Addae, David
5 Publications in AERD
Author Publications
Export PDFGlobal citizenship education curriculum through the lens of Indigenous knowledge systems: Perspectives from Ghana
By Addae, David
This article explores, through semi-structured interviews with selected doctoral students and lecturers, clues for the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge systems into the curriculum of proposed academic programs in Development Education at a university in Ghana. We have used Freire’s pedagogy of hope as a theoretical lens to examine how Global Citizenship Education (GCE) curriculum inspired by Indigenous knowledges could offer hope to the world through the development of desired global citizens. We have argued that although GCE is ingrained in Western ideology, it should strive to embrace multiple [Indigenous] knowledges to enhance its contextual relevance. The findings show the nuanced and textured conceptualizations of global citizenship and GCE and demonstrate the bases for the inclusion of specific Ghanaian Indigenous knowledges in the GCE curriculum. The findings also highlight the opportunities and challenges of incorporating Indigenous themes in the curriculum. Based on the findings, we discuss some implications for GCE curriculum. © 2023, The Author(s) under exclusive licence to UNESCO International Bureau of Education.
Continuing professional development (CPD) at a distance: Teachers' reflections on enhancing distance education (DE) provision
By Abakah, Ellen
In Ghana, continuing professional development (CPD) initiatives for teachers are fragmented, with limited participation opportunities for all subject teachers, resulting in a high reliance on distance education (DE) programs. This qualitative study investigates teachers' experiences with DE upgrading programs and their thoughts on improving. Data was gathered from 32 participants in the Ekumfi district of Ghana. The findings show that, despite the constraints, teachers in Ghana are taking an agentic stance in using DE for their professional development. However, while DE programs provide reliable paths to updating professional knowledge, they are insufficient as a CPD tool to assist teachers' learning for improvements in classroom practice. Teachers' DE experiences reveal a rigid program structure with content that is unreflective of current educational concerns and the utilization of didactic teaching and learning approaches. These are detrimental to active learning and unlikely to result in effective teacher improvement. To strengthen DE as an effective CPD tool in Ghana, the study recommends regularizing other CPD avenues, revising DE upgrading programs for teachers, and systematising mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating teachers' competencies before and afterDE participation. © 2023 The Author(s)
Role of community colleges and other TVET institutions in advancing sustainable development by supporting access, diversity, and inclusion for nontraditional student populations
By Addae, David
The Sustainable Development Goals link access to higher education, particularly for non-traditional populations, as a way to fight poverty and ensure prosperity. This article examines the experiences of several under-researched categories of non-traditional students who attend Community Colleges and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges in multiple jurisdictions worldwide. The article begins to fill in the gap with comparative data on how these institutions advance equity, diversity, and inclusion through access to higher education. The implications of Community Colleges and TVET are analyzed using the lens of Neo-Liberalism and the Capabilities Narrative. The study extends the scope of the inquiry into the contributions these institutions make to sustainable development. The article uses a comparative multi-case study approach to examine the Community Colleges and TVET Colleges in different jurisdictions worldwide. © 2022 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Lifelong education trajectories and futures in Ghana: issues of policy, ideology and practice
By Tagoe, Michael
This paper examined lifelong education and learning trajectories and issues of policy, ideology and practice that have underpinned the implementation of adult literacy and adult learning education strategies within a lifelong learning perspective in Ghana. Using documentary analysis, the paper noted that although the concept of lifelong education/learning has been used in some national development documents and educational policies, Ghana has no national policy on lifelong learning. The paper found that multilateral and bilateral organisations have influenced the direction and strategies captured in the national development documents and educational policies. The paper found that recommendations from International Conferences on Adult Education have often had very little influence on these national policy texts. For Ghana to be able to provide opportunities for lifelong learning for all there is the need for a vision of lifelong learning that is situated in the present and looks into the future. Ghana must work towards building a culture of lifelong learning. Policymakers need to understand that lifelong learning cannot be achieved when there are no clear-cut policies on adult literacy and adult learning and education, which are all critical components of lifelong learning. The learning needs of the youth and adults have to be given recognition in national development documents and educational policies.
Online student engagement in times of emergency: Listening to the voices of students
By Addae, David
The closure of schools and colleges worldwide, as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown and stay-at-home protocols, were timely actions given the surge in infection rates. It became immediately necessary for innovative strategies to be put in place to engage students while they remained at home. In Ghana, many traditional universities adopted the use of online learning tools to promote learning amongst their students during this period of uncertainty. In this exploratory case study, I explore the experiences of final year undergraduate students (N = 18) in the University of Ghana with the intention of examining: (1) the various strategies adopted by lecturers to engage students in online learning during this time when they were at home; (2) the challenges the students experienced; and (3) the students’ views on ways of promoting effective student online learning engagement during future emergencies. Three strategies were identified by the students as being used by the lecturers for online learning engagement, namely videoconferencing, use of discussion boards, and use of regular assignments. It was found that the students experienced manifold engagement challenges in online learning including data and network problems, technical difficulties, assessment overload, as well as administrative issues. In order to ensure effective student online learning engagement in future national emergencies, it was suggested that resources such as internet facilities should be made available to students; assessment load should be reduced while interactive and active online learning engagement strategies are prioritized; and administrative support should be offered to students. The study’s findings have significant implications for the planning, design and the implementation of online learning programmes in higher education. © The Author(s) 2022.
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