Critical Elements in Teacher Candidates’ Success in Teacher Licensure examinations: Some Insights from Ghana

Abstract

Teacher licensure examinations serve as a crucial gateway to the teaching profession, yet the factors influencing success in these exams remain underexplored in the Ghanaian context. This study investigated the impact of graduation class, gender, and institution type on teacher licensure examination outcomes using binary logistic regression analysis on secondary data from Ghana National Teaching Council on 507 randomly selected teacher candidates. The findings revealed that both graduation class and gender significantly predicted examination success, with lower graduation class obtained increasing the likelihood of failure and male candidates outperforming their female counterparts. However, the type of institution where candidates received their training did not significantly influence pass rates. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to support at-risk candidates, particularly those with weaker academic backgrounds and female candidates. The study contributes to the growing body of research on teacher licensure and provides insights for policymakers and teacher education institutions seeking to enhance teacher preparation and licensure outcomes in Ghana.