Research Article | | Peer-Reviewed

“It Makes Us Feel More Professional!” Stakeholders’ Perception of the Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination

Received: 9 January 2024     Accepted: 25 January 2024     Published: 28 February 2024
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Abstract

The professionalism of teaching has been subject of an age long debate. Teachers beseech others to recognize them as professionals and they become belligerent when they fail to receive recognition. Since 2018, Ghana has instituted the Ghana Teacher Licensure Examinations (GTLE) to regulate entry into the teaching profession. This policy has received a mixed bag of reactions with the populace sharply divided in opinion. Given that knowledge gap existed, it was important to interrogate the general perception of all stakeholders across Ghana to unravel how the GTLE is perceived among stakeholders. This paper is culled out of a broader study that employed a mixed-methods research approach in a nationwide study involving over 2800 respondents. For this paper, we report on the qualitative data generated from 145 participants. We describe the concerns of stakeholders who are in favour, against, or ambivalent about the GTLE. Drawing on an adaptation of CBAM model, we discuss stakeholders’ perceptions of GTLE as stages of concern. We conclude that stakeholders opposed to the licensing of teachers do so because of their concerns about its form, content, and other logistical challenges. To sustain the policy, it is recommended for the National Teaching Council and the Ministry of Education to take steps to address these concerns. Regardless, what stakeholders agree to be the biggest strength of the GTLE is that it is a positive step towards professionalizing teaching. It is a useful yardstick to determine who is qualified to perform the function of teaching, and prevents all others who do not qualify from accessing classrooms.

Published in Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies (Volume 9, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.tecs.20240901.13
Page(s) 21-29
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Teacher Professionalism, Teacher Licensing, Qualitative Research, Ghana

References
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[7] Parliament, Republic of Ghana, Education Regulatory Bodies Act. 2020.
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[10] GNA, “Teacher Unions Oppose License Exams,” Modern Ghana, Accra, Jun. 15, 2021. Accessed: Jun. 29, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.modernghana.com/news/861343/teacher-unions-oppose-license-exams.html
[11] Nyarko-Sampson, E. “To scrap the Ghana Teacher Licensure Examinations (GTLE)? - What I see and how I see it - Graphic Online,” Graphic Online, Accra, 2020. Accessed: Jun. 29, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.graphic.com.gh/features/features/to-scrap-the-ghana-teacher-licensure-examinations-gtle-what-i-see-and-how-i-see-it.html
[12] Kojo, E. “Over 8000 teachers fail licensure exams | Pulse Ghana,” Graphic Online, Accra, 2021. Accessed: Jun. 29, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.pulse.com.gh/news/local/over-8000-teachers-fail-licensure-exams/fty4lfv
[13] Atinkaonline, “Licensure exams: About 26,000 teachers have failed since 2018,” GhanaWeb, May 18, 2021. Accessed: Jun. 29, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Licensure-exams-About-26-000-teachers-have-failed-since-2018-1264837
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[18] Padilla-Díaz, M. “Phenomenology in educational qualitative research: Philosophy as science or philosophical science,” Int. J. Educ. Excell., vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 101–110, 2015.
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Addai-Mununkum, R., Amoah, S. A., Tamanja, E. M. J., Amos, P. M., Agyeman, E. A., et al. (2024). “It Makes Us Feel More Professional!” Stakeholders’ Perception of the Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination. Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies, 9(1), 21-29. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.tecs.20240901.13

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    ACS Style

    Addai-Mununkum, R.; Amoah, S. A.; Tamanja, E. M. J.; Amos, P. M.; Agyeman, E. A., et al. “It Makes Us Feel More Professional!” Stakeholders’ Perception of the Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination. Teach. Educ. Curric. Stud. 2024, 9(1), 21-29. doi: 10.11648/j.tecs.20240901.13

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    AMA Style

    Addai-Mununkum R, Amoah SA, Tamanja EMJ, Amos PM, Agyeman EA, et al. “It Makes Us Feel More Professional!” Stakeholders’ Perception of the Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination. Teach Educ Curric Stud. 2024;9(1):21-29. doi: 10.11648/j.tecs.20240901.13

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  • @article{10.11648/j.tecs.20240901.13,
      author = {Richardson Addai-Mununkum and Samuel Asare Amoah and Emmanuel Makabu Jagri Tamanja and Patricia Mawusi Amos and Edmond Akwasi Agyeman and Christian Addai-Poku and Peter Akayuure and Hinneh Kusi},
      title = {“It Makes Us Feel More Professional!” Stakeholders’ Perception of the Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination},
      journal = {Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies},
      volume = {9},
      number = {1},
      pages = {21-29},
      doi = {10.11648/j.tecs.20240901.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.tecs.20240901.13},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.tecs.20240901.13},
      abstract = {The professionalism of teaching has been subject of an age long debate. Teachers beseech others to recognize them as professionals and they become belligerent when they fail to receive recognition. Since 2018, Ghana has instituted the Ghana Teacher Licensure Examinations (GTLE) to regulate entry into the teaching profession. This policy has received a mixed bag of reactions with the populace sharply divided in opinion. Given that knowledge gap existed, it was important to interrogate the general perception of all stakeholders across Ghana to unravel how the GTLE is perceived among stakeholders. This paper is culled out of a broader study that employed a mixed-methods research approach in a nationwide study involving over 2800 respondents. For this paper, we report on the qualitative data generated from 145 participants. We describe the concerns of stakeholders who are in favour, against, or ambivalent about the GTLE. Drawing on an adaptation of CBAM model, we discuss stakeholders’ perceptions of GTLE as stages of concern. We conclude that stakeholders opposed to the licensing of teachers do so because of their concerns about its form, content, and other logistical challenges. To sustain the policy, it is recommended for the National Teaching Council and the Ministry of Education to take steps to address these concerns. Regardless, what stakeholders agree to be the biggest strength of the GTLE is that it is a positive step towards professionalizing teaching. It is a useful yardstick to determine who is qualified to perform the function of teaching, and prevents all others who do not qualify from accessing classrooms.
    },
     year = {2024}
    }
    

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    AB  - The professionalism of teaching has been subject of an age long debate. Teachers beseech others to recognize them as professionals and they become belligerent when they fail to receive recognition. Since 2018, Ghana has instituted the Ghana Teacher Licensure Examinations (GTLE) to regulate entry into the teaching profession. This policy has received a mixed bag of reactions with the populace sharply divided in opinion. Given that knowledge gap existed, it was important to interrogate the general perception of all stakeholders across Ghana to unravel how the GTLE is perceived among stakeholders. This paper is culled out of a broader study that employed a mixed-methods research approach in a nationwide study involving over 2800 respondents. For this paper, we report on the qualitative data generated from 145 participants. We describe the concerns of stakeholders who are in favour, against, or ambivalent about the GTLE. Drawing on an adaptation of CBAM model, we discuss stakeholders’ perceptions of GTLE as stages of concern. We conclude that stakeholders opposed to the licensing of teachers do so because of their concerns about its form, content, and other logistical challenges. To sustain the policy, it is recommended for the National Teaching Council and the Ministry of Education to take steps to address these concerns. Regardless, what stakeholders agree to be the biggest strength of the GTLE is that it is a positive step towards professionalizing teaching. It is a useful yardstick to determine who is qualified to perform the function of teaching, and prevents all others who do not qualify from accessing classrooms.
    
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Author Information
  • Department of Educational Foundations, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

  • Department of Educational Foundations, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

  • Institute for Educational Research, Innovation Studies, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

  • Department of Counselling Psychology, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

  • Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, Akenten Appiah-Menka University for Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Kumasi Ghana

  • National Teaching Council, Accra, Ghana

  • Department of Mathematics Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

  • Department of Educational Administration and Management, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

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