Teacher Competency in Handling Children with Special Needs in the regularSchools In Ghana. A Study of Primary School Teachers in Hohoe District

Abstract

In recent years the concept of effective teaching has become increasingly topical both in regular and special educational circles. As regular schools continue to open their doors to all children including children with disabilities, regular class teachers have had to become significantly more involved in providing an effective educational service for all students. The purpose of this study therefore is to assess the competency level of regular teachers in handling children with special needs in the regular classrooms. A descriptive survey design was adopted. In all 236 teachers made up of 121 males and 115 females in the primary schools in the Hohoe district of Ghana were the subjects for the study. A self-designed Teacher Competency Scale with split-half reliability coefficient of 0.88 was used. The data was analysed using Point-biserial correlation and the t-test. The study showed that there is a significant positive relationship between preservice course in the education of children with special needs and teacher competence. However, no significant difference was found between male and female competency. IFE Psychologia (2002) 10(1), 126-134