Factors influencing implementation of the basic school religious and moral education curriculum

Abstract

The study explored both school and community-based factors that influence implementation of the Basic school Religious and Moral Education curriculum in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana. It was an exploratory survey study that adopted the sequential explanatory mixed method as a model. Six research questions and two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The population consisted of 515 people (446 teachers and 61 head teachers) with a sample size of 288. Data were gathered from questionnaire, interviews and observations. The convenience, simple random and the purposive sampling techniques were used to select the schools and the respondents. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, charts, tables, means, and standard deviations were used to analyse the research questions whereas inferential statistics (multiple regressions) was used in analyzing the research hypothesis. Both the descriptive and multiple regression results showed that teachers, pupils, head teachers, parents as well as school and community-based instructional resources contribute directly or indirectly towards the RME curriculum implementation process at the basic school level. It was however revealed in the study that lack of in-service training courses, the absence and/or inadequacy of requisite instructional resources, and failure of parents in supervising their wards’ learning negatively affected the successful teaching and learning of RME. On the basis of these findings, it was recommended that all the necessary processes involved in the RME curriculum implementation, including staff development, regular supervision as well as adequate provision of instructional resources be considered