Examining the Influence of Demographic Characteristics of Tutors and Their Participation in Higher Education in the Eastern Region of Ghana
Author: Patience Farkor Kpeyibor
Abstract: There has been an increasing acceptance over the years that teachers are the oil that lubricates the engine of education in society. If that is so, then tutors who teach other teachers are seen as the most valued in society. Continuing education of tutors has therefore been identified as an essential ingredient for the development of skills, knowledge, and attitudes of tutors to help them enhance their delivery effectively and efficiently. The study examined the influence of demographic characteristics of tutors and their participation in higher education. Four colleges out of six in the Eastern Region of Ghana were sampled conveniently. These were: Mount Mary College of Education, Somanya, Presbyterian College of Education, Akropong, Presbyterian Women College of Education, Aburi, and Seventh Day Adventist College of Education, Asokore-Koforidua. The respondents for the study were purposively sampled out of the tutor population in the colleges. The targeted population was all tutors who had either completed their master’s degree or were pursuing master’s degree programmes. They were 122 in number comprising 188 tutors and 4 principals. The study revealed that though a significant percentage of tutors had salaries as the only source of income to cater to their needs and their family’s needs. It did not discourage them from pursuing higher education albeit they had financial support from spouses and family members.