Journal of Educational Development and Practice

Teacher Perceptions of Gender Stereotyping and how they Influence their Interactions with Boys and Girls in Early Childhood Education

2025-09-16T21:55:27+00:00

This study considers the ways in which early childhood teachers relate with boys and girls on the basis of gender stereotypes as a result of the existence of the scarcity of awareness about perceptions of gender stereotyping in preschools. A case study research design was adopted where data were collected using semi-structured interviews from a sample size consisting of 8 preschool teachers, drawn from both public and private schools within the Ayawaso West municipality in Accra, Ghana. The findings reveal that the preschool teachers engage in practices that promote gender equality in their classrooms but unconsciously perpetuate gender stereotyping due to some practices underpinned by gender stereotypes.

Socio-Cultural and Economic Barriers to Females’ Educational Attainment: Qualitative Evidence from Rural Communities In Ghana

2025-06-27T20:07:35+00:00

Although significant progress has been made to rectify gender imbalances in education and development, socio-cultural and economic challenges still constitute barriers to females’ educational attainment. Using a qualitative research approach involving 16 participants and data collected through semi-structured interviews, we explored socio-cultural and economic factors that constitute barriers to females’ educational attainment in a rural district in Ghana. From the thematic analysis of the interview data, the findings showed that socio-cultural barriers – driven by traditional gender roles, cultural norms, along with economic barriers, including poverty and limited resources – hinder females’ educational attainment. Drawing on social norm and gender performance theories, we argue that socio-cultural and economic barriers are critical issues that shed light on the complex challenges females in rural communities face as they strive for educational attainment. We recommend the implementation of local-level awareness campaigns and community engagement initiatives to transform negative perceptions surrounding females’ education in rural communities.

Effect of Students selected Context-Based Approach on Students’ Performance in Genetics

2025-09-16T22:41:31+00:00

The quest to maximize students' learning in the sciences has been on high alert in the recent past. This has brought into focus how teachers enact the content prescribed by the curriculum. Various approaches have been suggested as probable solutions to cure students' weak learning attainment in the sciences. One approach gaining grounds in the literature as a means of effectively teaching science concepts leading to the maximization of students' learning is context-based teaching. This research sought to explore the effectiveness of student-selected context-based teaching approaches on students' achievement in genetics concepts in Ghanaian senior high schools. Using 107 biology students from three schools, pretest-posttest non-equivalent group design was used to identify which of the student-selected context-based teaching was effective in improving learning outcomes in genetics. Results indicate that the recent approach of students’ selected context-based teaching was more effective in improving the performance of students in genetics as compared to the modern and traditional approaches with a large effect size. It is recommended that biology instructors who use students' selected context-based approach to teach genetics should use the recent approach to context-based teaching, which has been demonstrated to be more successful in increasing students' genetics performance.