Secondary school categorization in Ghana: Exploring the experiences of students

• In Event: Teacher education and professional development

Proposal

Context
In Ghana, secondary school students are placed in a category of school based on their exam results in the Basic Education certificate examination (this exam is taken by all students at the end of grade 9). Students with low scores are mostly placed in under-resourced schools (category C) and students with high scores are mostly placed in better-endowed schools (category A and B). Thus, if a student performs poorly in the, they are placed in a school that also tends to do poorly in grade 12. Ghana Education Service 2020 report revealed that in 76% of senior high schools captured in the report, fewer than half the students passed the school leaving exam. Categorisation of students based on academic achievements has been documented as spurring inequities. Against this background, we examined how secondary school categorisation in Ghana shapes students’ learning and schooling experiences. This study provides understanding of students lived experiences and subtle negative consequences of secondary school categorization and its adverse effect on students’ academic self-esteem and wellbeing.
Theoretical Framework
Social identity theory ((Tajfel & Turner, 1979) was employed in tandem with system justification theory (Blast & Jost, 2006) to provide a theoretical lens to guide the study. Drawing from these two theories, it is worth noting that both social identity theory and system justification theory envisage that the socially visibly advantaged group (i.e., status group) may have negative stereotypes about socially disadvantaged groups (i.e., low-status group). Therefore, we argue that Ghana Education Service’ (GES) visible categorization of students based on their performance and resources encourages teachers, parents, and community might work to discriminate against category C schools and favor Category A and B schools.
Methodology
We employed qualitative transcendental phenomenological approach to understand the lived experiences of secondary school students in different categories of schools. Phenomenological research is a type of qualitative approach that seeks to describe the essence of a situation by exploring the perspectives of those who have personally experienced the situation (Teherani et al., 2015). Employing and situating this study using phenomenological approach was pivotal in capturing in-depth information regarding students’ perspectives and experiences within the categories of schools and how these experiences shape their learning and schooling experiences.

Data Sources
We interviewed 20 students in total: nine males and 11 females aged 18 to 20. They were enrolled in government-funded secondary schools. 10 students attended category A or B school and the rest attended category C schools. Using unstructured interviews, we invited students to share their experiences of attending categories A, B or C schools, their learning motivation and how their experiences shaped their learning. The Interviews data were analyzed using an inductive thematic process (Patton, 2014).


Findings
The results showed that students’ experiences differ significantly based on the category of school they are enrolled.

Student motivation
We found that students’ motivation to learn differed significantly based on the category of school they attended. Students in category C schools had lower self-esteem than students in more endowed schools. In contrast, students in the most prestigious schools reported that they were more confident about their academic abilities.
Conversely, all the students in highly valued schools reported that they were motivated to learn and preferred to stay in their schools because of the prestige, quality of teachers, high academic abilities of their peers and the availability of education resources that promoted lifelong learning.
Socio-emotional impact
The study revealed that students in category C schools (i.e., undervalued schools) experience lower self-esteem compared to students in Categories A and B schools (i.e., valued schools). Findings from the interviews showed that all ten (10) students enrolled in Category C schools reported that they feel less confident about their academic abilities. This reflects in how they interact with students in valued schools. Yaa, a female student in a less endowed school (category C), narrated that:
Alternatively, Category A students reported that they were confident about academic abilities and believed they were better placed to succeed.

Perceived teachers expectations
Teachers’ expectations about students are crucial to students’ success in school. Teachers play a crucial role in students’ lives, and their views, beliefs, and perspectives could impact or influence how students view themselves within the school system. Specifically, there were differences in how students from different categories of school perceived teachers’ expectations regarding their academic abilities. Students in Category C schools reported that their teachers perceive them to be less intelligent compared to those in valued schools. However, Category A and B students responded that they believe their teachers have high expectation of their academic abilities and support them to succeed in their learning.
Effects of the category system
In Ghana’s secondary school system, placing a student in a category C school is tantamount to setting the student on a path of academic and social failure because these schools have fewer resources and record poorer academic results in the school leaving exam. In effect, students who may need support to succeed in their schooling are placed in schools that are under-resourced. After three years of secondary education, these students who face double marginalisation are required to take the same exams as students in better-equipped schools, if they want to continue to post-secondary education. Only a few students from category C gain admission into higher learning institutions.
Scholarly Significance
Secondary school categorization in Ghana is an educational policy that inadvertently or subtly undermines the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goal on education. This study has provided an initial understanding into students lived experiences in the various categories of secondary schools in Ghana. Whilst the categorization of schools in Ghana has the subliminal intention of advancing competition among students to improve their academic pursuits, the other side of the tale has been under-recounted. Our findings show that the inadequate resources in low performing schools pose a major barrier to academic success. To this end, grouping schools into categories also exacerbates inequities by encouraging people to discriminate against students in low ranked schools.

Authors

• David Baidoo-Anu, Faculty of Education Queen's University

• Kenneth gyamerah, Faculty of Education, Queen's University

• Eric Atta Quainoo, Beijing Normal University