ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Holland’s Personality Types and Senior High School Students’ Career Choices in Jirapa Municipality, Ghana

This study investigated the relationship between Holland’s Personality Types and Senior High School (SHS) students’ career choices in the Jirapa Municipality. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design and multi-stage sampling method were used. With a target population comprising all senior high school students in the Jirapa Municipality, a sample of 333 SHS students was obtained through a questionnaire. Means and standard deviations, multivariate regression and MANOVA were used to analyse the data. The study found that family members had a significant role in shaping career choices of SHS students in Jirapa Municipality, while career guidance programmes had comparatively lesser impact. Additionally, Holland’s personality types had positive relationship with students’ career choices in the Jirapa Municipality. The study also found significant differences in personality types and career choices on the basis of gender, programme of study, and religious affiliation of the students in the Jirapa Municipality. In conclusion, this study provides valuable insight into the factors determining SHS students’ career choices in Jirapa Municipality, Ghana. As family influence plays a crucial role, parents should be made aware of the potential impact their decisions can have on their children’s future. Furthermore, the study emphasised the need to tailor career guidance programmes to the specific personality types of students. In light of the findings, this study recommended that future research should focus on exploring the reasons behind the family influence and the significance of tailoring guidance programmes to individual personalities.

Source: UCC
Home Educational Resources and Academic Performance of Students in Junior High Schools in Ayensudo Circuit, Central Region

The study explore home educational resources on students’ academic performance in J.H.S.’s in Ayensudo Circuit. The study used a concurrent mixed method approach, utilising a questionnaire and an interview guide. The analysis of the research questions were done using descriptive and inferential statistics. The sample size for the study was 248. Based on the specific objectives that guided the study, the home background that influences the provision of home educational resources were parent occupation, income level, educational level and family size. Home educational resources parents are responsible to provide for their wards were food, water, stationaries, school uniform, private teacher, cubicles with tables and chairs and technological facilities. How students used home educational resources available to them were to eat food when hungry, to drink water when thirsty, to wear school uniform to school, to benefit from private tuition after school, to sit on table and chair to study comfortably and to do research with technological facilities. Challenges student face in accessing home educational resources were inadequate food and water to eat and drink when hungry and thirsty respectively, inadequate stationary to study with, inadequate tables and chairs to sit on and study comfortably at home, inadequate technological facilities to study with and lack of private teacher to provide extra tuition. The results on the provision of home educational resources had a significantly positive influence on students’ academic performance. This study recommends counselling service to encourage parents to improve on their socioeconomic factors to provide appropriate home educational resources adequately to their wards to use effectively to improve academic performance.

Source: UCC
Home Resources as a Measure of Socio‑Economic Status in Ghana

In large scale international assessment studies, questionnaires are typical used to query students’ home possessions. Composite scores are computed from responses to the home resource questionnaires and are used as a measure of family socioeconomic background in achievement comparison or for statistical control. This paper deals with profiling the socio-economic status (SES) of Ghanaian students’ in the context of the TIMSS 2011 study. Latent class analysis was used to profile students into respective SES classes based on the students’ responses to 11 questions concerning their home resources. The results showed three clearly distinct socio-economic profiles: high-, middle- and low-SES. Moreover, a discriminate analysis was conducted to explore the degree to which the groups are accurately classified. The discriminant analysis was able to correctly classify 92.20% of the individual students into their appropriate SES group. A gender comparison of these classes suggested stable measurement invariance for the latent class indicators. This article contributes to addressing the composition of SES by providing statistical criteria to evaluate SES using empirical data.

Source: UCC
Home-Advantage Decision-Making: Experiences Of Soccer Referees At The 23rd GUSA Games

Soccer teams seem to win most of their matches when they compete at home compared with when they compete away from home. This is partly attributable to the home-advantage decisions referees‟ award to the home teams. This study used qualitative methods to explore the views of referees who officiated soccer matches at the 23rd GUSA games held at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, on the phenomenon. Also, theoretical concepts were exploited from knowledge-based repositories on home-advantage decisions. Seven experienced referees were selected to supply information through an adapted semi-structured interview protocol. Content analysis procedures identified nine inter-related factors that define three higher-order themes. The factors; experience, opinion and control form a higher-order theme labelled personal factors. Crowd aggression, team reception, play conditions, and player reaction were identified as situational factors, and geographical location and travel conditions represented environmental themes. All the nine factors inter-relate to influence the decision-making efficiency of referees when officiating soccer matches. It was recommended that referees pay particular attention to the home-advantage themes and models expatiated in this study to become aware of varied factors that underlie the award of home-advantage decisions. This will enable referees device appropriate strategies to cope with the factors. Also, the activities of referees should be monitored via the use of electronic monitoring systems such as video technology at all league centres to force referees rescind arbitrary decisions they make on the field of play. This is likely to lead to a reduction in biased officiating.

Source: UCC
Homogenization of elliptic equations in periodic domains: The case of elliptic equations of the curl type

In this thesis, we homogenize elliptic equations in the periodically perforated domain. The two scale convergence method is used in this work for the homogenization. In particular, we homogenize the quasilinear elliptic equation with the dirichlet boundary condition, the time independent incompressible reynolds equation as well as the elliptic equation of the curl type of which the Maxwell type equations is a typical example. We obtain the cell problems and the homogenized equations for the problems which could easily be solved using any numerical method such as matlab or comsol in place of the original problems which contain the fast oscillating parameter ".

Source: UCC
Homogenization of Parabolic Partial Differential Equation Using the Multiple-Scale Expansion Method

In this thesis, we have homogenization of parabolic partial differential equation using the multiple scale expansion method as its central axis. It consists of two introductory chapters into the theory of homogenization, a section is devoted to preliminary concepts and ideas needed to understand the core content of this work. We also highlighted on how the multiple scale expansion technique can be used in homogenizing elliptic partial differential equations. Finally, homogenization of parabolic partial differential equation using the multiple scale expansion method which is the focal point of this work was investigated and the results presented. The rapidly oscillating coefficient of the parabolic partial differential equation is replaced by a constant known as the homogenized coefficient.

Source: UCC
Homogenization of Reynolds Equations

This Licentiate thesis is focused on some new questions in homogenization. theory, which have been motivated by some concrete problems in tribology. From the mathematical point of view these questions are equipped with scales of Reynolds equations with rapidly oscillating coeffcients. In particular, in this Licentiate thesis we derive the corresponding homogenized (averaged) equation. We consider the Reynolds equations in both the stationary and unstationary forms to analyze the effect of surface roughness on the hydrodynamic performance of bearings when a lubricant is flowing through it. In Chapter 1 we describe the possible types of surfaces a bearing can take. Out of these we select two types and derive the appropriate Reynolds equations needed for their analysis. Chapter 2 is devoted to the derivation of the homogenized equations associated with the stationary forms of the compressible and incompressible Reynolds equations. We derive these homogenized equations by using the multiple scales expansion technique. In Chapter 3 the homogenized equations for the unstationary forms of the Reynolds equations are considered and some numerical results based on the homogenized equations are presented. In Chapter 4 we consider the equivalent minimization problem for the unstationary Reynolds equation and use it to derive a homogenized minimization problem. Finally, we obtain both the lower and upper bounds for the derived homogenized problem

Source: UCC
Homogenization of the unstationary incompressible Reynolds equation

This paper is devoted to the effects of surface roughness during hydrodynamic lubrication. In the numerical analysis a very fine mesh is needed to resolve the surface roughness, suggesting some type of averaging. A rigorous way to do this is to use the general theory of homogenization. In most works about the influence of surface roughness, it is assumed that only the stationary surface is rough. This means that the governing Reynolds type equation does not involve time. However, recently, homogenization was successfully applied to analyze a situation where both surfaces are rough and the lubricant is assumed to have constant bulk modulus. In this paper we will consider a case where both surfaces are assumed to be rough, but the lubricant is incompressible. It is also clearly demonstrated, in this case that homogenization is an efficient approach. Moreover, several numerical results are presented and compared with those corresponding to where a constant bulk modulus is assumed to govern the lubricant compressibility. In particular, the result shows a significant difference in the asymptotic behavior between the incompressible case and that with constant bulk modulus

Source: UCC
Homosexual Practices among Senior High School Students in the Cape Coast Metropolis

This study explored the incidence of homosexuality practices in the senior high schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis. It also investigated what senior high school students think are the possible causes of homosexuality, the general attitude of students towards homosexuals, and how homosexuality can be managed in senior high schools. The sample comprised 351 participants (203 males and 148 females) who were randomly selected from Forms 3 and 4 students in three senior high schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis of the Central Region of Ghana. A questionnaire was used in data collection. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used in data analyses with alpha level set at .05. The study revealed that homosexuality practices are going on in the senior high schools and the major possible causes were excessive masturbation, spiritual causes, and initiation into the practice by seniors at school. The results also show that attitudes of students towards homosexuals in school are generally negative and males were statistically not different from females in terms of their attitude towards homosexuality. The study suggested that homosexuality can be managed by orienting school counsellors, teachers, and parents to understand and be able to deal with the issues of homosexuality and also by providing supportive counselling services for homosexuals in schools. The study recommends that counsellors and counselling centres should be resourced to handle homosexuality in Senior High Schools.

Source: UCC
Homosexual Tendencies In Bessie Head’s A Question Of Power, Evelyne Accad’s Wounding Words And Amma Darko’s Beyond The Horizon

This study explores three selected African texts to identify the writers’ representation of homosexuality, and the hidden homosexual signs within a supposedly heterosexual environment created by the writers. The fact that all three selected texts are written by female authors is only coincidental, and therefore has no effect on the analysis. Issues arising the analysis of the three texts reveal a pattern which, though portrayed differently, exists in all three texts. This pattern is, the African, and therefore the African writer, believes in the old and longstanding ideology that homosexuality is a Western practice imposed on the African continent. Inasmuch as the writers of the texts use varying styles of writing in crafting their works, they all seem to hold one message, which is, the African is not ready to swallow the hidden truth that homosexuality did exist in the continent; it is rather homophobia that was imported by the whites. By using queer and psychoanalytic lens, an identification is made of certain characters who are supposed to be heterosexuals indeed exhibit homosexual tendencies, though these tendencies are not glaring. This answers the first research question: in what ways do the characters selected in the texts portray homosexual tendencies? This assertion is developed by using homosexual signs and colour symbols, and also with the help of Sigmund Freud’s (1905) various theories on human sexuality. Freud’s (1905) theory, for instance, helps to expose how the id, or the unconscious part of the brain, influences human decisions and behaviour. The choice to use Freud solely is due to his belief that all of human’s urges are based on a sexual desire.

Source: UCC
Horner’s Syndrome Revisited: With an Update of the Central Pathway

A brief summary is presented of the life of Johann Friedrich Horner, the eminent Swiss ophthalmologist, renowned for describing the effects of paralysis of the human cervical sympathetic nerves. His early education, the quality of his professional training, and the influence of his mentors, notably Carl Ludwig and Albrecht von Graefe, contributed to his discovery of the syndrome. The full text of Horner’s original work (translated by J. F. Fulton, 1929a, Arch. Surg. 18:2025–2039) is cited. The history of clinical and experimental work carried out on the autonomic nervous system prior to Horner’s discovery is reviewed, including the studies of Pourfour du Petit (cited in Fulton, 1929a and Singer and Underwood, 1962, Clarendon); Hare, 1838, Lond. Med. Gaz. 23:16–18; Bernard (cited by Singer and Underwood); Budge (1853, Acad. de Sci., p.377–378); Mitchell et al. (1864, Lippincott). Hare and Mitchell et al. came close to making the discovery but were apparently hindered by their inability to interpret the signs they elicited in their patients. The experiments of Claude Bernard gave succinct accounts of the effects of damage to the cervical sympathetic nerves in animals, although there appears to be no evidence that he made similar observations in humans. Horner was the first to give a detailed, scientifically supported account and accurately interpret the signs of cervical sympathetic nerve damage in a human subject. The anatomy of the pathway is reviewed and the detailed structure of its central part updated. Evidence from computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), and single-photon-emission computerized tomography (SPECT) studies have confirmed that reciprocally connected centers in the insular cortex, central nucleus of amygdala, hypothalamus, mesencephalic and pontine tegmentum, nucleus of tractus solitarius, and the ventrolateral medulla form the central pathway. The nucleus of tractus solitarius is probably the main reflex center for the sympathetic system, whereas the ventrolateral medulla serves as the pathway through which the central neurons influence the preganglionic neurons of the thoracolumbar outflow. Emotional and sensory inputs from the frontal and somatosensory cortices provide the inputs needed by the insula to drive the sympathetic nervous system to produce appropriate responses.

Source: UCC
Hospital information systems in the Ghanaian psychiatric hospitals: post act 846 of 2012 review analysis

Information systems are expected to exist in every hospital in almost every country to offer a systematic process of collecting appropriate records for health service delivery at all levels. This holds at least for non-computer-based information systems. Quality healthcare by hospitals depends mostly on well-organized data for accuracy, timeliness and completeness and representativeness. Objective: this study assessed existing the existing information system scenarios in psychiatric hospitals in Ghana since the passage of the act 846 of 2012 which aims to transform the psychiatric health system in Ghana. Methods: the authority responsible for psychiatric health in Ghana was contacted for access to the three psychiatric hospitals to arrange interviews and document reviews. The study used structured interviews to gather information from the psychiatric hospitals’ directors, hospital administrators, records officers, and additional staff each from hospitals for analysis. Results and conclusions: the analysis suggests the presence of independent information systems in these hospitals which are manual-based systems. The various systems in the hospitals have been in existence for years with no knowledge of migrating to computer-based hospital information systems. The analysis further suggests the need for a trans-institutional computer-based information system to improve psychiatric service delivery and to ease information exchange for management decisions and policies

Source: UCC
Hospital solid waste management practices in eastern region of Ghana

The study examined hospital solid waste management practices the Eastern Region of Ghana. A total of 320 hospital staff from six selected hospitals were randomly selected for the study with 279 returned responses for the questionnaire used. Interviews were conducted among 15 purposively selected staff from the six selected hospitals, the private waste collecting company, the Municipal Assembly and the Environmental Protection Agency. SPSS Version 20 was used to analysed questionnaires. Kruskal-Wallis, Chi-square and Spearman correlation were used to test for difference and relationships. The results showed that hospitals do not keep records on the quantity of waste generated. Waste separation practices were poor at all the hospitals except at Koforidua laboratory unit where proper separation was done. The main waste treatment methods used by the hospitals were incineration and bio-digestion. Disposal methods were dumping at open and controlled dumpsites, open burning and burying. Three of the hospitals engaged a private waste collection company for services while the other three did not. There was no specific policy framework at each hospital and two hospitals did not have copies of the national policy. Linkages between the hospitals and other stakeholders were weak. There were no statistical difference between the awareness of different categories of staff about health hazards associated with hospital solid waste (p = .463), as well as attitudes toward waste (p = .542). Occupational health and safety practiced by hospital staff was the use of personal protective equipment. Solid waste management practices at the hospitals were below standard. Hospitals should organise training on waste segregation, provide resources and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure good waste management practices.

Source: UCC
Hospitality management competency requirements from tertiary graduates in Ghana: industry and academia perspectives

The importance of competent human resource to the development of the hospitality industry cannot be under estimated. However, literature and complaints from industry suggest a competency gap between the requirements of industry and the competencies of graduates of higher learning institutions. The main objective of the study was to assess the hospitality management competency requirements of the hospitality industry in Ghana from the perspectives of industry and academia. Employing a sequential mixed methods approach, questionnaire and an interview guide were used to collect data. Data was analysed through factor analysis, ranking, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and independent and dependent samples t-test. The findings showed industry?s preference for leadership, administrative, conceptual and technical competencies. Academia on the other hand, favoured conceptual, leadership, administrative and technical competencies. Except for the ability to establish hygiene standards and being able to develop contingency plans, there were no statistically significant differences in the views of industry and academia on the competency requirements for the hospitality industry. The study also showed significant competency gaps along all competencies with administrative competency showing the widest competency gap within the industry. It was concluded that, there are gaps in the competency requirements and available competencies for the hospitality industry. It is recommended that there is the need for greater collaboration between academia and industry in producing competent graduates for the hospitality industry in Ghana.

Source: UCC
Hospitality management competency requirements of the hospitality industry in Ghana: practitioners’ and educators’ perspectives

This paper assessed industry practitioners’ and educators’ views on the competencies required by the hospitality industry in Ghana. Data was collected through a survey of 111 respondents. Means were used to rank the competencies, whilst T- test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to explore the differences in competencies perceived to be required by the industry practitioners and educators. It was found out in terms of importance that practitioners preferred leadership, administrative, conceptual and technical competencies whilst educators favoured conceptual, leadership, administrative and technical competencies. Except for ability to maintain hygiene standards and ability to develop contingency plans, there were generally no statistically significant differences between the views of practitioners and educators with regards to competencies required by the industry. It is recommended that there should be more collaboration between hospitality practitioners and educators in Ghana

Source: UCC