Pre-school teacher’s perception about developmentally appropriate practices in Early Childhood Settings in the Ga North District

Abstract

The study the assessed knowledge and practices of preschool teachers’ perception about developmentally appropriate practices in the Ga North District in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The descriptive research design was adopted for the study. A self-developed questionnaire was used to collect data. In all, 217 respondents were sampled using random sampling technique. The results from the study revealed that pre-school teachers are aware of and have knowledge developmentally appropriate practices. Again, the results from the study unravelled that even though pre-school teachers have knowledge about some of the developmental appropriate practices, they do not apply or implement them in the classroom. Finally, the study identified some challenges that included the lack of parental support, inadequate teaching and learning materials, lack of pupil’s readiness, Inadequate school facilities, lack of full government support, and attitudes of school heads. The study recommended that the Ministry of Education should provide teachers with comprehensive training and awareness about the use of DAP within a culturally-relevant context. Again, the Ministry of Education should ensure the developmental goals and objectives in the syllabus reflect local values and inform approaches to classroom practices.