ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Strategies for managing vulnerability of women vegetable farmers in the Central region of Ghana

Subsistence vegetable farming is a way of survival for most women in the rural areas of Ghana. To make this survival a reality, they need to manage their external environment in order to secure their livelihoods. The paper reports on the strategies for the management of vulnerabilities of women vegetable farmers in the Central Region of Ghana. Understanding the strategies for managing vulnerability will provide accurate decision, capacity building and adaptive strategies in tackling the problems as well as provide practical, scientific, and socio-economic actions to mitigate vulnerability of the farmers and ensure agricultural production on a sustainable basis

Source: UCC
Strategies for successful implementation of mobile phone library services

The study attempts to investigate the preparedness of University of Cape Coast Library to implement mobile technology-based library service. The study involved six management members from the library and fifteen students comprising ten undergraduate and five postgraduate students. Interview guide was used as a tool for data collection. The interview guide was grouped under four headings: perception of mobile library service on campus, students' proficiency and strategies for successful implementation and imminent challenges. The data collected was qualitative in nature. The study shows that 1. Almost every student had at least one mobile device which is a smartphone and can be used to access library service. 2. Though proficiency level among students was high, there would still be the need for library management to train users to fully appreciate the use of these gadgets in accessing library services. 3. Students and management expressed their willingness to patronise such services. They also showed positive perception regarding mobile phone-based library services. The recommendation made after the study was that students should be educated to know the benefits that come with the use of mobile device to access library services while library personnel should be adequately trained for such services. Management should allocate more resources for successful implementation the resources.

Source: UCC
Strategies for Sustainable Productivity of Maize (Zea Mays L.) - Based Farming Systems of Smallholder Farmers in Ghana

Maize production in Ghana is limited by several factors including inadequate use of improved varieties and soil fertility amendments. Two on-farm experiments were conducted during the major and minor cropping seasons of 2017 in the Eastern and Central regions of Ghana in the semi-deciduous forest zone and coastal savannah zone respectively, to evaluate the effect of goat manure (5 t ha-1), inorganic fertilizer (NPK; 250 kg ha-1 + Urea; 125 kg ha-1) and their combination on phenology, growth and yield of three maize varieties (Omankwa, Obatanpa, Ahomatea). Also investigated using focus group discussion and questionnaire were the factors influencing the adoption of sustainable maize production practices. Net benefit for introducing each treatment was evaluated using the partial budgeting approach. Application of the different soil amendments resulted in significant variations in growth and yield parameters for all the maize varieties with seasonal effects. The sole inorganic fertilizer produced significantly (P < 0.001) higher plant growth and grain yields in the major cropping season. Application of 50% inorganic fertilizer + 50% goat manure significantly (P < 0.001) out-performed either the goat manure alone, inorganic fertilizer alone or the control for all the varieties in the minor cropping season. Omankwa out-performed Obatanpa for grain yield and net benefit in the two agro-ecological zones (AEZ). This study has ascertained the use of improved maize varieties and appropriate soil fertility management as sustainable strategies in maize production and recommends the application of 50% inorganic fertilizer + 50% goat manure for sustainable maize production in smallholder farms in both AEZs. Adoption of sustainable maize production practices is however influenced by socio-cultural, socio economic, technical and biophysical factors.

Source: UCC
Strategies for the use of open access institutional repositories at universities in Ghana

Purpose – This article suggests strategies for the usage of open access institutional repositories (OAIR) at university libraries in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach – Pragmatism paradigm, mixed methods research approach and convergent parallel mixed method design was adopted. Simple random sampling, stratified random sampling, purposive sampling techniques and the sample size converter were the sampling procedures and methods employed. The questionnaire and interview guide were used as research instruments to gather relevant data for the study. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used as statistical tools to analyze quantitative and thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. Findings – Factors such as software, staffing, advocacy, marketing and policies are crucial in the development of OAIR strategy at the University of Ghana. Research limitations/implications – Information from the National Accreditations Board (NAB) of Ghana (2018) indicates that Ghana has 92 Higher Educational Institutions (HEI). These are categorized into nine national public universities, eight technical universities, ten professional institutions and 65 private universities and university colleges. This article focuses only on five university libraries with the understanding that they were the only universities on the Directory of Open Access Repositories, authoritative international registries of repositories that provide data on the number of registered Institutional Repositories throughout the world. Practical implications – It is envisaged that the findings will benefit policymakers, academic staff, university library management and librarians. Academic staff will recognize the need to use OAIR. OAIR managers and administrators will be able to determine the factors affecting the usage of OAIR in university libraries and will be able to design strategies on how OAIR can be sustained and managed. Originality/value – The article suggests strategies for the usage of OAIR that are instrumental for university libraries in Ghana. The strategies consist of an Institutional Guideline that requires adequate marketing, policies, software and staffing. The research also provided an understanding of OAIR through the lenses of technology acceptance model (TAM) an extension of the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) to explain the usage of OAIR in university libraries in Ghana.

Source: UCC
Strategies interactives en classe de francais langue entrangere(file) a holy child senior high school Cape Coast.

The teaching/learning of French as a foreign language in Senior High Schools in Ghana requires that the French teacher puts in place some measures to make the learner interact with others in French and also participate actively in the learning process. This study, therefore, attempts to describe some interactive strategies used by teachers of French to encourage learners to express themselves orally in the French language. Three lesson sessions are recorded at Holy Child Senior High School. However, only the last session is transcribed and analysed. In addition to that, the researcher interviewed the French teacher on some interactive strategies that could not feature in the lessons recorded. The data from the recording and the interview sessions are transcribed based on the principles of conversational analysis. The results show that the French teacher uses one or more of the following interactive techniques in a lesson to make learners interact using the French language: Question/answer, repetitions, reformulations, code switching, debate, role-play, dialogue and interactive completions. She uses each one of them for a particular reason. While using them, the teacher regulates learners’ turn taking so as to enable majority of them take part in the classroom interaction process. The teacher plays, therefore, the roles of an informant, an animator and an evaluator

Source: UCC
Stratégies compensatoires à l’oral du Français Langue Etrangère des étudiants du Département de Français à l’Université de Cape Coast

Les examens oraux organisés à la fin de chaque semestre par le Département de français pour évaluer les compétences orales des étudiants en FLE laissent percevoir un phénomène très intéressant concernant la manière dont les étudiants se dépannent lorsqu‟ils font face à des blocages linguistiques. En effet, lors de la partie échange de l‟évaluation orale, pour vérifier la compréhension du texte lu et les capacités argumentatives des étudiants, on constate très souvent que ces derniers mettent en œuvre des procédés et des techniques pour compenser des lacunes langagières. Ces techniques que nous appelons "stratégies compensatoires", font ici l‟objet de notre étude. Nous voulons voir si elles sont efficaces ou non du point de vue de leur emploi. Aussi, cette étude se donne l‟objectif de voir dans quelle mesure l‟enseignement du FLE pourrait attirer l‟attention des étudiants sur ces stratégies dites efficaces pour les aider à surmonter certaines difficultés à l‟oral en FLE

Source: UCC
Stratégies de navigation et de compréhension sur l’Internet des étudiants de FLE dans quatre universités du Ghana

Cette étude cherche à identifier les stratégies de navigation et de compréhension qu’adoptent les étudiants lorsqu’ils travaillent sur des sites Internet authentiques en langue française. Celle-ci a essayé de mettre la lumière sur les processus mentaux qui sous-tendent la compréhension des informations sur l’Internet en prenant comme appui les recherches menées par RUBIN (1989), OXFORD (1990), O’MALLEY et CHAMOT (1990) et COHEN (1998) sur les stratégies d’apprentissage et d’utilisation de la langue seconde/étrangère. Grâce à la verbalisation et à l’observation en situation des étudiants de FLE dans quatre universités du Ghana, nous avons obtenu des données qualitatives dont l’analyse nous a permis d’identifier des stratégies de navigation comme la recherche d’indices, la lecture fine, l’essai-erreur, entre autres. Ces stratégies de navigation correspondent à différentes stratégies de compréhension comme l’inférence du sens, le raisonnement déductif ou inductif, l’analogie, le transfert de connaissance, l’analyse textuelle par les connaissances acquises en FLE. L’étude a su démontrer comment la navigation sur l’Internet peut promouvoir l’apprentissage du FLE chez les étudiants ghanéens.

Source: UCC
Street-vended food hygiene: risk factors and regulations' enforcement in selected districts of central region. Ghana

The purpose of this study was to research into the street-vended foods safety risk factors and regulations' enforcement practices in the two selected districts of the Central Region of Ghana namely, Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem Municipal district and Ajumako Enyan Essiam district. This study was posited within the theories of disease causation, utilitarianism and why people obey the law. The study applied a mixed­methods research design. The analysis was done by situating the results of this study within the Codex Alimentarius International standards and relevant laws in Ghana. It was found that an overwhelming proportion of street food vendors (97.3%) were mainly illiterate females. On risk factors, almost one-fifth of food vendors did their business under insanitary environmental conditions, while nearly three-quarters of street foods were displayed in an unhygienic manner in either open air or at ground level. About one-half of vendors were observed to handle food with bare hands. Nearly one-fifth of vendors admitted they did not wash their hands with water and soap after using the toilet facility. Enforcement of food regulations in the study area was quite weak resulting in over one-third of food vendors operating without permit and therefore plying their business illegally. The regulation enforcement in the AEE District was found to be better than in the KEEA Municipality, which probably contributes to explaining the differentials in the trend of food borne diease incidence in the two districts. Ironically, consumers placed more premium on the socio-economic attributes of street food rather than on food safety considerations. It is recommended that local authorities strategise to implement a 24-hour food regulations' regime in collaboration with other food safety stakeholders. Local authorities must provide adequate human, budgetary and logistical resource support to ameliorate the challenges that impede successful regulations· enforcement and compliance in the study area.

Source: UCC
Street–Vended Food: Risk Factors and Regulations’ Enforcement in Selected Districts of Central Region, Ghana

The purpose of this study was to research into the street-vended foods risk factors and regulations’ enforcement practices in two selected districts of the Central Region of Ghana namely, Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem Municipality and the Ajumako Enyan Essiam district. This study was posited within the theories of disease causation process, the philosophy of utilitarianism and why people obey the law. The study applied a mixed-methods research design. The analysis was done by gauging the results of this study with the Codex Alimentarius International standards and relevant laws in Ghana. It was found that an overwhelming proportion of street food vendors (97.3%) were mainly illiterate females. On risk factors, almost one-fifth of food vendors did their business under insanitary environmental conditions; while nearly three-quarters of street foods were displayed in an unhygienic manner in either open air or at ground level. About one-half of vendors were observed to handle food with bare hands. Nearly one-fifth of vendors admitted they did not wash their hands with water and soap after using the toilet facility. Enforcement of food regulations in the study area was quite weak resulting in over one-third of food vendors operating without permit and therefore plying their business illegally. Albeit regulation enforcement in the AEE District was found to be better than in the KEEA Municipality, which probably contributes in explaining the differentials in the trend of food borne disease incidence in the two districts. Ironically, consumers placed more premium on the socio-economic attributes of street food rather than on food safety considerations. It is recommended that local authorities strategise to implement a 24-hour food regulations’ regime in collaboration with other food safety stakeholders. Local authorities must provide adequate human, budgetary and logistical resource support to ameliorate the challenges that impede successful food regulations’ enforcement and compliance in the study area.

Source: UCC
Strength Of Auditing And Reporting Standards And Foreign Investments In Sub Saharan Africa: The Moderating Role Of Legal Origin

Investors have access to foreign diversification either through foreign direct investment or through foreign portfolio investment. Some Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries have adopted the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for the preparation and presentation of their financial statements. This requires that their statements must be audited. Auditing has also been embraced by these countries, to give independent assurance that they are not misleading the general public. This consequently draws the attention of foreign investors to such countries. This study sought to examine the effect of the Strength of Auditing and Reporting Standards (SARS) on foreign investments and to also consider the moderating role of legal origin, on the relationship between SARS and foreign investments. The study adopted the positivism paradigm and employed the quantitative approach, together with the explanatory research design, involving 33 out of 48 SSA countries. The study used a dataset of 396, for a period spanning 12 years. Using the System Generalised Method of Moments, models were estimated and it was found that SARS has a positively significant relationship with both foreign direct investment and foreign portfolio investment. Legal origin of SSA plays a significant moderating role in the attraction of foreign investment to SSA countries. It is recommended that governments of SSA countries should develop their regulatory system to effectively support Auditing and Reporting Standards, so they can attract more foreign investments.

Source: UCC
Strengthening the Teaching of Information Literacy Skills: Case of University of Cape Coast, Ghana

Purpose: The main aim of this paper is to find out what is been done to strengthen the teaching of Information Literacy Skills at University of Cape Coast. Methodology: As a case study design, the random sampling technique was used to select lecturers and final year students of University of Cape Coast. The data collection instruments used were questionnaire and interview. Data obtained from the questionnaire was analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). This was reinforced by qualitative inferences from interviews with lectures of the course. Findings: The finding was that the teaching of Information Literacy Skills at University of Cape Coast can positively revolutionalise the way students study. Secondly, the duration for the teaching of the course should be extended; thirdly, the teaching of information literacy has a positive impact on the usage of the library; fourthly, the course is taught by professional librarians who are also professional teachers as a result the right pedagogical skills are applied. Implication: Other universities yet to start with the teaching of Information Literacy may consider the structures laid down by University of Cape Coast Originality: The advocacy role supposed to be played by the lecturers and students of the course will ensure that the duration of the course is extended so that the impact of the course will be deeply felt.

Source: UCC
Streptococcus Agalactiae Infection among Parturients and their Neonates at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital: An Evaluation of Different Diagnostic Methods, Prevalence and Risk Factors

Streptococcus agalcatiae (GBS) is a relatively common; normal bacterium in a woman's gastrointestinal and genitourinary tract; however, implicated as a leading cause of neonatal invasive infections. Maternal GBS colonization during late pregnancy is a pre-requisite for neonatal GBS infections. This study aimed at determining the prevalence of Streptococcus agalactiae among parturients and their neonates in the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital. A total of 301;150 vaginal swabs(parturients) and 151 superficial swabs(neonates)were collected between June 2019 and August 2019 and investigated for the presence of Streptococcus agalactiae using the culture method,16S rRNA, cfb, scpB, and atr genes targeting assays. Prevalence of GBS infection observed among the mothers was 36(24.0%),34(22.7%),32(21.3%),20(13.3%), and 2(1.3%) for atr gene, ScpB gene, cfb gene,16SrRNA gene, and culture technique respectively. Using the atr as the standard, sensitivities 55.6% for scp, 47.2% for cfb,47.2% for 16s rRNA gene and 5.6%, for culture were reported. Among the neonates, prevalence was 57(37.5%), 43(28.3%), 42(27.6%) 40(26.3%) and 0(0.0%) for atr gene, cfb gene, scpB gene, 16s rRNA and culture technique respectively. Sensitivites of 64.9%,70.2%, 64.9%,0.0% were also reported among the neonates for 16s rRNA, ScpB, cfb, and culture respectively comparing with the standard, atr gene. Specificity for the culture method and assays used in this study were above 85.0% and 90% for parturients and neonates respectively. A significant relationship was observed between GBS infection and ≤37 weeks gestation among the parturients. Also, among the neonates, a statistically significant relationship was found between GBS infection and the risk of intrauterine fetal death (IUFD). A comparative analysis of the PCR assays and the culture method revealed a relatively high prevalence of GBS among parturients and their neonates. Therefore, the use of PCR assays in combination with the culture method is recommended to increase the diagnosis of Group B streptococcal infection. A systematic national guideline is therefore recommended for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of GBS infection and its related complications among parturients and their neonates.

Source: UCC
Stress and coping strategies Among distance education students At the university of cape coast, ghana

This study was designed to identify the causes of stress and coping strategies adopted among distance education students at the College of Distance Education in the University of Cape Coast. A total of 332 diploma and post-diploma final year students in 2014/2015 academic year were selected from two study centers using random sampling procedure to respond to self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire which was adapted to suit the study context was pre-tested to ensure that it elicited valid response. The results of the study showed that ‘academic workload’, ‘high frequency of examinations’, ‘financial problems’, family/marriage problems’ were the major causes of stress among the students. The study also found some statistical significant differences between married and unmarried students with married students feeling more stressed with ‘financial problems’ and ‘family/marriage problems’ than unmarried students. Students used multiple strategies, mainly praying/meditating, self-distracting activities such as watching TV and listening to music to cope with stress. Other important stress coping strategies were emotional and instrumental support from family, friends and lecturers. The study recommended among others that the need for the counseling unit at College of Distance Education of UCC to organize frequent stress management programs for students and assign academic counselors

Source: UCC
Stress and coping strategies among first year students of college of education studies, University of Cape Coast

The study was undertaken with the aim to investigate stress and coping strategies among first year students of the University of Cape Coast. The descriptive survey research design was adopted for this study. The study was guided by three research questions and six hypotheses. A sample size of 300 first year students was selected for the study through cluster, proportionate and simple random sampling procedures. The researcher and five data collection assistants administered the adapted version of the Students Stress Inventory and Stress Coping Style Inventory (SCSI) to the selected respondents in their lecture theatres and it took us a period of two weeks to finish with the data collection. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics (means and standard deviation) and inferential statistics independent samples t-test and One-Way ANOVA). The findings indicated that there was high level of stress among the students. The study revealed that environmental, financial and academic stressors were the major common stressors to the students. Most students use active emotional-focused coping and active problem-focused coping strategies. There was no significant difference in gender in relation to stress. Males and females do not differ in stress coping strategies. Students from the three faculties do no differ in their stress level and also in the use of coping strategies. It was therefore recommended that students should be educated on both emotional-focused coping strategies and problem-focused coping strategies so that they can use them properly under different situations.

Source: UCC