Effect of gender on students academic achievement in secondary school social ...
WebsterN_CIES2015_GHANA
1. The Reflection of Ghana’s
Political Climate and Peace
Education in Junior High School
Social Studies Textbooks
Najwa Webster
Stanford University
CIES 2015 – Tuesday, March 8, 2015 – 8:30 am
nwebster@stanford.edu
2. Interning at
Princess Diana Memorial School
Context
• Fall 2012
• East Legon, Ghana
• 44 Kindergartners
• 1 primary teacher
• 1 Intern
• 2 textbooks
• Notebooks for each
student
3. Interning at
Princess Diana Memorial School
Observations
• Teachers only had
access to textbooks
• Students seemed
disengaged at
times
• Western Content
4. Final Questions
What do students learn in K-12
education in Ghana?
What values are they taught
concerning the society in which
they live?
5. Year of Publication Political Regime Peace Education?
1987-1989 Military No
2002 Fourth Democratic
Republic of Ghana;
Multi-party government
No
2011 Fourth Democratic
Republic of Ghana;
Multi-party government
Yes
My Research
How the textbooks reflect the political climate and regime
How the 2011 textbook reflects peace education as well?
10. Background
Critical
Literature
Review
Conceptual
Framework
Data
Expected
Findings
Methodology
2005 Peace Education Implementation Plan
• Goal: To build peace among post-conflict nations
• Four case studies: Curriculum and Mobilization of Resources
• Pilot studies in Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Liberia
Pilot Study in Ghana
• Incorporation of peace education into current curriculum of six subjects
• Subject Areas: General Studies, Guidance and Counseling, Moral and
Ethics Education, Civics Education, Religious Studies, and Social Studies
• Outcome: Revision of Nation-wide syllabi
West African Network for Peacebuilding
(WANEP)
11. Background
Critical
Literature
Review
Conceptual
Framework
Data
Expected
Findings
Methodology
The Impact of Political Climates on Educational Materials
• Government values often reflected in textbooks
– Forced national narratives
– The “Other”
– Government placed in positive light
– Reflects Changes in priorities
The Impact of Peace Education in Schools on Socio-political Relations
• Findings:
– Educational programs have short term impacts
– Society often not striving towards the same goals
– Inhibited formation of negative feelings for participating students
– Suggestions: Should be long-term and a part of a larger initiative
Critical Literature Review
12. Background
Critical
Literature
Review
Conceptual
Framework
Data
Expected
Findings
Methodology
Gaps my research will fill
• Location: Ghana, West Africa
• Location: Post-conflict and low violence
• Data: Focused on JHS years 1-3
• Data: JHS social studies textbooks based on Ghana
Education Service Syllabi
• Goals: Will look at the impact of the political climate as
well as the implementation of peace education in Ghana
Critical Literature Review
14. Background
Critical
Literature
Review
Conceptual
Framework
Data
Expected
Findings
Methodology
1) How does the content within the 1987, 2002, and
2011 Ghanaian Junior High School social studies
textbook series reflect the political regime of Ghana,
at the time of publication?
2) How does the content within the 2011 Ghanaian
Junior High School social studies textbook reflect the
incorporation of peace education into the national
Ghanaian Junior High School social studies syllabi?
My Research Questions
17. Background
Critical
Literature
Review
Conceptual
Framework
Data
Expected
Findings
Methodology
• The 1987-1989 textbook series reflects uneven
government structure and need for military.
• The 2002 textbook series demonstrates the
incorporation of more ethnic groups into the textbooks.
• The 2011 textbook series demonstrates the same as the
2002 textbook series, but also emphasizes need for
collaboration and strategies for peace.
Expected Findings
18. Banks, J. A. (1993). Multicultural Education: Historical Development, Dimensions, and Practice. Review of Research in Education, 19, 3. doi:10.2307/1167339
Bar-Tal, D., & Rosen, Y. (2009). Peace Education in Societies Involved in Intractable Conflicts: Direct and Indirect Models. Review of Educational Research, 79(2),
557–575. doi:10.3102/0034654308330969
Biton, Y., & Salomon, G. (2006). Peace in the Eyes of Israeli and Palestinian Youths: Effects of Collective Narratives and Peace Education Program. Journal of
Peace Research, 43(2), 167–180. doi:10.1177/0022343306061888
Bourdieu, P., & Passeron, J.-C. (1977). Reproduction: in education, society, and culture. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research Design (Fourth.). Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Fox, C. (2013). The Question of Identity from a Comparative Education Perspective. In R. Arnove, C. A. Torres, & S. Franz (Eds.), Comparative Education (Fourth.,
pp. 133–147). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Gay, G. (1995). Curriculum theory and multicultural education. In J. A. Banks & C. A. McGee Banks (Eds.), Handbook of Reasearch on Multicultural Education
(First., pp. 25–43). Macmillan Libraryu Reference.
Government of Ghana. (2014). Ghana Revolution And Political History [.gov]. Retrieved December 12, 2014, from http://www.ghana.gov.gh/index.php/about-
ghana/ghana-at-a-glance/447-ghana-revolution-and-political-history
Harris, I. (2002). Peace Education Theory. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA: ERIC. Retrieved
from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED478728.pdf
Harris, I., & Morrison, M. L. (2013). Peace Education (Third.). Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company Inc., Publishers.
Kilpatrick, R., & Leitch, R. (2004). Teachers’ and Ppils’ Educational Experiences and School-Based Responses to the Conflict in Northern Ireland. Journal of Social
Issues, 60(3), 563–586.
Lall, M. (2008). Educate to hate: the use of education in the creation of antagonistic national identities in India and Pakistan. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and
International Education, 38(1), 103–119. doi:10.1080/03057920701467834
Langer, A. (2007). The peaceful management of horizontal inequalities in Ghana. Centre for Research on Inequality, Human Security and Ethnicity. Retrieved from
http://r4d.dfid.gov.uk/pdf/outputs/inequality/wp25.pdf
Maxwell, J. A. (2013). Qualitative Research Design (Third.). Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
McLean Hilker, L. (2011). The role of education in driving conflict and building peace: The case of Rwanda. PROSPECTS, 41(2), 267–282. doi:10.1007/s11125-011-
9193-7
Moon, R. J., & Koo, J.-W. (2011). Global Citizenship and Human Rights: A Longitudinal Analysis of Social Studies and Ethics Textbooks in the Republic of Korea.
Comparative Education Review, 55(4), 574–599. doi:10.1086/660796
Salomon, G. (2004). A narrative-based view of coexistence education. Journal of Social Issues, 60(2), 273–287.
Su, Y.-C. (2007). Ideological Representations of Taiwan’s History: An Analysis of Elementary Social Studies Textbooks, 1978–1995. Curriculum Inquiry, 37(3), 205–
237.
The Parliament of the Republic of Ghana. (1995). Ghana Education Service Act,1995. Government of Ghana.
UNESCO-IBE. (2010). World Data on Education. UNESCO-IBE.
WANEP. (2012). Peace Education in Formal Schools on West Africa: An Implementation Guide. Accra, GH: West African Network for Peacebuilding. Retrieved from
http://www.wanep.org/wanep/files/pub/peace_education/P_E_Implementation_Guide_en.pdf
References
19. The Reflection of Ghana’s
Political Climate and Peace
Education in Junior High School
Social Studies Textbooks
Najwa Webster
Stanford University
CIES 2015 – Tuesday, March 8, 2015 – 8:30 am
nwebster@stanford.edu
