Prospective history teachers ’ perceptions of the history syllabus of senior high schools in Ghana

Abstract

Syllabus development and implementation have pre-occupied the minds of educationists since the global evolution of modern educational systems because it provides the basis for the content of the lessons, the balance of skills taught and the kinds of behavioural outcomes students are supposed to exhibit at the end of a particular course. The search for a defined perception of teachers in the successful implementation of history syllabus has been a central theme of research effort over the past several decades. This study, employing a phenomenological research strategy, is aimed at evaluating the perception of prospective history teachers of the History Syllabus in the Cape Coast Metropolis. The prospective history teacher population was made up of final year students from the University of Cape Coast in the Central Region and the study made use of the total number of that particular year group. The participants were engaged in focus group discussions. During the deliberations, the researcher took notes, and tape recorded the information which was later transcribed for discussion. From the findings, it is fair to say that the syllabus is a “balanced and progressive document” which allows students to develop equally both their expressive and receptive capabilities. The research also revealed that in the construction and reconstruction of a future history syllabus, the time available for the execution of the topics must be considered. This will ensure that teachers would be able to use the appropriate and recommended methods of teaching the subject because participants recognised that most history teachers do not use the right methods in teaching as a result of their attempt to finish topics in the syllabus.