School-based in-service training programmes: Perceptions of basic school teachers and administrators of East Mamprusi Municipality, North East Region of Ghana

Abstract

Effective teaching and learning at the basic school have often been linked to good teacher professional knowledge and skills, acquired not only through pre-service teacher education but also participation in in-service training programmes. This paper reports on a study which explored the perceptions of basic school teachers in the East Mamprusi Municipality about in-service training programmes. The concurrent triangulation research design was employed in the study, which included 17 public junior high schools in the study area. A sample size of 72 teachers was obtained using the simple random sampling method, while 17 head teachers were purposively sampled. Questionnaire and interview were used to collect data. Frequency counts and percentages were the descriptive statistical tools used for the data analysis. The study established that in-service training programmes are more effective if schools are empowered to organise such programmes for teachers. Also, the study found that participation in-service training programmes enhanced teachers’ knowledge of content in their respective subject areas. The findings further revealed that in-service training programmes enhanced teachers’ knowledge on pedagogy and increased their motivation at work. It was recommended that basic schools be empowered to organise in-srvice education and training (INSET) and take steps to institutionalise its implementation for the continuous professional development of teachers.