The Information Technology Challenge in Teaching Senior High School Geography in Ghana

Abstract

The use of information technologies in the field of geography, an important discipline in social sciences, contributes to rendering abstract phenomena and concepts concrete, thereby increasing high school education students' interest in geographic education. This study evaluated the extent to which information technologies has been diffused in high school geography lessons in a metropolitan area in Ghana, by focusing on geography teachers use of information technologies in teaching. In all, 40 geography teachers from 15 selected senior high schools in the metropolis were used for the study. Numerical analysis and descriptive analysis techniques were used in the analysis of the research data. Results indicated that the use of information technologies in teaching geography lessons in senior high schools was limited. The geography teachers attributed the inadequate use of information technologies to insufficient equipment, insufficient skills on the part of teachers, and inaccessibility to the available equipment. The research further indicated that teachers did not receive adequate training in the use of information technologies in their teacher preparation institutions and therefore, lacked the needed skills and were reluctant to use technology in the classroom to enhance teaching and learning.

“I’m not against online teaching, but what about us?”: ICT in Ghana post Covid-19

“…For example, Agyemang & Dadzie ( 2010 ) found in their study that a policy statement for supplying ICT based-support for Distance Education (DE) learners were available but were yet to be implemented. The integration of ICT in teaching and learning is still at the early stage in the education systems of most developing countries (Antwi, Bansah, & Franklin, 2018 ). Over a decade ago, Ghana introduced DE as a means to provide learners with access to quality education and promote human resource development (Addah, Kpebu, & Kwapong, 2012 ).…”

“…One of the major challenges in the Ghanaian education system is the inequality of educational resources which includes usage of computers and other ICT materials (Buabeng-Andoh, 2012 ). Antwi et al ( 2018 ) mentioned that the provision of ICT in secondary schools for learning is skewed towards schools categorized as premier (“A”) schools and located in urban areas. Also, at the primary level, provision of ICT is also skewed towards private schools (Ayebi-Arthur, Aidoo, & Wilson, 2009 ).…”

Technology Integration into the Teaching and Learning of Geography in Senior High Schools in Ghana: A TPACK Assessment

“…Despite the massive investment in the integration of ICT into many secondary schools, the practical use of these ICT tools by teachers remains in a preliminary stage with little significance in the educational outcome (Agyei, 2013). The incorporation of ICT into the teaching and learning of geography has been given little attention and investigation, especially in the Ghanaian context (Antwi et al, 2018;Boadu et al, 2014). Most studies have proven that geography teachers in Senior High Schools in Ghana focus mostly on the traditional methods of teaching the subject: lecture, discussion, fieldwork, project and questioning method (Kocalar & Demirkaya, 2017;Ababio & Dumba, 2014).…”

“…Meanwhile, like many other subjects, it is difficult to teach certain topics in geography without the integration of information technology applications such as Google Earth, computer simulation programs, interactive compact discs, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) among others (Geographical Association, 2004;Antwi et al, 2018). Some topics in geography, especially in physical geographies such as longitudes and latitudes, may appear abstract and difficult for students to relate to (Antwi et al, 2018). The use of technology helps remove abstraction from teaching and learning of all aspects of geography.…”

“…Niess (2005) suggests that these aspects of TPACK research are worth probing since it provides the basis to predict whether teachers will be able to integrate information technologies into their teaching or not. Although the concept of teaching with technologies has been explored by several authors within the Ghanaian education landscape (Antwi et al, 2018;Afari-Kumah & Tanye, 2009;Boadu et al, 2014;Ababio & Dumba, 2014), less attention has been paid to assessing teachers' TPACK which is key to determine whether instructors will be able to integrate available technological resources into classroom teaching. It is against this background that the current study was carried out to assess teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge in the teaching and learning of geography.…”