Professional Documents
Culture Documents
English Project Sample
English Project Sample
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION
PRIMARY SCHOOL
BY
EDWARD ADJEI
2010
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UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION
PRIMARY SCHOOL
BY
EDWARD ADJEI
JULY, 2010
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DECLARATION
CANDIDATE’S DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this project work is the result of my own original research and that no
part of it has been presented for another award to the Institute of Education, University of
SIGNATURE:...........................
DATE: …………………
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SUPERVISOR’S DECLARATION
I hereby declare that the preparation of this project work was supervised in accordance
with the guidelines on supervision of project work laid down by the Institute of Education,
SIGNATURE:..............................
DATE: ...............................
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ABSTRACT
The purpose of the study was to collect, collate, analyze and examine the academic
This study was intended to find out the problems faced by teachers and pupils during the
teaching and learning process. The study was limited to the basic 4 class of Guama E.P
Primary School. The sample size was forty. The major findings revealed that the attitude
of both teachers and pupils towards the teaching and learning process is very poor.
Dedication of parents to the need of their wards education is also very poor.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to all those who helped me to produce this project
work. My special thanks goes to my supervisor, Mr. Frank Asiamah, whose patience,
this work. May the Almighty God richly bless and give you more knowledge.
I am grateful to the entire staff of Jasikan College of Education, especially Mr. Gbogbo
Daniel for their care and supports. To the staff of Guama E.P Primary School, especially
Odjumoah, My Grand Mother Theresia Odjumoah and Divine Mununkum for their
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DEDICATION
This work is dedicated to my caring and lovely wife who painstakingly tolerated me so
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TABLE OF CONTENT
CONTENT PAGE
DECLARATION………………………………………………………….i
ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………….iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ………………………………………………..iv
DEDICATION…………………………………………………………….ii
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Purpose of study……………………………………………………………...3
Research questions…………………………………………………………....4
Delimitation……………………………………………………………………5
8
CHAPTER TWO
INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………..6
Literature review………………………………………………………………..6
Intelligence inheritance…………………………………………………………11
CHAPTER THREE
INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………12
Population ……………………………………………………………………….12
Target population………………………………………………………………..13
Accessible population…………………………………………………………....13
Sample…………………………………………………………………………...13
Sampling procedure……………………………………………………………...13
Interview ………………………………………………………………………..14
Questionnaire…………………………………………………………………….15
Experimentation…………………………………………………………………15
Data collection…………………………………………………………………..16
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(A) Questionnaire …………………………………………………………...16
(C) Experimentation…………………………………………………………16
CHAPTER FOUR
INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………..17
CHAPTER FIVE
INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………….25
Intervention measures…………………………………………………………..26
Conclusion …………………………………………………………………….29
References……………………………………………………………………..30
Appendices …………………………………………………………………….31
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Questionnaire for parents………………………………………………………32
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
worried over this situation over the years. The falling standard of education in Ghana is
getting much worse than before. This statement is evident in the dismal performance of
pupils in class tests, Criteria Referenced Test (CRT), Monitoring Test (PMT). Basic
Education Certificate Examination (BECE), in some public Basic Schools in recent years.
The issue of poor academic performance can also be traced to the era of brain drain in the
early 1970’s, where many professional Ghanaians including teachers left the country to
seek greener pastures in neighboring African Countries. This left many classrooms without
teachers frantic efforts were made by the government of the time to salvage the situation
but to no avail.
The introduction of the capitation grant in 2006 in relation to the Free Compulsory
1992, the school feeding program and several other attempts are meant to boost the interest
Worthy mentioning are also the construction of pavilions and head teacher’s deprived
bungalows in the communities, the introduction of the Best Teacher Award Scheme from
District to the National level and the supply of dual desks to schools as well as the
European Union classroom projects and DANIDA water and Sanitation Programmes in the
schools.
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Presently, Educational Strategy Plan (ESP) has been introduced to improve upon the
teaching and learning in schools. The Presidential Special Initiative, where students are
taught through the media specifically on GTV is also in place, the Decentralization Policy
Ghanaian schools.
In spite of all these strategies to improve academic performance in our Basic Schools, the
Over the years, benevolent organizations, NGSs, Philanthropists, the Ghana Cocoa Board
and other stakeholders have been making immense contributions to the educational sector
in Ghana through the awarding of scholarships, including school uniforms etc. just to
improve upon the academic performance of students. Since education is the bedrock of
success to every nation, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund
administered to school going children on the 12th of February, 2007 to prevent students
Although all the above mentioned measures are being implemented, the performance of
the kings Presby Primary School, basic 1 pupil are still poor. The researcher therefore
intends to investigate into the causes of the poor academic performance of the basic 1
low. With the high performance, functioning is above average while the low performance,
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functioning is below average. Academics can also be said to be formal learning. Poor can
also be less good than usual or expected. The causes of poor academic performance is then
The area under study is jasikan. Jasikan is a town in the northern Part
according to the 2000 population census analysis. The people of are jasikan
are buem people with “lelemi” being their first language. The word buem
gives the clue that the people of buem have some traditions in common with
the ashantis, having broken away from them in search of their freedom which
brought about many wars. Their main occupation is farming with their main
crops being rice, cassava and maize. The crops when harvested are used to
feed the family and if there is any surplus sold to earn a little income. Despite
the little income, the men of jasikan are interested in polygamy which in turn
The problem of poor academic performance came to light when the researcher observed
that in spite of all the strategies adopted in the class to improve upon the performance of
PURPOSE OF STUDY
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The purpose of the study is to investigate into why in spite of the immense assistance
given by the government, NGOs, stakeholders to mention but a few, the academic
performance of Basic 1 pupils of the kings Presby Primary School has not seen any
dramatically improvement.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. What role does the home condition play on the academic achievement and
of pupils?
What about:
a. Malnutrition?
c. Overpopulation?
Workable and effective solutions to the factor investigated into the improvement in the
.It will also serve as a reference if future educational plans are to be made towards the
school.
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It will help the circuit supervisor to organize in-service training for teachers in the Jasikan
circuit. This will also awaken the human rights activist and organizations such as CHRAJ,
WAJU, and FIDA to protect the right of pupils to proper education and bring all parents
This research should have been carried out in all the Basic 1 classes in the Jasikan District
but due to time and financial constraints, the research has been limited to kings presby
Primary School
This study is actually limited by the sample size and the method used to collect
information.
Moreover, the up to date results of pupils report cards and other important records as a
result of inadequate storage facilities hinders the easy access to some statistics.
These limitations beyond the control of the researcher affected the results of the study.
This study is organized into five chapters. The first chapter deals with introduction. This
include background to the study, area under study, statement of the problem, purpose of
study, research questions, significance of the study, delimitation and limitation of the study
Chapter two reviews literature related to the study. Chapter three also deals with the
sampling procedures, research instruments, pilot study and data collection procedure.
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Chapter four deals with presentation and analysis of data lastly, chapter five with main
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter deals with the review of related literature of the project. In order to have a
in Basic schools, the researcher has read and reviewed several literature related to her
Through research, psychologists have found out that at the Basic level of education, home
conditions greatly affect the academic performance of pupils since children spent greater
Research also shows that children whose parents use elaborated codes have more enlarged
vocabulary than children whose parents use restricted language code characterized by
short simple expression and so the former generally do better than the latter,. The
economic and material condition of the home plays a vital role to learners. It has been
found out that children coming from well to do families generally have more motivation to
learn than those from poor homes because the former generally live in a healthier home
where they are given nutritious diet, where there is no overcrowding than children whose
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parents use restricted language code characterized by short simple expressions and so the
former generally do better than the latter. Studies also shows that, in homes where
television sets, radios, computers etc. are, stimulate and arouse children’s intelligence.
made reverence to Abraham Maslow’s Need Drive Theory of Motivation in the academic
performance of children.
Kwaku Annor (1997) in his book, “Education”, states that Emotional conditions such as
regular absence from home by parents, divorce and violent quarreling among parents at
home cause children to be upset that they cannot concentrate on their work in school.
Also, if the child is worried about family problems or disputes, his or her emotional state
will result to low academic performance. Except for family background, the most
elementary school test scores and eventual education attainment seems to be about 0.7.
That correlation is a little higher than that between educational and economic background.
Even though Jericks et al’s work contributed something meaningful to this subject or
project in 1975, the researcher objected to their view that economic inequality in family
background is not one of the major causes of cognitive inequality. For instance in Ghana,
the types of food provided by the family to the child determines the child’s health and
since health affects pupils test score directly, then the fact cannot be denied that economic
inequality in the family is a strong factor and one of the major causes of poor academic
performance among pupils in Basic schools in Ghana. Jerick’s another point of view
objected by the researcher is his statement that the qualitative difference has relatively
little impact on pupils test score, especially at the basic schools level have relatively little
impact on pupils eventual educational attainment. The researcher objected to the above
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mentioned view of Jericks in the light of Ghanaian experience as well as that of
have relatively greater impact on pupils test scores in both the higher and lower
institutions.
Professor Dominic Kofi Agyeman “Sociology of Education for African Students” (1986)
between school, home, language used and the socio-economic background as well as the
PUPILS
In this case, we can see that the cultural conditions of the school. It has been found out that
parents who have time to talk to them and answer their questions, have a higher proportion
of children who score high marks. Through investigation, it has been found out that girl’s
below 18 years and women above 35 years are more likely to have children with
intellectual disability than those of the range of 19 – 35 years. The belief is that, this
problem is mostly caused by the production of the hormone from females called oestrogen
which facilitate division of foetus during pregnancy. Those same authors Ocloo M.A et al
(2003) stated that before 18 years and after 35 years, the body does not produce enough of
the oestrogen required by the body to permit cell divisions so chromosomal aberration
result in most pregnancies that occur within those below 18 years and above 35 years
leading to down syndrome which results to low or poor academic performance in school.
Professor Agyeman (1986), states that the attitude of the family to formal education is a
strong factor that affects the formal education of the child. According to him, families that
are ill-disposed to formal education tend to be half hearted about the schooling of their
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children. Hence, it is uncommon to meet rich African fathers who refuse to send their
children more especially girls to school because they think it is a waste of money and
Margaret Sarfo in her article “paying for children’s Education” in the Saturday, weekly
mirror news paper of 16th January, 1988 stressed on the effects of parents negative attitude
to bring about the high rate of female drop-out in our educational system. Margaret Sarfo
says “Numerous parents hold the belief that schooling especially beyond the first cycle
level is not as important for girls as it is for their boys or sons” the argument for keeping
girls on the lower level of the academic ladder according to her runs “if a woman acquired
too much knowledge, she becomes too proud and may not get a husband since men fear
Even if such a woman is so lucky to have a husband at all, she often becomes bossy in the
ACHIEVEMENTS
Ocloo M.A etal (2002) state in their book, Foundation in Special Education, The
academic performance of pupils in school. Ocloo M.A et al state that, the pre-natal period
is crucial for the child’s development, it has been proved scientifically that, the age of the
mother affects the academic achievement of the child. Malnutrition can have an adverse
effect on the brain cells and development of the unborn baby leading to poor academic
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In addition to the above, Jericks et al (1975) stresses the effects of socio-economic
background of family on school achievement. They are of the view that economic
inequality explains only small fraction of the total in children’s cognitive skills. The gap
between the most and least economically advantaged children whose fathers are in the top
five in the occupational hierarchy have intelligence quotient (IQ) 13-15 points higher than
in the bottom five (5). What equalize everyone’s economic status, test score inequality will
education received by majority of learners is different from that of the formal education in
African schools. He states that only a handful of children enjoy the middle and upper class
facilities such as television (TV) and radio sets, computers as well as daddy’s car and toys
of all kinds which help to introduce the child to western culture which operates in our
school. Greater number of learners who lack these facilities at home most especially in the
rural areas find it tough to go on with the formal education at school because it is quite
different at school, since it is different from what he received at home. In the long run, it
affects his or her test scores negatively. This financial situation leads pupil to low
academic performance. The degree of family influence on the subsequent formal education
of children in African society according to professor Agyeman (1986) depends on three (3)
variables stated as follows, family size, economic and social status of the family and
attitude of the family to formal education, the family size of which the child is a member.
To a family, the larger the family size and that of children of larger families tend to have.
Professor Agyeman (1986), states that socio-economic status of the family affects the
achievements and chances of success of a child in school. He contends that a child who is
constantly hungry will have a difficulty in giving his or her full attention to the lesson in
class. A child whose parents cannot provide him or her with uniforms may feel
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embarrassed or ashamed among his or her mates and this affects his or her performance in
school.
INHERITANCE OF INTELLIGENCE
Jericks et al found a correlation coefficient of 0.55 between a white child’s education and
different groups, the educational interval (gap) between children will average 55% of the
economic gap between their parents. To add to that, roughly half of the children born into
the upper and middle class will and up with qualification. Thus socio-economic
background does have a substantial influence on the amount of schooling pupils receive.
But the explanation lies in conclusive environment (20-25) rather than genetic or income
difference. They therefore suggest that if we want to equalize the educational attainment
of children from different economic backgrounds we will eventually have to change not
only their test scores and financial resources, but also their aptitudes and values.
CHAPTER THREE
INTRODUCTION
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
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This research is action research. It is a kind of research in which the researcher works hand
in hand with other people to solve perceived problems. It is an approach which aims at
improving change. Action research seeks a change, both the pupils and teachers are part of
the problem and solution, hence they become very conscious of their practice.
More so, Action Research helps to generate new strategies and ideologies to solve current
problems. The types of design used in descriptive method which specified the nature of a
given phenomena. It determines and reports the way things are. It involves gathering of
data in order to test hypothesis or answer research questions concerning the present status
of the subject of the study. This chapter deals with the methodology adopted in carrying
POPULATION
1. The sample
3. Research instruments
6. Population
The population was divided into two major groups namely target population and
accessible population.
TARGET POPULATION
The target population of this research is all pupils of kings presby Primary School
with a total enrolment of three hundred and twenty six pupils (326) made up of one
hundred and seventy six girls (176) and one hundred and fifty (150) boys
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ACCESSIBLE POPULATION
The accessible population of the research includes all pupils in Basic 1 of kings presby
Primary School with an enrolment of thirty six (36). The researcher interviewed 20 pupils
SAMPLE
The researcher used three teachers, ten parents, seven PTA/ SMC members and twenty
(20) pupils as his sample. Since the above mentioned people have a stake in the education
of learners, the researcher saw the need to involve them in the research.
SAMPLING PROCEDURE
The researcher used a simple random sampling technique. This technique is a process by
which individuals have equal probability of being selected as a member of the sample. The
researcher wrote “yes or were folded into a chalk box. All the people were asked to pick
one of the processes of paper from the box. All those who pocked “yes” were selected.
Forty people, thus three teachers, seven PTA / SMC members, ten parents and twenty
pupils were picked. The details were presented in table one (1) below:
Teachers 3
Pupils 20
Parents 10
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Grand total 40
Instruments are the tools or devices used by the researcher to collect information from the
INTERVIEW
formal meeting at which someone is asked questions in order to find out if they are
suitable for a job of study’. In other word, it can be defined as a way of verbally
interacting with respondents in carrying out a research. The interviewer engages the
Moreover, this conversation gives the interviewee much confidence and makes him or her
feel at ease. Clarification is ascertained by the researcher from the interviewee. The
interview guide contains some questions that will enable the researcher gather important
information from the respondents. Some of information includes the conditions prevailing
QUESTIONNAIRE
written list of questions which are answered by a lot people in order to provide information
for a report or survey” it can also said to be a list of questions that a number of people are
asked so that information can be collected about something. The investigator chose this
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instrument to assure the respondents of the confidentiality and anonymity since the
respondents can read and understand simple English. The following are some of the
information the investigator will like to gather from the respondents, the educational
background of teachers and the conditions prevailing at home. The researcher distributed
open-ended and close-ended questions to parents, teachers, PTA / SMC members and
pupils.
EXPERIMENTATION
Learners Dictionary (2004). It can also be said to be trying out of a new idea or method to
see how the method works and what effect it has in order to modify the test. There usually
two groups in experimentation. These are the experimental group and control group. The
experimentation group is subjected to special treatment. This group helps the researcher to
arrive at a better conclusion or a method that gives confidence to the teacher during lesson
delivery. It also directs or guides the researcher towards the target objective. In addition, it
On the other hand, the control group needs no special treatment during lesson delivery
under experimentation its results always prove poor or not encouraging as compared to the
experimental group.
(ADMINISTRATION OF INSTRUMENTS)
QUESTIONNAIRE
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The questionnaires were distributed by the researcher to the teachers, parents, and pupils.
The completed questionnaires were collected in three weeks time. The questionnaires
contain ten questions each for the respondents. This is stated in appendices one to three.
INTERVIEW
The interview which lasted for an average time of fifteen minutes each was conducted on
the school premises, the head teacher’s office, in the class 100ms and at a PTA meeting.
The researcher randomly selected face with them. The pieces of information given by the
interviewees were recorded on paper. The content of the interview guide for all the
EXPERIMENTATION
A detailed lesson note was prepared and used to teach twenty pupils in Guama E.P
Primary School, basic 4 who were selected randomly by the researcher. The lesson was
taught after normal class in the basic 7 classroom. The researcher used all the needed
teaching and learning materials (TLMs). With the detailed lesson note prepared to teach
the experimental group for thirty (30) minutes. The researcher afterward taught the control
group without using any teaching and learning materials and a detailed lesson note. The
researcher found out that, the experimental group performed better when a short test was
conducted after the lesson while the control group performed very poorly. This implies
that the use of detailed lesson note, materials help to improve the pupils understanding of
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CHAPTER FOUR
INTRODUCTION
This section of the project work presents the information obtained after administering the
various data, collecting instruments and how the information is analyzed. Information was
collected from four categories of respondents. They include pupils, parents, teachers and
PTA /ASMC members. In all, forty (40) respondents were interviewed. Thus twenty (20)
pupils, ten (10) parents, three (3) teachers and four (4) PTA / SMC members. The
researcher also observed a number of activities that proceeded among the teachers, PTA /
SMC members, pupils and parents both within and outside the classroom. Finally he used
questionnaires in acquiring the needed information from all the respondents. The data
1. Qualification of teachers
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Table1
TEACHERS
Assistant Director 1 25
Senior Superintendent 2 50
Total 4 100
Table 1 shows that 25% of the teachers are of the rank of Assistant Director 50% are
newly trained teachers. Despite the qualification and status of these teachers, the problem
of low academic performance in this school is still unsolved. The head teacher during an
interview revealed that the teachers lacked the necessary skills and techniques to teach in
More so, most of them do not use relevant teaching and learning materials besides, they
Hence the pupils find it difficult to understand what is being taught in class. Some of the
pupils interviewed said class is very boring and they were always confused when lessons
were going on. When some of the teachers were interviewed on why they refused to
implement the teaching skills learnt from their colleges, they complained that their salaries
are too small therefore they have to work very hard after school to get money to
supplement their meager salaries before thy can meet their family demands. Due to this
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Table 2
Yes 10 25
No 30 75
Total 40 100
From the research finding’s it was revealed that teachers in school scarcely motivate their
Furthermore, 75% of pupils interviewed disclosed that some teachers were too harsh and
also insult them so much when teaching and this attitude prevent them from feeling
comfortable during the teaching and learning process hence cannot assimilate what is
being taught. They said it is very difficult for them to ask questions for clarification
because of the harsh and excessive use of the cane by the teachers. There was this
interviewee who said that, the parents constantly complained of finance and kept
postponing the provision of their needs. There was an instance where an interviewee told
the interviewer that his parents did not allow him to learn at home, instead, he was
Table 3 revealed that, 75% of the parents do not provide pupils educational needs regularly
and 25% do so. Just as indicated by various tables it has been realized that majority of the
interviewees mentioned having large family size and some single parents assuming the
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Some of the parents said they have meager incomes, which made it difficult for them to
provide pupils educational needs. Those that are peasant farmers complained bitterly of
not getting ready market for their farm produce. There was a parent who believed that
spending on a child’s education is a waste of precious resources. Some suggested that the
girl child will only get pregnant when climbing the academic ladder therefore it will be
better for her to learn a trade at once in order to earn a living. When the researcher
enquired from some parents as to whether they visit their wards at school to find out their
progress, the response was no because they do not have enough time. About whether their
wards eat before coming to school, a parent was bold enough to inform the researcher that
because of the feeding programme, there is no need feeding their wards before they go to
school or give them pocket money. A group of teachers also complained that pupils’
problems emanated from their parents since the home is the first institution of the child.
Table4 gives the information on the level of motivation given to pupils at both home and
school
Table 3
SCHOOL
Low 18 45
Very low 12 30
High 8 20
Very high 2 5
Total 40 100
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From the above table, out of forty pupils interviewed, 18 (45%) responded low, 12 (30%)
responded very low, 8 (20%) responded high and 2 (5%) responded very high. From their
responses, it could be deduced that motivational level of pupils is very low. A pupil
interviewed disclosed that because her parents do not motivate her in ways such as buying
her needs, she most at times consider herself inferior and as such feels very much
embarrassed in the company of her peers. Due to this she prefers staying at home to going
Eventually, from the research conducted, it was clear that the attitude and approach of
From the research findings, the twenty pupils interviewed said most teachers were too
harsh when teaching and learning hence cannot easily understand what the teacher is
teaching. Out of the twenty (20) pupils interviewed, 11 (55%) said due to the harshness of
the teacher they are always afraid and therefore find it difficult to ask questions for
clarification of points, concepts, facts and ideas which are not well understood.
Again out of the twenty (20) pupils, 9 (45%) said most of the teachers don not allow them
to discover things for themselves through activities as most the lessons taught were teacher
LESSON DELIVERY
From the research findings, the four (4) teachers the researcher observed as they taught
lessons showed that they did not prepare adequately before teaching. You will be
shocked to learn that some of them do not even prepare lesson notes before lesson
32
delivery. The researcher took it upon himself to prepare a lesson note to teach an
experimental group.
Excellent 10 50
Very good 5 25
Good 4 20
Fair 1 5
Poor 0 0
Total 20 100
As shown in table 5, it is obvious that the pupils performed very well out of the 20
responses, 10 (50%) did good work, 1 (25%) did very good work, 4(20%) also did good
The researcher after seeing the performance of the experimental group decided to teach the
control group the same lesson without any preparation. Table 6 shows marks obtained by
pupils in the control group after the lesson had been evaluated.
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Table 6 PERFORMANCE OF THE CONTROL GROUP
Excellent 0 0
Very good 1 5
Good 2 10
Fair 7 35
Poor 10 50
Total 20 100
As shown in table 6, the pupils performed very poorly. Out of the twenty (20) respondents,
none had excellent, thus 0, 1 (5%) did very well, 2 (10%) did good work, 7 (35%) did
fairly well and 10 (50%) of them did poorly. After the researcher compared the two
groups, that is the experimental and control group, it was then identified that preparing
and learning process. It also makes learning real, simple, easy and enjoyable. On the
the inability of the head teacher to vet their lesson notes on time and monitor their teaching
periods. Investigations also revealed that even the circuit supervisor does not take the pain
to glance through their lesson notes. Some do not come round in a whole term. Taking the
teachers competencies into consideration, it has been observed that most teachers do not
have in-depth knowledge of the subject they teach. This results in ambiguous statement of
lesson objectives. Due to this, lessons were delivered in disorderly manner. Pupils
therefore resort to rote learning since they do not understand the disorderly delivered
lessons. As a result of rote learning, pupils find it very difficult to adapt to new situations.
34
Also, things learnt through rote learning gives negative response whenever a concept is
being taught.
In addition, out of the twenty pupils interviewed 10 (50%) said most of the teachers teach
without teaching and learning materials. 6 (30%) pupils complained that teachers just write
new topics to be treated on the writing board after which their related ideas, facts and
concepts are also written for the pupils to copy into their note books, 3 (15%) said some
teaching and learning materials used by the teachers during lesson delivery even confused
them the more since they are not related exactly to the topic under discussion and 1 (5%)
said some teachers just come to class to write exercises on the board and cane them
mercilessly when they failed to get the full marks. Most teachers said the cost involved in
the production of teaching and learning materials is very high and expensive. As a result
they cannot use all their salaries to produce instructional materials for use during teaching
and learning process. Others complained bitterly that it is never their duty to produce or
look for teaching and learning materials for use but rather the duty of the ministry of
Education and Ghana Education Service (GES) for use in schools. The teachers also
revealed that the production of instructional materials is vey tedious and also consume a
lot of time. This results in the teaching of most subjects in abstract which enhances and
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CHAPTER FIVE
INTRODUCTION
This chapter contains the discussion of main findings and recommendations, intervention
This expresses what the researcher saw to be the main causes of poor academic
performance among the pupils after the necessary analysis were made. The research work
has exposed or revealed lots of factors militating against the performance of learners in
positively or negatively.
iii. Most of the parents are not able to cater for the educational needs of their wards
since they are not regular income earners. Majority of them are farmers and food
venders. As a result of this pupils spent most of their precious time helping their
parents on the farm and others at the market. Due to this, they become too
exhausted to learn in the evenings and pay very little attention to attendance at
school.
iv. Inadequate motivation at home and school on the part of parents and teachers
dampens the spirit of pupils. Most parents scarcely give praise and reward to their
wards at home when they are up and doing, some pupils just receive insults and
36
beatings which make them feel nothing good can come out of them. Teachers also
do very little or nothing to motivate the pupils through praises and rewards. This
makes the school also not enjoyable and uninteresting place for pupils.
INTERVENTION MEASURES
The researcher having examined the findings based on response given by the target
population made the following interventions which are intended to control the problems of
low academic performance of pupils in basic schools in the Guaman community in general
and particularly the basic four (4) class of Guaman E. P. Primary School. The researcher
appealed to the conscience of teachers not to be harsh on the pupils since most of them
become confused, timid and fail to seek clarification where necessary and explained to
them that pupils will exhibit their creative skills and abilities, and think critically through
the activities in the teaching and learning process making both the classroom and school a
lively place for pupils. The researcher also urged the teachers to improvise some relevant
teaching and learning materials for lesson delivery and afterwards, kept safely for future
use. This is because the use of relevant teaching and learning materials during lesson
delivery helps to focus pupils’ attention and interest on the basic structure of concepts,
relate abstract lessons to concreteness and integrate scattered information. More of, the
researcher leaded with the head teacher to see to it that teachers prepare in advance and
adequately since that will benefit both teacher and pupils. The researcher also asked the
PTA/SMC to motivate the teachers and head teacher for more effective work to be done.
The researcher not withstanding the rate at which teachers were teaching in abstract took
the pain and wrote an article which was published in the Saturday weekly mirror appealing
to the Ghana education service (GES) to provide relevant teaching and learning materials
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During the last Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meeting held in the Guaman E. P.
Primary Six classroom, the researcher suggested to all and sundry present to organize a
prize giving day for both outstanding pupils and teachers to encourage them to work
harder. Besides, the researcher visited parents in their various homes to educate them very
well to play an active role in the education of their wards so that they can also exhibit a
sense of discipline and avoid all forms of deviant behaviour such as truancy, stealing etc.
The researcher in collaboration with the PTA chairman urged the head teacher to form a
guidance and counseling section in the school to help pupils with all sorts of problems and
guide them to achieve greater laurels in their education. Parents were also advised to
practice family planning. He however, led them through some of the ways by which they
can plan their families so as to produce the number of children they can conveniently cater
for, so that they can also be in a better position in the future to cater for them.
Teachers were also advised by the researcher to form educative clubs such as the Reading
Club, Creative Writers and Debaters Club etc. and give responsible positions to truant
pupils to prevent them from dodging school. Women and girls were advised by the
researcher not to become pregnant if they are below eighteen years or above thirty-five
years since this can lead to cognitive problems in children born within those ages.
Couples were also advised to ensure that the mother is well fed with balanced diet during
of the guidance and counseling committee together with the researcher visited some
parents on the last Sunday of February and advised them to eschew violent quarreling at
home since this can affect and disturb their wards’ academic achievement in school.
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POST INTERVENTION MEASURS
After several follow ups by the researcher on the intervention measures, it was realized
that very positive results have yielded since pupils, teachers and parents also responded
and acted positively on the intervention measures made available to them. Some of the
pupils said their teachers have been very cordial of late hence they feel free and ask
relevant questions for clarification when necessary, thereby making learning very
enjoyable.
Most teachers now provided or improvised teaching and learning materials before
teaching. When the researcher collected the lesson notes of some of the teachers, it came
to light that about 80% of them had written their lesson notes into details and it was vetted
by the headteacher.50% of the teachers interviewed said they have received motivation in
different directions from parents hence they were inspired to give out their maximum best.
i. For learners to perform well there is the need for them to play roles in all educational
ii. Teachers need to take their roles in the educational attainment of learners seriously
in order to boost their interest in schooling and partaking fully in academic work.
iii. Parents must make sure they bring forth only the number of children they can
iv. For the standard of pupils’ performance to improve, stakeholders such as the
SMC/PTA and school administrators must carry out their supervisory roles as
expected.
v. Parents must not involve their wards too much in their trades and other burdensome
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vi. The Ministry of Education in collaboration with Ghana education service must
employ craftsmen who can effectively produce teaching and learning materials in
relation to the contents of the subjects in the curriculum for distribution to schools
all over the county. Teachers are also encouraged to sacrifice some time and
resources to produce those that are not readily available for effective teaching and
CONCLUSION
The academic performance of the basic 4 class of Guama E.P Primary School
is faced with series of problems which are preventing them from meeting the standard of
performance in other schools despite efforts being made by the stakeholders. It is in this
vein that the researcher deemed it necessary to carry out this research work with the aim of
outwitting these problems in order to achieve an enviable position at least among the
schools in the Jasikan town and District as a whole. From the above findings, it can be
concluded that performance of Basic four pupils of Guaman E.P Primary School
has improved after the research work. The researcher is however hopeful and ask that the
researcher limited his research only to the basic 4 class of Guaman E.P Primary School
There are other basic school pupils who are confronted with similar problems. It is for this
reason that researcher hereby suggest that any further research into the topic (should) be
carried out in other basic schools in the district because if the situation is not curtailed at
the basic level, pupils will grow and develop into irresponsible future leaders. Let me also
state that, even though this project yielded positive results, researchers should be
40
supported financially by the government to enable them delve deeper into research
projects.
REFERENCES
Agyemang Kofi Dominic (1986) Sociology of Education for African Students Accra.
Annor Kwaku (1997) Education (2nd Edition). Education (2nd Edition) Kumasi: Ghana
University Press
Bandura A (1971) Social Learning Theory General. Learning (2nd edition) New York
Bowless and Cintis (1972) IQ in the United States class structure. (Social Policy Vol. USA
Larinda’ Press)
Schooling (3rd Edition) USA; Sultan and Fred’s Press and Development of The Brain,
Neuro Science and Bio-Behvioural Review: Lagos, Nigeria – Sule Printing Press.
University Press.
Oladele J.O (1978). Foundations of Educational Psychology, (3rd Edition). Lagos: Nigeria
41
Safor Margaret (1988). December 10th Ghana Weekly Mirror (No. 0866-12531) Page 16.
APPENDICES
APPPENDIX ONE
Note: This questionnaire is strictly meant for educational purposes and that all the
Please kindly respond to the questions by ticking the appropriate response or completing
the sentence. Where boxes are provided, use ( ) for the response.
1. Name of school………………………………..
5. How do pupils co-operate when lesson are taught and evaluated? Thus are they able
8. Do you often visit pupils with their parents in their home to counsel them?
Yes No
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10. Do you motivate your pupils? Yes No
APPENDIX TWO
Note: The information needed will be used for the purpose of this research work as
such it will be treated confidentially. You are please requested to provide direct
2. Sex:
5. How often do you visit your ward at school? Once in a term not at all
APPPENDIX THREEE
Note: This questionnaire is strictly meant for educational purposes and that all the
Please kindly respond to the questions by ticking the appropriate response or completing
the sentence. Where boxes are provided, use ( ) for the response.
43
2. Age of pupils……………………
5. Occupation of parents:…………………
6. Mother Father
7. How many brothers and sisters do you have in your family? ………………….
APPENDIX FOUR
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APPENDIX FIVE
APPENDIX SIX
8. Do your teachers use any teaching and learning materials when teaching?
45