The Feasibility of Establishing A Private International Virtual High School In Ghana

Abstract

During a six months period between Winter and Summer of 2018, the researcher embarked upon a professional interest and a robust study to determine the feasibility of establishing a private international virtual high school in Ghana, West Africa. Since its independence in 1957, Ghana has never had an established international virtual high school. Although the country’s educational system is expanding and recently accredited national universities have introduced distance education programs for its enrolled students and international students. The advantages of a private international virtual high school are endless as it would streamline convenience to education as well as give equitable access to students to be given an international education. Using social media (facebook messenger, imo, and WhatsApp) settings to recruit, interview, and interact with participants who were selected from a purposive sampling, the researcher explored the perceptions of 12 parents who pay tuition at private international high schools and 12 college students who were enrolled at private international high schools in Ghana. The researcher conducted a qualitative methodology research study through a constructivist design approach and emphasized on descriptive (survey), open ended questions, and semi-structured interviews to determine the feasibility of establishing a private international virtual high school in Ghana. Five major themes with sub-themes and five code categories emerged from the data collection and analysis, memos, and field notes. The study was guided by three research questions which were open ended questions that allow participants to share their experiences. Keywords: International Education, Virtual Education, Virtual High School in Ghana, ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8444-8619