All I need is to pass my exams: the dilemma of using a learner-centered teaching approach in Ghanaian universities

Acquisition of academic certificate has increasingly become the driving force for young people’s pursuit of higher education in Ghana. This is partly because the possession of academic certificates is more likely to open up... [ view full abstract ]

Acquisition of academic certificate has increasingly become the driving force for young people’s pursuit of higher education in Ghana. This is partly because the possession of academic certificates is more likely to open up employment opportunities for university graduates in the country. As a result, passing examinations has become a do or die issue for many students. In this paper , based on data gathered from 240 participants (made up of 180 students and 60 lecturers drawn from three public universities), we analyze the extent to which students’ obsession for passing examinations tends to define their criteria for determining a good teaching technique and for that matter an effective lecturer in the university. We also analyze how students’ overly desire to pass examinations tends to affect their own learning activities and how it either promotes or inhibits the use of learner-centered teaching techniques by lecturers. We further discuss some challenges associated with students’ determination to pass exams at all costs to the management of examinations. In conclusion, we examine the implications of the students focus on passing exams rather than gaining learning for the sustenance of their future living.