Influence of Home Culture on Child Development in Church: The Case of Atonsu District Assemblies of God, Ghana in the Kumasi Metropolis.

Georgina Tabi ORCID iD , Michael Franklin Mensah & Stephen Kyei

Issue: Vol.3  No.1 June 2022  Article 1 pp. 1-12
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2022311   |   Published online 7th June 2022.
© 2022 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Views: 387
84 Downloads

DOWNLOAD PDF
This paper sought to explore how the Assemblies of God Church in the Atonsu District is employing the home culture and its value system in its child development programmes. The study adopted a qualitative research approach and descriptive survey design. Data was collected from 50 purposively selected respondents using interviews. The data gathered was analysed using thematic content analysis. The study found that for the holistic development of the child, the church largely needs resources from the home culture and its value system. The study concludes that the home culture and its value system employed in child upbringing are not in conflict with Christian virtues of child education described in the Bible and as practiced by the Assemblies of God Church. This indicates that the indigenous system of child upbringing is in harmony with Christian child development programmes of the Assemblies of God Church. The study recommends that for any effective child development, the church must take into consideration the home culture and its value systems as this can help strengthen the collaborative influence of the church on the home value systems in total child development.

Keywords: Home culture, Assemblies of God Church, Collaboration and Child Development

Aggarwal, J. C., Teacher and education in a Developing Society. New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House Pvt Ltd, 2003.

Akrong, A., “Traditional Religion and Christianity: Friends and Foes?” Trinity Journal of Church and Theology Vol. X (2000):48.

Amankwaa, B. K., Indigenous Religion and culture. Accra: Konrad Adenauer Foundation 1980.

Appiah-Kubi, K., The Akan of Ghana, West Africa: A handbook for reference. Bloomfield, CT: Cowhide Press,1999.

Asare Opoku, Kofi. West African Traditional Religion, Punjab, FEP International Private Limited,1978.

Assimeng, J. M., Social structure of Ghana: a study in persistence and change. Accra: Ghana Publishing Corporation, 1981.

Ayete-Nyampong, S., Pastoral Care of the Elderly in Africa. Accra: Steps Publisher. 2008.

Bernard, H. R., Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2000.

Black, T. R., Doing Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences: An Integrated Approach to Research Design, Measurement and Statistics. London: SAGE Publication Ltd, 1999.

Boateng, F., “African Traditional Education: A Method of disseminating Cultural Values.” Journal of Black Studies, 3, (1983): 321-336.

Cline, F. & Fay J., Parenting with love and logic. Colorado Springs, Colo Pinon Press, 1990.

Gyekye K., African Cultural Values: An Introduction. Accra: Sankofa Publishing House, 1996.

Kagitcibasi, C. Changing Values of Children in Turkey Honolulu, HI: East-West Centre, 1982.

LeCompte, M. D., & Schensul, J. J., Ethnographer’s toolkit (Eds.). Walnut Creek, CA: Sage Publications, 1999.

Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M., Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1994.

Nsamenang, A. B., Human Development In Cultural Context: A Third World Perspective. Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1992.

Ocitti, J. P., An Introduction to indigenous Education in East Africa: A supplement to Adult Education and development. School of Education, Makerere University, No. 42 (1993).

Opoku Asare, West African Traditional Religion. Accra: FEP Int. Private Limited, 1978.

Oti-Ndubueze, O., The Role of the Church in Child Training. Aba: Assemblies of God Press, 2013.

Rattray, R. S., Ashanti Law and Constitution. London: Oxford University Press, 1969.

Sackey, B. M., Women and health seeking behaviour in religious contexts: Reproductive and ante-natal care in Ghanaian religious movements. A case study of the Twelve Apostles Church. African Studies Research Review, 15, (1999): 65 – 92.

Sarpong, P., Ghana in retrospect: Some aspects of Ghanaian culture. Accra: Ghana Publishing Corporation, 1974.

Ssekamwa, J. C., History and development of Education in Uganda. Kampala: Fountain Publishers, 1997.

Zuck, T. & Clark, Robert E., Childhood Education in the Church. (Eds).Chicago: Moody Press, 1975.

Georgina Tabi is currently a PhD candidate at the Department of Religious Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi Ghana. She is also a Tutor at the Department of Social Sciences – Wesley College of Education Kumasi, Ghana.

Michael Franklin Mensah is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Education, Winneba Ghana. He is also a Tutor at the Holy Child College of education, Takoradi, Ghana.

Stephen Kyei is currently a PhD candidate at the Department of Religious Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi Ghana. He is also a Tutor at the Berekum College of Education, Ghana.

Tabi G., Mensah M.F. & Kyei S. “Influence of Home Culture on Child Development in Church: The Case of Atonsu District Assemblies of God,Ghana in the Kumasi Metropolis.” Journal of Education and Learning Technology 3, no.1 (2021): 1-12. https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2022311

© 2022 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Publishers. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Articles in this Issue

About Journal