KNUST completes first phase of research on inclusive teaching practices to enhance ECE

The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has successfully wrapped up the initial phase of district-level stakeholder engagement under its collaborative GPE KIX research project. 

The project, titled The Impact of Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices on Social and Emotional Development in Diverse Early Childhood Classrooms in Ghana, focuses on understanding how culturally responsive teaching influences children's social and emotional growth. 

Supported by the focal persons at the Greater Accra and Ashanti Regional Education Directorates and Early Childhood Education Coordinators from Ghana Education Services (GES), the research team conducted extensive fieldwork in basic schools across these two regions. 

Through classroom observations, the team engaged head teachers and kindergarten teachers on critical issues such as child security, sanitation, school feeding programs, and managing cultural diversity in classrooms. 

While acknowledging resource disparities among schools, the team noted that all institutions provided the key elements needed for the research, including gender balance and rich cultural and linguistic diversity. 

“Regardless of resource variations, every school offers the essential elements for our study, including fair representation of boys and girls and a rich mix of ethnic groups and languages,” said Project Lead, Prof. Paul Sarfo-Mensah. 

The research covered four districts in each of the two regions, visiting four schools per district, totalling 32 schools. The extensive data collected in this phase will guide the project's next steps. 

Prof. Sarfo-Mensah expressed optimism about the progress, stating, “We now have all the data needed for this phase, which positions us well to move forward.”

This milestone marks a significant step toward achieving the project’s goals of fostering culturally inclusive teaching practices to enhance early childhood development.