Ghana National Teachers’ Standards and College Tutors’ Practice: A Gender and Age Analysis

Many Colleges of Education (CoEs) tutors in Ghana struggle to integrate the National Teachers’ Standards (NTS) into their pedagogical practices, resulting in inconsistencies  in teaching quality and student learning outcomes. To address this challenge, the study investigated how CoE tutors implement the NTS in their professional practice, explored the relationships among professional knowledge, values/attitudes, and practices, and assessed the effects of gender and age on tutors’ implementation of the standards. The design for the study was cross-sectional. Using a multistage sampling approach of cluster and simple random techniques, 112 tutors were selected from 15 public CoEs in Ghana. Primary quantitative data were gathered through a closed-ended questionnaire and an observational guide. The instruments were pilot-tested and yielded acceptable reliability scores. Statistical tools, including the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient and Two-Way between-groups ANOVA, were used to analyse the data. Results revealed strong positive correlations among professional knowledge, professional attitudes and values, and professional practices related to the NTS. Additionally, no statistically significant main or interaction effects of gender and age on professional practice were found. The study concluded that while tutors demonstrate interconnected professional competencies, there remain significant areas for strengthening the implementation of the NTS to enhance teaching quality and educational outcomes in the Colleges of Education.