Abstract:
The Ministry of Education (MoE)/Ghana Education Service (GES) requires all
mathematics teachers to use manipulative materials to teach mathematics in Junior
High Schools (JHSs) because they have the potential to demystify learning of the
subject. The study was designed to examine the use of manipulative materials in
teaching mathematics among junior high school teachers in the Wa municipality of
the Upper West Region of Ghana. Three instruments, namely,questionnaire, interview
guides and observation guideswere used to collect data from94 teachers, 10
headteachers sampled from 54 JHSs, and the only mathematics coordinator in the
municipality. Descriptive statistical analysis was applied to the quantitative data
obtained from the questionnaire while content analysis was applied to the qualitative
data from the interviews and observations. The study showed that teachers’use
ofmanipulative materials in teaching mathematics was at variance with their practice
in the classroom. Even though teachers knew the benefits of manipulative materials in
learning, four factors challenged their use in the classroom: inadequate supply of
manipulative materials, lack of continuous training on the use of manipulative
materials, high cost materials, and lack of user guides on manipulative use. The study
concluded that most JHS teachers in the municipality do not use manipulative
materials in their classrooms because of the foregoing challenges. The study
recommends that stakeholders in education in the Wamunicipality should boost up the
supply of manipulative materials and organise periodic in-service training for JHS
teachers on the use and development of manipulative materials for teaching
mathematics. Supervision should also be strengthened to ensure that mathematics
teachers do what they are supposed to do.
Description:
A THESIS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF BASIC EDUCATION, FACULTY OF
EDUCATIONAL STUDIES, SUBMITTED TO SCHOOL OF GRADUATE
STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA IN PARTIAL
FULFULMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER
OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE IN BASIC EDUCATION