Cliques as subcultures among teachers of Junior High Schools: An examination of the drivers, benefits, contestations and management strategies in Wa Municipality

Abstract

Cliques as subcultures provide a space for teachers with similar ideologies to come together and share their concerns. The study explored the drivers, benefits, contestations, and management strategies of cliques in JHSs in Wa Municipality. A concurrent embedded mixed method design was used, with a sample of 255 trained teachers selected through cluster, simple random, and purposive sampling. Questionnaires was used to gather quantitative data while semi-structured interviews and focus group discussion guides were used for qualitative data. The Statistical Package for Social Science version 25 was used to analyze quantitative data using descriptive statistics, chi-square, correlation, and ordinary least square (OLS) regression. Thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. The study revealed disparities in the factors influencing cultural hegemony and clique formation between male and female teachers. Female teachers were more likely to form cliques based on income, while male teachers were more focused on socialization. The study found no significant difference between male and female teachers in the strategies used to manage clique-related contestations. The study found a positive correlation between the perceived benefits of cliques and the drivers of clique formation, as well as the use of management strategies to control contestations. The OLS regression showed a 20.6% likelihood that drivers of cliques impacted the benefits derived from subcultures (p-value < 0.001). The study also found that clique contestations can increase benefits for teachers by 19.3% (p-value < 0.001). These results indicated that cliques are important for fostering social connections and professional growth for teachers of JHSs. Conclusively, cliques as subcultures were inevitable and critical for building social bonds and for the professional learning among teachers in JHSs. This necessitates policy dialogue and formulation for regulating the activities of cliques. The study recommends that Ghana Education Service should organize continuous in-service training for teachers to managing the contestations in cliques in JHSs within the Wa Municipality.