Do Educators in Rural Ghana Value Social and Emotional Competencies Necessary for Global Citizens?

• In Event: Migrants, Refugees in an International Context

Abstract

There is a growing interest in and need for designing and implementing SEL programming in the global South. In this study, local teachers’ perspectives on the social and emotional competencies emphasized in the current curriculum reform in Ghana were examined to understand the (dis) connect between policy and practice in rural Ghana.
Drawing on the empirical data from 61 teachers and 10 education administrators, the study found potential tensions between the local teachers’ understanding of globally and nationally promoted competencies and themes, including critical thinking skills and child’s rights. While teachers also considered individual-level competencies, such as self-motivation, as crucial for children to succeed in school, they valued competencies, such as being respectful, disciplined, and obedient as more critical.

Author

• Jisun Jeong, The George Washington University