Correlates of Ghanaian Teachers' Understanding of Mathematics Strands and Cognitive Domains in Basic Education Certificate Examination

Abstract

In the field of mathematics education, it is essential to grasp teachers' competence in recognizing cognitive domains, as it plays a pivotal role in elevating teaching methods, evaluation techniques, and ultimately enhancing student academic achievements. This study examines the proficiency of basic school teachers in Ghana in identifying the cognitive domains of mathematics questions using Bloom's Taxonomy. A sample of 338 teachers from across the regions of Ghana participated, selected through random sampling. Teachers were assessed using a set of 50 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) past questions spanning a decade (2010-2022), covering Algebra, Geometry and Measurement, Data, and Number strands. Participants categorized each question according to Bloom's Taxonomy. Poisson regression analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were employed to evaluate teachers' proficiency. Results indicated a statistically significant intercept term, suggesting a baseline performance level among teachers. Significant interaction effects between demographic and professional characteristics (Class:category, Class:SchTyp, TeachEx:SchTyp, TeachEx:Domain, and the main effect of Domain) influenced teachers' ability to identify mathematics domains. Teaching experience positively influenced scores, while school type had a negative impact. The model demonstrated high discriminatory power and strong predictive performance with an AUC of 0.996. Dependency analysis revealed that understanding Bloom's taxonomy domains influenced the identification of mathematics strands. Primary level teachers’ consistently demonstrated higher proficiency compared to Junior High School (JHS) level teachers. Additionally, experienced and qualified professionals performed better than pupil teachers. These findings highlight the importance of targeted interventions and professional development programs to enhance teachers' competency in identifying mathematics domains, thus improving mathematics education in Ghana.