Senior High School History Teachers’ Epistemological Beliefs and Perceived Instructional Practices in The Mfantsiman Municipality

Abstract

This study sought to investigate history teachers' epistemological beliefs and their perceived instructional practices in Senior High Schools within the Mfantsiman Municipality. The interpretive phenomenological design of the qualitative research approach was used to gather data from seven (7) history teachers in five public Senior High Schools. Data was collected through faceto- face interviews and analysed through the inductive thematic analysis approach. Analyses of the data revealed that history teachers hold nuanced epistemological beliefs that historical knowledge changes through new evidence, changing circumstances, and the dynamic nature of society. History teachers’ epistemological beliefs also integrate multiple sources of knowledge, including interpretational, experiential, and contextual understanding, moving beyond the notion of history as fixed or authority-driven. Based on these beliefs, they prioritised instructional strategies that pave the way for students to read and discuss different books, watch videos, and visit historical sites to create knowledge on topics taught in class. Moreover, they consider critical thinking skills, aligning their assessment questions with their lesson objectives, the size of their class and the levels of their students. Finally, history teachers consider contemporary issues, instructional techniques, topics, and the timeframe of historical events before selecting instructional materials. Research and professional training were then recommended to make history teachers innovative enough to introduce different instructional strategies. Further, history teachers must implement assessment techniques that promote thinking, analysis, investigation and problem-solving activities. Lastly, history instructional resource centres should be provided in schools to support interactive history teaching.