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Democratic Education for School Improvement

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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of Birmingham Research Archive, E-theses Repository DEMOCRATIC EDUCATION FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT: AN EXPLORATION OF THE VIEWS OF PUPILS AND TEACHER TRAINEES IN GHANA By BOAKYE AGYEMANG A Thesis Submitted to The University of Birmingham for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of Education The University of Birmingham United Kingdom May 2012 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. DECLARATION This thesis is as a result of my investigation and research and it has never been accepted in its substance for any degree. i ABSTRACT The aims of the research are to: (a) find out how the views of pupils could be used to improve schools in Ghana in a more democratic direction; and (b) to explore the views of student teachers on what role their teacher training should play in promoting greater democracy in schools. Pupils are often considered to be the key stakeholders in education. However, rarely are their voices seriously taken into account in policies devised to improve teaching, learning and achievement. There are numerous international and comparative studies on democratic education that contain empirical evidence that listening to pupils, encouraging their participation and giving them more power and responsibility (that is greater democratisation), can enhance school effectiveness and facilitate school improvement. However, there is a dearth of studies on democratic education which focus on sub-Saharan African countries. This study contributes to the knowledge in this geographical context. Based on a flexible qualitative study in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, using a multi-method approach in six basic schools and two colleges of education, the study found that there is no clear policy, and neither are there structures to promote democratic practice in basic schools. Schools and colleges of education are highly regimented and authoritarian. Pupils want teachers to listen to their views and allow them to actively participate in decision- making in their schools. ii DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my dear wife Mavis, my lovely children Celeste, Dasia and Jed. To my parents Dorothy Achiaa and George Mensah Bonsu for their support and prayers throughout my school days until now. To my mother-in-law Martha, who has been looking after the children and myself throughout this journey. Finally, to my sister Linda and her husband Mr. Anthony Tachie, who have contributed so much to my studies in Birmingham. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am most grateful to God for his divine protection and guidance throughout my life in the United Kingdom. I am highly indebted to my supervisors: Professor Clive Harber and Dr. Chris Williams. Clive, until his retirement in August 2011, provided me with all the necessary support and guidance on the thesis and also provided references that helped me secure some funding for this study. Chris has been fantastic and supportive since he took over the supervision of the thesis. I would like to thank Professor Lynn Davies and Dr. Michele Schweisfurth for working with me on my BPhil dissertation and MPhil thesis respectively. They set up the foundation for greater work in the near future. Many thanks to Helen Joinson, Research Studies Administrator, School of Education, for her support throughout this study to completion of the thesis. Special thanks go to the Educational Review Journal and the All Saints Educational Trust for funding my second and third year of study respectively. I am very grateful to Dr. J.M. Buaben and wife Lydia whose support has been immeasurable towards this study and my life in Birmingham. Many thanks go to Kwaku Antwi-Boasiako for reading the draft chapters and providing me with constructive feedback. I would also like to thank Rev. Dr. Ben Debrah for his prayers and encouragement towards this study. This thesis would not have been completed without the unwavering support of my wife Mavis. She kept me on my toes constantly and reminded me that ‘I am a PhD student’ whenever I would slack and lose focus. My extended family deserve a special mention especially during my data collection in Ghana. My Mother, Dorothy Achiaa, fed me with my favourite meals, my younger brother Collins provided a laptop and office to work from, while younger brother Blankson supported me as research assistant. Finally, special thanks go to all the schools and colleges and all the participants involved in this study. Many people have contributed directly or indirectly towards this study, and to such people, I say God richly bless you. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Background to the Study 1 1.2 Rationale of the Study 10 1.3 Aims of the Research 13 1.4 Research Questions 14 1.5 The Position and Role of the Researcher 15 1.6 Outline of the Thesis 20 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW: DEMOCRACY 23 2.1 Introduction 23 2.2 What is Democracy? 24 2.3 Models of Democracy 29 2.4 Democracy and Development 32 2.5 Towards Democratic Governance in Africa 35 2.6 National Aspiration towards Democracy and Democratic Citizenship in Ghana 37 2.7 Overview of the Ghana Education System and the Policy Rhetoric on Democracy 45 2.8 Education for Democracy 50 2.9 Summary of the Chapter 58 CHAPTER 3: LITERATURE REVIEW: PUPILS’ VOICE, SCHOOL EFFECTIVENESS AND IMPROVEMENT 60 3.1 Introduction 60 3.2 Pupils’ Views on Schooling 60 3.3 School Effectiveness and Improvement Research 74 3.4 Pupils’ Voice and School Improvement 75 3.5 Typology of Pupils’ Voice and Participation 79 3.6 Summary of the Chapter 84 v CHAPTER 4: LITERATURE REVIEW: TEACHER EDUCATION AND DEMOCRATIC SCHOOLS 87 4.1 Introduction 87 4.2 Democracy and Teacher Education 87 4.3 What is a Democratic School? 93 4.4 Student Participation in Decision-Making in Schools 96 4.5 Structures for Student Participation 99 4.6 Community Participation for School Improvement 104 4.7 Pupils’ Rights and Equity in Schools 107 4.8 Barriers of Greater Democracy in Ghanaian Schools 112 4.9 Summary of the Chapter 114 CHAPTER 5: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 115 5.1 Introduction 115 5.2 Theoretical Review 115 5.3 Schools As They Presently Are 118 5.4 Political Democratisation Theory 127 5.5 Theorising Pupils’ Voice 129 5.6 Pupils’ Democracy and Effective Schools 131 5.7 Summary of the Chapter 134 CHAPTER 6: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 136 6.1 Introduction 136 6.2 Research Paradigm 136 6.2.1 Constructivism 140 6.2.2 Hermeneutic/Interpretive Theory 141 6.2.3 The Critical Theory Tradition 141 6.3 Research Design 142 6.4 Methodology 143 6.5 Methods of Data Collection 144 6.6 Sampling 146 vi 6.7 Data Collection Processes 151 6.7.1 Whole Institution Observation 151 6.7.2 Mock School Councils 152 6.7.3 Interviews Process 153 6.7.4 Open-ended Essay Questions 155 6.8 Strategies of Data Analysis 156 6.9 Triangulation 158 6.10 Reliability and Validity 159 6.11 Ethical Issues 161 6.12 Practical Problems and Limitations of the Study 163 6.13 Summary of the Chapter 163 CHAPTER 7: DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS: PUPILS’ AND TEACHER TRAINEES’ VIEWS ON SCHOOLING AND SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT 165 7.1 Introduction 165 7.2 Pupils’ Views on their Schooling 166 7.2.1 Future Employment 166 7.2.2 Social Functions of School 169 7.3 Pupils’ Voice about School Improvement 171 7.3.1 Inadequate Facilities and Resources 172 7.3.2 Sanitation and Hygiene 176 7.3.3 Language Policy and Bullying 177 7.3.4 Teachers’ Conduct 181 7.4 Pupils’ Verdicts on Corporal Punishment 184 7.5 The School that Pupils would Like 188 7.6 Teacher Trainees’ Views on School Improvement 192 7.7 Summary of the Chapter 197 vii CHAPTER 8: DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS: DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION IN BASIC SCHOOLS 200 8.1 Introduction 200 8.2 The Nature of Schools in Ghana 201 8.3 Pupils’ Knowledge on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 207 8.4 Teachers’ Views on the United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child 211 8.5 Pupils’ Participation in Decision-Making 214 8.6 Teachers’ Perceptions of Pupils’ Voice and Participation in Decision-Making 218 8.7 Entry Points to Democratic Practices in Ghanaian Schools 220 8.8 School Councils as a Step Towards Democracy in Schools 224 8.9 Summary of the Chapter 235 CHAPTER 9: DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS: THE ROLE OF TEACHER EDUCATION IN DEMOCRACTIC EDUCATION 238 9.1 Introduction 238 9.2 Teacher Trainees’ Experiences in Colleges of Education 238 9.2.1 Positive Experiences of Teacher Trainees 240 9.2.2 Negative Experiences of Teacher Trainees 243 9.3 Democratic Practice in Teacher Education 250 9.3.1 Equity 250 9.3.2 Rights 251 9.3.3 Participation 253 9.3.4 Informed Choice 254 9.4 Teacher Trainees’ Views on Pupils’ Voice and Participation in Decision-Making 255 9.5 Democratic Schools in Ghana: Issues and Possibilities 261 9.6 Summary of the Chapter 264 viii CHAPTER 10: CONCLUSION: SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 266 10.1 Introduction 266 10.2 The Case of Mismatch: Producing Democratic Citizenship in Authoritarian Educational Institutions 266 10.3 Democratic
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