Elvis Agyei-Okyere

2 Publications in AERD

Author Publications

Teaching students with Down syndrome in regular classrooms in Ghana: views of secondary school mathematics teachers

By Elvis Agyei-Okyere

The recent development of making secondary school education free in Ghana has raised concerns about the level of preparedness of teachers to teach students with diverse needs in one classroom. Significantly, mathematics is one of the core areas that the Ghanaian government has prioritised, and it has institutionalised mechanisms to encourage participation by many students. Accordingly, this qualitative study aimed to document the level of preparedness of mathematics teachers to support the teaching of students with Down syndrome in secondary school classrooms. Twenty-seven mathematics teachers from 14 schools, made up of 18 males and nine females, took part in the study. We found that participants were in favour of implementation of inclusive education. However, regarding the prospect of teaching students with Down syndrome, most of the participants thought that the regular secondary school classroom is not a suitable environment for these students to access education, especially due to a number of challenges. The need for the government to support schools with appropriate teaching materials and facilities is discussed extensively. © 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

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Inclusive education in West Africa: predictors of parental attitudes, knowledge and perceived social norms influencing inclusive practices in Ghana and Nigeria

By Elvis Agyei-Okyere

The call to practise inclusive education in African countries has coincided with efforts to promote deeper cooperation in the education sector. Ghana and Nigeria have adopted a common curriculum to facilitate the development of people in the West African sub-region. In both countries, while much is known about the challenges faced by teachers and schools in the implementation of inclusive education, little is known about parents’ attitudes, knowledge and perceived social norms regarding inclusive education. In this study, we adapted Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour to examine parents’ attitudes, knowledge and perceived social norms in influencing inclusive practices. One-thousand-and-seventy-five parents were recruited from Ghana (n = 411) and Nigeria (n = 664). They completed the Parents’ Attitudes Towards Inclusive Education scale, which consists of three subscales: attitudes, perceived social norms, and knowledge. Although there was a moderate relationship between the subscales, the participants were positive on attitudes and perceived social norms, but they reported a lack of knowledge about inclusive education. The participants seemed to accept the need for implementation of inclusive education, and they acknowledged the efforts of implementers in practising inclusive education. However, they indicated limited knowledge about implementation of inclusive education. The need for policymakers to prioritise public education is also discussed. © 2019, © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

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