Papers by DAMIAN K O F I MEREKU
African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences, Oct 15, 2015
The study sought to investigate technology use among Ghanaian Senior High School mathematics teac... more The study sought to investigate technology use among Ghanaian Senior High School mathematics teachers and to also uncover the factors influencing their technology use. A cross-sectional survey design with mixed quantitative and qualitative data was gathered for the study. The population of the study comprised of all mathematics teachers in Ashanti region. A stratified sampling technique was used to select 80 mathematics teachers from both rural and urban districts in Ashanti region. The findings revealed that the extent to which SHS mathematics teachers use technology in teaching was very low. The Independent samples t-test revealed that the male mathematics teachers use more technology (Mean = 2.65, SD = 1.12) than the female teachers (Mean = 1.51, SD =0.47) and teachers with high perceived efficacy use more technology (Mean = 2.94, SD = 1.10) than those with low perceived efficacy (Mean = 1.63, SD = 0.51). The analysis revealed that the differences in the mean technology use between male and female teachers and self-perceived efficacy in technology use were statistically significance (t =-2.44, p = 0.02) and (t =-4.23, p = 0.00) respectively.
African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences, Nov 20, 2008
In 2003, Ghana for the first time participated in TIMSS in order to find out how the performance ... more In 2003, Ghana for the first time participated in TIMSS in order to find out how the performance of her eighth graders (JSS2) in science and mathematics compared with those of other countries. This involved a total of 5,114 JSS2 students in 150 schools sampled across the country. The Ghanaian JSS2 students' overall attainment in the TIMSS-2003 in mathematics and science was poor. This dismal performance placed Ghana at the 45th position on the overall mathematics achievement results table in the two subjects. This paper discusses some of the contexts for learning and instruction within and outside the school that had influenced such an abysmal performance. The analysis indicated that science and mathematics, which are key curriculum areas that are fundamental to the development of technologically literate societies, are subjects that are highly valued by Ghanaian students. The analysis also revealed that higher students' achievement in science and mathematics was associated with higher levels of parents' education. Also many of the students who had high expectations for university education were from parent who had university education. The analysis further revealed that homes where students had their own study table, had access to books and had the opportunity to speak English positively affected achievement in science and mathematics. Finally, it revealed that teachers emphasized methods that focus on knowledge and understanding of basic facts and principles and used instructional strategies that gave students little opportunity to design experiments (or investigations) in science and decide procedures for solving problems in mathematics.
Mathematics Connection, 2011
In the international assessment programme in mathematics and science, called the Trends in Intern... more In the international assessment programme in mathematics and science, called the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), the achievement of Ghanaian students in mathematics had been among the lowest in the world. This article contains the summary of results from TIMSS held in 2007 in which Ghana participated at the eighth grade level (i.e. JHS2). TIMSS 2007 involved approximately 425,000 students and 59 countries from all around the world. In 2003 Ghana participated in the TIMSS for the first time alongside 45 other countries. The 2007 survey updates the picture of performance from 2003, and in all 163 schools with JHS2 enrolment of 5,294 students sampled from all regions of Ghana participated in the study. The results indicate that Ghana's JHS2 students' performance in mathematics, though improved significantly (i.e. from a scale score of 276 in 2003 to 309 in 2007), remains among the lowest in Africa and the world. Ghana's performance on the international benchmarks also improved significantly. The mathematics score, 309, placed Ghana at the 47th position on the overall mathematics achievement results table when the 48 participating countries, which met the TIMSS sampling requirements, were ranked by their mean performances. The paper also presents a number of factors which students, teachers and head teachers identified as contributing to the abysmal performance in the subject. A number of recommendations are made for the improvement of mathematics education in Ghana.
Mathematics Connection, Nov 2, 2010
The study was premised on the fact that instruction tailored to the level of cognitive developmen... more The study was premised on the fact that instruction tailored to the level of cognitive development of the students is more effective than using one instructional strategy and hoping that all children in the class would understand. Unfortunately, it is impossible to tailor instruction to the level of development of all children in the class unless steps are taken to identify the levels at which children are operating. Consequently, in this study the level of development of 30 first- and second-graders was determined using individual pre-interviews. The study revealed that the range of unit items the child is capable of creating is restricted to the five unit items in an order of sophistication from the least advanced type; perceptual, to the most advanced type, abstract unit items. However, a counter of any advanced unit items does not lose the ability to count the less sophisticated ones. Recommendations for teaching and for future research have been made. Keywords : counting, counting schemes, figural representations,
Mathematics Connection, Apr 25, 2006
In 2003, Ghana for the first time participated in TIMSS in order to find out how the performance ... more In 2003, Ghana for the first time participated in TIMSS in order to find out how the performance of her eighth graders (JSS2) in science and mathematics compared with those of other countries. This paper presents an overview of the performance of the JSS2 students in the TIMSS-2003 in mathematics, with particular reference to the released items. The analysis of the Ghanaian students' performance on the released items indicated that Measurement, Geometry and Algebra were the candidates' weak content areas. The mean percentage of Ghanaian students making correct responses to the released items in Algebra, Measurement and Geometry were 13.6, 17.3 and 13.4 percent, respectively. For Number and Data, the mean percentage making correct responses to the released items were 22.6 percent and 27 percent. The Ghanaian students found the constructed response items more difficult than the multiple-choice items. The mean percentage of students who were able to provide the correct responses to the multiple-choice items was 21.6 percent while that observed for the constructed response items was 12.1 percent. The paper also presents the results of analyses of Ghanaian mathematics curriculum (textbooks and what teachers taught); and also the BECE-2004 and TIMSS-2003 test items. It was observed that the Ghanaian curriculum places a great deal of emphasis on number and in addition, most (77%) of the items in the BECE elicited responses in the lowest cognitive domain, i.e. 'knowledge of facts and procedures'. The BECE included only few (12.1%) items that required the students to solve routine problems. None of the BECE items can be classified as one that required some higher level reasoning from the students. The TIMSS on the other hand devoted 36 and 21.6 percent of its items to solving routine problems and reasoning, respectively.
African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences, Nov 3, 2010
In spite of the low attainment obtained by pupils at the end of primary education in Criterion Re... more In spite of the low attainment obtained by pupils at the end of primary education in Criterion Referenced Tests (CRT), the performances of these pupils at the end of junior secondary education, as evidenced by results of the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE), were surprisingly normal. Some heads of senior secondary schools (SSS) and concerned educators in the country have observed that there is no match between the apparently high achievement of pupils in the BECE and their performance at the SSS level, and for that reason criticized the validity of the BECE. These criticisms led to the setting up of a committee by the Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to examine the BECE and its grading system and make recommendation for its improvement. The committee found the norm-referenced grading system with the percentage passes already fixed (also referred to as the "Stanine" system) which was used in the BECE as the major cause of the inefficiencies. It recommended in its place the use of a flexible 9-scale criterion referenced grading system that will reflect variations in the performances of pupils from year to year. The success of the new grading system will depend largely on clearly defined list of grade descriptions for critical grades identified (i.e. Grades 2, 6 and 8). This presentation examines the need to specify the grade descriptions that should match the lowest critical grade (i.e. grade 8), which may be considered as the minimum educational qualifications for basic education.
African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences, Nov 19, 2008
In 2003, six African countries-Ghana Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Botswana and South Africa-participa... more In 2003, six African countries-Ghana Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Botswana and South Africa-participated in an international assessment programme in science and mathematics, called the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The study examined the performance of eighth graders in mathematics and science as well as the contextual factors that could have influenced the performance. Analyses of the data indicated that in general the African countries performed poorly. Countries in the north of Africa performed significantly better than those in sub-Saharan Africa. Generally they all performed poorly on items that involved solving non routine problems and reasoning. Examination of the context for learning science and mathematics revealed several weaknesses in the curricula of the participating African countries. It indicated that majority of the students did not have the opportunity to learn a substantial proportion of the content assessed in the TIMSS even though these were part of their intended curricula. The least use of technology (i.e. calculators and computers) in the curricula was also reported by the African countries. Recommendations are made for African governments to pay attention to the teaching of science and mathematics in the primary and secondary schools. The results of the study suggest the need to carry out an indebt examination to identify the dimensions of the problem for information that would be helpful in policy decisions to address the issue across the continent.
Mathematics Connection, Nov 2, 2010
School science and mathematics play a critical role in the development of scientists, engineers a... more School science and mathematics play a critical role in the development of scientists, engineers and technologists required for development. Although many African countries recognize this, the teaching and learning of science and mathematics have not received the necessary support and attention as foundational subjects in the school curriculum. In 2003, six African countries-Ghana Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Botswana and South Africa-participated in an international assessment programme in science and mathematics, called the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS-2003). The study examined the performance of eighth graders in mathematics and science as well as the contextual factors that could have influenced the performance. This paper draws on the results of the TIMSS-2003 which indicated that the African countries performed poorly. The paper presents a comparative analysis of the performance of the eighth graders from the six African countries and discusses the contexts for learning science and mathematics that might have influenced the performance. Recommendations are made for African governments to pay attention to the teaching of science and mathematics in the primary and secondary schools.
Research in Mathematics Education, Apr 1, 2004
This paper reports a study that investigated the congruence between the teaching methods presente... more This paper reports a study that investigated the congruence between the teaching methods presented in Ghanaian primary mathematics official curriculum materials and teachers' classroom practice. The study involved a range of methodsobservation of classroom practice, content and discourse analyses of lessons in mathematics. It has provided further evidence to support the supposition that in less developed countries, the official school mathematics curriculum exerts powerful influence on classroom practice. It was found out that though there was rhetoric in the introduction of the curriculum materials on the use of teaching skills that suggest discovery methods, the analyses indicated that only few learning/teaching activities that would encourage the use of such discovery methods were included in the materials.
Mathematics Connection, Nov 2, 2010
In this paper, an attempt had been made to provide a historical background to the development of ... more In this paper, an attempt had been made to provide a historical background to the development of school mathematics in Ghana since the nation‟s independence from British rule in 1957 and how these have influenced current practice in teaching mathematics and the culture of learning the subject. Some recommendations have been made to improve students‟ performance in the subject. Keywords : new math, mathematics content emphasis, mathematics teaching, learning culture of mathematics
Open Learning: The Journal of Open and Distance Learning, Jan 2, 2014
This research explores manifestations of ‘diploma disease’ in distance education (DE) upgrading p... more This research explores manifestations of ‘diploma disease’ in distance education (DE) upgrading programmes for basic school teachers in Ghana. A survey design which included document analysis was used to explore the emphasis in the contents of the DE programme and the experiences of teachers who took the programmes. The study involved a sample of 230 students (140 males and 90 females) who were all teaching in public schools (66% in primary and 31% in junior high schools). The findings indicate that the programme was fulfilling its purpose of upgrading a large number of teachers so they acquired a diploma and/or degree qualification for teaching in Ghanaian basic schools. In spite of their average satisfaction with their experiences of several aspects of the DE upgrading programme, a substantial proportion of the participants indicated that they had great difficulties in carrying out such activities as ‘teaching large classes’ and ‘teaching new content areas introduced into the syllabuses’ because the programme provided little opportunity to develop these skills. Finally, since the DE programme is based on the official curriculum designed for the traditional face-to-face programme, the failure of the former to increase teachers’ capacity to deliver as envisaged by the initiators of the programme can be attributed largely to inefficiencies in the official curriculum. The study concluded that the DE programme’s inability to increase teachers’ capacity to deliver better teaching is a manifestation of a ‘diploma disease’ resulting from inefficiencies in the nation’s teacher education system. Suggestions are made for improving the quality of DE upgrading programmes.
African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences, Dec 30, 2019
This paper was a presentation made at the launching of the 60th Anniversary Celebration and the A... more This paper was a presentation made at the launching of the 60th Anniversary Celebration and the Annual Graduation Ceremony of Peki College of Education, on Friday, 13th June 2014. The paper examined the history of the development of initial teacher training institutions in Ghana since 1835 when the first (i.e. Presbyterian Training College [PTC]) was established by the Basel Mission at Akropong in the Eastern Region. It explains that currently there are 38 public and 3 private colleges of education in the country producing teachers for basic schools. It argues that even though the 41 colleges of education have been elevated to tertiary status to offer programmes leading to diploma in basic education, they are still being run like the old missionary teacher training schools. These and several other factors had led to concerns about the quality of the products of the colleges in terms of the generic and subject-specific competences as well as the capacities of the institutions to meet the increasing demand for basic school teachers. It is therefore suggested that the boarding system in the Colleges of Education be scrapped, and instead, few (about 10) of the colleges selected for development and upgrading into Teacher Education Universities. It is further suggested that special incentives are introduced to attract the top candidates to the colleges of education and also the institutions should review their programmes and study modules to ensure pre-service teachers develop practical skills in teaching the core competencies in basic education.
African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences, 2012
This study measured pre-service teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) basic school ... more This study measured pre-service teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) basic school mathematics and found the relationship between the content knowledge and their Mathematical knowledge for teaching. MKT multiple-choice test was administered to 100 pre-service teachers from two colleges to assess their mathematical knowledge for teaching basic school mathematics in three content domains-fractions, number operations and number patterns. The results of the tests revealed that the general performance of the pre-service teachers on the MKT test was low. The responses were analysed using SPSS. The mean scores in the three content domains were-fractions (44.0%), number operations (40.4%) and number patterns (50.2%). The study revealed a moderate relationship (ρ=0.388; p<0.05) between the content knowledge and MKT of pre-service teachers. It was observed that the poor performance was due to the inadequate opportunities pre-service teachers have to practice what they learn in their pedagogy courses in college. Since pre-service teachers MKT is related to their content knowledge more has to be done for the pre-service teachers to see the inter relatedness of the two. It is recommended that the mathematics pedagogy courses should be made more practical, that is, pre-service teachers given ample opportunity to practice what they are going to teach at the basic schools.
This study was conducted in the Agona West Municipality, covering a total of nine-nine (99) junio... more This study was conducted in the Agona West Municipality, covering a total of nine-nine (99) junior high schools. The objective was to determine the relationship between the proportions of syllabus covered by teachers to their students' performance in the basic education certificate examination (BECE) mathematics. Stratified random sampling technique was employed for the selection of forty (40) out of the 99 schools (representing 40.4% of total schools in the municipal). A survey design was adopted for the study and data was collected using questionnaires and interview guides from fifty (50) teachers in the forty schools sampled for the study. The findings show that only 62% of the mathematics curriculum materials (MCM) were implemented even though teachers admitted in interviews that they conduct extra-classes for the students. This implies about 38% of the content in the MCM are not taught by the majority of the teachers and therefore the omission or skipping of certain topics was common practice in the municipality. A one way ANOVA used to test the null hypothesis that 'there is no significant difference between the school performance categories (high, average and low) with respect to their teachers' coverage of mathematics curriculum' showed the results F = 22.80 and p=0.00 (p<0.005), indicating a significant influence of the teachers' coverage of the content in the MCM on the schools' performance. The implication is that the teachers in the high performing schools cover a great deal of the content of the official curriculum (high mean content coverage = 89.31%). It is recommended that the Ghana Education Service support mathematics teachers in low performing schools to engage in in-service education and training to deal with how to teach difficult topics identified in this study. Also, opportunities should be created for mathematics teachers in high performing junior high schools to share their successes in the implementation of the mathematics curriculum.
African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences, Aug 29, 2011
This study was an attempt to measure the Van Hiele levels of geometric thought attained by SHS 1 ... more This study was an attempt to measure the Van Hiele levels of geometric thought attained by SHS 1 students on entering Senior High School in Ghana. In all, 188 SHS Form 1 students from two schools were involved in this study. These students were given the Van Hiele Geometry Test adapted from the 'Cognitive Development and Achievement in Secondary School Geometry Test' items and an aptitude test, both in the fourth week of their entry to the SHS. The results showed that 59% of the students attained Van Hiele level 1. Out of 59%, 11% reached level 2 and only 1% reached level 3 by the theory. This indicates that the Van Hiele level of understanding of (i.e. over 90%) Ghanaian students before entering SHS is lower than that of their colleagues other countries.
African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences, Sep 10, 2016
This study investigated Effutu Municipality Junior High School (JHS) 2 students' performance on t... more This study investigated Effutu Municipality Junior High School (JHS) 2 students' performance on the National Minimum Standards (NMS) set by the 2012 JHS revised mathematics syllabus. It specifically sought to find out whether the JHS 2 students in the Municipality will attain the NMS set by the end of basic education. The population was JHS 2 students in the Central Region in the 2013/2014 academic year. Ten JHS were randomly selected in the Effutu Municipal to participate in the study. A total of 285 students (141 males and 144 females) responded to test items based on the NMS. The study employed survey as a strategy of enquiry using a test designed following rigorous standard-test design principles. The test comprised a 35 item multiple choice items taken in 120 minutes. For easy interpretation, the students obtaining a mean score below 55% were categorized as 'performing below minimum standards', those scoring between 55% and 65% were categorized as performing at 'minimum competency' and those scoring of 65 and above were categorized as performing at proficiency level. The study revealed that eight out of the nineteen content standards (i.e. 42%) were found to be difficult by the students. It was found that overall about 30% of the students achieved the proficiency mean score of at least 65% and only about 10% achieved below the minimum competency level, implying about half of the students are operating at minimum competency level. The results also revealed that in the Effutu Municipality, students in private JHS outperform their counterparts in the public JHS as the results indicated that the majority of private school students (77%) achieved proficiency as compared to only 28% from the public schools. Recommendations are made for improving the performance of the students, particularly in public schools, who are not reaching proficiency.
African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences, Aug 10, 2017
This study investigated the effect of two teaching methods (i.e. multimedia courseware with coope... more This study investigated the effect of two teaching methods (i.e. multimedia courseware with cooperative learning and cooperative learning) on Senior High School students' proficiency in solving linear equation word problems and their engagement in learning mathematics. A nonequivalent pretest-posttest control group design with three intact classes comprising 124 students (i.e. control group, n1=45, cooperative learning only group, n2=40, and multimedia with cooperative learning only group, n3=39) was used for the study. Pre-test, post-test, and questionnaire were used to collect data. The pre-test and post-test result indicated that the use of multimedia courseware with cooperative learning had positive impact on the students' proficiency in solving linear equation word problems. The result from the post-test on students' proficiency in solving linear equation word problems were found to be statistically significantly different among the groups F (2,121) = 107.63, p < .05. The means of the experimental groups (cooperative learning only group and multimedia with cooperative learning only group) were higher than that of the control group. Also, the results from the questionnaire on students' self-engagement in learning mathematics indicated a statistically significantly difference between the groups F (2,105) = 4.903, p = .009. The implication of the study is that technology use and cooperative learning in mathematics classroom really improve students' performance in solving linear equation word problems.
African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences
This paper was a presentation made at the launching of the 60th Anniversary Celebration and the A... more This paper was a presentation made at the launching of the 60th Anniversary Celebration and the Annual Graduation Ceremony of Peki College of Education, on Friday, 13th June 2014. The paper examined the history of the development of initial teacher training institutions in Ghana since 1835 when the first (i.e. Presbyterian Training College [PTC]) was established by the Basel Mission at Akropong in the Eastern Region. It explains that currently there are 38 public and 3 private colleges of education in the country producing teachers for basic schools. It argues that even though the 41 colleges of education have been elevated to tertiary status to offer programmes leading to diploma in basic education, they are still being run like the old missionary teacher training schools. These and several other factors had led to concerns about the quality of the products of the colleges in terms of the generic and subject-specific competences as well as the capacities of the institutions to meet...
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Papers by DAMIAN K O F I MEREKU
In order to reverse the downward trend in the quality of education, a core of well – educated and dedicated teachers is needed to revitalise the teaching force. It is in recognition of the unique role of the teacher that the Third National Teacher Education Forum, hosted by the University College of Education of Winneba, from 2nd to 5th August 2000 focused on the theme: “IMPROVING TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS IN THE NEW MILLENIUM”. The forum underscored the fact that teacher effectiveness is an indispensable factor in the attainment of quality education. The objectives of the forum were to evaluate educational policies and strategies and to assess the extent to which they impact on educational quality.
The following report comprises a welcome address by the Principal of UCEW, Prof. J. Anamuah-Mensah, a keynote address by Mr Kwabena Kyere, Honourable Deputy Minister of Education, an Executive Summary of presentations and six lead paper presentations by distinguished scholars and educators. There were also presentations by heads of academic departments and units. In addition, there were presentations that reflected the sub-themes of the forum by academics from universities across the country. The forum came out with a number of recommendations aimed at improving teacher education in such areas as policy formulation, structure, curriculum, assessment and teacher morale.
J. K. ABOAGYE
(CHAIRMAN)
LOCAL ORGANISING COMMITTEE
[A paper presented at a Colloquium organized by GNAT in Tamale in August 2013]