The present study was undertaken to determine the level of parental involvement in monitoring the academic performance of students at the senior high level within Kassena Nankana Municipality in the upper East Region of Ghana. Three research questions were formulated for the study. Purposive and random sampling technique were adopted for sampling the participants for the study. Participants of the study included 50 parents, 100 teachers and 100 students. Self-developed questionnaire was used for collecting data from the sampled parents, teachers and students. Cronbach alpha was used to determine the reliability of the items. Data collected from the participants were analyzed using descriptive statistics (percentage, mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (ANOVA). The results of the study proved that the level at which parents participate in monitoring the academic performance of students at the senior high school is very low within the municipality. The results of the study also indicated that poverty, low level of education, single parenting, work load of parents, negative attitude of teachers and parents toward each other and large family size are the major barriers of parental involvement in monitoring students’ academic performance. It was recommended that parents should spend enough time with children at home and discuss with them about their academic performance, Parents should communicate frequently with teachers in order to know the academic performance of their children, Management of senior high schools within the municipality should discuss with parents on the importance of parental involvement in education and Parents-Teachers Association meetings should be organized frequently at least once every semester since it is one of the best means through which teachers can get access to parents and interact with them.
Purpose: This study explored the effect of Concept Mapping Instructional Strategy Accompanied by Discussion Web on students’ academic achievement in the concept of Genetics at Navrongo Senior High School, generally, and on gender basis. Methodology: The study adopted quasi-experimental design (pretest, posttest non-equivalent design). The sample comprised of 80 Navrongo Senior High School Form Three Gold Track and Green Track science students. Students from the Green Track class and Gold Track class were assigned experimental group and control group respectively. The experimental group class was made up of 23 males and 20 females. The control group class was also made up of 24 males and 13 females. Pretest was administered to all the participants. The experimental group was taught using Concept Mapping Instructional Strategy Accompanied by Discussion Web. The control group was taught using Conventional Teaching Method. A posttest was administered to both groups to determine the effectiveness of the treatment. The reliability of the test items was determined using test-retest reliability coefficient. The test-retest reliability coefficients of the instruments were found to be 0.70 and 0.73 for the pretest and posttest respectively. The data obtained were analysed using t-test. Results: The pretest test scores revealed that the students were homogeneous in terms of academic achievement (t-value = 1.05, p-value=0.30, p>0.05). Posttest results of students in the experimental group were significantly higher than the control group (t-value = 8.07, p-value = 0.000, p < 0.05). The result of the posttest showed that the use of concept mapping instructional strategy accompanied by discussion web in teaching genetics was more effective than conventional teaching method. There was no statistically significant difference in the academic achievement of male and female students in the experimental group (t-value = 1.68, p-value = 0.11, p > 0.05). Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: This study recommended that Biology teachers in Navrongo Senior High School should be encouraged to teach Genetics using Concept Mapping Instructional Strategy Accompanied by Discussion Web in order to improve the academic achievement of students. Science teachers should be given the opportunity to attend workshops, seminars, conferences to enable them update their knowledge on current instructional strategies that are capable of improving the academic achievement of students. The Government, Ghana Education Service and Ministry of Education should establish professional development fund for teachers to enable them upgrade professionally and also improve on their teaching styles since most teacher are not abreast with the current or modern methods of teaching.
The study investigated basic school integrated science teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge and its usefulness in their lesson’s delivery. The study was carried out within basic schools in the Kassena Nankana Municipality. Two research questions were formulated for the study. Purposive sampling technique was adopted for the study. 100 integrated science teachers were sampled for the study. Self-developed questionnaire was formulated and used for collecting data from the participants. The reliability of the items was determined using Cronbach alpha coefficient of reliability. The data collected were analysed using descriptive (mean, percentage and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (ANOVA). The results of the study proved that integrated science teachers PCK play a very significant role in their lessons delivery. The results of the study also indicated that peer observation and mentoring, professional upgrading, observation visits to other schools, individual and collaborative research and workshops are the major key policies capable of improving integrated science teachers PCK. Based on the findings, it was therefore recommended that in-service training should be organised frequently for teachers at the basic level, Ghana Education Service and Ministry of Education should increase the quota for study leave with pay for integrated science teachers at the basic level and newly trained teachers should be given mentorship by experienced teachers.
The study sought to determine the level of use of iBox by integrated science teachers in the initial Secondary Education Improvement Project (SEIP) supported Senior High Schools in the Upper East Region of Ghana. This research tested teachers’ perceptions such as Computer Self Efficacy (CSE), Perceived Ease of Use (PEoU) and Perceived Usefulness (PU). The study employed a cross-sectional survey research design. Out of the 162 participants sampled, 155 questionnaires were fully completed and validated. Data analysis procedures included frequencies, percentages, crosstabs and chi-square tests. The results of the study indicated a statistically significant association between CSE and iBox utilisation and integration in science lessons. The results also showed a significant relationship between PEoU and iBox utilisation by teachers. Integrated Science teachers indicated a high PU but a statistical analysis revealed no significant association between PU and iBox use for science lessons. It was recommended among others that the GES and the SEIP to provide regular in-service training in information technology for integrated science teachers. It was suggested that future research be carried out on the differential perceptions of rural and urban SHS integrated science teachers of the benefits associated with iBox utilization.
This study investigated the effectiveness of Demonstration-cum-Discussion teaching strategy on students’ academic achievement in ecological concepts at Navrongo Senior High School, using quasi-experimental design (pretest, posttest non-equivalent approach). The sample comprised of 75 Form Two General Science Gold Track (control group of 29 males and 10 females) and Green Track (experimental group of 21 males and 15 females) students. The experimental group and control groups were taught using Demonstration-cum-Discussion teaching strategy and Conventional Teaching Method respectively. The test-retest reliability coefficient of the instrument was found to be 0.78. The pretest scores revealed that the students were homogeneous in terms of academic achievement (Mean = (22.19, 21.46) t-value = 0.87, p-value = 0.39, p > 0.05). The posttest results of the experimental group were significantly higher than the control group (Mean = (48.19, 38.71) t-value = 12.43, p-value = 0.000, p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the achievement of male and female students in the experimental group for both pretest (Mean = (23.24, 21.33) t-value = 1.43, p-value = 0.20, p > 0.05) and posttest (Mean = (48.52, 47.73) t-value = 0.53, p-value = 0.59, p > 0.05). This study recommended that Biology teachers at Navrongo Senior High School should be encouraged to teach the concept of Ecology using demonstration-cum-discussion in order to enhance the conceptual understanding and academic achievement of students. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0998/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>
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