Senior High Schools In Ghana Research Articles

A Meta-Analysis Of The Influence Of Incorporating Practical Activities Into Physics Lessons In Senior High Schools In Ghana

A Meta-Analysis Of The Influence Of Incorporating Practical Activities Into Physics Lessons In Senior High Schools In Ghana

The use of Collaborative Approaches on Students’ Performances in Redox Reactions

This study investigated the use of collaborative instructional approaches on Form two science students’ performance in redox reactions. The sample for this study consisted of 106 science students from Winneba Senior High School in Ghana. The sample was selected from two intact classes in the school. After a pre-test organised for both classes, the class with the lower average score was assigned as the experimental group and the other class assigned the control group. Interviews, questionnaires, and tests were used as the main instruments to collect data for the study. The reliability of the questionnaire, pre-test, and post-test items which were determined using Cronbach-Alpha ranged from 0.76 to 0.80. A collaborative learning text-oriented instruction was applied in teaching the experimental group whereas conventional approach was used in teaching the control group. It was also found that a number of the students who took part in the study had wrong notions about redox reactions. The findings showed that there was a significant difference in performance between the experimental and control group. The experimental group performed better in the post-test than the control group. It is recommended that chemistry teachers in Ghana should employ the collaborative learning approach in teaching chemistry to enhance the students’ learning.

Examining Factors Responsible for Students Poor Performance in Mathematics, from the Perspective of Teachers and Students at Asesewa Senior High School in the Upper Manyakrobo District

The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that contributed to pupils' poor mathematics performance at Asesewa Senior High School in Ghana. The researchers therefore seek to investigate the extent to which learning resources availability and learning activities inhibit the performance of students of that district in mathematics. Because the purpose of the study was to acquire information from respondents on their experiences, perceptions, and opinions about students' low performance in mathematics at Asesewa Senior High School, the researchers utilized a descriptive survey approach. The researchers used a descriptive survey approach because the goal of the study was to gather information from respondents on their experiences, views, and opinions about pupils' low math performance at Asesewa Senior High School. As the only school in the Manyakrobo District, it was prudent for the researchers to use it for study. The total number of participants in the study was 250, and the study sample was made up of one hundred and sixty-five (165) students and mathematics teachers of Asesewa Senior High School. Data was obtained through questionnaire distribution and was then analyzed with the help of SPSS. It was discovered that resources were accessible and that they could not be blamed for the drop in student mathematical performance. The survey also found that there was no significant variation in perceptions of resource availability and learning activities between males and females in terms of gender among teachers and students.

COVID-19 Pandemic and Teachers' Classroom Safety Perception, Anxiety and Coping Strategies during Instructional Delivery.

Several professionals, including teachers, have been engrossed in fear of the worst happening due to COVID-19 and the rapidly evolving nature of the virus affecting the perception of safety in any working environment. This study examined teachers’ perception of classroom safety, anxiety, and coping strategies during instructional delivery in senior high schools in Ghana. Adopting the cross-sectional survey design with a quantitative approach, a convenient sample of 174 senior high school teachers in the Cape Coast Metropolis completed a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression. The findings showed that teachers perceived their classroom environment as unsafe during instructional delivery amidst COVID-19 and reported modest to extreme levels of anxiety. Further, teachers with a high level of COVID-19 anxiety were found to utilize active coping strategies to manage stressful situations. The reported unsafe working environment in schools during pandemic times highlights the critical role of supportive working environments for teachers’ mental and psychological wellness. School counseling psychologists, school welfare officers, and school health coordinators should collaborate to implement interventions (e.g., social emotional learning; resilience strategies) that promote the wellbeing of teachers and a safe working environment.

Perceptions and Effective Implementation of Peace Education in Senior High Schools in the Central Region of Ghana

The purpose of the study was to examine the perceptions and effective implementation of peace education in Senior High Schools in Ekumfi District in the Central Region of Ghana. The study was underpinned by the Integrative Theory of Peace Education (ITPE) [1]. The study adopted the mixed methods approach where the exploratory sequential mixed method design was employed. The convenience and stratified random sampling techniques were used to select 20 and 350 participants for the qualitative and quantitative stages of the study respectively. Semi-structured interview guide and questionnaire were the main tools used to collect data for the study. The qualitative data were analyzed through the thematic approach with the help of NVivo 12 Plus while the quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics like mean, frequency, and standard deviation with the aid of SPSS version 20. The study indicated that peace education in the schools is relevant in mentoring students who would be advocates of peace in their respective communities, preparing future leaders who are required to uphold peace and espouse peaceful attributes in their dealings with the publics as well as championing the path of national development. The study also revealed that teachers needed to be trained on the principles, knowledge, and skills required to effectively deliver peace education in the schools. The point is made that when these challenges are tackled, it will pave the way for the smooth implementation of peace education in the schools. It is recommended that peace education should be accorded the needed importance in the school curriculum. It is also recommended that the management of the schools should design and implement co-curricular programmes that are tailored towards the delivery of peace education to the students. It is further recommended that the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) of the Ghana Education Service should incorporate peace education as a topic in the Social Studies curriculum as part of the curriculum reforms for the Senior High Schools in Ghana.

Investigation into the Significant Values of the Visual Arts in the Senior High Schools in the Ghanaian Educational System

This study investigates the looming danger facing the Visual Arts subjects in Ghana’s education as it is underrated as compared to other subjects offered in the Senior High Schools. It examines evidence of the capabilities that art education develops in students and what it prepares them for. The study was purely descriptive and observation, as well as unstructured interviews, were the main instruments adopted to gather information from headmasters of selected Senior High Schools, parents, teachers, and students offering Visual arts as a course. The study revealed that the Visual Arts are not given the needed recognition and attention as is given to other subjects such as Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM), etc. by the stakeholders of education in Ghana. The study emphasized the importance of the arts and makes it clear that the visual arts increase the students’ thinking capacity to the extent that it makes them able to apply their thinking power in solving problems even in other academic areas as well as in life outside the school. The outcome of the study will diffuse the negative perceptions people have of visual arts and outlines compelling reasons to champion its development in the Senior High Schools in Ghana. Keywords: Visual arts, art education, Senior High School, creativity, programme. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-15-14 Publication date: May 31 st 2022

IMPACT OF EXTENSIVE READING ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMPETENCE: A CASE STUDY OF JUKWAA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

The study sought to assess the impact of extensive reading on English language competence. The study focused on Jukwaa Senior High School. The primary objective of this study is to assess the impact of extensive reading on English language competence in Jukwaa Senior High. A descriptive design was employed for this study and a quantitative methodology was used. Data collection tools employed in this study was questionnaire. Data was sorted and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23.0. Descriptive statistics like percentages and frequency were used to develop tables and graphs to explain the findings. Correlation and Regression Analysis were used to study the strength of a relationship between the extensive reading and then the English language competence. The study revealed a strong significant and positive relationship between extensive reading and English language competence. The study also shows that extensive reading predicts 79.3% variance in explaining English language competence. Finally, the study also revealed a linear relationship between age, extensive reading and English language competence. The study recommends that extensive reading should be a compulsory reading activity at all levels of Senior High schools in Ghana in order to improve their vocabulary knowledge. This should be done by providing students with texts on African and non-African fictions and making it compulsory for student to read at least one text in a week. Secondly, Students’ reading progress should be monitored by keeping reading diaries indicating varieties of registers or vocabularies encountered and summaries of books read. They should also be reinforced by awarding them stars for books read.

Controlling Examination Malpractice in Senior High Schools in Ghana through Performance-Base Assessment

The purpose of the study was find out the perceive impact performance-based assessment on examination malpractice at the SHS level. This study employed descriptive design. A performance-based test was developed by the researcher. The population for the study were mathematics examiners and teachers and public SHS three students in in the western region of Ghana. A multistage sampling procedure was used for the selection of respondents for the study. The study made use of stratified, simple random and census techniques for selecting participates for the study. In all, sample of 240 examiners and 150 mathematics teachers in the western region of Ghana was selected for the study. The instrument for the data collection of the study was questionnaire. Data collected was analysed with means and standard deviation. It was found that mensuration, set, equations and inequalities, business mathematics and algebraic expressions were expressed to attract much malpractice whiles graphs, angles and construction were found to least attract malpractice. The result also showed that PBA could reduce examination malpractice at the SHS level. It was therefore recommended that the West African Examination Council should give a try-out of PBA in the SHS for some selected schools to further ascertain the strength and weaken of the developed PBA.

Evaluation of Teacher Support Materials (TSM) in Teaching Titration in the Senior High Schools in Ghana

A qualitatively, interpretative design was adopted to evaluate type of laboratory practical Teacher Support Materials that could be used to teach practical skills of observation, listening and communication and manipulation of apparatus in titration. The population of the study consisted of three public Senior High Schools (SHS) in Komenda Edina Eguafo Abirem (KEEA) municipality of the Central Region of Ghana. Each school offers chemistry as a subject to students. Convenient, purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used to sample schools, teachers and students for the study. Six (6) teachers were purposively sampled out of a total of 8 chemistry teachers because they had qualification in Science Education in Chemistry. Five (5) students from each school were randomly selected from each of the three SHS for focal group discussion. The main instrument used for data collection were semi structured interview guide and Observation Checklist (OC). Teachers interview schedule was used to solicit information from the chemistry teachers on how they perceived the use of Practical Skills- based TSMs for teaching practical process skills in titration at the SHS levels. The curriculum profile was used to collect data to answer the research question. For each of the four Lesson Profiles (lesson introduction, skill development, application and closure) of the lesson plan, the total number of scores was divided by the maximum possible scores for the profile and expressed as percentage and qualitatively describing the trends of emerging themes. The study concluded that there has been some improvement in the cognitive experience and pedagogical content knowledge of the teachers as well as the students in the use of the PS-based teacher support material in the laboratory. It is recommended that teachers and educators should thoroughly read and assimilate the contents and the processes described in the PS-based TSMs before they are used in teaching titration so as to develop practical process skills of the students.

Impact of Professional Development Programmes on Teachers’ Knowledge and Academic Performance of Senior High School Students in Ghana

To improve educational outcomes through improvements in teaching standards, the Ministry of Education has stepped up efforts aimed at providing continuous and lifelong learning among Ghanaian teachers. However, the impact of the recent emphasis on a comprehensive framework for the professional development of teachers on teaching and learning outcomes has not been adequately studied. Despite the growing body of literature suggesting that professional development and professional knowledge may be associated with student outcomes, these relationships remain an open question. This study, therefore, sought to determine the impact of teachers’ professional development on academic performance in senior high schools in Ghana and the mediating role of teachers’ professional knowledge. A survey was conducted, and valid questionnaires were retrieved from 4,102 teachers in selected public senior high schools from four regions (including 77 districts and 97 public senior high schools) across the Southern, Middle, and Northern belts of Ghana. The results of the study showed that professional development has a significant positive relationship with professional knowledge (γ = 0.26, p < 0.001). Also, professional development and professional knowledge were positively related to academic performance (γ = 0.08, p < 0.001) and (γ = 0.04, p < 0.001) respectively. Finally, the results of the study showed that professional knowledge partially mediated the relationship between professional development and academic performance. The study, therefore, concluded that professional development leads to improvements in the academic performance of students through improvements in teachers’ professional knowledge and other characteristics of teachers that were not accounted for by this study. Among other things, the study recommends that teachers should be encouraged to engage in diverse professional development activities that respond to the inadequacies in their professional competencies.

The Impact of the Free Senior High School Education Policy and Double-Track System on Quality Education Outcomes: A Quasi-Experimental Policy Evaluation Study in Ghana

In the 2017/2018 academic year, the government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Education, began an educational reform policy codenamed the “Free Senior High School” (FSHS) policy to fully absorb the cost, increase enrolment, and improve the quality of education for all public senior high schools in Ghana. To accommodate more students and reduce overcrowding in schools, the government, as part of the FSHS policy, introduced the double-track system, which divides the total student population and staff into two tracks; as one of the tracks attends school, the other is on vacation and vice versa. No study has assessed this policy on education outcomes. This study assessed the impact of the FSHS policy and the double-track system on quality education outcomes and explored the challenges associated with the implementation of the policies. The study further identified strategies needed to address these challenges. The study employed a quasi-experimental study design using a pre-post data collection instrument designed to assess quality education metrics. We also used a comparative cross-sectional study design and qualitative design methodologies to evaluate the FSHS policy and the double-track system. We quantified the impact of the policies using quantile and ordinary least square regression models with cluster robust standard errors. Our evaluation of the policy showed a significant decline in quality of education outcomes and academic performance. Students who attended the double-track schools performed poorly in all the core subjects compared with non-double-track schools. The challenges associated with the implementation of the policy were financial constraints, infrastructure deficit, inadequate and delayed release of food items, lack of teaching and learning materials, inadequate contact hours, and poor implementation of the policy and the double-track system. Government must comprehensively review the FSHS policy and consider cost sharing with parents and caregivers to sustain the policy.

Menstrual hygiene management in public high schools in Ghana.

in the ten (10) regions of Ghana. The findings showed that most girls in Public Senior High Schools in Ghana had prior knowledge about menstruation from their mothers and sisters prior to menarche. It was revealed that majority of the girls mentioned hormones as the cause of menstruation, whilst others mentioned the uterus, bladder, vagina, and other parts of the female reproductive system. A few of them had no idea what causes menstruation. The findings again revealed that most girls use sanitary pads, while some use other materials during menstruation. Less than half of the sample of girls in this study were able to change their pads twice daily or more. About half of the girls cleansed their genital parts only when bathing during menstruation using soup and water mostly. Half of the schools used pblic tap/standpipe as their main source of water and the rest used other sources of water. Also, most schools have toilet facilities. Some useful recommendations are proffered with the aim of improving MHM in public high schools in Ghana.

Socio-Cultural Challenges and Coping Strategies: The Tale of Refugee Students in Senior High Schools in Ghana

Socio-Cultural Challenges and Coping Strategies: The Tale of Refugee Students in Senior High Schools in Ghana

SEXUAL RISK BEHAVIOURS AND STI RISK PERCEPTION AMONG SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE SUNYANI MUNICIPALITY OF GHANA

In the ideal world scenario risky sexual behaviours are rampant. The most worrying part is the fact that teenagers and the youth are the ones with a high predisposition to indulge in risky sexual behaviours. This study assessed the risky sexual behaviour and the STI Risk Perception among senior high school students within the Sunyani municipality. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was deployed in order to get a clear picture of the relationship between risky sexual behaviour and attendant STIs. The targeted population was 250 students of the Twene Amanfo Senior High Technical School (TASTECH) in Sunyani- Ghana. In order to reduce bias, a simple random sampling was used in recruiting the 250 participants. A structured questionnaire was employed in obtaining quantitative data from the students. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 25) was used to analyze the quantitative data. The results indicated that, 110 students (44% of respondents) indulged in various forms of sexual risk behaviours. A greater majority of 147 (78.8%) had low STI risk perception which is very disheartening. Sexual risk behaviours such as early sexual initiation (OR 7.462, CI: 4.143 – 14.096), having multiple sexual partners (OR 43.669, CI: 20.825 – 91.573), non-condom use (OR 6.368, CI: 3.456 – 11.735) and the use of drugs (OR 15.523, CI: 8.226 – 29.292) were strongly associated with the likelihood of contracting sexually transmitted infections. The study, therefore, recommends that there should be a rigorous mass sensitization campaign across all Senior High schools in Ghana to create more awareness among young people on the dangers associated with indulging in risky sexual behaviours.

The New Covid-19 Wave and the Psychological Distress Among Senior High School Students in Ghana

The study explored the psychological experiences of Senior High School students and their coping strategies in selected Senior High Schools in Ghana in the wake of the third wave of Covid-19. Data for the study were purposely collected from 20 respondents using a semi-structured interview guide and analysed thematically. The findings of the study revealed that the majority of students in Senior High Schools are confused and have a feeling of anxiety whilst on campus in the wake of the third wave of Covid-19. It was further established that Senior High School students cope by building relationships with their teachers and as well with their colleagues in school and adherence to state laid down protocols. The contribution of Guidance and Counselling units in the schools played a great role in helping students cope psychologically.

Workplace Friendship and Teacher Citizenship Behaviour, The Moderating Role of Workplace Jealousy: An Empirical Analysis of Senior High Schools in Ghana

The present study examines the effect of workplace friendship on teacher citizenship behaviour, moderated by workplace jealousy among senior high schools in Ghana. The study employs a quantitative research approach, whereby 384 respondents were sampled from among 22 public owned institutions in the Kumasi metropolis, using a simple random sampling technique. Employing Multiple Linear Regression Analysis, the surveyed data was analysed using SPSS version 23.0. All three (3) hypotheses in this study were supported. In particular, the study found that workplace friendship has a significant and positive effect on teacher citizenship behaviour; workplace jealousy has a significant and positive effect of teacher citizenship behavior; and workplace friendship interacting with workplace jealousy has a significant but very weak effect on teacher citizenship behaviour. It can be noted that, hypotheses two (2) of this study which is positively and significantly supported, seem different from that of previous studies with data from different countries. The perception of workplace jealousy from the Ghanaian context is perceived positive and quite different from that of other countries due to differences in historical and cultural backgrounds. Higher education institutions may derive enormous benefits from the findings of this study. Several implications to theory and practice were discussed.

Trapped in the ‘Web’: Challenges of Grade 9 Pupils in Choosing a Course to Pursue in Senior High Schools in Ghana

Abstract Grade 9 pupils’ choice of a course to pursue in senior high school in Ghana is a decision made at a young age usually below 16 years. Therefore, these young pupils rely on other persons for help when making such a decision. Previous research found that instead of assisting, these social agents rather interfere with this decision-making process. This study explored the challenges grade 9 pupils face in choosing courses in their transition to senior high school by seeking the views of the pupils and their teachers/counsellors using a questionnaire and interview guide. The findings showed that fathers, mothers, siblings, finances and orientation at home were the major obstacles the pupils faced when selecting a course to pursue. Other challenges found in the school setting included teacher interferences and peer distractions. The study concluded that grade 9 pupils have a great challenge from their social milieu when choosing a course to pursue at the senior high school level. The study recommended that school counsellors/heads should educate parents, guardians and teachers on how to guide pupils in choosing a course to pursue at the SHS level.

Perceptions of the Usage of WhatsApp for Instruction: A Study of Teachers in Senior High Schools in Ghana

Perceptions of the Usage of WhatsApp for Instruction: A Study of Teachers in Senior High Schools in Ghana

Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) to Improve Students’ Performance in Social Studies lessons: A case of Bawku Senior High School in Ghana

Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) to Improve Students’ Performance in Social Studies lessons: A case of Bawku Senior High School in Ghana

Selection of Students for Visual Arts Programme at Senior High Schools in Ghana

Selection of Students for Visual Arts Programme at Senior High Schools in Ghana