ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
A Review of the Geography One Aspect of the 2010 Geography Syllabus for Senior High Schools in Ghana

This is a non-empirical article whose main focus is a review of the 2010 Geography One Teaching syllabus currently being used in Senior High Schools in Ghana. Though the 2010 SHS Geography syllabus has been structured and organized into three sections, the review has however been done on the Physical and Practical Geography aspects which constitute the Geography One domain of the syllabus. Certain principles for evaluating instructional programmes (curricula) have been used to assess the relevance of the syllabus to the Geography student in particular and the Ghanaian context in general. The review focused on a discussion of the relative strengths and weaknesses in the organization and integration of content and learning experiences towards the attainment of instructional objectives. The review holds the view that the new syllabus is a comprehensive document which has used the holistic approach to address issues of interconnections, distribution linkages and patterns of geographic phenomena and processes and above all, has been able to blend all the components of content to a very high degree. In conclusion, the article suggests that the designers of the syllabus should take steps to rectify the shortcomings identified and then pass on the feedback to the classroom geography teacher for implementation. But before this is done, the article recommends the use of the new Geography One Syllabus in all Senior High Schools where geography is taught.

Source: UCC
A review on the relationship among information and communication technology, curriculum content and pedagogy: Implications for tertiary education, administration, policy and practice

This paper describes the relationship among Information and Communication Technology (ICT), curriculum content and pedagogy as an important issue for faculty and administrators in tertiary institutions with an aim to consider it in the light of the increasing use of ICT use in the world today. This is underpinned by the notion for technology integration called technological pedagogical content knowledge originally depicted by Mishra and Koehler, and is critical for effective teaching with technology. The paper begins with an introduction of the concept of ICT and the technological environment of tertiary institutions in sub Saharan countries. It then examines ICT and its relation with curriculum content and pedagogy in the context of tertiary education. Putting these together the relationship among ICT, curriculum and pedagogy are considered. Ultimately the implications of this relationship among the tertiary education Administration, Policy and Practice are considered. To ensure that quality and access to tertiary education are realized in developing countries, with specific reference to Ghana, are achieved, the relationship among ICT, curriculum content and pedagogy must be acknowledged by both faculty and management.

Source: UCC
A review on video-based human activity recognition

This review article surveys extensively the current progresses made toward video-based human activity recognition. Three aspects for human activity recognition are addressed including core technology, human activity recognition systems, and applications from low-level to high-level representation. In the core technology, three critical processing stages are thoroughly discussed mainly: human object segmentation, feature extraction and representation, activity detection and classification algorithms. In the human activity recognition systems, three main types are mentioned, including single person activity recognition, multiple people interaction and crowd behavior, and abnormal activity recognition. Finally the domains of applications are discussed in detail, specifically, on surveillance environments, entertainment environments and healthcare systems. Our survey, which aims to provide a comprehensive state-of-the-art review of the field, also addresses several challenges associated with these systems and applications. Moreover, in this survey, various applications are discussed in great detail, specifically, a survey on the applications in healthcare monitoring systems

Source: UCC
Review: Improving our knowledge of male mosquito biology in relation to genetic control programs

The enormous burden placed on populations worldwide by mosquito-borne diseases, most notably malaria and dengue, is currently being tackled by the use of insecticides sprayed in residences or applied to bed nets, and in the case of dengue vectors through reduction of larval breeding sites or larviciding with insecticides thereof. However, these methods are under threat from, amongst other issues, the development of insecticide resistance and the practical difficulty of maintaining long-term community-wide efforts. The sterile insect technique (SIT), whose success hinges on having a good understanding of the biology and behavior of the male mosquito, is an additional weapon in the limited arsenal against mosquito vectors. The successful production and release of sterile males, which is the mechanism of population suppression by SIT, relies on the release of mass-reared sterile males able to confer sterility in the target population by mating with wild females. A five year Joint FAO/IAEA Coordinated Research Project brought together researchers from around the world to investigate the pre-mating conditions of male mosquitoes (physiology and behavior, resource acquisition and allocation, and dispersal),the mosquito mating systems and the contribution of molecular or chemical approaches to the understanding of male mosquito mating behavioral summary of the existing knowledge and the main novel findings of this group is reviewed here, and further presented in the reviews and research articles that form this Acta Tropica specialissue

Source: UCC
Revisiting Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) in Ghana

When Ghana became independent in 1957 it had one of the most developed education systems in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Over the next forty years its education system expanded to provide places for most, but not all, of its children. Since the education reforms of the late 1980s enrolments have grown steadily; this contrasts with some SSA countries with universal free primary education policies, which have experienced short periods of rapid growth. Education reforms in Ghana, however, have fallen below expectations. The Free and Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) programme introduced in 1995 promised universal education by 2005. This paper revisits Ghana's FCUBE policy for clues as to why it did not achieve the target goal and especially why poorest households seem to have benefited least from it. One disappointment with FCUBE is that its input did not go far enough to offset the opportunity costs of schooling for the poorest households by abolishing all forms of fees and reducing significantly the indirect costs associated with attending school. The incidence of late entry, overage attendance and poor households' need for child labour also posed a further threat to the benefits FCUBE promised

Source: UCC
Reward System and Job Performance of Administrative Staff of the University of Cape Coast: The Role of Organisational Politics

The main purpose of this research is to examine the mediation of organisational politics between reward systems and employee performance among administrators in the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. In addition, the study specifically sought to evaluate the reward systems, level of performance of administrators, influence of reward systems on the job performance and the mediation of organisational politics on the relationship between reward system and job performance. The study employed both explanatory and descriptive survey research design and approached the study through the quantitative research approach. A sample of 269 permanent employees were selected using the simple random sampling technique. A self-administered questionnaire was used in soliciting the views of the employees. Firstly, the study discovered that employees are happy with majority of reward system provided to them by management and employees task performance, adaptive performance and contextual performance has improved. In addition, it was also found that that reward system has a positive association with job performance and organisational politics influence the relationship between reward system and the job performance of employees. The study concluded that reward system predicts job performance. In addition, the study concluded that organisational politics mediates between reward system and job performance of employees so the university should provide a healthy political climate within the university. The study recommended that management provide workers with commensuration salaries and benefits as doing so would energize them for optimum performance and ensure positive organisational politics.

Source: UCC
Reward systems and employee performance at the University of Ghana

Reward management is one of the ways used by organizations for attracting and retaining suitable employees as well as helping them to improve their performance. This study was conducted at the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between reward systems and employee performance at University of Ghana. Specifically, the study sought to determine the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic rewards and employee performance as well as the effect of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards on employee performance. The study adopted descriptive design and utilized the quantitative research approach. Simple random technique was used to sample 169 out 300 senior staff of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences of the University of Ghana. Data was collected using questionnaires. Descriptive statistics (frequency tables, percentages) were used to present data. Data were analysed using SPSS 22 and SEM to generate the descriptive statistics as well as run the regression analysis which were mainly presented with the use of frequency tables and percentages. The findings of the study showed that both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards had a significant positive relationship with employee performance (β = 0.260, p<0.05) (β = 0.330, p<0.05) respectively. The study therefore recommended that the University of Ghana should focus on increasing both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards as well as adopt a total reward system, that is, a combination of both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards to enhance employee performance.

Source: UCC
Reward systems and employee performance: the case of Mon-Tran Ghana Limited in Accra

This study has been influenced by the purpose to assess reward system among agency employees and understand how reward system impacts agency employees the most among Mon-Tran Ltd, Accra. The specific objectives that guided the study were; to analyse the perceptions of employees regarding Mon Tran ltd reward systems; to assess the relationship between reward system and employee performance; to examine the extent to which financial and non-financial rewards influence employee performance. The study adopted a quantitative methodology. The design of the study was descriptive, with a sample of 196, out of which 146 responded from the 190 questionnaires which were successfully distributed. The main instrument used for this study was a structured questionnaire with statistical tools such as; mean, standard deviation (SD), frequencies, percentages and linear regression analysis. The study adopted a simple random technique. The study findings first indicated that the employee have a satisfactory perception about the reward system of the company and that should in some extend be involved in the designing of their reward system. The study also revealed that there is a significant and strong positive relationship between employee performance and extrinsic rewards. The results of the study however, also pointed out that, there was an insignificant effect between intrinsic rewards and employee performance. The study recommended that management of Mon-Tran ltd should provide the opportunity for consulting their employees on designing and determining appropriate reward systems.

Source: UCC
Reward systems and performance of high school teachers at Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis and Ahanta west district in the Western region of Ghana

Human capital development is very important to national development. One way by which human capital development can be achieved is through formal education. Policies in education which seek to reward teachers are necessary to ensure that teachers perform for national development goals to be achieved The purpose of the study was to investigate the role the Ghana Education Service rewards systems play in motivating teachers to perform. The research investigated the reward systems and performance of selected junior and senior high school teachers from the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis and Ahanta West district in the Western Region of Ghana. The sample consisted of 317 high school teachers and 111 other stakeholders in education from the two selected districts. Questionnaires, interview guide, tape recorders and observation tools were used. The results showed that the type of rewards system in place played a role in teachers’ performance. A valued reward system including fringe benefits and allowances; recognition and acquisition of professional knowledge and skills; better working environment; participation in decision making; and the level of knowledge and skills of the teachers motivate them to perform. Teachers’ needs, when satisfied, will motivate them to perform. It is recommended that the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service and all stakeholders in education ensure that high school teachers, enjoy both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards systems to perform.

Source: UCC
Reward systems and performance of teachers in senior high schools in the Asuogyaman district

Reward is said to motivate employees to excel at high performance in their various roles and responsibilities (Sparrow, 1999). This study was undertaken to determine the extent to which reward systems of the Ghana Education Service (GES) influence work performance of Senior High School teachers. Out of a population of 191, a sample size of 90 respondents, representing 47 percent of the entire population was drawn for the study. This sample comprises 56 males and 34 females with exactly 76.7 percent of them below 40 years. The findings revealed that reward systems of Ghana Education Service are not effective to influence high performance among Senior High School teachers. They indicated great dissatisfaction with reward items such as salaries, promotions, allowances, pension plans and general incentives among others. The study concludes that there is general job dissatisfaction among Senior High School teachers in the Asuogyaman District. Consequently, majority of the teachers are likely to quit teaching for any perceived more lucrative jobs at the least opportunity. It is recommended that GES takes steps to institute more effective reward systems for its teachers. There should also be an improvement upon the already existing reward factors such as salaries and other conditions of service for Senior High School teachers in the district. Again, there should be stiffer attitudinal regulatory measures to guide the performance of teachers.

Source: UCC
Rewards and recognition on staff retention at Koforidua Polytechnic

Within the polytechnics, enormous strides are being made with some of the polytechnics striving to introduce more market driven programmes such as Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech). These emerging trends require that the Koforidua Polytechnic positions itself in all strategic human resources management, including recognition and rewards. This prompted the need to investigate current rewards and recognition and their potential effects on employee retention at the polytechnic. The study employed descriptive crosssectional survey approach to collect and analyse data. Both probability and nonprobability sampling methods were used, in addition to proportional sampling allocation to the various academic schools in the polytechnic. Findings from the study suggest that staff were not generally satisfied with salaries and compensations available even though the salaries and compensations appeared the most favoured reward mechanism of staff. The study also established that staff members were not very impressed with the basis of determining their salaries. Equally, the research further observed that between the next one to ten years, the majority of the surveyed people had intentions of retiring or leaving the polytechnic, despite their average ages pointing towards less than 40 years. It is therefore recommended that the polytechnic need to seriously address issues on rewards and recognition in the polytechnic to improve staff retention at the polytechnic.

Source: UCC
Réflexions critiques sur le comique d’expression langagière dans Les Soleils des Indépendances et Allah n’est pas oblige d’Ahmadou Kourouma

This study critically reflects on Kourouma’s use of linguistic expressivity to generate or induce laughter, meant to expose socioeconomic and political ills which threaten sustainable human development in post-independence African states. Tragic as these ills are, they require serious reflections and drastic attentions. Kourouma however chooses humour and laughter as an appropriate vehicle through which he draws attention to the need for Africans to reexamine their situations in a more sober manner in order to unearth the real causes of their developmental challenges so as to proffer the requisite solutions to them. The study therefore examines the various stylistic techniques Kourouma deploys in two of his award winning novels, Les Soleils des Indépendances and Allah n’est pas obligé to achieve these objectives. It is based mainly on textual data gathered from these two novels and analyzed in the conceptual framework thematic discourse analysis. It concludes that Kourouma’s language in the two literary texts is effectively expressive through the imagery it evokes. These imagery result from Kourouma’s successful combination of various literary techniques such as incongruous comparisons and proverbs, semantic deformations, lexical accumulations and acrimonious repetitions, ungrammatical syntactic structures, intrusion of vulgar Malinke lexical items and scatological expressions to provoke laughter and critical reflections

Source: UCC
Rhetoric and political power in the last century of the roman republic

Rhetoric in the last century of Republican Rome was so much entrenched in the fabrics of the Roman political society in such a way that, politicians who lacked the ability to speak persuasively denied themselves the opportunity to effectively affect the politics of the time. During the last century of the Roman Republic, Rome had an excellent military might which ensured that Rome was acclaimed the mistress of the world and inevitably controlled the Mediterranean region. Consequently, Rome‟s military prowess became a universally accepted phenomenon; due to this, it is often the case that more attention is given to militarism with regards to political power in Rome than to rhetoric or oratory. The importance of rhetoric to attaining political power is most often than not treated in silence or in extreme cases, glossed over. In order to achieve the purpose of this research, I will employ the historical narrative approach, that is, a narrative explanation, presumably, presenting an account of the linkages between events as a process leading to the outcome I seek to explain. This outcome is that rhetorical prowess was very crucial to Roman politicians who had the intent of winning and or exercising political power. With the nature of the Roman Republican system of governance being rhetoric friendly, politicians simply needed the art of persuasion so much that, even the likes of Caesar and Pompey who had armies behind them simply could not rely on their armies to exercise political power all the time but, had to use rhetorical prowess to get the job (exercising political power) done when necessary.

Source: UCC
The rhetoric and reality of Lean: A multiple case study

In this paper, we analyze similarities and differences between descriptions of Lean found in the extant literature and how it is applied in practice. Using a multiple case study with seven cases from different sectors, we offer seven propositions about Lean as applied in reality and the relation to descriptions in literature. Our results indicate that organizations adopt the general rhetoric, and repeat the message conveyed by Lean proponents, in terms of rationale for and expected outcomes of applying Lean. Furthermore, we see that the decision to implement Lean often precedes the identification of problems in the organization, which causes a risk of an unfocused change process. The Lean initiatives also tend to have a rather narrow scope, which contradicts the holistic view advocated in the literature. This, together with variation in operationalization, makes it difficult to predict the outcomes of a Lean initiative. Our study suggests that our findings do not depend on organization size, sector or industry.

Source: UCC
The Rhetoric Of Banking In Ghana: A Content Analysis Of Communication Strategies Of Loan Agreement Forms

Rhetoric of banking is vital for maintaining effective and fruitful relationships with stakeholders. Even though there are several studies on the rhetoric of banking, there has yet to be a known study on the rhetoric of loan agreements. The present study explored banking rhetoric within the context of loan agreement forms. I purposely sampled five loan agreement forms from five banks in Ghana. Using Aristotle’s theory of rhetoric and Spinuzzi's genre ecology, I analysed the content of the loan agreement forms to discover the rhetorical strategies and ethical appeals embedded in the artefacts. I found that the loan agreement forms employed rhetorical strategies such as syllogism, indemnification, discretionary clauses, and conditional statements to communicate effectively with borrowers. Also, the study revealed that ethical appeals such as certification, authoritative statements, legal basis, and Appeal to warranty were employed in the loan agreement forms to convey the credibility of banks to borrowers. Moreover, I found from the views of twentyfive participants that loan agreement forms are ineffective in rhetorical appeal because of their linguistic complexity, text-centred variables and slang/jargon. I recommend that banks consider revising the writing style and restrictive clauses of their loan agreements to make them effective in rhetorical appeals and inclusive of the rights of the borrowers.

Source: UCC
The rhetoric of work in proverbs 24:30-34

The book of Proverbs contains several instances where the Israelite sages highlight the value of work for the individual and for society. Proverbs 24:30-34 is a masterful example of such a rhetorical piece. Failure to consider its rhetorical featuares is likely to result in incomplete and even incorrect interpretation. Many recent works on Proverbs recognize the rhetorical character of the book, but do not demonstrate its relevance as far as interpretation of the sayings is concerned. To read Proverbs as a rhetorical act is to treat the book close to the demand of its genre. This paper takes a close look at Proverbs 24:30-34 and argues that an analysis of the rhetoric of the text enables us to gain insight into how proverbs function. As well, a rhetorical approach will unfold the meaning and influence of biblical proverbs for a contemporary audience

Source: UCC