ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Kindergarten teachers use of ICT tools in classroom practice to facilitate teaching a case study of North Dayi district

The purpose of the study intends to find out how kindergarten teacher in in North Dayi District use of ICT tools in classroom practice to facilitate teaching. This study employed a Descriptive Survey Design. Descriptive survey was used to gather information on Kindergarten Teachers use of ICT tools in classroom practice to facilitate teaching: a case study of in North Dayi District. Descriptive survey research design was preferred because information was readily obtainable from kindergarten teachers in their natural environment, concerning their attitudes or beliefs on certain issues of the study. The population of this study included: basic school kindergarten teachers of in the North Dayi District. Therefore the target population of this study consist of 177 kindergarten teachers. The study of this research involved the use of Multistage Sampling Technique to select North Dayi District as the target population. Cluster sampling technique was employed by the researcher to divide the population of North Dayi District into circuits to make the conduct of the research simpler. The researcher adopt a Simple Random Sampling techniques to select; Aveme, Anfoega Botoku, Bume Awate, Vakpo and Wusuta as 6 circuits in North Dayi District The study used Purposive Sampling to identify the respondents (kindergarten teachers) for this study. This study was conducted by the researcher using prepared questionnaires whereby respondents were kindergarten teachers. The researcher analyzed each questionnaire according to the opinion of respondents. Presentations of research findings was done using data analysis charts, tables, bar graphs, percentages, and frequencies. From the findings of the study, most teachers from the North Dayi District strongly and agreed that, using ICT tools help support language development, ICT tools as a support of creativity, ICT makes lesson easily understandable, using ICT tools support children from diverse cultural background, and ICT helps in retention. It can be concluded that, the very first stage of ICT implementation must be effective to make sure that, teachers and students are able to make the best use of it. Thus, preparations of a technology-based teaching and learning begin with proper implementation and supports by the school top management. Therefore the researcher recommended that, head teacher should make sure that their respective kindergarten classrooms have adequate ICT tools for children. This should be complimented by developing a working plan that gives kindergarteners a balanced timetable for learning ICT. The Ministry of Education and Ghana Institute of Curriculum Development should formulate adequate policies that would ensure all public preschools are funded enough to purchase, install and ensure availability of ICT tools as well as replacing the worn-out and dangerous ICT tools. And teacher should develop positive attitude towards ICT, teachers should be trained on how to use ICT in teaching.

Source: UEW
Kindergarten teachers’ self-efficacy and their use of developmentally appropriate practices in selected districts in the Central Region, Ghana

The intent of this study was to examine Kindergarten Teachers’ Self-efficacy and their use of Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Selected Districts in the Central Region of Ghana. The study was underpinned by the Social Cognitive Theory. The cross-sectional survey design was adopted for the study. The target population for the study was all kindergarten teachers in the Central Region of Ghana whiles the accessible population was all kindergarten teachers in Cape Coast Metropolitan and the Gomoa West District. Simple Random and Purposive sampling techniques were used in selecting the districts and respondents. The sample size for the study was 274 kindergarten teachers, data analysis was based on the responses from 264 respondents. The instrument used to gather the data was a set of self-developed questionnaire and adaption of the Tschannen Moran and Hoy Self efficacy scale. Descriptive statistics (Percentages and Means) and inferential statistics (Pearson Product Moment Correlation) were the quantitative analytical tools used. The findings revealed that, the kindergarten teachers had a positive perception about kindergarten education. The findings indicated that, kindergarten teachers in the study area had high self-efficacy especially in their classroom management practices. It was also revealed that kindergarten teachers used developmentally appropriate practice in their teaching learning activities. Finally, there was a strong positive correlation between kindergarten teachers’ self-efficacy and their developmentally appropriate practices and contrarily a weak positive correlation between kindergarten teachers’ self-efficacy and their teaching experience. The study recommended that stakeholders should organize workshops, seminars, for kindergarten teachers to educate and sensitize them on professional expectations with regards to early childhood education, self – efficacy and developmentally appropriate practices.

Source: UEW
Kindergarten teachers’ use of classroom management strategies in the Hohoe municipality, Volta Region

This study examines kindergarten teachers’ perceptions of classroom management strategies in managing kindergarten pupils. The study employed concurrent mixed method design, underpinned by the pragmatic philosophical thought. Data were collected in two phases using a four-point Likert-type questionnaire and observation schedule. At the quantitative phase, a questionnaire was administered to teachers while the qualitative phase involved observation and interview of class teachers. Independent samples t-test and standard deviation were the analytical tools used for quantitative data while the qualitative data were thematically analysed to explain issues as they emerged from the quantitative data. The findings of the study showed that kindergarten teachers in the study area had high efficacy beliefs in classroom management practices; kindergarten teachers mostly used group managerial approach, group guidance and the business academic approaches in managing the misbehaviour and inadequate nurturing at home, and copying of bad behaviours by pupils at home and in school. Seeking teachers’ and peers’ attention seemed to be the reasons why pupils misbehave in kindergarten classrooms. Moreover, no statistically significant difference was found in the efficacy beliefs in classroom management practices of male and female kindergarten teachers. It was therefore, recommended that both the pre-service and in-service early childhood teacher education programmes in Ghana should emphasize teacher trainees’ ability to: (1) manage the peculiar behaviour of individual pupils; and (2) establish classroom management systems appropriate for learners. The Colleges of Education and Ministry of Education should ensure that teachers receive more training in classroom management during their off-campus teaching.

Source: UEW
Kindergarten teachers’ use of classroom management strategies in the Hohoe municipality, Volta region.

This study examines kindergarten teachers’perceptions of classroom managementstrategiesinmanagingkindergartenpupils.Thestudyemployed concurrentmixedmethoddesign,underpinnedbythepragmaticphilosophical thought.Datawerecollectedintwophasesusingafour-pointLikert-type questionnaire and observation schedule.Atthe quantitative phase,a questionnaire was administered to teachers while the qualitative phase involvedobservationandinterviewofclassteachers.Independentsamplesttestandstandarddeviationweretheanalyticaltoolsusedforquantitative datawhilethequalitativedatawerethematicallyanalysedtoexplainissuesas theyemergedfrom thequantitativedata.Thefindingsofthestudyshowed thatkindergartenteachersinthestudyareahadhighefficacybeliefsin classroom managementpractices;kindergartenteachersmostlyusedgroup managerialapproach,groupguidanceandthebusinessacademicapproaches inmanagingthemisbehaviourandinadequatenurturingathome,andcopying ofbadbehavioursbypupilsathomeandinschool.Seekingteachers’and peers’attention seemed to be the reasons why pupils misbehave in kindergartenclassrooms.Moreover,nostatisticallysignificantdifferencewas foundintheefficacybeliefsinclassroom managementpracticesofmaleand femalekindergartenteachers.Itwastherefore,recommendedthatboththe pre-serviceandin-serviceearlychildhoodteachereducationprogrammesin Ghanashouldemphasizeteachertrainees’abilityto:(1)managethepeculiar behaviourofindividualpupils;and (2)establish classroom management systemsappropriateforlearners.TheCollegesofEducationandMinistryof Educationshouldensurethatteachersreceivemoretraininginclassroom managementduringtheiroff-campusteaching.

Source: UEW
Kindergarten teachers’ use of classroom management strategies within Ekumfi District, Ghana

The study examined the preschool facilitators’ perceptions of classroom management strategies used in preschool classrooms in the Ekumfi District, Central Region of Ghana. Convergent mixed method design was employed where Census and purposive sampling techniques were used to sample 35 participants (11 males, 24 females). Questionnaire, semi-structured interview guide and observation checklist were used to collect data for the study. The study revealed that teachers can control some pupils’ disruptive behaviour in the classroom; teachers were able to motivate themselves and guide their actions anticipated by the exercise of forethought; they set themselves challenging goals and maintain a strong commitment to them. It was also revealed that, children are not well nurtured at home and model bad behaviours they see at home and in school and seeking teacher’s attention. It was concluded that with regard to facilitators’ self-efficacy beliefs about their classroom management practices, an important finding of this research is that most of the sampled facilitators use a combined approach of reactive and proactive classroom management strategies which is most appropriate as endorsed by several researchers. However, based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that both the pre-service and in-service levels, early childhood teacher education programmes in Ghana should emphasize teacher trainees’ ability to: (1) manage the peculiar behaviour of individual pupils; and (2) establish classroom management systems appropriate for each group of learners.

Source: UEW
Kindergarten teachers’ use of existing ICT tools in classroom assessment practices in Asikuma Odoben Brakwa District

Integration of ICT into all levels of Ghanaian education has been a concern to the government of Ghana. As a result, the government in collaboration with other stakeholders of education have undertaken steps to ensure that ICT integration into education in Ghana becomes a reality. Despite the numerous efforts by the government and other stakeholders towards ensuring comprehensive ICT integration, in most cases the opposite is what is realized in practice. With all of the research on kindergarten teachers' use of ICT in education, very little studies centred on ICT use in classroom assessment practices of the kindergarten teachers. Using a descriptive survey design, a research was undertaken on kindergarten teachers’ use of existing ICT tools in classroom assessment practices in Asikuma Odoben Brakwa district. Census was employed in the selection of participants and therefore all the 193 public school kindergarten teachers in the district (37 male and 156 female) were used as participants in the study. Meanwhile, descriptive statistics alongside inferential statistics (Independent Sample T-Test) were employed to analyse the data. Findings of the study, revealed that the existing types of ICT tools in the kindergarten classrooms were tablet, printer, computer, pen drive, mobile phone, video game, radio cassette recorder, television, television decoder, and Bluetooth speaker; majority of the classrooms did not have most of the types of ICT tools. It was also revealed in the study that majority of the teachers at the kindergarten level do not most of the time use ICT tools in classroom assessment practices. The study further found that majority of the kindergarten teachers have inadequate knowledge in using ICT tools in classroom assessment practices. Generally, majority of the kindergarten teachers according to the findings of this study, have challenges most of the time in their use of ICT tools in classroom assessment practices and these challenges include inadequate computers, inadequate knowledge in using the ICT tools, developmentally inappropriate ICT tools, lack of technical support, inadequate time and limited understanding of ICT integration into classroom assessment. Also, the study found that there was no statistically significant difference in ICT use in classroom assessment practices between the mean scores of the male teachers and the female teachers. In view of the findings of the study, recommendations were made to the government of Ghana and its educational stakeholders to support the schools by providing developmentally appropriate ICT tools to kindergarten classrooms in the district. The Ghana Education Service with its partner organizations should also provide regular in-service training to kindergarten teachers and support them in diverse ways to resolve the challenges they encounter in using ICT tools in the conduct of their classroom assessment practices.

Source: UEW
Knowledge and contributions of community opinion leaders towards the implementation of inclusive education policy in Ga west municipality of Ghana

The purpose of this study was to explore community leaders‟ knowledge and contributions towards the implementation of inclusive education (IE) policy in the Ga West Municipality of Ghana. This qualitative study was designed as a case study. Data were collected from 25 participants, purposively sampled from a population of 66 community opinion leaders, who responded to a set of semi-structured interview questions. The study found the following: (i) that community opinion leaders had fair knowledge about the IE policy and valued the philosophy of its implementation, and that (ii) collaboration with key stakeholders contributed to the successful implementation of the IE policy in the Ga West Municipal, (iii) awareness creation about the rights of children with disabilities and provision of resources contribute towards the implementation of IE in the municipality. To improve the knowledge of community opinion leaders about IE policy, sensitization workshops and seminars emerged as one of the strategies to enhance the implementation of the IE policy. It was concluded that the full implementation of the IE policy would combat discrimination, create welcoming communities and build inclusive societies. Therefore, it was recommended that advocates of IE should increase community knowledge about the practicality and benefits of the IE policy and should always involve community opinion leaders since they have a major role to play in the full implementation of IE in their community.

Source: UEW
Knowledge and perception of teachers toward inclusive education in basic schools in Garu District in the Upper East Region of Ghana

The purpose of the study was to examine the knowledge and perception of teachers towards inclusive education in basic schools in Garu District, in the Upper East region of Ghana, in an attempt to draw the attention of stakeholders to the predicament of learners with special educational needs. The proposed study was guided by Vygotsky's social constructivist theory. The study employed a concurrent mixed research design method with targeted participants of 190 teachers and 29 head teachers. The instruments the study utilized were a questionnaire and a semi structured interview. Simple random sampling was used in selecting six head teachers from the basic schools, while a proportional stratified random sampling technique was used to pick 190 participants from five different circuits in Garu District. For the quantitative data, a questionnaire was distributed to teachers in 29 schools across five circuits, while for the qualitative data, a semi-structured interview was conducted with head teachers in their respective school offices. The validity and reliability of the instruments used were assured through peer assessment, discussions with the supervisor, and pre-testing. The quantitative data collected via the questionnaire was coded, entered, and analysed using the SPSS statistical package for social science data-based software, and then translated into frequency tables and pie-charts for better comprehension. The data showed that teachers regard inclusive policy practice to be good as it gives access to learners with SEN to attend their community schools. The perceptions of teachers are generally positive toward inclusive education practice, but how to educate those with disabilities is a major problem. That is because teachers did not have sufficient knowledge of how to include learners with special needs in the regular school system. Furthermore, there were challenges identified that bedevilled successful inclusive practice in the District schools. Such as high enrolments drive with inadequate staffing, lack of furniture, teaching and inadequate teaching and learning resources, among others. The study recommended immediate training of teachers and head teachers on teaching strategies related to special needs education and provision of teaching and learning resources among others, and concluded that, the perceptions of Garu basic schools teachers are generally positive towards including learners with special needs in the regular school system.

Source: UEW
Knowledge and practices of media ethics by broadcast journalists, a case study of selected radio stations in Cape Coast

The broadcast media occupy a significant place in developed and growing democracies worldwide, providing media consumers with diverse entertainment and information products, impacting culture and helping define social reality. There is an increasing global demand for broadcast media. As the use of radio broadcast media increases in Ghana, the concern about the standard of journalistic practice has become a problem. The study investigated the knowledge and practice of media ethics by broadcast journalists in three radio stations in the Cape Coast Metropolis. A qualitative case study, using key informant interviews, observation and focus group discussions was adopted. The study was hinged on the principles of media ethics namely; Utilitarianism, Golden Mean principle, Categorical Imperative and the Pluralistic theory of Value. It was found that though journalists were highly aware of the ethical principles that guide the practice of journalism, their practice do not reflect their knowledge. Also, radio presenters who worked in national and international media houses had a huge influence on the presentation styles of the stations that syndicated their news and programmes. It was revealed that media managers had an undue influence on media content, and that the stations served as the mouthpiece of the institutions that operated them. It recommended that media regulators should ensure that continuous training in ethics is complimented by provision of job and personal security of journalists by media owners and government.

Source: UEW
Knowledge and preparedness of student nurses to provide healthcare to patients with deafness

Investigating student nurses’ knowledge and preparedness to provide healthcare to the Deaf is an important step in improving access to quality health for individuals who are Deaf. Specifically, this study brings to light the level of knowledge student nurses have about; Deaf culture, health needs of the Deaf, communicating in sign language, as well as preparedness to provide healthcare to patients with deafness. The study utilised the Critical Disability Theory. The study adopted the descriptive survey design and used questionnaire for data collection. A purposive sample of 110 final year student nurses in Tepa Nursing and Midwifery Training College participated in the study. Data from the questionnaire were entered into Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 29.0 (IBM SPSS, 29.0) and analysed using descriptive statistics such as frequency, means, and standard deviation. The findings were that majority of student nurses have limited knowledge about Deaf culture (M = 1.90; SD = 0.22). The study further revealed that majority student nurses have poor knowledge about the health needs of the Deaf (M = 1.59; SD = 0.57). Furthermore, the study reported a high proportion of student nurses having poor knowledge to communicate with the Deaf even though student nurses reported to have studied Ghanaian Sign Language for a semester (M = 1.74; SD = 0.12). Finally, the study revealed that majority of student nurses in Tepa Nursing and Midwifery Training College were not adequately prepared to provide healthcare to Deaf patients (M = 1.63; SD = 0.35). In view of these, the study recommends an inclusion of Deaf culture and Deaf awareness education, as well as sign language into the coursework for student nurses in all levels by the management of Tepa Nursing and Midwifery Training College. Again, the management of the College should integrate educational programmes, such as visiting some Schools for the Deaf. This could contribute to the improvement of student nurses’ knowledge and behaviour toward the Deaf

Source: UEW
Knowledge and use of contraceptive methods among female students at Kibi School for the Deaf

This study was conducted to understand the knowledge and use of contraceptive methods among female students at Kibi School for the Deaf. This study employed quantitative approach and case study as a design. Data were gathered from 27 female students. Questionnaire was used to obtain data from participants. The data were processed using SSPS software to separate the raw data obtained from the field. The results showed that participants’ knowledge about contraceptive methods are relatively not encouraging, with 40.7% of participants knowing at least a method. The common sources of information regarding contraceptives method among the participants was through their friends and peers representing 22.2%. Participants had Knowledge of at least one contraceptive method and this was mostly knowledge of condoms. Result of this study revealed that the knowledge does not correspond with the use of contraceptive methods among the students. Twenty out of the 27 participants constituting 74.1 percent confirmed they have not used any type of contraceptive methods before. Although some the female deaf students (25.9 percent) had reported ever using a contraceptive method, consistent contraceptive use is very low. Again, it was revealed that students were unable to get access to contraceptive methods due to inadequate education on the relevance of using it. The study further revealed that, the female deaf students have negative misconception of using contraceptive methods. The study recommended that government through the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service should make the learning of reproductive health education as part of the education curriculum of students with special needs to enhance the impartation of knowledge and use of contraceptive methods. It is also recommended that parents and teachers must encourage the use of contraceptive methods among female deaf students, the surest way to prevent unwanted pregnancy as well as contracting sexually transmitted infections (STI’s) considering their condition.

Source: UEW