ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Food safety knowledge and food safety practices of meat handlers in abattoirs and butcheries in Accra metropolis of Ghana

The safety of meat on the Ghanaian market, particularly those slaughtered locally, has been a source of concern over the years. Butchers slaughter animals on the bare ground and singe the fur with lorry tyres which is an unpleasant scene observed in James Town and other areas in Accra and its surrounding communities. The research design was mainly a mixture of both quantitative and qualitative descriptive study which covered a sample of 170 respondents. Multistage sampling was used to arrive at the final sample size and in depth interviews and questionnaires were used for the primary data collection. The findings of the study indicated that animal wastes were openly disposed of near the abattoirs attracting carnivorous animals such as vultures and dog. Improper cleaning of equipments and butchering platforms; the use of car tyres to burn and roast animals; ineffective supervision by law enforcement agencies; poor sanitation within the abattoir and illiteracy on the part of the butchers are threats to the safety of meats from these abattoirs It was concluded that there are several laws enacted to ensure food safety. However these laws are not effectively enforced in the abattoirs hence butchers engage in practices which could lead to microbial contamination of meat. The study recommended that public education on the various laws governing food safety should be intensified to enlightened butchers and the general public on the roles of these food laws

Source: UEW
Food safety practices among food vendors A comparative study between St. Louis College of Education and Opoku Ware Senior High School

Food safety activities among food vendors remain a crucial problem for people, food corporations and food control authorities in both industrialized and developing countries. One therefore has a strong conviction that there is a need for a thorough study into the phenomenon of food poisoning in schools caused by food vendors to validate the claim that mortality incidence among the school going youth has a correlation with their food intake on school premises. A comparative review of food safety practices between food suppliers at St. Louis College of Education and Opoku Ware School was the key objective of the report to evaluate food storage pratices adopted by food vendors. Exploratory and descriptive research designs were used. A population of 200 food vendors from St. Louis College of Education and Opoku Ware School, a total of 104 vendors were purposively sampled to participate in the study. Interview guide and questionnaire was the data collection instrument used. It was revealed that vendors at St. Louis College of Education demonstrated better food safety practices than food vendors at Opoku Ware School and they also had better health outlook of themselves when it comes to hygiene. It was discovered that, foodstorage practices adopted by vendors contributes about 48% at St. Louis College of Education compared to 14% at Opoku Ware Senior High School. Also, about 57% of food vendors at Opoku Ware School had more knowledge on food safety than their counterpart at St. Louis College of Education who had 22%. It was recommended that the Ghana Education Service and school authorities should organize training for food vendors in all educational institutions. It was also recommended that GES establish a requirement for food vendors operating in all educational institutions to receive periodic training on food safety and do regular medical checks up and reviews. It was concluded that school authorities particularly Opoku Ware School should ensure that much attention is given to the quality of foodstuffs procured for food preparation for the students

Source: UEW
Food taboos and common beliefs associated with pregnant women in Kasoa Zongo community in the central region of Ghana

The purpose of the study was to investigate the prevalence and adherence to food taboos associated with pregnancy in the Kasoa-Zongo community. The study employed descriptive cross-sectional survey, specifically, mixed-methods and combination of purposive, snowballing, and convenience sampling methods were used to select 106 respondents for the study. A structured questionnaire, with both closed- and open-ended items were used for data collection and analysed using SPSS version 20 by descriptive and inferential analyses. The results were presented by tables and frequencies. Key findings were that snails, ripe plantains, mushrooms, pork, eggs, mudfish, groundnuts, python, and tortoise formed some of the pregnancyrelated tabooed foods avoided by the pregnant women in the study area. Religious belief, foods being spiritually unwholesome, ancestral taboo prevention of miscarriage, deformity, prolonged labour, allergies and depression were some of the major reasons for adhering to food taboos during pregnancy. Over half of the pregnant women had good or fair knowledge of nutrition issues and adherence to food taboos was relatively more prevalent and higher among pregnant women with low levels of education compared to their counterparts with higher educational levels. It is recommended that education on nutrition during pregnancy should be intensified in all communities.

Source: UEW
Food waste management in the kitchens of educational institutions in Ghana. A case study of senior high schools in the Bolgatanga municipality

Food waste has always been an issue in kitchens of all sizes. It is, however, seen a lot more in commercial kitchens where there are high volumes of food waste generated. The generation of food waste in the kitchen causes a significant financial loss for the educational institutions and also contributes to natural resource depletion, Green House Gas (GHG) emissions during final disposal in landfills. The study aimed at assessing food waste management in the kitchens of Senior High Schools (SHS) in the Bolgatanga Municipality. The research design adopted for the study was survey. The population of the study included 64 kitchen staff identified at the four (4) boarding senior high schools in the Bolgatanga Municipality. Fifty-six kitchen staff were sampled using simple random sampling technique. Questionnaire was used for collecting the necessary information. The data gathered were processed using the statistical software packages, SPSS version 23.0. The finding indicated that leftovers foods, discarded food items, and purchasing ingredients more than needed are the type of waste generated. The finding showed that the kitchens does not have control over purchasing of food items, and have poor practice towards proper preparation of food to avoid waste generation. The study found that the kitchens had poor practices towards management of food wasted generated. The result showed that developing a food waste management policy ensures better planning of purchases by 78%, and better knowledge on how to use leftovers by 69.3%. The study concluded that proper strategies can reduce food waste generations towards sustainable food waste management. It was recommended that the school authorities should establish internal audit team and audit food waste generation by measuring the present food waste levels and identify the key sources of food waste generation.

Source: UEW
Forest cover change analysis, the establishment of plantation forest by local farmers in Offinso North District

Deforestation has been on the rise in worlds’ tropical forest from the late 20th century. Africa has lost more than 19 million ha of its forest. However, Ghana recorded a net gain of 1.96% in forest cover in 2018. This study assessed the role of plantation forest in the forest cover change of Offinso North District. The specific objectives were to assess what intrigued farmers in establishing forest, its extent, benefits and challenges. The study used the mixed method approach. It employed the purposive and systematic sampling methods. A sample of 135 farmers was used. Data was collected through semi – structured interviews and observation. GIS and Remote Sensing were used to assess forest cover change from 1990 – 2020.The study revealed that plantation forest was established by farmers mainly for economic benefits. The study showed that all farmers planted Teak with their alternate livelihood activities as food and cash crop farming. From this study, plantation forest increased by 4.3% and 18.5% in 1990 – 2015 and 2015 – 2020 respectively. Also, the study revealed that a change in forest cover improves local farmer’s socio-economic wellbeing. Moreover, farmers’ main challenges were no assistance from government and low income obtained from tree printing. It is recommended that the government should intervene in setting prices of trees planted by farmers together with assisting them with financial and technical support.

Source: UEW
Form masters’ views about discipline and learning achievement of senior high schools students the case of Asikuma Odoben Brakwa District, Ghana

The study was carried out to establish the relationship between discipline and learning achievement in Senior High Schools in Asikuma Odoben Brakwa District in the Central Region of Ghana. The study adopted descriptive and correlational research designs. The study population comprised 285 Senior High School Teachers. The research targeted a population of 15 Form Masters. Questionnaires were used to collect data on discipline and learning achievement of students using simple random sampling approach. Data analysis was mainly quantitative. Descriptive statistics in the form of frequency counts and percentages and inferential statistics in the form of regression analysis were used to summarize, organise and analyse data obtained in the research objectives respectively. The findings indicated that more than half (54.67%) of the students were of low discipline. Also, discipline related positively with, and accounted for most of the total variation in learning achievement. It was concluded that learning achievement, to a very large extent, depends on discipline because about eighty-seven percent of the variation in learning achievement was accounted for by discipline. Meaning most students who do not exhibit discipline would not achieve much academically and would eventually not be able to go far along the academic ladder, however, it was evident that a certain small percentage (about 13%) of students who may not necessarily show discipline could achieve much academically. The study recommended enhancement of discipline among the students for improvement of their learning achievement.

Source: UEW
Form-focused feedback in a ESL classroom. A study of senior high schools in the Talensi District.

This study aimed to investigate the use of form-focused feedback (FFF) by Senior High School (SHS) English teachers in the Talensi District and how this benefits their students’ language acquisition. Specifically, this study addresses the limited understanding of how SHS English teachers in the Talensi District use FFF and its impact on students’ language acquisition. While FFF is recognized in second language acquisition research as a crucial tool for improving grammatical accuracy and linguistic development, its practical application in this specific context remains underexplored. FFF techniques, such as explicit correction, metalinguistic explanation, and recasting, help learners improve their language proficiency by targeting specific linguistic forms. Literature shows that FFF fosters language development, enhances grammatical understanding, and promotes self-correction, leading to better learner outcomes. Therefore, examining FFF in this district is vital for improving teaching practices and boosting students' language learning success.A qualitative textual analysis was conducted using lesson recordings and interviews with 16 teachers in the Talensi District, Bolgatanga. Following content and thematic analysis, the findings indicated that teachers employ a range of FFF types, including explicit correction, metalinguistic explanation, recasting, elicitation, and multifaceted feedback. Notably, the use of these types was more instinctive than deliberate, with teachers applying them spontaneously rather than following a planned approach. The study also revealed that the FFF occurrences addressed phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic forms. This highlights the fact that teachers often made on-the-spot decisions to address issues related to vocabulary and pronunciation, reflecting broader intuitive FFF practices. Additionally, the study identified several benefits of FFF, such as fostering language development, enhancing proficiency, raising awareness of language errors, deepening learners’ understanding of language rules, and promoting self-correction and self-monitoring. These findings suggest important implications for language teachers, particularly the need for training and professional development programmes that focus on increasing teachers’ awareness of different FFF types. This underscores the importance of consciously integrating FFF into lessons to improve linguistic accuracy without compromising communication.

Source: UEW
The formation and usage of gerunds in Nandome

Out of preliminary observation of gerunds in Nandome, it is realised that the gerund marker {-bú} is not realised fully in speech but a split form of it, [-b] or [ú] are realised. Also, the gerund phrase in Nandome distinguishes between sentence adjuncts and adjuncts of a verb phrase. The movement of sentential adjuncts was found to resolve ambiguity in the gerund phrase. It was observed that degree emphasis can be achieved by making a gerund an argument to its root verb. In investigating this, 3 conversations and 2 stories were used. 374 gerunds were formed intuitively and crosschecked by two native speakers with linguistic training. A focus group discussion considered some aspects of gerunds and semantic interpretations. Generative phonology and the X-bar theory were used as frameworks for the research. Findings include the assertion that: the gerund in Nandome is marked by {-bú}, which never occurs fully phonologically. The marker is rather realised as: [b], [ú], [ύ], [fú], [fύ] or [bá], accompanied by tone rising in the verb root, but with exceptions. The gerund has a maximum of ten modifiers. Besides sentential adjuncts, modifiers are leftward of the gerund. The gerund phrase in Nandome is similar to the NP only in its sentential distribution. Negation and HABIT are possible in the gerund phrase. When adverbials are in the gerund phrase, they get negated and not the gerund. It is conclusive that all the preliminary observations are true. In addition, the study revealed etymological evidence that Nandome emerged from the southern dialects of Dagaare.

Source: UEW
Formative assessment practices and the goals and objectives of social studies_ an exploratory study in the Nsawam municipality

The study sought to investigate the status quo regarding the formative assessment practices and the goals and objectives of Social Studies in selected schools of the Nsawam municipality. The study was structured basically within the framework of qualitative approach and employed the exploratory research design. Three instruments namely interview guide, observation protocol and document analysis guide were used to gather primary information from the respondents. The population of the study included Junior and Senior High School teachers from the Nsawam Municipality. Ten teachers were selected through non-probability sampling methods (purposive and convenience sampling techniques) for the study. Data was analysed through thematic procedure based on the themes arrived at during the data collection. The major findings include the fact that although social studies teachers involve formative assessment in instructions their formative assessment practices are generally not in line with the current thinking of assessment. The study revealed that Social Studies teachers assess their learners for external examination purposes and not to achieve the goals and objectives of the subject. The study observed that some social studies teachers do not have adequate knowledge in alternative formative assessment tool thus teachers use only traditional assessment tools in assessing learning. This implies that the acquisition of skills, attitudes and values needed for the development of effective citizens which lies the heart of social studies may be impossible to assess. It was also found that, not all teachers assigned to teach social studies are professional trained to teach social studies hence they lack the basic professional knowledge about the subject. It is therefore recommended that social studies teachers adopt better assessment practices such as using items that elicit the higher order thinking skills of students, and incorporating the alternative forms of assessment to achieve the goals and objectives of the subject.

Source: UEW
Formative assessment techniques tutors use to assess teacher trainees’ learning in social studies in Colleges of Education in Ghana

Internal assessment is an integral part of teaching and learning in Social Studies in the Colleges of Education in Ghana and is beneficial to both students and tutors if use formatively. It is therefore important for teachers to be abreast with formative assessment techniques and how to use them in their classroom activities in order to win back public confidence. This could be achieved if, tutors try to follow the laid down procedures in administering formative assessment in their colleges. There is therefore the need to conduct a study into formative assessment techniques tutors use to assess teacher-trainees learning in Social Studies.Case study research design was used. The study was carried out in three Colleges of Education in Central Region of Ghana. The data were used together to form one case. Both the tutors and the colleges were purposively and conveniently selected for the study. Interview guide and classroom observation checklists were administered to nine (9) Social Studies tutors of Colleges of Education.The research found out that due to hasty nature in formulating formative assessment and scoring, tutors laid emphasis on cognitive domain to the neglect of affective and psychomotor domains which are also of paramount importance. Formative assessment should cover the three learning domains but in setting and scoring questions importance is attach to cognitive domain to the neglect of the affective and psychomotor domains. This make students pass through the academic system without acquiring needed skills, values and attitudes that will enable them to right the wrong in society using appropriate tools. Keywords: Formative assessment techniques in social studies. Diagnostic assessment. Peer assessment.

Source: UEW
Fortification of cassava starch biscuit in Agbozume

In developing countries like Ghana, the need for highly nutritious yet readily available and less expensive food is important. The purpose of the study was to develop a more fortified cassava starch biscuit with the introduction of a protein based ingredient in addition to the existing “Agbozume Biscuit. Cassava starch with coconut and soya bean were prepared by using process flow to come out with a suitable improved product. Sensory Evaluation of the biscuit was conducted by 90 panelists by using sensory attributes of colour, aroma, taste, texture, size and shape of the product. Results indicated a degree of likeness for all out of five, colour (4.1), aroma (4.7), shape (3.9), texture (3.9), size (3.3) and taste (4.5).Shelf life indicates that the product did not like moist therefore preferred to be stored in polythene bags and could make the product last for a period of four months without any significant change. Nutritional analysis in assessing the components of the fortified product revealed an additional increase. For every 100 gram, protein (13.0), fat (6.8), calcium (179mg), Vitamin C (29mg) thiamin (0.44) among other nutrients. This indicates a significant improvement in the Quality of the new composite cassava starch biscuit. The standardized recipe under materials can be as follows; Starch flour (dried) 250g, Soya flour 40g, Sugar 100g and Dried coconut 200g. These results showed that the 250g/40g (cassava starch/soya bean flour) composite could be a viable alternative to achieve the desired result for the popular delicacy: “Ayigbey biscuit”. It is recommended that, Bakers should limit the inclusion of soya beans flour in biscuit baking as too much soya bean can result in customer rejection.” Evaluation of the functionality of composite flour in test baking should be performed to ensure an increase in the use of composite flour made from many different local cereals and root/tuber plants in future instead of over reliance on imported wheat flour.

Source: UEW
Fostering Trust, Transparency, Satisfaction and Participation Amidst COVID-19 corruption: Does the Civil Society Matter? � Evidence from Ghana

The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has erupted corruption challenges across polities including Ghana. This situation has spurred anecdotal narratives underscoring a decline in citizens� trust, transparency perceptions, satisfaction and participation in pandemic activism, and thus catapulted civil society discourses into prominence. Therefore, we investigate civil society imperativeness to trust, transparency, satisfaction and participation, whilst mitigating corruption. Results (n = 375) of structural equation modeling revealed the negative impact of corruption on trust, satisfaction and transparency. Whereas, trust and transparency were revealed to be significant to satisfaction and participation, the civil society�s efficacy was confirmed. Based on these, research and policy implications are proffered. � 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Source: UEW
Four choruses inspired by Ghana-Togo imaginary border line

The study contains four choral musical works written to celebrate unity in diversity and to serve as a personal motivation for its relevance for a master’s degree research. In spite of the imaginary line resulting from imperialistic territorial aggrandizement that divide households and townsmen who live in communities along the Ghana-Togo border, these communities have continued to preserve the cultural exchanges of their old traditions from generation to generation. Consequently, the border line does not significantly separate them as a people. This phenomenological case study collected data from three towns in the Volta Region of Ghana - Kpetoe, Dakpa and Dzodze – whose indigenes are divide by the imaginary Ghana-Togo border line. Data was collected on provenance, language, dressing, food, religious practices and musical forms. Firstly, the study analysed the data collected and compared the similarities and differences in their ways of life, and secondly, used their musical element commonalities as resources for composing four grandiose musical choruses (i.e., for SATB). The resulting musical products, four choruses, were ultimately performed by three choirs — one from Ghana and two from Togo. The productions of the works into live music were in separate performances showcasing the researcher’s artistic vision for both local and international audiences. Finally, the researcher analysed the works to give a panoramic view of the musical constructional procedures that reflect his thinking processes to guide listeners and performers alike. The study established that the communities continue to flourish by preserving their old traditions in spite of modernity and political challenges. It expanded my composition field of study and my general musicianship. Lastly, a significant contribution the study brings to academia is how the works blend the Amu-Nayo bi-cultural choral tradition with the synergies of indigenous vocal tonal forms of the communities along the Ghana-Togo border

Source: UEW