RECEIVING TRAINING TO TEACH THE 'PROHIBITED LANGUAGE: THE ATTITUDE OF STUDENT TEACHERS MAJORING IN A GHANAIAN LANGUAGE (AKAN) IN THE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN GHANA

Abstract

Lecturers, teachers, and students often consider students majoring in indigenous languages in Ghana as academically weak. However, some students still pursue it as a major in the Colleges of Education in Ghana. The present study investigates the attitude of student teachers majoring in an indigenous language Akan in the Colleges of Education in Ghana. To do so, three colleges, namely, St. Joseph's College of Education, Abetifi Presbyterian College of Education, and Fosu College of Education, were purposefully selected. A total of 212 students comprising 101 males and 111 females were recruited for the study. The data were quantitatively analyzed. The results showed that most participants have a positive attitude toward the study of Akan in general at the College of Education level. Similarly, student teachers' attitude toward majoring in Akan was positive since the overwhelming majority are not perturbed by the stigma associated with studying the Akan language in general. Finally, although a slight majority believed that they would allow their loved ones to pursue Akan in the future, other responses indicated participants had diverse opinions. This attitude will go a long way to change the negative perceptions others have about the study of indigenous languages in Ghana.