Teacher role and instructional time management in Kete-Krachi Secondary Schools Ghana

Abstract

The process of teaching in terms ot: for example, use of time requires effective management to ensure quality student achievement. This study sought to investigate how teachers in Kete-Krachi secondary schools manage instructional time. The study used a checklist, a time diary form and an interview guide to collect information from 50 of the targeted teachers, about all activities the teachers engaged in during the entire school week. Data was also obtained about attitude of teachers towards time management. It was found that the teachers engaged in a wide variety of activities, using time that varied from one activity to another; these activities ranged from preparation of lesson notes and sports committee meeting to siesta, preparing cakes for sale and walking home from school; Teachers spent 188.79 minutes, a day, in managing instruction, 146.9 minutes on administrative duties, and a whopping 956.39 minutes on activities encoded social as against 251.64 minutes for instruction. The study also revealed that while some teachers assumed the elevated responsibility of providing instructional leadership for both staff and students, there were others who merely gave instructions without applying any skill necessary for professional practice. If school time management is to improve, teachers would have to find time everyday to think of what to do in advance of actual performance. So it has he en recommended that school administrators proceed with caution when assigning duties to teachers because some duties may have to be run during teaching time.