Teachers' perception and needs of Distance education programme in Ghana

Abstract

This study is an investigation into the perception and needs of teachers in relation to Distance Education. The simple random and stratified sampling methods were used to select three rural and three urban districts from three sampled regions in Ghana. An original instrument designed by the writer was used to collect data on the needs and perception of teachers on Distance Education. A 52-item questionnaire including a 4-point Likert type scale was administered to teachers to collect data on their needs and perception of distance education. The Survey Research had 8 null hypotheses tested for statistical significance using chi-square tests at alpha 0.05. The major result was that teachers in the area of the study; namely Greater Accra, Western and Central Regions of Ghana have positive perception towards the distance education programme and that the needs of rural teachers in respect to distance education are different from those of urban teachers. It is. therefore, being suggested that the distance education programme in Ghana is mounted and maintained. Again, print materials should be used at the initial stage. Finally the needs of urban teachers in relation to distance education must be catered for by the implementers of distance education.