ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Social media network participation and academic performance in senior high schools in Ghana

This study looks at social media network participation and academic performance in senior high schools. The study was aimed at identifying social media network sites and their usage among students, how students networked and participated on social media networks, time invested by students on social networks, the effects of social media on students' grammar and spelling as well as the effects of social network participation on the student's academic performance within the context of the social learning and the use and gratification theories. To achieve the objectives of the research, the study used a mixed method approach which involved the survey of students in four senior high schools and interviews of heads of the senior high schools. The study revealed that majority of respondents used Whatsapp and Facebook for making friends and chatting. In addition, majority of respondents experienced negative effects such as poor grammar and spelling, late submission of assignment, less study time and poor academic performance due to the heavy participation on social media networks. Furthermore, there was a high addiction rate among students in the usage of social media networks. Nevertheless, there were cases where others experienced improvement in their readings skills as a result of participation on social media networks. Also, respondents shared ideas, discussed and shared examination questions among themselves on social media networks. The study recommended the strict enforcement of Ghana Education Service rule on electronic devices usage in schools, promotion of social media usage for academic purpose, counselling for addicted students and the use of the right grammar and spelling when participating on social networks.

Source: UG
Social media resources and export performance: the role of trust and commitment

Purpose – The study sought to examine the influence of social media resources on export performance and the role commitment and trust play in this relationship using an integrated model. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative survey design was employed for this study. Empirical data for this paper were drawn from 210 exporting firms in Ghana, using purposive sampling technique. The hypothesized links were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings – The result of this study reveals that social media resources and marketing capabilities directly influence export performance and indirectly through commitment and trust. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to attempt to use an integrated model (resource-based view and commitment-trust theory) to understand and explain an international marketing phenomenon. By concentrating on Ghana, the study offers new insights regarding the pathway for exporting firms in emerging markets.

Source: UG
A social media strategy for academic libraries

This study was carried out to analyse strategies regarding the use of social media for academic library services in Ghana. The research design was quantitative and adopted the survey approach. Questionnaires served as the main data collection instrument. The study population comprised of one hundred and ten library staff from public and private universities in Ghana. As indicated by the study results, the library staff agreed that there was a need for a well-formulated social media strategy to help academic libraries identify the most appropriate social media tools, establish contact with targeted audience, and increase engagement rates to enable an effective and efficient distribution of its resources and services. The results also indicated that the academic libraries, however, seem to neglect these strategies which could drive patrons' use of such platforms. Recommendations therefore suggest the need to implement social media plans and policies, user engagement, social media update, and dedicated staff with the requisite skills in the use of social media platforms for library services delivery.

Source: UG
Social media use and its implications on child behaviour: a study of a basic school in Ghana

The study explores the implication of social media use on child behaviour in a basic school in Ghana. A survey was conducted among pupils, teachers and parents of the school. Fifty-six pupils were served with questionnaires while ten teachers and 22 parents were interviewed. The findings reveal that Facebook is the most preferred social media site. About half the pupils indicated that the models they observe on social media sites have not affected their behaviour. Some positive implications reported by parents and teachers include improvement in reading habits, dressing and communication. Negative implications also reported involve distraction of pupils’ attention from their studies, frequent use of Pidgin English as well as unnecessary fashion consciousness. The study recommends that parents should visit their children’s online friends to see what they post and receive from friends. Furthermore, teachers must explain the advantages and danger of using social media to children and advise them of beneficial sites to visit.

Source: UG
Social media use, and fear of COVID-19 among Ghanaian university students: the moderating role of gender

Background: COVID-19 and its associated social restrictive measures and lockdowns exacerbated the use of social media and other technological facilities for communication. This study, therefore, examined Ghanaian students’ social media use and its relationship with fear of COVID-19, paying close attention to the moderating role of gender. Methods: A correlational online survey was used to collect data from a purposive sample of 209 University students in June and July 2020. Participants completed online measures on social media use and fear of COVID-19. Statistical analyses, including independent-t test, Pearson correlation test and moderation analysis in PROCESS, were conducted using SPSS v.24. Results: Findings revealed that the mean scores of social media use and fear of COVID-19 did not statistically differ by gender. However, social media use had a small and positive association with fear of COVID-19 (r = 0.18, p = 0.009). Furthermore, gender was a significant moderator of the relationship between social media use and fear of COVID-19. Specifically, the increased use of social media resulted in greater experiences of females fearing COVID-19. (B = −0.24, p = 0.034) compared to males. Conclusion: Although social media was useful in connecting with people and accessing pandemic-related information, Our findings clearly suggest that overuse or over-engagement with social media was problematic, especially for females. Aside from developing interventions to reduce students’ fears of COVID-19, appropriate usage of social media should be advocated.

Source: UG
Social media, traditional media and party politics in Ghana

The social and political context within which political parties operate has significantly changed in the twenty-first century. The global breakthrough in social media offers numerous possibilities for meaningful and equal participation, as well as chances for new forms of transparency and accountability, in ways that were until recently, unimaginable. This study identifies and discusses the specific ways in which political parties in Ghana have deployed social media in advancing their interest. It raises the challenges that have been encountered by political parties in their quest to tap the advantages of social media in prosecuting their ultimate agenda of capturing political power. It argues succinctly that even though social media has broad advantages, it has severe challenges that undermines its effectiveness and nullifies any attempt to use it as a substitute to traditional media in Ghana. The study recommends an improved use of traditional media as a means of reaching out to people by political parties, as well as the use of social media only as an ‘additional communication luxury’.

Source: UG
Social Mobilisation in the Midst of Social Change: The Case of Traditional Authorities in Ghana

This study examined the social mobilisation functions of chiefs as partners in socio-economic development. Data were sourced from Juaben Traditional Area in the Ashanti region of Ghana. A qualitative research method was mainly utilized in this study to have a deeper comprehension of the role of chiefs in social mobilisation in the midst of social change. Fifteen participants were purposively sampled and interviewed. A series of interviews and follow-up semi-structured interviews were conducted. The study revealed among other things that by providing the requisite leadership, the paramount chief and his Traditional Council mobilise labour, finances and natural resources in partnership with individuals, local government agencies and private organisations to embark on a number of projects that benefit people in the Traditional Area tremendously. The paper argues that despite their immense developmental roles, chiefs are relegated to the background in the decentralization process. It therefore calls for a greater integration and collaboration between chiefs and local government officials in the planning, execution and monitoring of projects in their communities.

Source: UG
Social Network and Health Researchers and Professionals Mobility in Africa: Lessons Learned from Africa BUILD Project

Objective: Promote mobility between South-South and South-North for improving level of researchers, staff and students through a platform. Methods: The methodology is based a filling of a questionnaire about offer or demand. Material is composed a computer connected Internet. Result: we registered about 203 demands and 31 offers from partners.43 mobilities were executed completely. Conclusion: The results indicate a real need of mobility for researchers and health professionals in Africa. The important number of mobility demands made by external researchers and professionals (from outside the AFRICA BUILD Consortium) may be constrained by the difficulty to find adequate funding. © 2015 IMIA and IOS Press.

Source: UG
Social network to inform and prevent the spread of cocoa swollen shoot virus disease in Ghana

The cocoa swollen shoot virus disease is a major factor limiting cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) productivity for West African farmers. The only treatment against this disease is to cut infected trees and replant with disease-free planting material. Research has recommended the prevention measures: (i) cordon sanitaire (leaving 10-m-wide cocoa-free zone around cocoa), (ii) barrier cropping, (iii) using partly tolerant hybrids, and (iv) removing specific alternative host tree species. Here, we evaluate the current adoption of these measures and identify their adoption constraints. We conducted a quantitative survey with 396 farmers in the Eastern and Western Regions of Ghana, held six focus group discussions and hosted a multi-stakeholder validation workshop with 31 key actors in the cocoa value chain. Our results indicate that the adoption of prevention measure against the disease remains limited. Farmers with a more extensive social network (number of family members/close friends who already adopted a particular measure), a larger farm size, more secure land tenure rights, and more knowledge about the measures were more likely to adopt them, especially barrier cropping, hybrid seedlings, and removing alternative host trees. Lack of knowledge about the measures was the single biggest barrier for their adoption, with 51% of the participating farmers not even being aware of any prevention measures. Here, we show for the first time that the social network is the main information source for farmers, which agrees with the finding that the flow of information between farmers and other stakeholders is a critical factor affecting knowledge spread and consequently adoption. Our results provide crucial insights for the elaboration of an implementation action plan to boost the dissemination of feasible prevention measures against the cocoa swollen shoot virus disease in Ghana in order to efficiently cover farmers’ needs for information (technical advice) and inputs (access to hybrid seedlings).

Source: UG
“Social networks, migration trajectories and livelihood strategies of migrant domestic and construction workers in Accra, Ghana”.

Recent studies indicate that poor migrants are more likely to depend on social capital among other resources for livelihoods in host communities. Relying on insights from the social networks theory and using qualitative data from two migrant sending regions and one migrant destination area in Ghana, this paper examines the role and effects of networks of social capital on migration processes and livelihood strategies of migrants in the construction and domestic work sectors in Accra, Ghana. The paper argues that different categories of migrants fashion out specific migration strategies based on a complex intersection of social networks, which is shaped by specific contexts. Therefore the various ways in which migrants access, maintain and construct different types of networks in varied social locations and with diverse people needs to be interrogated in a more nuanced way and their policy implications addressed

Source: UG
Social networks, migration trajectories and livelihood strategies of migrant domestic and construction workers in Accra, Ghana.

Recent studies indicate that poor migrants are more likely to depend on social capital among other resources for livelihoods in host communities. Relying on insights from the social networks theory and using qualitative data from two migrant sending regions and one migrant destination area in Ghana, this paper examines the role and effects of networks of social capital on migration processes and livelihood strategies of migrants in the construction and domestic work sectors in Accra, Ghana. The paper argues that different categories of migrants fashion out specific migration strategies based on a complex intersection of social networks, which is shaped by specific contexts. Therefore the various ways in which migrants access, maintain and construct different types of networks in varied social locations and with diverse people needs to be interrogated in a more nuanced way and their policy implications addressed.

Source: UG
Social networks, migration trajectories and livelihood strategies of migrant domestic and construction workers in Accra, Ghana.

Recent studies indicate that poor migrants are more likely to depend on social capital among other resources for livelihoods in host communities. Relying on insights from the social networks theory and using qualitative data from two migrant sending regions and one migrant destination area in Ghana, this paper examines the role and effects of networks of social capital on migration processes and livelihood strategies of migrants in the construction and domestic work sectors in Accra, Ghana. The paper argues that different categories of migrants fashion out specific migration strategies based on a complex intersection of social networks, which is shaped by specific contexts. Therefore the various ways in which migrants access, maintain and construct different types of networks in varied social locations and with diverse people needs to be interrogated in a more nuanced way and their policy implications addressed

Source: UG
Social Organization of the Ga People

This volume is the complement of Religion and Medicine of the Ga People, and will not be understood except in reference to that. The Ga are not one people. Each town is an independent republic, having its own unique constitution which has grown out of its own unique history. By intermarriage and proximity the different peoples have come to have a language and many everyday customs in common. Part I of this volume is concerned with these common customs. Part II deals with the history of the constitution of each town separately.

Source: UG
Social policy as nation-building: identify formation, policy feedback, and social citizenship in Ghana

Beyond economics-centric discourses about issues like “social investment,” in recent years scholars have argued that social programs, like education, healthcare, and income support arrangements, can be instrumental in the construction and reconstruction of national identities and solidarities at both the ideational and the institutional level. Drawing on this scholarship, this article makes a direct contribution to the comparative politics and policy literature by examining the trajectories of nation-building and social policy development in Ghana. It extends existing scholarship by providing an in-depth study of Ghana while using that case to further explore the understudied connection between social citizenship, identity formation, and policy feedbacks from existing social programs.

Source: UG
Social Protection Policy or a Political Largesse: Disability Fund Efficacy Assessment and Roadblocks to Sustainable Development Goals

Social protection policies have been tools for fighting social exclusion, inequality and reducing poverty incidence among vulnerable populations in developing countries. In this regard, the government of Ghana through the institution of the disability fund has demonstrated a commitment to advancing the cause of people with disabilities. In assessing policy efficacy, the realities on the ground, as well as policy challenges, 130 persons with disability (PWDs) and 10 Key Informants (KIs) were recruited from across five regions. In addition to conducting face-to-face interviews with PWDs, the study conducted a number of interviews with key informants (KIs). The study findings concluded amongst other things that, the policy is plagued with challenges such as limited information about the fund, fund access difficulty and disbursement delays. It was also revealed that; the policy is saddled with opacity and partisan politics. To ensure efficiency and expedite the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1, the research proposed for policy restructuring. In addition to introducing financial literacy and management training for beneficiaries, the study proffers decoupling the fund management from political structures to help meet the objectives for which it was incepted.

Source: UG
Social Responsibility and Ethics in Ghana: Stakeholders Expectations and Challenges,’ in Okpara J. (editor), Management and Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: Theoretical and Applied Perspectives

Research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) has blossomed over the millennia. The pre-millennium and new millennia have witnessed a burgeoning of CSR research by several scholars. Other researchers have also contributed to various dimensions of the CSR debate which have been based on two contrasting positions; businesses as the trustees of societal property that should be managed for the public good have been seen as one end of a continuum, while at the other end is the belief that profit maximization is management's only legitimate goal. However, the view that total responsibilities are broader than simple economic responsibilities has become more compelling, more accepted by managers and more widely practiced.

Source: UG
Social Security Policy in the Context of Socio-Economic and Political Transformation

This chapter examines the interface between social security policy and broader concerns over socio-economic transformation in Ghana in the post independence era. It shows that although social security policy is primarily concerned with income replacement of retired wage earners, its in all political regimes been used to served additional purposes including mobilization of funds for development, ensuring social solidarity, building nation unity, and wooing political support, without necessary compromising its origin intended purpose---income security at old age

Source: UG
Social support as mental health improver for managerial women in the organizational work environment.

This study assessed the relationship between social support and mental health (depression, anxiety and somatic anxiety) relative to its impact on managerial women in Ghana. The objective is to seek answers to the question as to whether the availability of social support in the work environment can help improve the mental health of women. This is because the lack of spousal support for working women is found to have a direct connection to diminished mental health. The findings show that spousal support provided women with a sense of security and stability at home and also reduced their possibility of being confronted with role conflict. It is thus, concluded that the career progression of women managers can be greatly enhanced when they receive spousal support, encouragement and guidance in addition to those from superiors and co-workers.

Source: UG
Social support during delivery in Rural Central Ghana: A mixed methods study of women's preferences for and against inclusion of a lay companion in the delivery room

Summary This study aimed to explore pregnant women's attitudes towards the inclusion of a lay companion as a source of social support during labour and delivery in rural central Ghana. Quantitative demographic and pregnancy-related data were collected from 50 pregnant women presenting for antenatal care at a rural district hospital and analysed using STATA/IC 11.1. Qualitative attitudinal questions were collected from the same women through semi-structured interviews; data were analysed using NVivo 9.0. Twenty-nine out of 50 women (58%) preferred to have a lay companion during facility-based labour and delivery, whereas 21 (42%) preferred to deliver alone with the nurses in a facility. Women desiring a companion were younger, had more antenatal care visits, had greater educational attainment and were likely to be experiencing their first delivery. Women varied in the type of companion they prefer (male partner vs female relative). What was expected in terms of social support differed based upon the type of companion. Male companions were expected to provide emotional support and to 'witness her pain'. Female companions were expected to provide emotional support as well as instrumental, informational and appraisal support. Three qualitative themes were identified that run counter to the inclusion of a lay helper: fear of an evil-spirited companion, a companion not being necessary or helpful, and being 'too shy' of a companion. This research challenges the assumption of a unilateral desire for social support during labour and delivery, and suggests that women differ in the type of companion and type of support they prefer during facility deliveries. Future research is needed to determine the direction of the relationship - whether women desire certain types of support and thus choose companions they believe can meet those needs, or whether women desire a certain companion and adjust their expectations accordingly. © Cambridge University Press 2014.

Source: UG