ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
A critical commentary on combined methods approach to researching educational and social issues

One major issue social science research is faced with concerns the methodological schism and internecine 'warfare' that divides the field. This paper examines critically what is referred to as combined methods research, and the claim that this is the best methodology for addressing complex social issues. The paper discredits this claim on the basis of the following three key points. First, it is argued that because there is necessarily not a one to one correspondence between epistemology and methods, an appropriate methodological approach to researching social life cannot necessarily be any one peculiar research methodology. Second, combined methods research attenuates the crucial issue of objectivity in social research and skews the debate towards qualitative and quantitative research as if they are in themselves theoretical perspectives opposed to each other. Third, the supposedly 'pragmatic philosophy' underpinning combined methods research (which most adherents of this methodological approach misconstrue as mapping both quantitative and qualitative research onto positivism and interpretivism) amounts to the inherent suggestion that on the one hand the world is flat, and on the other that the world is round. It is concluded that an appropriate methodological approach to researching social life is one which gives pre-eminence first and foremost to the research purpose before such other issues as the skills base of the researcher, who commissions the study and contributions of the research to wider political discourse.

Source: UCC
A Critical comparative study of the lifeboat ethics and humanist ethics

Both the Lifeboat ethics and Humanist ethics are very popular in our contemporary world. The Lifeboat ethics, which deals with the gap between the rich and the poor and the moral responsibility of the former towards the latter, is based on the Lifeboat theory which is a product of human reason that includes some scientific considerations as regards the engineering safety measures of the lifeboat. Thus, the Lifeboat ethics utilizes both reason and science. In a similar vein, Humanist ethics is also based on human reason and scientific methods. Notwithstanding these common grounds in the sources of the aforementioned ethics, there are dissimilarities in their respective ethical values that outnumber the similarities. This study critically compares these two types of ethics and further examines their similarities and dissimilarities

Source: UCC
Critical discourse analysis approach to questioning strategies of police interrogations at the Central Regional Police Command, Cape Coast

One of the goals of the police interrogation is to produce a record that reflects what was talked about during the interrogation, as much as possible in the words of the suspect. At the same time, it appears the institution does not allow the suspect to participate in reaching this goal. Therefore, the police interrogation setting is not only potentially contradictory for the suspect, but also for the police officer. Each service provided by police officers requires the execution of a critical document. However, police reports are often viewed as of low quality. If a report is badly prepared, it may jeopardize the investigation and, as a result, the officer's credibility. Unlike ordinary conversations, the structure of discourse between the police and complainants or suspects or witnesses differs. This study aimed at ascertaining the questioning strategies in police interrogations at the Central Regional Police Command, Cape Coast. Rooted in qualitative research design, the study was based on 10 police interrogation transcripts obtained from the Police Headquarters in Cape Coast. The study was hinged on the theory of critical discourse analysis (CDA). A multi-method data analysis, which involved the application of Conversational Analysis, and CDA were employed in this study. The findings revealed that interrogation of suspects is viewed, inside and outside police circles, as being at the heart of the police role. The study also revealed that the police used elicitation as a linguistic act form to secure information from the accused person and the latter in turn used reply/informative linguistic act to supply the information requested throughout the interrogation. It was recommended that A discourse-based training programme could be devised to help police officers effectively interview suspects since most of the interviewing/interrogation skills are borne out of the Police Manual. The study also recommended that the police should roll out a statutory requirement for video recorded evidence-in-chief.

Source: UCC
A critical discourse analysis of the campaign speech of a Ghanaian opposition leader

Referring to politicians’ use of language to promote their ideologies before, during and after elections, campaign speeches represent a key genre in political discourse. In this study, we examine the campaign speech of a Ghanaian opposition leader, Nana Akufo-Addo, at the manifesto launch of his party. We analyze his use of language to create identity and solidarity with the electorate, with the aim of persuading them to accept and support his ideas and ultimately vote for him. Drawing on Fairclough’s three-dimensional model of critical discourse analysis (CDA), the study revealed that Nana Addo utilised the pronouns I, you, our and we and repetition to create a positive bond, identify and show solidarity with the electorate. Also, these strategies were aimed at persuading voters to endorse him as the most credible candidate for the position of president. This study contributes to CDA research on the nexus between language, politics and society

Source: UCC
A critical look at translation problems in the akanisation of the 1992 constitution of the republic of ghana

Research in the field of translation within Ghana has mainly focused on religious and literary translation without paying attention to other fields of translation such as legal translation. With the increasing demand for justice for all people, there is a need for every language group to have the constitution in their own language. In view of this, this study examined translation problems in the Akanisation of the 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana. The study focused on translating chapter one, chapter two, and chapter three of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana. It further looked out for some associated lexical and grammatical translation problems. The study employed the Dynamic Equivalence Theory as a framework for translating the chapters of the constitution. It discusses and explained how some words were translated and other grammatical issues encountered. The findings revealed that translation is not just about finding equivalence in the target text but achieving audience response. It was noted that the whole constitution of the Republic of Ghana can be translated into a Ghanaian language although there may be some translation problems. This study serves as a foundation for translating the entire 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana into Akan and other Ghanaian languages. It concluded that translators should be fully and consciously aware of the communicative and grammatical competence of the languages they engage their translation works. The study has implications for translation course designers at all levels to be aware of the need to introduce more translation courses into their curricula by paying keen attention to translation theories.

Source: UCC
Critical pedagogy in the eyes of Jesus Christ’s teachings: A historical study

Even though previous research points to the effectiveness of Jesus’ use of parables as a pedagogical technique, there is limited research regarding the other pedagogical techniques used by Jesus during his ministry and their attendant robustness and significance in early childhood classroom settings. The current study used a historical research design to explore critical pedagogy in the eyes of Jesus Christs’ teachings and their related significance in early childhood context. The four New Testament Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) translated into English from the original Greek are primary sources of the data. Documentary analysis procedure was used in analysing the data. The study’s findings revealed that Jesus used various forms of critical pedagogy. On many occasions, he used parables, questions and poetry to achieve his teaching goals such as critical thinking, internal change and harmonious living. Even though he had frequent interactions with individuals and small groups, he also lectured large crowds. Though, he hardly ever used re-enactment as a teaching technique, he used it with such dexterity that it has become an essential teaching tool for his followers. His private and public use of prayer gave his learners content but also a model to follow. For learning in the affective domain, he used apprenticeship. By the means of humour and silence, he modelled both how to teach and how to live a life worthy of emulation. When teaching in early childhood settings is defined by lived experiences, activity-based learning, small group work, individual activity, care and concern for others, and reflections, then it has footprints of the critical pedagogy Jesus Christ used.

Source: UCC
Critical reflections on the destiny of fama as a desecrated prince turned a disgruntled foot-soldier in kourouma’s novel: the Suns of independence

Ahmadou Kourouma, as an exact replica of a foot-soldier in contemporary Ghanaian socioeconomic and political development. In this regard, it draws a parallelism between the character of Fama and a foot-soldier and makes recommendations for the way forward in order to sustain socioeconomic and democratic development. Consequently, the study draws attention to issues relating to political fanaticism and their accompanying tragic disenchantment for unsuspecting self-seeking citizens in emerging multiparty democratic states in developing countries such as Ghana. In the light of the inherent dangers in self-seeking political activism as seen in the character of Fama, for that matter, in that of foot-soldiers, the study recommends steps that will help sanitize political activities and democratic practice in Ghana, and Africa as a whole

Source: UCC
Critical Review of Vision Fitness Testing within the South African Driving License Testing and Road Safety Context

In the South African context visual fitness testing prior to issuing a learner's, driving license or authorizing the renewal of a driving license has been legislated since 1998. Of all the medical fitness disqualifiers, visual fitness has been prioritized as perhaps the most important medical condition to be verified through eye-testing procedure at a licensing authority. All other medical conditions are disclosed or declined through a concise declaration by the applicant. This study shows firstly, that the causal factors of certain vehicle accidents are not significantly related to visual fitness. Secondly, considering the substantiated low failure rate through eye-testing at driving license testing centres, the study suggests there is no justification for the current prescribed eye-testing procedure and accompanying operational and capital budget implications without the other relevant eye-testing procedures.

Source: UCC
A Critical Study of David Chalmers‘ Conception of the Mind

Consciousness is a mysterious phenomenon that has perplexed the field of philosophy, psychology and neuroscience. Due to the subjective and intrinsic nature of consciousness, it has been challenging to establish an objective theory of consciousness. Diverse perspectives and theories have been posited to help resolve this philosophical conundrum. One peculiar perspective theorised on consciousness is David Chalmers‘ position on the subject. David Chalmers posits the need for a fundamental theory of consciousness. He believes that consciousness cannot be understood, entirely, by appealing to facts about the physical world. A fundamental theory of consciousness should be established because even though consciousness ontologically depends on brain states to exist, it does not conceptually depend on the brain. One intriguing aspect of Chalmers‘ work is that he enriches the previous arguments for the relevance of consciousness by adding logical force to the arguments, through the use of logical supervenience theory. He submits five arguments to reject the reductive materialists‘ perspective on consciousness. This study lays out Chalmers‘ arguments for the fundamental nature of consciousness. It also discusses the arguments the reductive materialists propound for the fundamental nature of the physical (brain). Having articulated these two perspectives regarding consciousness, the study presents an evaluation of Chalmers‘ arguments and the arguments posited by the reductive materialists. Finally, I suggest four criteria one could use to construct a plausible theory of consciousness that might address Chalmers‘ concerns. Any theory of the mind that meets these criteria will hopefully improve our understanding of consciousness.

Source: UCC
A critical study of Kwesi Wiredu’s consensual democracy

This thesis explores the normative merits of Kwesi Wiredu's consensual democracy. This theory, as presented by Wiredu, embodies arguments that reject the party system as an appropriate mode for governance in Africa. By showing the majoritarian system as adversarial and divisive, Wiredu proposes a consensual model that reflects the decision making of the traditional Africans. This thesis examines the core arguments of his proposal within the framework of deliberative democracy. It argues that Wiredu’s idea of consensus has normative appeal. But his notion of non-party society, which is a reflection of the ancient consensus system, does not seem to embrace the diversities that characterize the contemporary cosmopolitan society. A pure consensus model can degenerate into a mob rule if we affirm the primacy of popular participation over a party system. Conversely, to price the majoritarian values over consensus principles can lead to an aristocracy. The need to retrieve and adopt pre-colonial values in the contemporary context, however, seems to require a fusion of the consensus model and some of the key principles governing the party system. Hence, this thesis argues that if a multi-party coalition system is synthesized with the consensus model, it could serve as a feasible model for guiding the diverse and complex society of ours.

Source: UCC
A critical study of the political philosophy of Kwame Nkrumah

Since Plato, political philosophy has been regarded as man's attempt to prescribe the ideal solution to the problems of governance, in order to bring the ideal state into being. In post-colonial Africa, several post-independence African leaders, prominent among them, Kwame Nkrumah, attempted theoretical constructions of this ideal state. Nkrumah particularly thought that the three factors that could bring about the ideal state in colonial Africa were: the realisation of political independence, the establishment of socialism and continental unification. In other words, Nkrumah's political philosophy is based on the conviction of the need for freedom and the unification of Africa and its islands. More importantly Nkrumah believed in the liberation of the African conscience, conditioned by the combined presence of the ''triple heritage''. Attractive as this political philosophy may appear to be, nevertheless, it is replete with some contradictions. The central objective of this study is to elucidate some of these problems. First, the simultaneous reliance on subversion and diplomacy for the realisation of African unity did much to extinguish that vision. Second, as a panacea to the alienated African psyche, Consciencism is nebulous; because it fails to reflect the African spiritual world view neither does it reflect Marxian materialism. Third, Nkrumah's idealisation of traditional African socialism was not borne out by the facts, since it fails to consider the individualistic elements inherent in that system. In the fields of religion, commerce and to some extend land management, the African in traditional Africa exhibited individualistic tendencies. In addition, Nkrumah's call for African unity distorts historical facts, as he argued as if pre-colonial Africa were united but disbanded with the advent of colonial rule. In fact, Africa as a geopolitical concept did not exist in pre-colonial times. What is now called Africa was an amalgamation of empires, kingdoms and states–centralised and non-centralised. We also aver that Nkrumah's resort to the one-party system was contrary to human soul, whose nature, since Plato, is to be free.

Source: UCC
Critical Success Factors for Public Private Partnership: Evidence from Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the Central Region, Ghana

The purpose of the study was to examine perception on critical success factors for Public Private Partnership, evidence from Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the Central Region of Ghana. The study examined financial and non-financial factors considered in PPP implementation. The study used a cross-sectional descriptive research design. The study employed quantitative approach and data collection was done using questionnaires. A total of 186 respondents out of a population of 352 were selected using simple random sampling technique. Analyses of the data were done using both descriptive and inferential analyses. The study revealed that the financial factors of PPP project implementation were economic, funding and budgeting factors, and that of the non-financial factors were good governance and social support factors. The study finally revealed that economic and political factors in terms of cost fluctuation and delay in giving permit and licenses respectively had negative implication on investment. On the other hand, economic, political and technological factors in terms of cost fluctuation, delay in giving permit and licenses and reliance on outmoded technology respectively had a positive implication on cost. From the study, MMDAs must pay particular attention to public safety and health in PPP project implementation as well as factoring cost fluctuations into their budget since these affects both investment and cost. MMDAs must upgrade themselves in order to take advantage of modern technology.

Source: UCC
A critique of Thucydides’ methods and techniques of historiography

The main thesis of this research has been that historiographical methods and techniques are not synonymous to accuracy of account. There has been series of criticisms and investigations concerning ancient Greek historiography both in ancient and contemporary perspectives. Apparently, many early Greek historians’ accounts are inaccurate as we see in Herodotus’ criticisms against Homer and Hecataeus. Thucydides, who wrote his account after Herodotus, equally criticized his predecessors of inaccurate accounts. Although criticisms were common with the Greek writers, Thucydides’ criticisms are more serious in tone than his predecessors’. Among other criticisms, Thucydides believes that his predecessors’ accounts are inaccurate due to their methods and techniques. As a result, I am motivated by Thucydides’ criticisms to find out how Thucydides himself gave by his account, and how, generally, historiographical approaches and accuracy of account differ or otherwise. In so doing, I have employed interpretative and analytical approaches which are inherent in normative research approach as a branch of the many methods under qualitative research. I conclude the research by stating that the accuracy of accounts does not necessarily come about through method and technique alone but by analysis and interpretation that is free of biases, and by available evidence that supports the account. Moving forward, criticisms of historical accuracy should focus on the analysis and evidence but not solely the approaches employed in writing history.

Source: UCC
Crop diversification and farm optimization among smallholder farmers in the Wassa East District of Ghana

Crop diversification is critical for smallholder farmers as far as farm optimization is concerned. This study examined crop diversification activities and farm optimization of smallholder farmers in the Wassa East District of Ghana's Western Region. A structured interview schedule was used to collect data using a cross-sectional survey design. The multistage sampling technique was employed to select 398 smallholder farmers, and Linear Programming (LP) model, crop diversification index, and Tobit model were used as analytical tools to analyze the data. The LP model was used to determine the optimal food crop combination that farmers should diversify to maximize income while at the same time satisfying their food subsistence and food security issues. Farmers in the study area identified cassava, plantain, maize, and sweet potato as the main crops. The results indicated that access to credit, land size owned, farming experience, off-farm activities, farm base organization, and optimum income statistically influence the extent of crop diversification. To achieve an optimum income of GH¢12927.9, farmer should cultivate 2.47 acres of maize, 0.22 acres of plantain, and 3.31 acres of cassava without growing any other crop. However, because the framers' goal extends beyond profit maximizing, the LP model introduces non basic activities and offers farmers alternate crop combinations to address their problem of food subsistence. According to the LP model analysis, capital followed by land and labour were the most limiting constraints. The sensitivity study also showed that the LP model withstood up well to changes in labour, capital, and land. The study suggested that farmers should adopt appropriate optimum farm plan system to ensure income stability and food subsistence. Finally, credit opportunities from financial institutions should be made available to farmers to increase their productivity and income.

Source: UCC
Crop Diversification and Farm Optimization Among Smallholder Farmers in The Wassa East District of Ghana

Crop diversification is critical for smallholder farmers as far as farm optimization is concerned. This study examined crop diversification activities and farm optimization of smallholder farmers in the Wassa East District of Ghana's Western Region. A structured interview schedule was used to collect data using a cross-sectional survey design. The multistage sampling technique was employed to select 398 smallholder farmers, and Linear Programming (LP) model, crop diversification index, and Tobit model were used as analytical tools to analyze the data. The LP model was used to determine the optimal food crop combination that farmers should diversify to maximize income while at the same time satisfying their food subsistence and food security issues. Farmers in the study area identified cassava, plantain, maize, and sweet potato as the main crops. The results indicated that access to credit, land size owned, farming experience, off-farm activities, farm base organization, and optimum income statistically influence the extent of crop diversification. To achieve an optimum income of GH¢12927.9, farmer should cultivate 2.47 acres of maize, 0.22 acres of plantain, and 3.31 acres of cassava without growing any other crop. However, because the framers' goal extends beyond profit maximizing, the LP model introduces non-basic activities and offers farmers alternate crop combinations to address their problem of food subsistence. According to the LP model analysis, capital followed by land and labour were the most limiting constraints. The sensitivity study also showed that the LP model withstood up well to changes in labour, capital, and land. The study suggested that farmers should adopt appropriate optimum farm plan system to ensure income stability and food subsistence. Finally, credit opportunities from financial institutions should be made available to farmers to increase their productivity and income.

Source: UCC