Abstract:
The study sought to investigate the instructional techniques used by Senior High
School Social Studies teachers in the West Mamprusi Municipality of the North-East
Region of Ghana. A sample of eleven (11) teachers was selected for the study using
the purposive sampling technique. As a qualitative study, open-ended (unstructured)
interview guide and observational (direct) guide were designed to elicit information
from the respondents. The study focused on the teachers’ knowledge of Social Studies
general objectives, knowledge of Social Studies instructional techniques and how the
teachers use these instructional techniques to teach the subject in the Senior High
School to achieve the general objectives of the subject. The study revealed among
other thing that: (i) teachers’ knowledge of the general objectives of Social Studies
fall short of the expectation of effective Social Studies teachers, especially trained to
teach the subject; (ii) teachers also had limited knowledge of the instructional
techniques of teaching Social Studies and (iii) lessons observed were mostly done by
the use of lecture and discussion techniques; Projects, simulations and games,
problem-solving, inquiry and Fieldtrip techniques were virtually absent in the
teaching of Social Studies. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended
among others that: recruitments of teachers by the Ghana Education Service (GES) to
teach Social Studies should be strictly based on professional qualifications in the
subject; on-campus and off-campus teaching practices in various Universities should
be intensified by allowing in-field lecturers to supervise the teacher-trainees to ensure
the best practices in Social Studies.
Description:
A thesis in the Department of Social Studies Education, Faculty of Social Science, submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Master of Philosophy (Social Studies Education) in the University of Education, Winneba
AUGUST, 2019