Interactive teaching of mechanics in a Ghanaian university context

Abstract

Many studies have reported that interactive engagement approaches to physics teaching are more effective than traditional lecturing to attain student involvement and deep conceptual understanding. However, most of these studies have been conducted in U.S. and European contexts, and there is little evidence on whether these findings will hold across cultures. Therefore, the question for this research is whether interactive engagement can also be fruitful in the Ghanaian setting, where classroom resources are limited, and where politeness and respect towards the teacher are highly esteemed values. The research area for this study was an undergraduate mechanics course for physics teacher students at the University of Education, Winneba. Based on guidelines from the interactive engagement literature, a ten-week course with many interactive activities was designed. The course was field-tested in two rounds of evaluation to gain insight in student participation, cognitive gains and attitudes. Findings indicate that the course did achieve its intended purpose of promoting student participation in class and improving their conceptual understanding in mechanics. Recommendations are presented for the implementation of interactive engagement methods in Ghanaian classrooms.