Lecturers’ Views on Ghana’s Undergraduate Mathematics Education

Abstract

This paper synthesizes the views of 6 university lecturers on Ghana's undergraduate mathematics education. These views were expressed during a mathematics workshop sensitization program on the "contribution of undergraduate mathematics education to the Ghanaian economy." The data consisting of open-ended questions followed by semi-structured interviews were analyzed using qualitative analysis. The results of this study indicated that lecturers' teaching methods do not enable students to connect theories with practice. The topics these lecturers teach and the methods they use in the classroom seem far removed from students' everyday experiences. As a result, many students are rarely able to identify and connect their ideas with everyday realities of life. Additionally, some topics are delivered in a weird and abstract methodological mode, making it increasingly difficult for students to comprehend. The study finally concludes with suggestions that an overhaul of the curriculum is paramount with emphasis on students' comprehension for adoption by Ghanaian universities, to acquaint lecturers with modern teaching methods.

Exploring processes of teaching and learning in African university contexts

“…Other studies focus on the ways in which practices within a university might explicitly affect student motivations and attitudes towards critical thinking. The lecturers in Assuah and Ayebo's (2015) and Omingo's (2016) studies in Ghana and Kenya, respectively, indicated that students were more motivated when they could see connections between their learning and their future careers. Connections to activities with meaningful outcomes also seemed to improve student attitudes.…”