Joseph Ghartey Ampiah

This study sought to examine the activities that go on in physics classrooms in Senior High Schools in Ghana.Specifically, the study sought to investigate the pattern of interaction and instructional methods used for teachingphysics and level of coverage of physics syllabus. The survey design was employed for the study in whichquestionnaire was used for data collection. Participants for the study were physics teachers and final year physicsstudents. Findings from the study suggest that classroom interaction seemed to be mostly teacher-centered andtended not to support inquiry-based teaching and learning which is noted for promoting conceptual change andenhance performance. It is recommended among other things that physics teachers should be exposed to efficientpedagogies of teaching and presenting information to learners. The traditional way of teaching where teacher decideson what goes on in the classroom has a limited space in the 21st century science classrooms, particularly physics.

Serious doubt have been raised in the Physics Chief Examiner's report of the West African Examination Council of Ghana of both physics-1 (theory) and physics-2 (practical) as to whether science students really understand measurement of physical quantities. In view of this, the researcher use a mixed designed method to gather data from SHS3 physics students' on their understanding of data processing of length and time. A population of 422 SHS3 physics students were sampled and a three item questionnaire on distance and time administered in order to find out whether the problem enumerated by the Chief Examiners' of Physics concerning physics students exist and were either with the set paradigm or the point paradigm concept. Also twenty SHS3 physics were purposively selected and interviewed in order to validate students' written responses. The study revealed that students do not have an understanding of using repeat in data set, anomaly in data set and straight line graph of data by the set paradigm concept i.e. all the three items on data processing of students (i.e. UR, AN, and SLG) were in line with the point paradigm concept of measurement. Also students seemed to have difficulty in plotting straight line graph by the use of lines of best fit.

The study of females‘ interest in physics is an issue of international concern. Of the sciences, physics is the subject in which the increase in the number of females involved has been particularly low. The term 'interest' may usually refers to preference to engage in some types of activities rather than others. This study investigated whether Ghanaian Senior High School female science students would prefer to study physics at the university or not and the reasons for their choice. Two hundred and one final year female students in four Senior High Schools offering biology, chemistry and physics in the Cape Coast Metropolis of the Central Region of Ghana, participated in the study. Data was obtained with Questionnaire on Female Participation in Physics and Interview Protocol, administered to the female students. The findings from the study suggest that female students do not prefer physics as a course of study at the university level due to limited career opportunities in the subject. An implication from this study is that female enrolment in physics will not improve unless information about career awareness in the subject is made available to students. Serious efforts must be made by physics educators as well as Physics Departments to create awareness of career opportunities in the study of physics.