The role of Heads of Department in promoting Visual Art Programme in Senior High Schools in Kumasi

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Date
May, 2016
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Abstract
The research study emanates from the fact that heads of department occupy an important position in the management and teaching in Senior High School education in Ghana. As any other department in Senior High School, the performance and image of the visual art programme is below expectation. It was assumed that failure of heads of department to perform their duties and challenges confronting them result in the department becoming dysfunctional. A literature study was conducted to explore duties of the heads of department and to investigate the specific challenges facing heads of in Visual Art Department. The researcher adopted both quantitative and qualitative method of research. Interviews and questionnaires were used as data collection instruments, to determine the views of the heads of department as well as students and teachers, on the duties and challenges heads of department experience in executing their tasks. It involved nine heads of department in nine Senior High Schools offering Visual Art in Kumasi Metropolis. The major findings of the research study reveal that heads of department experience challenges with shortage of resources, and also face challenges in monitoring and controlling their colleagues even if a job description exists. It was also revealed that records keeping were something they were battling with. Again it emerged that HoDs in the sample schools are reluctant in identifying teachers’ weaknesses in the Visual Art Departments. Furthermore there is inappropriate selection of subject teachers for capacity building and developmental programme when the need arises and financial constraint compel HoDs to rotate the number of teachers who attend training programmes. Generally the study indicated that heads of department require training aimed at meeting the specific needs of middle managers and should seek parent and community support in provision of teaching and materials.
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A Thesis Submitted to the Department of General Art Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Philosophy in Art Education Faculty of Art College of Art and Built Environment,
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