Soulful Science: A Journey into Integrating Religious and Moral Values in STEM Education in Ghana
Dennis Tawiah 
, John Kwaku Opoku and Peter Addai-Mensah
Issue: Vol.5 No.5 Issue Article 8 pp.676-689
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2024558 | Published online 10th May, 2024
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
In recent years, Ghanaian students have exhibited a concerning trend of drifting away from the values integral to sustaining and preserving Ghanaian norms, culture and societal well-being. This shift has led to a proliferation of immoral behaviour among students, prompting widespread concern among Ghanaians. This decline is often attributed to the perceived prioritization of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education in the current curriculum. There is an urgent need to tackle this issue to ensure students’ moral development is not overlooked in favour of STEM education. In light of this challenge, the approach proposed in this article was the “Soulful Science” approach. The study explored the feasibility and impact of soulful science in Ghanaian STEM education. The researchers employed a descriptive survey design for this study. Interviews were used to collect data from 50 participants (Senior High School (SHS) teachers, students, and parents in Sefwi Wiawso Municipality). It was established that the proposed soulful science approach is achievable with its accompanying methods like inclusive curriculum pedagogies, interdisciplinary projects, case studies, and the incorporation of religious perspectives into STEM lessons. However, challenges such as potential conflict between religious beliefs and scientific principles were identified. It was recommended that adequate efforts should be made to develop a curriculum that successfully integrates religious and moral education with STEM subjects while respecting the diversity of beliefs. In conclusion, the soulful science approach creates an inclusive, culturally relevant learning environment that enhances students’ religious and moral development, employability and fosters sustainable economic growth. This study’s contribution is significant for the fields of moral and STEM education, and curriculum development, as it advocates for a more holistic approach to education that prioritizes moral development alongside technological proficiency.
Keywords: STEM education, religious values, spirituality, holistic development, cultural sensitivity, Ghanaian students, curriculum integration
Adu-Gyamfi, Samuel, Wilhemina Joselyn Donkoh, and Anim Adinkrah Addo. “Educational Reforms in Ghana: Past and Present.” Journal of Education and Human Development 5, no. 3 (2016): 158–72.
Amegah, Alice. “A Non-Conformist Choice: The Lifeworld of Young Women Pursuing STEM-Related TVET in Upper Secondary Technical Institutes in Ghana .” University of Cambridge, 2023.
Amoako-Gyampah, Akwasi Kwarteng,. Education in Ghana: History and Politics. Oxford: African Books Collective, 2023.
Amponsah, Samuel. “Akan Folklore as a Philosophical Framework for Education in Ghana.” International Review of Education 69, no. 1 (2023): 125–42.
Anderson, Judy, and Li Yeping. Integrated Approaches to STEM Education. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52229-2.
Appiah, Solomon. “Pedagogical Knowledge Base of Religious and Moral Education Teachers in Assessing Students’ Academic Performance.” Open Journal of Educational Research, 2022, 262–73.
Appiah, Solomon, and Joseph Mfum-Appiah. “Appraisal of Religious and Moral Education (RME) Curriculum: Pedagogical Knowledge Practices in Junior High Schools (JHSs) in Ghana.” Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities 5, no. 1 (2019): 10–16.
Asante, Douglas, and Thomas Archibald. “Beyond Ubuntu: Nnoboa and Sankofa as Decolonizing and Indigenous Evaluation Epistemic Foundations from Ghana.” Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation 19, no. 44 (2023): 156–65.
Asante, Molefi Kete. The African American Intellectual Tradition: A Historical Reader. Pennsylvania: Temple University Press, 2007.
Baidoo-Anu, David. “Classroom Assessment Culture in Ghana’s Education System .” Queen’s University Canada, 2023.
Bybee, Rodger W. “The Case for STEM Education: Challenges and Opportunities,” 2013.
Chatzigiannakis, Ioannis, Georgios Mylonas, and Andrea Vitaletti. “Urban Pervasive Applications: Challenges, Scenarios and Case Studies.” Computer Science Review 5, no. 1 (2011): 103–18.
Curtis, Elizabeth Mary. “The Heart of Quality Teaching: A Values-Based Pedagogy for Pre-Service Teacher Education.” Queensland University of Technology, 2012.
Demirel, Melek, and Yelkin Diker Coşkun. “Case Study on Interdisciplinary Teaching Approach Supported by Project Based Learning.” The International Journal of Research in Teacher Education 2, no. 3 (2010): 28–53.
Douglass, Helen. “Integrated and Innovative STEM Education: The Development of a STEM Education Minor .” In Enhancing Entrepreneurial Mindsets Through STEM Education. Cham.: Springer International Publishing, 2023.
Feller, Rich W. “Aligning School Counseling, the Changing Workplace, and Career Development Assumptions.” Professional School Counseling 6, no. 4 (2003): 262–71.
Fenstermacher, Gary D, Jonas F Soltis, and Matthew N Sanger. Approaches to Teaching. Teachers College Press, 2015.
Fink, Arlene. How to Design Survey Studies. Sage, 2003.
Fuller, Mila Thomas. “ISTE Standards for Students, Digital Learners, and Online Learning .” In Handbook of Research on Digital Learning, 284–90. IGI Global, 2020.
Gyekye, Kwame. African Cultural Values: An Introduction . Accra: Sankofa Publishing Company, 1996.
———. Tradition and Modernity: Philosophical Reflections on the African Experience. Oxford University Press, 1997.
Hattie, John. Visible Learning: A Synthesis of over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement. London: . Routledge, 2008.
Meidl, Tynisha, and Christopher Meidl. “Curriculum Integration and Adaptation: Individualizing Pedagogy for Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students.” Current Issues in Education 14, no. 1 (2011).
Moss, Julianne, and Kate Harvie. “Cross-Curriculum Design: Enacting Inclusive Pedagogy and Curriculum.” In Inclusive Pedagogy Across the Curriculum , Vol. 7. Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2015.
Penprase, Bryan Edward. STEM Education for the 21st Century . Springer Nature, 2020.
Repko, Allen F., William H. Newell, and Rick Szostak. Case Studies in Interdisciplinary Research. Sage Publications, 2011.
Sefa Dei, George J. “Learning Culture, Spirituality and Local Knowledge: Implications for African Schooling.” International Review of Education 48 (2002): 335–60.
Tomlinson, Carol Ann. The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners. Ascd, 2014.
Wiredu, Kwasi, and Kwame Gyekye. Person and Community: Ghanaian Philosophical Studies . Vol. 1. Washington, D.C.: The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, 2010.
Wright, Matthew Bennett. “The Role of Ethics in STEM Education: A Course Proposal ,” 2017.
Yalley, Christian. “STEM Education without Morals, Spiritual Values Breed Intelligent Criminals’ – Opuni-Frimpong.” MyJoyonline, March 10, 2022. https://www.myjoyonline.com/stem-education-without-morals-spiritual-values-breed-intelligent-criminals-opuni-frimpong/.
Dennis Tawiah lectures at the Seventh-Day Adventist College of Education in Agona, Ashanti. He holds a Diploma in Basic Education from Wiawso College of Education, Ghana, a Bachelor of Education in Religious Studies from VVU, Ghana, and a Master of Philosophy in Religious Studies from KNUST. He is pursuing a PhD at the Department of Religious Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. His research interests include biblical studies, religion and society, religious education, and moral education.
John Kwaku Opoku is a Catholic priest in the Catholic Archdiocese of Kumasi. He holds the position of Associate Professor at the Department of Religious Studies at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). He obtained a B.A. in Religion and Sociology from Legon, Ghana, an M.A. in Intercultural Theology from Radboud Universiteit-Nijmegen, a Master of Bioethics from the Medical Colleges of Radboud Universiteit-Nijmegen, the Catholic University of Leuven-Belgium, the Universities of Basel and Padova-Switzerland and Italy, respectively, and a PhD in Theology and Health from Radboud Universiteit-Nijmegen. His areas of expertise include pastoral theology, bioethics, and religion and health.
Peter Addai-Mensah is a Catholic priest in the Catholic Archdiocese of Kumasi and a senior lecturer at the Department of Religious Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana. He holds a Diploma in Theology from Legon, Ghana, a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a Master’s in Education from Boston College in Brighton, Massachusetts, and a Doctorate in Sacred Theology from Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His research interests lie in theology and spirituality.
Tawiah,Dennis, John Kwaku Opoku and Peter Addai-Mensah. “Soulful Science: A Journey into Integrating Religious and Moral Values in STEM Education in Ghana,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 5, no.5 (2024): 676-689. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2024558
© 2024 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Others
