Why was inquiry practice not there? Analysis of demand-resource empirics of classroom pedagogy

Abstract

ABSTRACT A growing body of research has underscored the importance of inquiry-based methods in history teaching, yet the organisational and cultural contexts within which teachers work and how these impact teachers’ practices have received little attention. This article employs the job demands-resources theory to examine factors that inform the classroom methods of secondary history teachers in Ghana. A qualitative approach involving in-depth interviews and lesson observations was used to explore this issue. Results show that teachers in Ghana report high levels of workload that are disproportionate to the resources available in their schools of practice. This resulted in pressure and anxiety to achieve curriculum coverage in response to testing and accountability regimes. The article concludes that tensions between job demands and resources form a disincentive against the implementation of inquiry-based pedagogies in Ghanaian schools. The article draws implications for curriculum design and stakeholder engagement.