Tutors’ implementation of the new 4-year B.Ed. Curriculum for colleges of education in the northern zone of Ghana

Abstract

The study assessed College of Education (CoE) tutors’ curriculum knowledge, classroom practices and impediments affecting the implementation of the new 4-year B.Ed. curriculum. The study was situated within four curriculum implementation models; fidelity model, overcoming resistance to change model (ORC), leadershipobstacle course model (LOC) and rand change agent model (RCA). The study followed explanatory sequential mixed-method design. 60 tutors (51 males and nine females) in public CoE participated in the quantitative phase of the study. Eight tutors (six males and two females) were purposefully selected for the qualitative phase of the study. Questionnaire, semi-structured interview and an observation checklist were used to collect data. The questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data and used to assess tutors’ curriculum knowledge, classroom practices and also determine curriculum implementation impediments while a classroom observation checklist and interview guide were used to collect qualitative data and used assess classroom practices and impediments respectively. Quantitative were analyzed using descriptive statistics with the help of SPSS version 20 whereas the qualitative data was analyzed thematically. The study revealed that tutors have significant knowledge on the new 4-year B.Ed curriculum. Tutors’ classroom practices largely concurred with the tenets of the new 4- year B.Ed. curriculum. Also, impediments affecting tutors in the implementation of the new 4-year B.Ed. curriculum include; inadequate teaching and learning resources and facilities such as teaching and learning materials, projectors, and internet access. Additionally, overloaded content to be covered within a short time frame and poor conditions of service were other impediments. Implications in relation to the success or failure of the new B.Ed. programm were made. The study made the following recommendations: (i) The government through Ministry of Education should ensure that basic necessities such as school facilities, and teaching and learning materials are provided to all colleges for effective learning and implementation of the curriculum. (ii) Colleges can have institutional initiatives to supplement government efforts in supplying shortage of teaching and learning materials, hiring part time teachers and financial initiatives to sustain themselves. (iii) College should engage corporate organizations and alumni association to help in supplying the shortage of college necessities. (iv) College tutors should adequately remunerated and incentivized so that they are motivated to give off their best