This mixed methods research is an investigation into the quality of interaction in the provision of Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Ghana. Literature suggests that a reasonable number of ECE teachers from developing countries, including Ghana, lack training and content knowledge in ECE. In addition, there is a general lack of Teaching and Learning Materials (TLMs), play equipment and ECE facilities. Constructivism, a theoretical position which postulates that children create knowledge through their interaction with the environment in which they find themselves, was adopted as the theoretical framework for this study. Data in the form of interviews, observation and questionnaires were collected from 131 participants. These comprised 104 teachers and 23 headteachers, selected from 24 schools in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. Also, four ECE coordinators were interviewed as part of the data collection. The findings from this study suggest that a large proportion of teachers in the study were not appropriately trained. There was a variation with teachers in the remote areas most underequipped. The pedagogical strategies the sampled teachers adopted were found to be what could be described as teacher-dominated which potentially hindered the quality of the interaction with their learners and in their lesson delivery. Based on these findings, it is suggested that teachers endeavour to train in ECE methodologies and also re-orient their pedagogical practices to align with child-centred approaches. This may enable them to interact appropriately and involve their learners in their lesson delivery. Additionally, given the circumstances (e.g. limited TLMs and play items) some of the teachers find themselves in their schools, it is recommended that teachers should encourage their learners to effectively use what the natural environment would afford them.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:715484 |
| Date | January 2017 |
| Creators | Oppong Frimpong, Samuel |
| Publisher | University of Aberdeen |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=232078 |
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