Colleges Of Education In Ghana Research Articles

Challenges in Understanding the Mole Concept Among Level 200 Students in Science Colleges of Education in Ghana

This study investigates challenges in understanding the mole concept among pre-service teachers in Ghanaian Colleges of Education. Chemistry education is fundamental for fields such as medicine and engineering, yet students often face difficulties due to inadequate foundational knowledge and ineffective teaching methods. The mole concept is crucial for grasping various chemical phenomena, but its complexity frequently results in significant learning challenges. This study employs a mixed-method explanatory design, combining quantitative diagnostic tests and qualitative interviews with 1,211 pre-service teachers from six selected colleges. The study identifies key challenges in learning the mole concept, including difficulties in translating word problems into equations, determining mole ratios, deriving empirical and molecular formulae, and understanding the relationship between stoichiometric coefficients and moles. The analysis categorizes these challenges into comprehension, transformation, process skills, and encoding errors, with process skills and transformation challenges being the most prevalent. Findings reveal that many students struggle to solve problems without formulae, highlighting a lack of conceptual understanding. Interviews with pre-service teachers confirm quantitative data, indicating that students often rely on rote memorization rather than conceptual grasp. The study concludes that improvements in teaching methods are needed, emphasizing the importance of understanding over memorization and recommending small group collaborative learning. Contributions include filling empirical gaps in the literature regarding pre-service teachers’ challenges and suggesting practical recommendations for enhancing chemistry education.

Developing modelling competencies in pre-service mathematics teachers through reflective thinking skills

Background: Ghana’s commitment to quality education has been reflected in its goal of providing equal access to high-quality education, leading to the reforms of the New Common Core Mathematics Curriculum for Basic Schools. The study explored the integration of mathematical modelling using reflective thinking skills, which are not currently core competencies in Ghanaian basic school curriculum.Aim: The study examined the modelling proficiency of pre-service mathematics teachers by assessing their reflective thinking abilities in a modelling laboratory context.Setting: The study focussed on pre-service mathematics teachers from two education colleges in Ghana.Methods: Using purposive sampling to select participants, a quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-test interventions was employed. Data were analysed through content and inferential analysis, supplemented by interviews.Findings: The findings indicated that the comparison group lacked prior knowledge of modelling problems and struggled with comprehension tasks. In contrast, the experimental group successfully translated real-world problems into mathematical models.Conclusion: Providing pre-service mathematics teachers access to a modelling laboratory and modelling-eliciting activities was essential for developing future modellers. This approach would enhance their effectiveness in teaching foundational mathematics in Ghanaian education.Contribution: This study advocated for re-orienting the mathematics curriculum at both Basic schools and Colleges of Education in Ghana to include mathematical modelling and reflective thinking skills as core components.

Perceived attitude of preservice teachers towards the integration of technology in teaching and learning college geometry: cases of two selected colleges of education in Ghana

Despite growing recognition of the value of using technology in mathematics instruction and learning, preservice teachers consistently performed abysmally in college geometry. This study therefore examined the attitude of preservice teachers towards the integration of technology in the teaching and learning of College Geometry. Quantitative descriptive survey was employed as the design for the study. The study drew on Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) as the main theoretical framework. A sample of 185 preservice teacher participants offering college geometry from two Colleges of Education in the Central Region of Ghana were selected using multi-stage sampling technique. Data collected was analysed using mean, standard deviation, independent samples t-test and One-way ANOVA. The study found out that preservice teachers have high positive attitude towards the use of technology in the teaching and learning of college geometry. There was no significant difference between the attitude of male and female preservice teachers towards the use of technology in the teaching and learning of geometric concepts. It was therefore recommended that technology should be used to teach college geometry in Colleges of Education.

Leadership Styles of Principals and Job Satisfaction: An Empirical Study in Colleges of Education in Ghana

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.

Characteristics of school effectiveness at the level of colleges of education in Ghana

PurposeSchool effectiveness has attracted some currency in educational research globally since the 1960s though such studies mostly point to the efforts of principal leadership as the basis for promoting effective schools. However, in the case of Ghana, there is a lack of research conducted in the area, and due to that, this study sought to explore internal public perspectives of what constitutes school effectiveness in the Colleges of Education in the Upper East Region of Ghana.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed the convergent parallel mixed-method design otherwise called concurrent mixed-method design. The population for the study comprised second and third-year students, tutors and leadership of the colleges. In total, 308 respondents constituted the sample size. The breakdown is 257 students in all, 41 tutors and 10 leaders of the colleges. Two instruments, namely, an in-depth interview guide and a questionnaire were used to elicit responses to address the object of this study.FindingsThe study revealed that the characteristics of effective schools include the high academic performance of students and a good show of disciplined behavior by both students and staff in the colleges among others.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, during the search for studies conducted on school effectiveness, there is no scientific study done in Ghana highlighting the attributes of effective educational institutions. Most of the studies conducted in the area of educational studies only focused on principal leadership, educational access, participation and equity at the level of pre-tertiary institutions.

Selected demographic variables as predictors of Ghanaian preservice teachers’ perceptions of the teacher licensure test

This study examined Ghanaian preservice teachers’ perceptions of the newly introduced teacher licensure test in 2018. Data were obtained from an online survey of third-year preservice teachers selected from 16 of 46 public colleges of education in Ghana. By adapting an existing instrument, we created an 11-item scale, which was theoretically categorised into five components: utility of the test, college preparation, consequences, emphasis on the test, and other certification tests. The participants’ scores on each component were regressed on four predictor variables: information about the test, the student’s sex, prior teaching experience, and programme of study. The results showed that students’ sex was predictive of the utility of the test, college preparation, and emphasis on the test. Prior teaching experience was also predictive of the emphasis placed on the test and the need for other certification tests. Preservice teachers’ exposure to information about the test was associated with their perceptions of the utility of the test, the need for college preparation, and the use of other certification tests. Implications for teacher preparation and education are discussed, especially in relation to the identification of alternative certifications.

Culture Traits as Predictors of Tutor Job Satisfaction in Selected Public Colleges of Education in Ghana: A Pre-test Analysis

Culture Traits as Predictors of Tutor Job Satisfaction in Selected Public Colleges of Education in Ghana: A Pre-test Analysis

Understanding the Attitudes and Perceptions toward Teaching and Learning Methods on Academic

The study investigated the perceptions and attitudes of students in Colleges of Education in Ghana towards the teaching and learning of history studies. To achieve this, a descriptive survey research design was employed. In order to provide more details, we also conducted a regression analysis to understand how the attitudes and perceptions of College of Education students towards the study and teaching of history impact their academic performance for a sample size of 298. Overall, we find that the perceptions of students toward teaching and learning methods for history studies in the Colleges of Education do not matter for their academic performances as well as their age and gender. Notably, the attitudes toward teaching and learning methods for history studies and importance attached to history studies significantly contribute to the positive outcomes in the academic performances. This, however, implies that even with negative or no perception, the importance attached to history studies coupled with positive attitude are more likely to outweigh the effect on their academic performances.

Challenges of Using ICTs in Teaching and Learning of Clothing and Textiles in The Colleges of Education in Ghana

The purpose of the study was to identify the challenges that tutors and student teachers at Colleges of Education encounter in using ICTs in learning and teaching of clothing and textiles. The current study employed concurrent triangulation research design under mixed method approach for the study. The study used QUANT + qual because the researcher seeks to supplement the quantitative data with the qualitative data to get in-depth understanding of the challenges in the integration of ICTs in the teaching and learning of clothing and textiles. The population of the study consisted of two hundred and thirty (230) of level 200 and level 300 student teachers offering clothing and textile and all 8 tutors teaching clothing and textiles in the four selected Colleges of Education in the CENTWEST zone of Ghana. In the qualitative phase, simple random sampling was used to select four (4) student teachers from each of the four colleges whiles purposive sampling was used to select all the teachers teaching clothing and textiles in the four colleges of education in the CENTWEST zone of Ghana. This make a total sample of students’ teachers to be sixteen (16) and the eight teachers for the qualitative phase. Data for the study were gathered using a questionnaire and semi-structured interview instruments. Utilizing descriptive statistics like means and standard deviations, coefficient of variations, and thematic analysis to analyse the quantitative data. The results indicated that there are a few challenges that student teachers and tutors encounter on using ICTs for Learning Clothing and Textiles which include: insufficient number of computers, insufficient internet access, lack of software for teaching clothing and textiles, Absence of CAD to design curves in 2D/3D as well as absence of system for monitoring and evaluating ICTs enhancement in the colleges.

Challenges in Understanding the Redox Reaction Concept among Level 200 Students in Science Colleges of Education in Ghana

Challenges in Understanding the Redox Reaction Concept among Level 200 Students in Science Colleges of Education in Ghana

Analysis of Language Used in Social Media and its Impact on Students’ Writing: A Case Study of Seventh Day Adventist College of Education, Asokore-Koforidua, Ghana

The issue about the impact of social media language on the formal academic writings of students of Colleges of Education in Ghana seems unending. While some researchers report a positive impact of social media language on students’ academic performance, other researchers report otherwise. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to examine the most prevalent type of social media English found in teacher-trainees’ formal writing and its effect on academic performances of teacher-trainees at SDA College of Education, Asokore-Koforidua, Ghana. The study used the mixed methods research design. The researchers sampled 313 teacher-trainees from the SDA College of Education, Asokore-Koforidua using the stratified random sampling approach. The researchers used a close-ended questionnaire, semi-structured interview guide, and observation checklist to gather data for the study. The data gathered where analysed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that teacher-trainees at SDA College of Education, Asokore Koforidua, Ghana are addicted to social media and their academic writings of are full of unconventional abbreviations, punctuation and spelling errors. Also, the study concluded that social media English has very little effect on the academic performances of the teacher-trainees. Based on the conclusions of the study, it was recommended that lecturers who teach Communication Skills in the Department of Languages in the college need to up their game, and help teacher-trainees to appreciate the need to use formal writing styles in their academic writings.

Evaluating the Availability and Effectiveness of Safety Equipment in Chemistry Laboratories at Public Colleges of Education in Ghana

Evaluating the Availability and Effectiveness of Safety Equipment in Chemistry Laboratories at Public Colleges of Education in Ghana

Pre-Service Teacher Training Quality: Influence of Quality Assurance Practices and Interrelationships with Leadership Role

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.

The Contingencies of Emotional Intelligence on the Academic Performance of Trainee Teachers in selected Colleges of Education in Ghana

By understanding the contingencies of EI on AP, teacher education programs can be designed to foster the development of EI skills among trainee teachers, leading to more effective teaching practices and improved student outcomes. This study analyze the effect of EI (EI) on the academic achievement of aspiring English and math teachers. The study's teacher candidates were located in the two coed colleges of education. A quasi-experimental technique was adopted in the design of this investigation. Using the multistage sampling method, 648 second year prospective teachers were selected from the two colleges. EI Inventory were both adapted and used as the basis for the questionnaires that were created and given to all responders. The analysis is used A Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA). The results of the study showed a substantial difference in mathematics performance between the teacher candidates who were a part of the experimental group and those who were a part of the control group. On the other hand, there was no discernible difference in performance between the experimental and control groups in terms of English language. Hence, EI influenced trainees’ high performance in Mathematics, but it did not influence their performance in English Language. As a strategy to boost trainees’ EI, the implications and various recommendations have been made to both the administrative staff and tutors as well as the teacher trainees of the colleges of education.

Tutors’ Perspectives of Factors Affecting the Implementation of the Four-Year Bachelor of Education Science Curriculum in the Colleges of Education in Ghana

Tutors’ Perspectives of Factors Affecting the Implementation of the Four-Year Bachelor of Education Science Curriculum in the Colleges of Education in Ghana

Demographic Difference in Stress Coping and Student-Athletes in Colleges of Education in Ghana

The study aimed to investigate a demographic difference in stress coping among student-athletes in Colleges of Education in Ghana. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design, in which quantitative data was collected. The study was conducted in Ghana. Simple random sampling was used to select student-athletes. The target population for this study was 768 student-athletes in six (6) Ghana Colleges of Education. The total sample size for the study was 323 student-athletes. The instruments for data collection were questionnaire 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 Demographic characteristics have a statistically significant relationship with stress management among student-athletes in colleges of education in Ghana.

Examining pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards mathematics teaching and learning

The study examined pre-service teachers’ perceptions of learning mathematics. The study involved a total of 482 teacher-trainees from chosen colleges of education in Ghana. The study’s methodology was quantitative. With the help of a structured survey questionnaire, the main data was gathered. The questionnaire was broken down into four sections (or constructs), including the students’ self-sufficiency in learning mathematics, their perception of how learning mathematics has affected them, their concerns about learning mathematics, and their evaluations of Mathematics teaching. The constructs’ respective Cronbach’s alpha reliability analysis values are 0.96, 0.90, 0.96, and 0.93, respectively. The majority of the students demonstrated a high level of independence in their mathematics learning, according to the results of the teacher trainees’ self-sufficiency assessments. The results also showed that 74.3% can solve math problems even when they struggle with a mathematics course; 53.6% have less trouble learning mathematics; 65.7% find solving mathematics problems to be very satisfying; and 60.2% have a lot of self-confidence in learning mathematics. Then, 63.7% of the students said they also really enjoyed mathematics. A total of 82.4% of students agreed that learning mathematics has a variety of positive effects on one’s life. However, the mean value of about 2.8% confirmed that the majority of students disagreed with the claim that “the tutors incorporate information and communication technologies (ICTs) into the teaching of mathematics.”<b> </b>The study suggests mathematics tutors at the colleges make efforts to incorporate ICTs in lessons, and management at the colleges also provide enough ICT resources and equipment to facilitate ICT integration.

Enhancing the Interest of Colleges of Education Students in Ghana in Music Theory: Strategies and Recommendation

This article examines strategies to enhance the interest of College of Education students in music theory in Ghana. Music theory education is vital for fostering students' understanding of musical concepts, critical thinking, and creativity. However, factors such as prior musical experiences, teaching methods, curriculum design, and cultural influences can influence students' engagement with music theory. To address this, a qualitative study was conducted to identify effective strategies. The findings underscore the significance of prior musical experiences and the importance of creating a supportive learning environment that embraces students' diverse musical backgrounds and interests. Active learning, technology integration, peer collaboration, and performance-based assessments emerged as effective approaches to motivate students in music theory. The study recommends providing teacher training in active learning and culturally responsive pedagogies, revising curricula to include diverse musical genres and practical applications, fostering collaborations with community organizations to expand students' musical experiences, and launching awareness campaigns to highlight the benefits of music theory education. Implementing these strategies requires collaboration among educational institutions, policymakers, music educators, and the wider community. By nurturing student interest in music theory, Colleges of Education in Ghana can cultivate a generation of music enthusiasts, educators, and advocates, contributing to the preservation and development of Ghana's rich musical heritage.

Values in college mathematics learning: Student teachers’ preference

This study explored what Ghanaian student teachers value in college mathematics learning. A cross-sectional survey involving 180 student teachers from College of Education in Ghana was conducted using the What I Find Important (WIFI) in mathematics learning questionnaire. The study employed principal component analysis with Oblimin rotation and one-way multivariate analysis of variance in analyzing the data gathered. Among the findings, it was found that student teachers value exploration, connections, understanding, and fluency in their study of college mathematics. Also, the findings of the study revealed a statistically significant difference in what student teachers value in college mathematics learning across college class levels. To facilitate a clearer understanding of valuing in the colleges of education in Ghana, it is considered important to establish through research the values of teacher educators regarding college mathematics learning and teaching, and how these values reflect what student teachers value and those values espoused in the new 4-year Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) curriculum in Ghana.

English speaking anxiety among English-major tertiary students in Ghana

<span lang="EN-US">The study explored the English-speaking anxiety of trainee teachers in the colleges of education in Ghana. It aimed at unravelling the causes of the speaking anxiety in the learners and proffering strategies to mitigate the causes of the speaking anxiety. For that purpose, qualitative data were collected from 30 English-major students who attend a college of education in the Western North region of Ghana using semi-structured interviews as the data collection instrument. The data were analyzed using inductive coding data analysis procedures and techniques, where the dominant patterns and themes emerging from the data were grouped and examined. The results showed that the major causes of speaking anxiety are inferiority complex, fear of committing mistakes, spontaneity and the lack of preparation, fear of negative evaluation from tutors and peers, limited knowledge and vocabulary in the language and self-criticism. The participants also indicated the strategies that can curb the problem, including creating a learner-friendly and less formal classroom environment, peer assessment, encouraging the use of more speaking activities in the classroom, positive evaluative feedback and resignation and avoidance. In line with these findings, the study recommended that future research could employ a quantitative approach to produce a more generalizable outcome.</span>