Abstract:
This study assessed senior high school Social Studies teachers’ pedagogical content
knowledge and the instructional methods or techniques they employed in the
teaching and learning the subject in the Kumasi Metropolis. The research design
used for the study was a case study and the researcher gathered data from primary
sources. The sample size for the study was twelve Social Studies teachers who were
selected from the 18 senior high schools in the Kumasi Metropolis, using the
purposive and saturation sampling techniques. The instruments used for data
collection were an interview guide and an observation checklist. Data from
observations were triangulated with interviews. Non-probability sampling methods,
that is, saturation and purposive sampling techniques, were used to select the schools
and participants for the study. The outcome of the study was that teachers perceived
Social Studies as citizenship education. In addition, the study revealed that teachers
did not employ the appropriate teaching techniques in the classroom. The study
recommended that the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Ghana
Education Service must make a policy to allow only professionals or trained Social
Studies teachers to teach the subject to ensure its effective teaching and learning.
Also, the Ghana Education Service in collaboration with the heads of schools makes
it a policy to provide in-service training for all Social Studies teachers.
Description:
A thesis in the Department of Social Studies Education,
Faculty of Social Sciences, submitted to the School of
Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Master of Philosophy
(Social Studies)
in the University of Education, Winneba