The impact of effective teaching characteristics in promoting student achievement in Ghana

Abstract

This paper investigates the extent to which teacher behaviour in classroom affects student achievement gains in mathematics in Ghana. A representative sample of primary schools from three districts of the Upper East Region of Ghana was selected (n = 73) using stage sampling procedure, and written tests in mathematics were administered to all grade six students at the beginning and end of school year 2013-2014. Two observation instruments and a student questionnaire were used in collecting data on quality of teaching. Multilevel analyses revealed that teacher factors are associated with student learning outcomes. Implications for promoting quality in education are drawn.

Teacher Characteristics and Children’s Educational Attainment in Ghana: Do Some Teacher Characteristics Matter More for Children Attending Disadvantaged Schools?

“…The assumption is that teachers with high academic and professional qualifications will lead to improved student attainment (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2012; World Bank, 2018). However, existing literature from the Ghana context on the effect of these teacher factors on students' attainment is scarce, and results from the small number of studies we uncovered were mixed (e.g., Chowa et al, 2015;Azigwe et al, 2016). For instance, Chowa et al (2015) found no association between the proportion of teachers with post-secondary qualifications and children's educational attainment.…”

“…However, there is little consensus about the specific teacher qualities that lead to greater pupils' learning (e.g., Wayne and Youngs, 2003;Hattie, 2009;Burroughs et al, 2019). Additionally, teacher characteristics can be examined at macro or micro levels, with macro level factors focusing on teacher credentials, while micro factors focus on teachers' behavior within the context of the classroom (Azigwe et al, 2016). In this study, we take advantage of the availability of unique administrative datasets in Ghana to explore the association between teachers' macro level characteristics and children's educational attainment.…”

“…Further, data from the 2016 Ghana National Education Assessment (Ministry of Education, 2016b) indicates less than 25 and 40% of primary school children were proficient in Mathematics and English language, respectively. There are also significant inequalities in children's educational attainment in Ghana with children from more disadvantaged backgrounds or attending disadvantaged schools (e.g., low-income, rural, and public schools) performing well below those from more affluent backgrounds attending more advantaged schools (e.g., high income, urban, and private schools) (Varly et al, 2014;Chowa et al, 2015;Azigwe et al, 2016;Bashir et al, 2018). For instance, the 2011 TIMSS results indicate a higher proportion of children from wealthy backgrounds (34%) achieved minimum standards in science and Mathematics compared to those from poor backgrounds (16%).…”

“…Among school-related factors, it is argued that teacher qualities make the greatest contribution to students' learning (e.g., Barber and Mourshed, 2007;Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2012;World Bank, 2018). Teacher characteristics found to be associated with children's learning across different contexts include academic and professional qualification (e.g., Palardy and Rumberger, 2008), teaching experience (e.g., Gerritsen et al, 2017;Ladd and Sorenson, 2017), and teachers' classroom practices (e.g., Glewwe and Kremer, 2006;Kingdon and Aslam, 2011;Azigwe et al, 2016). However, there is continuing debate regarding which teacher characteristics contribute most, singly or jointly, to students' attainment (e.g., Hattie, 2009;Burroughs et al, 2019).…”

The Long-Term Impacts and the Effective Teaching. A Case Study in Civil Engineering at the Technical University of Madrid (Spain)

“…Finally, literature abounds with research on how different learning activities can be more effective than others. Multilevel analyses show that teacher's factors such as behavior are associated with student learning outcomes [3]. For example, it has been proved that teacher' significant life experiences and stories provide key resources for effective education programs [4].…”