Abstract:
Entry qualification, academic achievement, and teaching practices of
newly qualified teachers (NQTs) qenrolled into the teacher education programme
directly from senior high school (DfSHS) were compared with NQTs enrolled through
the Untrained Teacher Diploma in Basic Education (UTDBE) programme. Survey data
collected from 140 NQTs (84 DfSHS and 56 UTDBE) of 20 public schools in central
Ghana and lesson observations showed that the two categories of Newly qualified
teachers differed greatly in entry grades and academic achievements during training.
Differences in teaching practices pertained to content knowledge, classroom
interactions, and lesson closure. Implications for pre-service and in-service teaching
training are discussed.
