A Meta-Analysis on Formative Assessment Practices in Ghana

The purpose of this study was to analyse the methodology and results of previous studies (1990 to 2016) on formative assessment practices of teachers at all levels of education in Ghana. Due to limited documentation of formative assessment studies in Ghana, literature review covered 10 research articles, abstracts, books accessed electronically or printed materials. They were collected for reading purpose. Of these, 7 studies were finally selected for meta-analysis on the basis of formative assessment implementation through literature review. These include 5 qualitative case studies and 2 mixed studies. Results revealed that, formative assessment is well embraced and practiced among teachers at all levels of education in Ghana. Moreover, methodologies adopted by previous studies on formative assessment practices in Ghana were credible since they were all exploring various aspect of formative assessment practices. It is however, recommended that future educational researchers shift attention to quantitative dimensions of the phenomenon, this would allow for large sample size and inferential study. Keywords: formative assessment, continuous assessment, school base assessment

Proper Filing and Computerized System as a Tool for Successful Business Operations in Ghanaian Tertiary Institutions

Information is the backbone of every business organization It is therefore essential to a company s health However it is easily taken for granted until its import is missing Records and information management RIM exists to prevent that from happening but when filing systems are overdue for a time up critical data is most vulnerable A poor filing system is a problem which might easily elude an organization unless internal operations have already begun to unravel it The consequences of missing records and duplicate data are severe enough to impact business performance and there are legal and financial implications as well as security concerns This paper attempts to describe a way to create a good system for organizing maintaining and backing up files and folders on a personal computer Furthermore the paper examines modern methodology through computer based applications While there are a number of ways to accomplish this task the paper attempts to provide some guidelines and directions for creating a system that works best for the type of information being organized Additionally this paper examines the definition of filing as well as the important role filing plays in the day-to-day operations of an organization Furthermore by conducting research into six Universities in Ghana the paper assesses the impact of filing on Methodist University College Ghana and University of Ghana in Greater Accra Region Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ashanti Region Catholic University College in Brong Ahafo Region University of Mines in Western Region and University of Education Winneba in Central Region It identifies some weakness or common mistakes with filing system used at the tertiary institutions mentioned above the importance of filing in general the consequences poor filing system would have on the corporate image of a tertiary institution Subsequently the paper aims at the discussions of the challenges of filing an

Attitude of Senior High School Teachers Toward Test Construction: Developing and Validating a Standardised Instrument

Test construction is an essential part of teachers’ responsibility. Teachers are therefore supposed to craft well-functioning items in ensuring effective teaching and learning. This study seeks to develop and validate a standardised instrument in measuring teachers’ attitude towards test construction. The study further explores the attitude of teachers towards test construction. The instrument was developed based on literature as well as personal experiences of the researchers. The developed instrument was administered to 432 Senior High School teachers in the Cape Coast Metropolis. Through an exploratory factor analysis, four dimensions were obtained which include: planning, item construction, item review and assembling. A confirmatory factor analysis was then conducted to examine the factor loadings of the items. After critical evaluation, the items on the instrument remained 32 which was on a four point Likert scale. Further analysis revealed an overall negative attitude of SHS teachers towards test construction. It is recommended that Ghana Education Service (GES) together with headteachers of various SHS should ensure effective supervision of teachers in constructing test for students. Keywords: Item construction, Item review, Testing, Assembling, Test constructio

Effect of Perceived Job-Related Stress on Teacher Job Satisfaction in a High-Stakes Testing Environment

Public demand for high scores in the nationwide high-stakes test, that is, Basic Education Certificate Examination places Ghanaian teachers in a position to experience high amount of stress since they are to work harder to ensure that the demand is realized. The main aim of the study was to investigate effect of teachers perceived job-related stress on their job satisfaction. Using public Junior High School teachers in the Kwahu South District as the target population, 120 of them from public 20 schools were selected using proportionate stratified sampling technique with a common ratio of 4:10 (0.4). An adapted high-stakes testing questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. Variance based Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), specifically, Partial Least Square (PLS) model was used to validate the instrument and to test the study hypothesis 1. Independent samples t-test as well as means and standard deviations were used in the analysis of the data to test the hypothesis 2 and answer the research question respectively. Findings revealed teacher Job-related stress as a significant predictor of job satisfaction in a high-stakes testing environment. Implications are provided for policy and practice

Managing Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities: Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions on Collaboration Between Professionals and Parents

The paper sought to determine the perceptions Colleges of Education tutors hold on how the current curriculum helps pre-service teachers to collaborate with other professionals and parents to manage children with special educational needs and disabilities for effective inclusive education in Ghana. A descriptive survey design was adopted using a sample of 235 tutors from 13 public Colleges of Education in Ghana. The lottery method was used to select four out of the sixteen regions in Ghana and the purposive sampling technique was used to select all the Colleges within the four regions, while convenience sampling technique was used to select the actual respondents for the study. Questionnaire was used to gather the research data. Percentages and frequencies were used as statistical tools to analyse the data. The findings revealed that pre-service teachers had difficulties collaborating with other professionals and parents in managing children with special educational needs and disabilities in the inclusive classroom. It was therefore, recommended that measures that could help pre-service teachers to effectively and efficiently collaborate with parents and other professionals should be put in place. Keywords:Collaboration, Perceptions, Inclusive Education, Pre-service teachers, Children with Special Educational Needs. DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/11-20-07 Publication date:October 31st 202