Evaluation of Tutors’ Pedagogical Approaches Used in Social Studies Instructional Delivery in Colleges of Education in Ghana

Abstract

The study aimed to evaluate the tutors' pedagogical approaches in teaching the four-year Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) in Social Studies curriculum at the Colleges of Education (CoEs) in Ghana. This study employed a mixed-methods approach. A concurrent embedded research design was adopted for the study. The population of this study consisted of all students, teachers, tutors, Heads of Departments (HoDs), and principals from the 10 selected Colleges of Education (CoEs) that run the B.Ed. Programme in Social Studies curriculum. Purposive and proportionate random sample techniques were used to select 360 teacher-trainees, 27 Social Studies tutors, 10 Social Studies department heads, and 10 principals of CoEs for the study. The main instruments were questionnaire, an interview guide and an observation checklist. The data were analysed using quantitative and qualitative approaches. The quantitative data collected were coded and processed using SPSS, and descriptive and inferential statistics were applied. The qualitative data from the interview sessions were also analysed using thematic analysis. It can be concluded from the study's findings that College of Education tutors adopted and utilised modern pedagogies and technological tools to build competencies necessary for the field of work and lifelong learning while implementing the B.Ed. Programme Social Studies curriculum. The study also revealed that College tutors effectively used various pedagogical strategies in delivering Social Studies lessons to ensure a better understanding of the curriculum's concepts. It is recommended that tutors in Colleges of Education implement the B.Ed. the Social Studies curriculum for Colleges of Education in Ghana and continue to explore, adopt, and utilise other technologically blended pedagogical approaches to deliver Social Studies lessons, ensuring effective lesson delivery. Tutors could explore and use more modern pedagogical approaches in addition to the existing approaches used in implementing the B.Ed. Social Studies curriculum.