STEM curriculum reform in rural Sub-Saharan Africa: evaluating teacher training and classroom assessment practices in underserved schools in Ghana.
The successful implementation of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education reforms is critical for improving educational outcomes and equipping students with 21st-century competencies. However, reform effectiveness often varies across rural and underserved contexts due to di...
| Publicado en: | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications Vol. 13; no. 1; pp. 1 - 17 |
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| Autores principales: | , , , |
| Formato: | Artículo |
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Springer Nature
6/21/2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=194723676&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 194723676 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: MVR0 jtl: Humanities & Social Sciences Communications maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: 6/21/2026 vid: 13 iid: 1 pid: 237 pub: Springer Nature artinfo: ui: 194723676 10.1057/s41599-026-07327-4 ppf: 1 ppct: 16 formats: tig: atl: STEM curriculum reform in rural Sub-Saharan Africa: evaluating teacher training and classroom assessment practices in underserved schools in Ghana. aug: au: Ntumi, Simon Amoako, Roger Eshun, Peter Apau, Stephen Kwakye affil: https://ror.org/00y1ekh28 University of Education, Winneba, Winneba, Ghana su: Teacher training Rural education Educational technology Ghanaians Curriculum change STEM education Educational evaluation Educational equalization Africa Ghana sug: subj: Africa Ghana Teacher training Rural education Educational technology Ghanaians Curriculum change STEM education Educational evaluation Educational equalization keyword: Education Curriculum and Pedagogy Specialist Studies In Education ab: The successful implementation of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education reforms is critical for improving educational outcomes and equipping students with 21st-century competencies. However, reform effectiveness often varies across rural and underserved contexts due to disparities in teacher preparedness, instructional resources, and ICT infrastructure. This study examined STEM curriculum implementation in rural public schools in Ghana using a cross-sectional survey design. The total population comprised approximately 2430 STEM teachers across five regions (Northern, Upper East, Volta, Bono East, and Western North), based on Ghana Education Service records. The sample size was determined using the Krejcie and Morgan (1970) formula for finite populations, yielding a minimum requirement of 332; to enhance statistical power, 600 teachers were selected through a multistage stratified random sampling procedure, with 547 valid responses retained (91.2% response rate). Data were collected using a structured questionnaire measuring teacher preparedness, classroom assessment practices, ICT integration competence, leadership support, and perceived implementation effectiveness. The instrument demonstrated strong reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.85–0.93) and satisfactory construct validity. Multiple regression analyses revealed that teacher preparedness (β = 0.35), access to resources (β = 0.29), and assessment practices (β = 0.28) were significant predictors of perceived STEM curriculum effectiveness. ICT integration competence (β = 0.22) and leadership support (β = 0.24) also contributed significantly, while teachers in the Northern region reported comparatively lower effectiveness (β = -0.10). The study emphasizes that effective STEM reform in rural and underserved areas requires targeted investments in teacher professional development, equitable distribution of resources, and enhanced ICT integration to ensure sustainable and regionally balanced curriculum implementation. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y dt: @attributes: year: 2026 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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