Trends in Performance of WASSCE Candidates in the Science and Mathematics in Ghana: Perceived Contributing Factors and the Way Forward

Abstract

The trends in students’ performance in science and mathematics at secondary school level were examined within a decade-long interval in Ghana. Using West African Examinations Council (WAEC) data from approximately 20% of schools countrywide, it was observed that the results did not provide a definitive pattern. Factors such as teachers’ inability to complete between 50% and 75% of the curricula, insufficient-time to enact and complete the curriculum, lack of enough qualified teachers, and use of poor teaching approaches accounted for the trends. This study in Ghana has implications in teacher recruitment deployment in general as well as duration of secondary education globally to examine their efficacy.