Teachers’ Perceptions of the New History Curriculum At the Basic School in the Cape Coast Metropolis

Abstract

The study sought to explore teachers' perceptions of the new History curriculum at the basic school level in the Cape Coast Metropolis. Five research questions and one hypothesis guided the study. The study adopted the quantitative approach, specifically a descriptive survey research design. A systematic sampling was used to select 35 schools from 70 schools. Purposive sampling was used to select 225 teachers comprising 49 males and 176 females from the 35 schools selected. A closed ended questionnaire was employed in collecting data for the study. Analysis of data was done with the use of both descriptive and inferential statistics. The specific descriptive statistics adopted in analysing the research questions were frequency counts and percentages, means, and standard deviation. Inferential statistics specifically, One-Way-Analysis of Variance was used to analyse the hypothesis. The study found that teachers had a positive perception about the new history curriculum at the basic school level; teachers had positive perceptions of the content of the new history curriculum for pupils, although they reported that the content of the new history curriculum was overloaded; and teachers agreed that the teaching and learning resources (TLRs) needed in the teaching and learning of the new history curriculum were unavailable. The study recommended that teachers should make a conscious effort to instil in pupils the values of the new history curriculum since they have a positive perception about the curriculum; the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) should review the content of the new history curriculum so that some topics will be fused into other topics; school heads should collaborate with organisations and prominent individuals to help them acquire the needed TLRs for teaching history