The Impact of Time on Learning Outcomes: Lessons from the Delivery of High School Mathematics Curriculum in Ghana
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A student’s productive learning time is proportional to the length of time they spend working during their lessons. However, it is important to remember that the issues with educational time are not just about optimizing “in-school time.” The study is prompted by the time spent in school and how it impacts students learning outcomes in core mathematics, considering two different year groups for the May/June 2013 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE-standardized examination written by Anglophonic countries of West Africa (Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and the Gambia)). The study compares students’ learning outcomes in the May/June 2013 WASSCE. The study uses a descriptive survey design and conveniently collected data from 10 Senior High Schools (SHSs) in the Central Region of Ghana. The results of the study showed no statistically significant difference in core mathematics grades between students who spent four years and those who spent three years in SHS. Thus, time is not the sole determinant of a student’s learning outcome, as has been suggested by some studies.
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