Teachers' Perceptions of the New History Curriculum at the Basic Schools in the Cape Coast, Ghana

Abstract

Perception is the importance attached to something based on one's feelings and experiences. The study explored teachers' perceptions of the new History curriculum at the basic school level in the Cape Coast Metropolis. A quantitative approach with a descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. A systematic sampling procedure was used to select 35 schools from 70 public schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis. Purposive sampling was used to select 225 teachers comprising 49 males and 176 females from selected 35 basic schools. A closed-ended questionnaire was used to collect data for the study. Data were analysed with descriptive statistics (frequency counts and percentages, means, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (One-Way-Analysis of Variance). Findings showed that teachers positively perceived the new history curriculum at the basic school level. The study recommended that teachers should make a conscious effort to instil in pupils the values of the new history curriculum since they had a positive perception of the curriculum.