<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE article SYSTEM "C:\nlm\converter\journal-publishing-dtd-2.0\journalpublishing.dtd">
<article>
<front>
<journal-meta>
<journal-id journal-id-type="publisher">IJEDT</journal-id>
<journal-title>International Journal of Education and Teaching</journal-title>
<issn pub-type="epub">2788-5011</issn>
<publisher>
<publisher-name>SvedbergOpen</publisher-name>
</publisher>
</journal-meta>
<article-meta>
<article-id pub-id-type="other">ijedt-1-1-003</article-id>
<doi-group>
<article-doi><ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xmlns:xlink="https://doi.org/" xlink:href="10.51483/IJEDT.1.1.2021.19-28">10.51483/IJEDT.1.1.2021.19-28</ext-link></article-doi>
</doi-group>
<article-categories>
<subj-group>
<subject>Research Paper</subject>
</subj-group>
</article-categories>
<title-group>
<article-title>Examining the usage of traditional Akan poems in early childhood education</article-title>
</title-group>
<contrib-group>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name><surname>Appiah-Thompson</surname><given-names>Christopher</given-names></name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff001"><sup>1</sup></xref>
<xref ref-type="corresp" rid="cor001"><sup>*</sup></xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name><surname>Darko</surname><given-names>Prince Ofei</given-names></name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff002"><sup>2</sup></xref>
</contrib>
</contrib-group>
<aff id="aff001"><sup>1</sup><instname>Faculty of Business and Law, The University of Newcastle</instname>, <instcountry>Australia</instcountry>. E-mail: <email>christopher.appiahthompson@uon.edu.au</email></aff>
<aff id="aff002"><sup>2</sup><instname>African University College of Communications, Accra</instname>, <instcountry>Ghana</instcountry>. E-mail: <email>prince.ofeidarko@gmail.com</email></aff>
<author-notes>
<corresp id="cor001"><sup>*</sup>Corresponding author: Christopher Appiah-Thompson, <instname>Faculty of Business and Law, The University of Newcastle</instname>, <instcountry>Australia</instcountry>. E-mail: <email>christopher.appiahthompson@uon.edu.au</email></corresp>
</author-notes>
<pub-date pub-type="ppub">
<month>03</month>
<year>2021</year>
</pub-date>
<volume>1</volume>
<issue>1</issue>
<fpage>19</fpage>
<lpage>28</lpage>
<abstract>
<title>Abstract</title>
<p>This paper examines the importance of employing traditional Akan poems for teaching Ghanaian children about their long-cherished African values, norms and worldview or heritage, which are becoming &#x201C;endangered&#x201D; because of lack of preservation and usage in the educational curriculum. In this respect, the in-depth textual analysis of Yeboah-Dankwa&#x2019;s, Mmofra Anwensem, a collection of children&#x2019;s poems translated from the Akan Twi-language into English is one major way to promote this awareness among African educators and children as well as their preservation. The authors believe that the introduction of African Literature, specifically, traditional African poetry in the teaching curriculum at the pre-school and primary levels exposes children to their historical roots at an early age so as not alienate them from their societal values, thereby providing them with a sense of cultural identity. Specifically, the study looks at how Akan poetic texts, designed by African poets can educate pupils about their African cultural environment, family life, religious beliefs and the traditional lore embedded in them. In sum, the major significance of this study is the promotion of African oral traditions in educational curriculum at the lower levels as a foundation for the rapid socio-cultural, economic and political development of the continent.</p>
</abstract>
<kwd-group>
<title>Keywords</title>
<kwd>Traditional Akan poems</kwd>
<kwd>African literature</kwd>
<kwd>Childhood studies</kwd>
<kwd>Cultural values</kwd>
</kwd-group>
<counts>
<ref-count count="17"/>
<page-count count="10"/>
</counts>
</article-meta>
</front>
<back>
<ref-list>
<title>References</title>
<ref id="bib001"><citation citation-type="book"><person-group person-group-type="author"><name><surname>Abdi</surname><given-names>A.A.</given-names></name><name><surname>Cleghorn</surname><given-names>A.</given-names></name></person-group> (<year>2005</year>). <source>Issues in African Education: Sociological Perspectives</source>. <publisher-loc>New York</publisher-loc>: <publisher-name>Palgrave Macmillan</publisher-name>.</citation></ref>
<ref id="bib002"><citation citation-type="book"><person-group person-group-type="author"><name><surname>Angmor</surname><given-names>C.</given-names></name></person-group> (<year>1996</year>). <source>Preface. Contemporary Literature in Ghana 1911-1978: A Critical Evaluation</source>. <publisher-loc>Accra</publisher-loc>: <publisher-name>Woeli Publication Services</publisher-name>.</citation></ref>
<ref id="bib003"><citation citation-type="book"><person-group person-group-type="author"><name><surname>Abarry</surname><given-names>N.</given-names></name></person-group> (<year>1994</year>). <article-title>TeachingakanoralliteratureinGhanaianschools</article-title>. <source>Journal of Black Studies</source>, No.<volume>3</volume>, <publisher-name>Special Issue: Social, Economic, Political, and Cultural Dimensions of Life in Ghana</publisher-name>. pp. <fpage>308</fpage>&#x2013;<lpage>328</lpage>.</citation></ref>
<ref id="bib004"><citation citation-type="book"><person-group person-group-type="author"><name><surname>Dei-Anang</surname><given-names>K.K.</given-names></name></person-group> (<year>1972</year>). <source>Disciplineinthe Making of Poetry: a Critical Review of John Okai&#x2018;sthe Oath of the Fontomfrom and Other Poems</source>. <publisher-name>Universitas (New Series)</publisher-name>, <volume>2</volume>(<issue>1</issue>), <fpage>104</fpage>&#x2013;<lpage>116</lpage>.</citation></ref>
<ref id="bib005"><citation citation-type="journal"><person-group person-group-type="author"><name><surname>Doderer</surname><given-names>K.</given-names></name></person-group> (<year>1991</year>). <article-title>Literature for children and adolescents from a theoretical perspective: On theworkoftheinstituteforchildren&#x2019;sliteraturestudiesattheuniversityoffrankfurt/main. Universitas</article-title>, <source>A Quarterly German Review of the Arts and Sciences</source>. <volume>33</volume>(<issue>1/2</issue>).</citation></ref>
<ref id="bib006"><citation citation-type="book"><person-group person-group-type="author"><name><surname>Hanson</surname><given-names>J.O. de G.</given-names></name></person-group> (<year>1993</year>). <source>Children&#x2019;s Literature: The Ghanaian Experience</source>. <publisher-name>The J.B. Danquah Memorial Lectures Twenty-Fourth Series, Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences</publisher-name>, <publisher-loc>Accra</publisher-loc>.</citation></ref>
<ref id="bib007"><citation citation-type="journal"><person-group person-group-type="author"><name><surname>Kaschula</surname><given-names>R.H.</given-names></name></person-group> (<year>1999</year>). <article-title>Imbongi and griot: Toward a comparative analysis of oral poetics in southern and West-Africa</article-title>. <source>Journal of African Cultural Studies</source>, <volume>12</volume>(<issue>1</issue>).</citation></ref>
<ref id="bib008"><citation citation-type="book"><person-group person-group-type="author"><name><surname>Nketia</surname><given-names>J.H.K.</given-names></name></person-group> (n.d.). <article-title>The present state and potential of music research in Africa</article-title>. <publisher-name>Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana-Legon</publisher-name>. Unpublished Manuscript.</citation></ref>
<ref id="bib009"><citation citation-type="book"><person-group person-group-type="author"><name><surname>Nketia</surname><given-names>J.H.K.</given-names></name></person-group> (<year>1968</year>). <source>Musicology and African Music</source>. In <person-group person-group-type="editor"><name><given-names>D.</given-names><surname>Brokensha</surname></name><name><given-names>M.</given-names><surname>Crowder</surname></name></person-group> (Eds.). <source>Africa in the Wider World</source>, <publisher-loc>New York</publisher-loc>: <publisher-name>Elmsford</publisher-name>. pp. <fpage>12</fpage>&#x2013;<lpage>33</lpage>.</citation></ref>
<ref id="bib010"><citation citation-type="book"><person-group person-group-type="author"><name><surname>Nketia</surname><given-names>J.H.K.</given-names></name></person-group> (<year>1971</year>). <article-title>Surrogatelanguages of Africa</article-title>. <source>Linguisticsin Sub-SaharanA/rica</source>. <publisher-name>Offprint from the Current Trends in Linguistics, Mouton</publisher-name>. No.<volume>7</volume>.</citation></ref>
<ref id="bib011"><citation citation-type="journal"><person-group person-group-type="author"><name><surname>Nyamnjoh</surname><given-names>F.B.</given-names></name></person-group> (<year>2012</year>). &#x2018;<article-title>Potted plants in greenhouses&#x2019;: A critical relection on the resilienceof colonial education in Africa</article-title>. <source>Journal of Asian and African Studies</source>. <volume>47</volume>(<issue>2</issue>), <fpage>129</fpage>&#x2013;<lpage>154</lpage>.</citation></ref>
<ref id="bib012"><citation citation-type="journal"><person-group person-group-type="author"><name><surname>Nwoga</surname><given-names>D.</given-names></name></person-group> (<year>1972</year>). <article-title>West Africa: Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone</article-title>. <source>The Journal of Commonwealth Literature</source>. <volume>7</volume>(<issue>2</issue>).</citation></ref>
<ref id="bib013"><citation citation-type="journal"><person-group person-group-type="author"><name><surname>Oumarou</surname><given-names>C.E.</given-names></name></person-group> (<year>2015</year>). <article-title>An exploration of hausa verbal art forms in <italic>Shaihu Umar</italic>: A hausa novel</article-title>. <source>Advances in Literary Study</source>, <volume>3</volume>, <fpage>21</fpage>&#x2013;<lpage>29</lpage>.</citation></ref>
<ref id="bib014"><citation citation-type="book"><person-group person-group-type="editor"><name><surname>Okpewho</surname><given-names>I.O.</given-names></name></person-group> (Ed.). (<year>1985</year>). <source>The Heritage of African Poetry: An Anthology of Oral and Written Poetry</source>. <publisher-loc>London</publisher-loc>: <publisher-name>Longman</publisher-name>.</citation></ref>
<ref id="bib015"><citation citation-type="journal"><person-group person-group-type="author"><name><surname>Yankah</surname><given-names>K.</given-names></name></person-group> (<year>1991</year>). <article-title>Oratory in akan society</article-title>. <source>Discourse &#x0026; Society</source>, <volume>2</volume>(<issue>1</issue>).</citation></ref>
<ref id="bib016"><citation citation-type="book"><person-group person-group-type="author"><name><surname>Yankah</surname><given-names>K.</given-names></name></person-group> (<year>1995</year>). <source>Speaking for the Chief: Okyeame and the Politics of Akan Royal Oratory</source>. <publisher-loc>Indiana</publisher-loc>: <publisher-name>Indiana University Press</publisher-name>.</citation></ref>
<ref id="bib017"><citation citation-type="book"><person-group person-group-type="author"><name><surname>Warren</surname><given-names>D.M.</given-names></name></person-group> (<year>1976</year>). <source>Bibliography and Vocabulary of the Akan (Twi-Fante) Language of Ghana</source>. <publisher-loc>Bloomington</publisher-loc>: <publisher-name>Indiana University Press</publisher-name>.</citation></ref>
</ref-list>
</back>
</article>