Browsing by Author "Griffith, Anthony D."

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    Addressing social participation as a major goal in social studies: A case study of a fifth-form group pursuing the CXC/CSEC social studies programme in a Barbadian school
    (School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2008) Griffith, Anthony D.; St. Hill, Sonia
    This paper, in the form of an exploratory case study of a select group of fifth-form students, employs triangulation techniques to (a) examine the extent to which the Caribbean Examinations Council's Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) programme addresses social participation, and (b) explore the students' responses to opportunities to engage in active involvement in the social issues and affairs of their community. The findings revealed that, at the school involved, social participation is one of the goals least emphasized during the teaching of social studies. There is also a general heavy emphasis on traditional modes of instruction such as reading and notetaking. After the use of more participatory activities introduced during the unit, there were some noticeable behavioural and attitudinal changes among the participating students. The students themselves also expressed a preference for more active learning tasks and for activities that directly involve them in examining social issues in their own local community. The findings of the study could have implications for addressing what is perceived as varying levels of alienation and social disaffection among Barbadian and Caribbean youth
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    Examining the conceptual framework, perceptions, and practices of teachers in the Eastern Caribbean
    (School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2003) Griffith, Anthony D.
    This article examines the conceptual framework of social studies as held by a sample of primary school teachers, as well as their perceptions and classroom practices. A modified Social Studies Perception Scale (SSPS) was employed with a sample of 98 primary school teachers in seven islands of the Eastern Caribbean. Using percentages, means, and t-tests, it was found that: 1) while the majority of the teachers indicated a clear preference for the reflective inquiry approach to the teaching of social studies, their actual classroom practices appear to be at odds with their perceptions of the subject; 2) while younger teachers are initially reflective in their approach and practice, over time they increasingly become didactic knowledge transmitters; and 3) male teachers are far more likely to exhibit a reflective approach and practices than female teachers. The t-tests also revealed some significant differences between male and female teachers, and between younger and older teachers. These findings may have implications both for the selection of social studies teachers and for teacher preparation programmes in the Caribbean
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    Ninth Biennial Eastern Caribbean Standing Conference on Teachers Education: Redesigning preparation in the Eastern Caribbean: Barbados December 1993
    (The University of the West Indies, 1995) Carrington, Lawrence D.; Walker, Esther E.; Richardson, Arthur G.; Griffith, Anthony D.; Petty, Osmond; Ollivierre, Irwin; Hanley, Gweneth T.; St. Vincent Teachers' College; Dominica Teacher's College
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    Rethinking our approach to funding education
    (Barbados Union of Teachers, Dec. 1993) Griffith, Anthony D.;
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    Social studies for nation building: A view from a developing society
    (Jul-Aug. 1990) Griffith, Anthony D.;
    This paper discusses the role of social studies education in a developing nation, both in theory and as it is practised in the English-speaking Caribbean. It diagrams a dynamic for teaching social studies in developing societies, and contends that social studies education has a unique role to play in the enterprise of nation-building
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    Social studies in caribbean schools: Some challenges for instruction and assessment
    (Office of the UNESCO Representative in the Caribbean, 1999) Griffith, Anthony D.
    This monograph examines two aspects of social studies education in the Caribbean-instruction and assessment. In the first part, it identifies challenges perceived by Eastern Caribbean student teachers in the teaching of social studies in primary schools. It uses descriptive analytical research to provide some insight into the problems perceived by the teachers, and how they rank these problems. Lack of adequate resources, lack of variety in the use of teaching skills, and lack of administrative support emerge as the major problems perceived by the teacher. In addition, teachers in Eastern Caribbean schools do not seem to perceive any relationship between their own attitude or teaching skills and student attitude to the subject. The second part uses a content analysis approach to identify the major objectives being tested in the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) social studies examination at the secondary level. Among the major findings is a rather heavy emphasis on knowledge-recall questions and on low-level cognitive objectives, with only superficial attention being paid to testing for values and high-order thinking. It is suggested that a properly structured normative evaluation component to the examination may provide an ideal mechanism for testing affective objectives, decision making, and other critical social studies processes.
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    Testing for Caribbean content in the CXC geography programme
    (Sep. 1991) Griffith, Anthony D.;
    This paper assesses the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) examination process in geography against one of the stated aims of the CXC geography syllabus, which is that, through the study of geography, students are expected to acquire knowledge, understanding, and appreciation for the physical environment and the social conditions and problems of their own territory, as well as those of other Caribbean territories. It presents a table based on a content analysis of the CXC geography examination papers (General Proficiency) over the five-year period, 1987-1991. From examination of the data, a number of preliminary conclusions are presented for consideration