Abstract:
Several authors have researched teacher professionalism. They have made various
findings which are part of literature. However, these studies have failed to address
teacher professionalism from a broad range of factors, including pedagogical and
classroom management skills of teachers, and their engagement in teacher
professional development activities and the related challenges. Thus, the study seeks
to investigate how these factors influence teacher professionalism and its impact on
the academic performance of students. The study used questionnaire and interview
schedules to collect data from the respondents. The respondents consisted of teachers
and heads of senior high schools in the Pru East District of the Bono East region of
Ghana. They were selected using the simple random and purposive sampling methods.
Data collected was analysed using descriptive statistics such as frequency and
percentages. The Spearman Correlation Coefficient was used to check the the effect
of the variables on the academic performance of students. The study revealed that the
pedagogical skills of the teachers did not have any positive impact on the academic
performance of the students. Also, it showed that there was no significant correlation
between classroom management skills of teachers and academic performance of
students. Further, it established that the professional development activities of
teachers did not have any significant relationship with the academic performance of
students. Finally, it showed that some barriers to the teacher’s participation in
continuous professional development included substance abuse by teachers, lack of
commitment and training programmes for teachers, stress caused by heavy workloads
and financial constraints. The researcher recommends among others that teachers
should explore several mechanisms such as collaboration with their colleagues to
enhance their pedagogical skills.
Description:
A Dissertation in the Department of Educational Leadership,
Faculty of Education and Communication Science, submitted to the School of
Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Master of Philosophy
(Educational Leadership) degree
