Students' and teachers' perceived difficultties with Senior High School economics topics in Central Region,Ghana

Abstract

The study focused on students and teachers perceived difficulties of topics in the senior high school economics syllabus in senior high schools in Central Region of. Ghana. Data was obtained with the Economics Students Questionnaire, Economics Teachers Questionnaire, administered to 468 students and 32 teachers respectively. Focus group interview protocol and Interview protocol were used to collect some qualitative data from students and teachers as a follow up after the survey. The data collection was done after senior high schools which offered economics in Central Region were categorized into high performing and low performing schools based on individual performance in WAEC examinations for four consecutive years and three schools under each school category randomly selected. Two final year classes were randomly selected. All economics teachers in the selected schools formed part of the study. Major topics students and teachers perceived to be difficult were: "Substitution and income effect", "National income accounting", "National income determination" and the "Multiplier concept and measurement of data". Both students and teachers cited some reasons for these difficulties and suggested measures to overcome such difficulties. Two hypotheses were tested to find out whether gender and the offering of mathematics have effect on students learning of economics. It was, therefore, recommended that the Ghana Education Service should consider the introduction of some economics concepts in the Junior High School curriculum for students to have some basic economics concepts before SHS.