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In this chapter, the authors explored the effects of grade levels on what students find important in their mathematics learning in Ghana. A survey involving 1,256 primary, junior high and senior high school students was conducted in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana, using the WIFI questionnaire. It revealed that the Ghanaian students valued attributes such as achievement, relevance, fluency, authority, the use of ICT, versatility and Strategies in their learning of mathematics. The oneway Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used to investigate whether significant differences exist in what students valued in mathematics across grade levels. The results revealed a significant effect of grade level on students' valuing in mathematics. Implications for research and curriculum delivery are provided.

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This research examined the stressors that teacher education students of the University of Ghana usually encounter and the coping stratagems that they frequently embrace. Random sampling technique was employed to select 270 s and third year undergraduate students in 2018/2019 academic year to answer a survey questionnaire with closed-ended and open-ended questions. Dental Environmental Stress (DES) questionnaire on stressors was adapted whereas coping stratagems that might be utilised by students to minimise stress was measured using an adapted form of the Brief COPE. The outcomes of the research revealed that 'working to meet scholastic requirements", "inadequate supply of power and water in halls", and "changes in eating and sleeping habits", were three major stressors experienced by teacher education students. Furthermore, learners utilised numerous approaches, such as praying or meditating, and self-diverting actions as coping strategies. Learners also used more adaptive coping strategies, than maladaptive and avoidance coping strategies. Overall, resident students were found to be more stressed than non-resident students. Again, this study revealed that resident

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent of implementation of inquiry-based science teaching and learning in Ghanaian junior high schools. We sampled 503 students, 18 integrated science teachers, and 23 educational administrators from rural and urban areas of four districts and municipalities in the Central Region of Ghana. We used concurrent triangulation mixed methods design to collect quantitative and qualitative data. Validities, reliabilities, credibility, and dependability of the instruments were adequate. Average item means and standard deviations, frequencies, percentages, ANOVAs, Two-way MANOVA, principal component analysis, and Cronbach alphas were calculated. Thematic analysis was also conducted. We found rare implementation of inquiry-based science teaching and learning in the selected Ghanaian junior high schools. We also found significant interaction of school location and school type on the implementation of inquiry-based science instruction. Specifically, we found that codeswitching of English and the local language significantly promoted the implementation of social aspect of inquiry in rural schools. We recommend more reforms in science teaching and learning in Ghanaian junior high schools to be aligned with the features of inquiry. We also recommend that code-switching of English and the local language be actively promoted in schools, especially in rural and public junior high schools.

Mathematics has become a 'critical filter' in the social, economic and professional development of individuals and forms a core component of the school curriculum in most countries. It is upon this utilitarian nature of mathematics to the individual and the society as a whole that the school mathematics curriculum has been undergoing a number of restructuring over the last three decades. In Ghana, a new mathematics curriculum was introduced in September 2007 which aims at shifting the teaching and learning of mathematics from a teacher-centered approach to more student-centered and participatory teaching and learning. However, since the introduction of the curriculum no study has specifically examined mathematics teachers' teaching practices in relation to these new curriculum requirements. This study examines Junior High School (12-14 years) mathematics teachers' perceived and actual teaching practices in relation to the curriculum requirements. Participants in the study were 41 mathematics teachers' from 22 Junior High Schools. A Semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data about teachers' perceived teaching practices, and classroom observation was used to collect qualitative data about actual classroom practices. The key findings include: teachers' espoused the belief that their teaching practices are consistent with the principles and guidelines of the new mathematics curriculum. Teachers' perceived teaching practices were not fully consistent with their actual practices. The movement towards a more constructivist approach as outlined in the curriculum was not fully evident in most of the classrooms observed.

Purpose – Previous scholarly studies on institutions tend to create a sombre picture of institutions by ignoring to examine the antecedents of formal and informal institutions. The purpose of this paper is to overcome this limitation by proposing a conceptual framework of the antecedents of formal and informal institutions of entrepreneurial climate in a less developed market setting. Design/methodology/approach – This study builds on a comprehensive survey of the literature on institutions by using a synthesis thematic methodology to identified key scholarly studies which have been published in previous theoretical and empirical studies and proposes a conceptual framework of the role of formal and informal institutions in defining entrepreneurial climate in a developing economy’s context. Findings – The findings of the paper suggest that political factors and economic factors define formal institutions whilst socio-cultural factors define informal institutions. These factors rooted in political, economic and socio-cultural factors have a major influence on the rate and nature of entrepreneurial activity in a developing country setting. Practical implications – This paper contributes to the literature on entrepreneurship and intuitional theory by focusing on the antecedents of formal and informal institutional factors that shape entrepreneurial climate in Ghana. Originality/value – To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first review that explores the nature of entrepreneurial climate and proposes a conceptual framework of the role of formal and informal institutions in defining entrepreneurial climate in Ghana.