Abstract:
This work examined Social Studies teacher‟s classroom practices in the Agona West
and East districts of the Central Region of Ghana. It explored Social Studies teacher‟s
classroom practices in relation to the instructional strategies employed by these
teachers, their mode of assessment as well as how teachers interact with students. The
research was designed and approached using the mixed method approach which
employed multiple methods of data collection. The data were collected using
questionnaire including Likert scale items and an observation check list. The
purposive and convenient sampling techniques were used to select the respondents for
the study. A total of 31 participants were involved in the study. The discussion
showed that teachers who hold appropriate qualification in the subject area coupled
with long term experience are more likely to utilize effective classroom strategies. It
was unearth that effective teaching of social studies cam be achieved through the use
of varied instructional strategies. Also positive teacher student interaction plays a key
role in enhancing student learning since it has the capacity to instil in student‟s
confidence and the motivation to learn. The discussion showed that even though
teachers assess classroom instruction, these assessment practices are not effective.
Teachers mostly used essay test in assessing lessons as against the other types like the
objective test item. In addition to this, teachers mostly did not give feedback on
student‟s assessment. Difficulty and time consuming mature of constructing objective
test makes teachers resort to using essay test in assessing students. It is therefore
undeniable that even though teachers used good instructional approaches and maintain
effective interaction with students, it actual impact may not ascertain due to
ineffective assessment. It emerged that good classroom practices are essential to
effective social education. It is recommended in light of this that, teachers ought to be
given enough preparatory and in-service education to have adequate understanding of
the concept of assessment as well as the use of varied instructional strategies.
Description:
A thesis in the Department of Social Studies,
Faculty of Social Sciences, 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)
in the University of Education, Winneba
DECEMBER, 2020