience on practical work, the factors affecting practical work were practical experience of teachers, teaching experience, age, among others. It was evident that, provision of adequate resources, exposing students to the importance of practical work and organization educative field trips to firms could be used to improve the organization of practical work in the colleges of education.

COVID 19 has thrown a new challenge to tutors in the colleges of education in Ghana. The purpose of this study was to examine tutors’ readiness in the use of virtual/digital learning classrooms in the Colleges of Education in Ghana. The study employed an analytical survey design. The study targeted tutors in the colleges of education in Ghana. The sample size for the study was 590 (495 tutors and 95 students). Focused group discussion was used to validate the data obtained from the tutors that is why the tutor number is greater than that of the students. The instruments used for data collection were questionnaire and focused-group discussion. The hypotheses formulated for the study were tested using Pearson point-biserial correlation coefficient. The study found that tutors have not acquired any formal training in how to do the blended learning and also use virtual learning platforms in their lesson deliveries. The study also revealed that tutors’ pedagogical skills in delivering virtual lessons have a positive relationship on students’ achievement. The study recommended that tutors should be adequately trained on how to use virtual learning platforms. The study again recommended that all colleges of education should have a robust LMS that would curb future occurrences, and policies on LMS should be implemented.

The main purpose of the study was to seek student teachers' perspectives on the practices of Supported Teaching in School Programme in Colleges of Education in Ghana; particularly, Colleges in the northern sector of Ghana. The population of the study consisted of all student teachers in Colleges of Education in Ghana. The target population was all student teachers of the three (3) selected Colleges of Education in the northern sector of Ghana namely; Tamale College of Education, Gambaga College of Education and ST. John Bosco College of Education. The sample size was ninety (90) third-year student teachers comprising thirty (30) student teachers each, who were conveniently chosen based on proximity. An opportunistic sampling technique was used to select student teachers for the study. A cross-sectional survey was adopted with an exploratory design. Results of the study indicated that there exists a communication gap between some Colleges of Education and partner schools; thereby resulting in unfriendly receptions given to student teachers by authorities of partner schools and mentors. The study also indicated that the Supported Teaching in School Programme (STS) is adequately assisting student teachers to develop professional skills, attitudes, and values of teaching including knowledge of inclusivity, equity, and support for learners learning progress in the classroom. Based on the results of the study, it is recommended that policymakers (Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service) should strategically provide enough resources such as syllabi, Teachers' Handbooks, and logistics for effective practice of the programme since it adequately develops student teachers’ teaching professionalism. It is also recommended that improvement needs to be considered by some of the Colleges of Education to close and strengthen the communication gap existing between them and partner schools by pre-informing them before assigning student teachers to them.

The study investigated the differences in leadership styles exhibited by principals of public Colleges of Education in Ghana in relation to their sex, age, years of work experience, and academic qualification. The cross-sectional survey design was adopted for the study. The target population was made up of all 46 principals of public Colleges of Education in Ghana. The target population consisted of all 38 public Colleges of Education which were in existence before the absorption of eight private Colleges of Education by the government of Ghana into public system. The purposive sampling technique was used to select 38 principals for the study. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire developed by Bass and Avolio (2004) was adapted to collect data. Means, standard deviations, t-test and ANOVA were used to analyse the data. The findings revealed that there were no statistically significant differences in the leadership styles of the principals of public Colleges of Education in Ghana based on their sex, age, and academic qualification. However, there were statistically significant differences in the leadership styles adopted by the principals in relation to their years of work experience. It was therefore concluded that many years of experience of principals of public CoEs in Ghana is critical for good leadership in these colleges. Among the recommendations was that the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) should consider years of work experience in the selection and appointment of principals for public Colleges of Education in Ghana. Additionally, in-service training and refresher courses should be organized regularly by NCTE for principals on the leadership styles suitable for achievement of objectives and goals of their colleges.

Purpose: The focus of the study was to review existing literature on the resourcefulness of science teaching and learning in the colleges of education in Ghana and to make recommendations to the government of Ghana and the science tutors on the teaching and learning of science in the colleges of education. The study strived to ascertain the right state of resourcefulness in science teaching and learning, nature of preparation given to pre-service science teachers and the kind of in-service training programmes science tutors receive.
 Methodology: Systematic literature search approach was adopted in selecting, screening and extraction of important and related documents. These processes included defining the question(s) that the review aimed to answer, establishing inclusion and exclusion criteria, carrying out the search for literature, reviewing the process and evaluating the studies, extracting relevant documents or data and then synthesizing, analyzing and presenting data. The criteria involved identifying journals, articles, policy documents, official reports, training modules, scholarly work from both print and electronic media; identifying goal, scope and focus of the review; presenting outline of procedure for selecting journals; deciding on source selection process; selecting sources; calibration of the content extraction process and picking relevant content materials.
 Results: From the analysis of the contents of the various documents gathered, it was revealed that a lot of colleges of education in Ghana have inadequate infrastructure, well-equipped science and ICT laboratories, human resource capacities and material resources that befit their status as tertiary institutions for effective delivery of science lessons by the tutors.
 Recommendation: It was recommended that the government of Ghana should adequately resource the colleges of education and the science tutors should take advantage of the Professional Development Sessions to sharpen their knowledge and skills for effective delivery of science concepts to learners.

Organizational commitment is of key concern in any educational system as it promotes organizational effectiveness. The aim of the study was to examine the influence of organizational support on teacher commitment, with evidence from colleges of education in Ghana. Methodologically, the explanatory research design was adopted due to the nature of the study as there was the need to compare and analyze the responses from standardized questionnaires through the use of descriptive and inferential statistics which fit well into the explanatory survey design. Questionnaires were distributed to a total of 59 tutors of Ola College of Education (A teacher training institute in Ghana) who were selected as sample. The results of the study indicated that organizational support dimensions; management and leadership, work-life balance and work environment have a positive influence on the level of teacher affective commitment. However, it was discovered that social support and reward and recognition currently practiced at the college have a negative influence on the level of teacher affective commitment in the institution. Thus, it was concluded that colleges of education in Ghana give priority to support practices such as social support and effective worker recognition and reward system.

Purpose: This study investigated the perceived impact of COVID-19 on students’ academic performance in Colleges of Education in Ghana.
 Methodology: Descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. A sample of 346 students was selected from a population of 3,500 students in three selected Colleges of Education in the Volta Region of Ghana using convenience sampling procedure. Data were gathered using questionnaire and analysed using means and standard deviation. Data were presented in tables after the analysis.
 Findings: The study found that students found it difficult to focus during online lessons and that their academic performance had worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In terms of the challenges encountered by students during the COVID-19 Pandemic, the study revealed that poor internet connectivity, lack of needed resources like laptops to access online learning system and lack of conducive learning atmosphere in the house were identified. From the results, it was concluded that the COVID-19 Pandemic at its peak has been detrimental to the academic performance of students in Colleges of Education in Ghana.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy Recommendation: The study highlighted the fact that students can learn not only in-person but can engage in remote learning. This backed the position of the Transactional Distance Theory used in the study. In improving learning in the wake of COVID-19, Colleges of Education should provide platforms for online learning with easy access and usage for students. Generally, policy makers should make policies that would make online learning a part of the education system at all levels of education. This would be a positive adjustment caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.
 

This study examined leadership styles of principals and their effects on staff job satisfaction in Colleges of Education in Ghana. Guided by the pragmatism philosophy, and underpinned by McGregor’s (1960) theory X-Y, the study utilised the descriptive survey research design to gather data from the respondents. The study employed the multi-stage sampling technique to select 210 staff to fill out questionnaires while five principals were chosen through purposive sampling for interview. In all, 215 respondents were selected from a population of 443 for the study. The quantitative data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical tools such as the mean, standard deviation, and multiple linear regression with the help of Statistical Product for Service Solution (SPSS), whilst the qualitative data was analysed thematically. It was revealed that the majority of principals in the Colleges of Education showed transformational leadership style but some were also seen as transactional leaders. Again, regardless of existing promotion opportunities, the staff were unsatisfied with their pay and benefits. The study found a significant moderate positive relationship between principals’ transformational leadership style and staff job satisfaction. Furthermore, across the dimensions of transformational leadership style, the idealised influence (Beta = .517, p<.05) and individualised consideration (Beta = .285, p = .013<.05) significantly predicted job satisfaction. It can be concluded that transformational leadership style of principals has significant moderate positive influence on job satisfaction of members of staff in Colleges of Education in Ghana. It was recommended that Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Colleges of Education should organise periodic seminars to train principals and other college officials on transformational leadership and how to apply it. Such seminars will help principals lead effectively and keep college staff satisfied with their jobs.

Background: Self-efficacy in the use of ICT refers to a person’s belief in their ability to succeed in the use of ICT in the teaching, learning and assessment process as well as research purposes. Purpose: The incorporation of ICT into teaching, learning and assessment, and for research purposes is a powerful tool that pro-motes the teaching-learning environment in several ways. This study was aimed at investigating Physics Tutors’ self-efficacy (PTSE) level towards ICT integration into teaching, learning, assessment and research in the various Colleges of Education (CoE) in Ghana. Methods: A Four-point Likert Scale Questionnaire was used to ob-tain quantitative data from 16 physics tutors sampled from the 16 Science and Mathematics Colleges of Education in Ghana. The data obtained was analyzed based on a number of factors such as historical inclination towards the use of ICT among other things. Results: The findings from the study however reveled that most physics tutors accept and believe that the use of ICT in teaching physics significantly improves on teaching and learning. However, many of the Physics Tutors believe that there isn’t enough support in terms of logistics and training from the various stakeholders such as institutional heads, supervisors and even colleagues in the usage of ICT in teaching and learning physics Conclusions: It is concluded that the overall PTSE towards ICT integration in the CoE is above average (2.6 on a scale of 4).