Page 215 www.ijiras.com | Email: contact@ijiras.com International Journal of Innovative Research and Advanced Studies (IJIRAS) Volume 5 Issue 3, March 2018 ISSN: 2394-4404 Impact Of Ghanaian In-Service Teachers’ Epistemological Beliefs On Their Instructional Practices Jacob Manu Kwadwo Oteng Akyina University of Education, Winneba Woei Hung University of North Dakota I. INTRODUCTION The concept of personal epistemology (the nature of knowledge and the process of knowing) has been researched for over four decades now, and is one of the areas that continues to attract the attention of researchers (Hofer & Pintrich, 1997; Hofer, 2004). An individual develops his or her personal epistemological beliefs that reflect his or her fundamental assumptions about the nature of knowledge and the process of knowing over the years from childhood to adulthood. Epistemological beliefs serve as an underlying foundation at a subconscious level for our actions at a conscious level in many aspects of our lives. Instructional practice is one of them. According to Hofer (2001), personal epistemology is closely associated with the reasons why teachers make certain instructional decisions in their classrooms. Confirming Hofer’s assertion, Trigwell and Prosser (2004) observed that “there are systematic relations between the ways teachers’ teach and the quality of their students’ learning” (p. 421). Therefore, it may be logical to assume that teachers’ epistemological beliefs could fundamentally influence students’ learning outcomes mediated through their instructional practice. Hence, understanding of epistemological beliefs of teachers is important in ensuring students’ success in the learning process (Hofer, 2001; Trigwell & Prosser, 2001; Braten & Stromso, 2006). Within the epistemological beliefs field, much of the research has focused on college students’ epistemological beliefs with other academic variables (e.g. Hofer, 2000; Perry, 1970). Researchers have explored college students’ beliefs and theories about the nature of knowledge and the process of knowing (Hofer, 2001; 2004). Early research in epistemological beliefs focused on college students (e.g. Baxter-Magolda 1992; Perry, 1970; Schommer, 1990). In recent years, the research has extended to more diverse populations, including teachers (Olafson & Schraw, 2006). Nevertheless, the number of empirical studies that focuses on classroom teachers’ epistemology is still limited (Chai, Khine, and Teo, 2006). Moreover, the existing research on personal epistemological beliefs was conducted in the context of western culture (Brew, 2001). There has not been much research on personal epistemology in non-western contexts, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. We believe that it is important to add empirical evidence from an African context Abstract: Epistemological belief systems continue to receive the attention of researchers from Western and Asian contexts. However, nations in Sub-Saharan Africa are yet to join this important discussion. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the epistemological beliefs and instructional practices of in-service teachers in Ghana and how these beliefs related to instructional practices. The results indicated that Ghanaian in-service teachers had somewhat novice epistemological beliefs. The researcher found significant differences among the four dimensions of epistemological beliefs. The results also indicated no correlational relationship between epistemological beliefs and instructional practices of in-service teachers in Ghana. However, there were significant correlational relationships between epistemological beliefs and instructional practices based on the years of teaching. The implications for practice are discussed. Keywords: Epistemological beliefs, instructional practices, in-service teachers, Ghana