History Teachers and Curriculum Enactment: Examining the Social Component of the Subject Department

Abstract

This study examined the social component of the history subject department in senior high schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis. The concurrent research design informed the methodological consideration of the study. A sample size of eighteen (18) history teachers was used. The instruments used for data collection were questionnaire and interview guide. The questionnaire data were put into frequencies and percentages while the interview data were analyzed into themes. The study revealed four types of history teachers’ interactions in the history departments. These included collaboration, individualism, contrived collegiality and balkanization. The study also established that social interactions in the various departments influenced history teachers’ curriculum enactment to benefit history teacher instructional practices. It is important that these interactions are regulated professionally to avoid any negative effect on teachers’ professional work. It is also important for instructional leaders to ensure that those engagements among teachers in the history departments continue to be appropriate to enhance the effective teaching and learning of the subject.