ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Gender roles among the Krobo and Gurene ethnic groups and their implications for HIV and AIDS infection

There are striking statistics and issues about women, their sexual rights and HIV/AIDS around the globe, in Africa and Ghana. Women’s exposure to the danger of contracting HIV/AIDS is reinforced by their lack of the right to negotiate for safe sex. The study focused on the Krobo and Gurene ethnic groups in Ghana. It sought to assess the gender roles among the Krobo and Gurene people and their implications for HIV/AIDS infection. Also, it identified some of the sociocultural practices of the two ethnic groups which inform their sexual roles and decision making as well as assess the relationships between these roles and HIV/AIDS infection. In all questionnaires were answered by 290 respondents. In addition, focus group discussions were held for respondents aged between 14 35 years and 36 and above years. Assemblymen were also interviewed. The chi square statistic and cross tabulation were used to analyze the data gathered. From the study, it is clear that there are striking ethnic differences in gender roles in Ghana. This has gone a long way to affect sex and sexuality among the two ethnic groups under study. Also, an explicit gender analyze must be incorporated into issues of economic and social change. There is the need for tapping the good aspects of our cultural heritage for the common good of curbing the HIV pandemic in the society. It is the necessity for one to understand the cultural, social, economic and political as well as biological and demographic factors shaping gender roles and sexual behavior. Likewise, education and advertisement on HIV/AIDS must be culture - centered and gender based to help address the menace.

Source: UCC
Gender Variation in the Writings of Students of Selected Colleges of Education: a Study on Syntactic Complexit

ABSTRACT This thesis explored the differences in writings produced by both male and female students in colleges of education in Ghana with respect to syntactic complexity. The study sought to find out which gender is syntactically complex in writing of argumentative essay. Again, the study looked at the effect of syntactic complexity on the quality of students’ writing of argumentative essay. The study was based on a corpus of two hundred examination essays belonging to the argumentation mode collected from two hundred students in Assin Fosu, Wesley and Presbyterian Colleges of Education who took the English Language Studies course (FDC 211) in 2018/2019 academic year. The study lent credit to the Difference version of gender and language theory as it upheld the existence of variation in the writing of males and females with regard to writing syntactically complex sentences. The analysis showed that the male students were more syntactically complex than the female students in their writings. The study established clear variations in the areas of length of production unit, sentence complexity, amount of subordination and coordination and particular structures. The study also showed that there was a positive but weak relationship between syntactic complexity and writing quality. That is, the greater the density of length of production unit, sentence complexity, amount of subordination and particular structures, the higher the quality of the students’ writing. The present study focused on written language. Subsequent studies could examine gender variation with regard to syntactic complexity in spoken language.

Source: UCC
Gender, personal values, strategies and small business performance A Ghanaian case study

Purpose – While most studies concerning gender differences in small business performance have emerged from developed countries, how applicable the results are to transitional economies, where there still exist significant differences in the socialisation of men and women, is not clear. The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of gender on the performance of small businesses in Ghana by exploring the impact of personal values on business owners’ choice of strategies, specifically asking, do women and men pursue different business strategies, how do personal values influence their strategies and how do their strategies affect performance? Design/methodology/approach – A total of 600 owner-managers of small retail shops in the Greater Accra Region were surveyed. Results were analysed using the partial least squares approach to structural equation modelling. Findings – The results suggest that there are gender differences in personal values, which lead to different strategies adopted by women and men, which in turn influence performance; specifically Ghanaian women owner-managers are more risk-averse than Ghanaian men, and this affects their pursuit of specific functional strategies and ultimately their performance in varied ways. Research limitations/implications – Further studies will need to replicate these findings with other types of businesses, in other locations. Practical implications – The results suggest that closer attention should be given to developing the entrepreneurial values of women if the goal of greater economic development is to be achieved in transitional economies. Originality/value – Limited research has been conducted on women and men small business owners in transitional economies such as Ghana. This empirical research provides important insights into this field.

Source: UCC
Gender, self-esteem and self-efficacy as predictors of academic achievement among college of education students in Mampong Municipality, Ashanti Region, Ghana

This study aimed at finding out which of the three independent variables (gender, self-esteem and self- efficacy) greatly predicts academic achievement among college of education students in Ghana. The population for the study was students from St. Monica‘s College of Education and Mampong Technical College of Education in the Asante Mampong Municipality. A Sample size of 400 level 200 students were selected for the study. A descriptive survey design was carried out using questionnaire as the main instrument for data collection. The data gathered were statistically analyzed using frequencies and percentages, means and standard deviation as well as multiple-regression analysis, Pearson‘s product moment correlation and independent samples t-tests with version 21 of the Statistical Package for Service Solutions (SPSS) software was used. The study found that there was no significant difference in Academic achievement of male and female students in the colleges of education in Ghana. It was revealed that students had high self -esteem and self-efficacy in their academic achievement. It was self-esteem that greatly predicted Academic Achievement of teacher trainees out of the three independent variables. The study recommends that counselling units in the colleges of education should organize intermittent guidance programmes focusing on empowering students to continue building up their self-esteem though the students had high level of self-esteem. Both males and females should be admitted into programmes aimed at improving the academic performance of students since there was no difference in their Achievement.

Source: UCC
Gender-Based Domestic Violence against Children: Experiences of Girl-Children in Nigeria.

This study investigated the dynamics of gender-based domestic violence against children in Nigeria. This qualitative study explored the experiences of 20 purposively selected girl-children (age range = 12 to 15 years) from two SOS Children’s Village who have been victims of Domestic Violence (DV). Qualitative data on DV experiences and associated factors were collected through 6 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). Physical violence was reported by 90% of the participants; psychological abuse by 80% and violent sexual abuse (rape) by 10%. Major factors associated with last episode of DV experiences included: inability to finish selling wares that were being hawked, late preparation of food, getting home late from the market, burning of the employer’s cloth while ironing, refusal to be genitally cut and refusal to be raped by the man of the house. Self-reported consequences of DV by victims included amongst others: constant headaches (30%) physical injury (25%), sleep disturbances (20%), excessive fear and anxiety (10%), hatred for men (10%) and suicidal ideation (5%). These findings suggest that DV may be playing significant but salient role in the poor state of health of Nigerian children and effective intervention processes at all levels are needed to address it.

Source: UCC
Gender-Related Differential Item Functioning of 2015 Wassce Core Mathematics Results in Southern Ghana Using Logistic Regression Procedure

Differential item functioning (DIF) occurs when individuals of the same ability level from separate groups have a different probability of answering an item correctly. This study was conducted in two parts: in the first part a real 2015 West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) core mathematics test data were analyzed for uniform and non-uniform DIF using binary logistic regression (LR) procedure and in the second part, content analysis of items identified as DIF were classified under the levels of the cognitive domain by experts. Three research questions were formulated for the study. A sample of 4,285 male and 3,712 female candidates were selected from a population of 15,258 candidates who sat for the examination in 2015 from 20 selected schools in Southern Ghana. The instrument for the study was the 50 multiple-choice core mathematics items. The findings showed that there was 43 significant gender differential item functioning items of which 9 were uniform and 34 non-uniform. Also, the content analysis revealed that items that favoured males were mainly number and numeration, algebraic processes, probability and statistics and mensuration whiles plane geometry and coordinate geometry revealed DIF in favour of females. It was concluded that test items used were not free from gender DIF. It was recommended that DIF studies should be conducted by test developers in order to be review or exclude DIF items to enhance fairness in assessment.

Source: UCC
Gender-role stereotyping, self-concept and attitude to work of auto-artisans in Ghana

The purpose of the study was to examine gender stereotyping, self-concept and attitude of auto-artisans towards work. The cross-sectional descriptive survey design was used for the study. Stratified sampling, based on sex and areas of specialization, was used in the selection of the sample for the study. A total of 350 auto-artisans drawn from Siwudu, Kokompe and Suame took part in the study. A 76-item interview schedule was used for the data collection. The chi-square and the t-test of independence at alpha level of .05 were used in the analysis of data. The study revealed that there was a strong relationship between sex and the choice of auto-work among auto-artisans. There was also a significant difference between male and female auto-artisans in their perception of sex-roles. There were no significant differences between male and female auto-artisans’ attitude to work and self-concept at the work place The study recommended the need to develop an educational system to promote gender-neutrality in the choice of vocation. Vigorous career counselling in schools was needed to encourage more females to take up stimulating and challenging jobs in the so-called male occupations. The general public should unlearn the traditional stereotyped ideas that have conditioned their perceptions of sex-roles. Females should, therefore, be encouraged to take on challenging jobs.

Source: UCC
Gendered and generational tensions in increased land commercialisation: Rural livelihood diversification, changing land use, and food security in Ghana's Brong‐Ahafo region

Many smallholder farmers in Aman North District, Brong‐Ahafo Region, Ghana are shifting from food crop production to increased cultivation of cashew, an export cash crop. This paper examines gendered and generational tensions in increased commercialization of land, livelihood diversification, and household food security in the context of globalization and environmental change. Using qualitative, participatory research with 60 middle‐generation men and women, young people and key stakeholders, the research found that community members valued the additional income stream. Young people and women, however, were apprehensive about the long‐term consequences for food security of allocating so much land to cashew plantations. Young, middle, and older generations were concerned about their weak bargaining position in negotiating fair prices with export companies and intermediaries. Greater integration into the global economy exposed rural actors to multiple risks and inequalities, such as the uneven effects of economic globalisation, rises in food prices, hunger and food insecurity, growing competition for land, youth outmigration and climate change. The shift towards cashew cultivation appears to be exacerbating gender and generational inequalities in access to land and food insecurity and leading to exploitation within the global agri‐food supply chain among already vulnerable rural communities in the global South. With stronger farmer associations and cooperatives, however, cashew farmers stand the chance of benefitting from greater integration into the global economy, through strengthened bargaining positions. Greater understanding is needed about the complex interactions between sustainable food systems, changing land use and gender and generational inequalities in rural spaces

Source: UCC
Gendered Differences In Expository Essay Writing Among Undergraduate Students Of University Of Cape Coast

The present study explored gendered differences in expository essays written by undergraduate students of the University of Cape Coast. Using cluster quota-sampling techniques, the researcher sampled 215 written essays of level 100 students of the Department of Communication Studies, University of Cape Coast. Guided by systemic functional linguistic theory and Expository Essay Quality Checklist (2EQC), the researcher analyzed the sampled data to discover the gendered differences. First, the study revealed that male and female undergraduate students did not differ significantly in their expository essay writing competence. Secondly, the study showed that male and female undergraduate students did not differ significantly in their writing productivity as measured by word and paragraph analysis. Finally, there were no structural differences in how first year female undergraduate students structured their paragraphs. Based on these findings, the researcher recommended that there is the need to expand writing research in Ghana to include other factors that have been shown to mediate gender differences in writing productivity such as socio-economic factors, motivation, and among others.

Source: UCC
Gendered dynamics in agricultural production relations and rural livelihood interventions in the Sunyani Municipality

The success of the agricultural economy in many developing countries is challenged, mainly because women who represent a crucial resource are largely constrained in the access to productive resources Researchers have demonstrated that cultural norms and values strongly influence access to productive resources. Development agencies in response to productive constraints provide programmes to improve rural livelihoods. The outcomes of these projects are however not always successful. The study sought to explain how agricultural production relations shape gendered responses to rural livelihood interventions in the Sunyani Municipality. The study adopted the qualitative research approach and specifically, the explanatory design. The purposive sampling technique was used to select respondents for focus group discussions, in-depth and key person interviews. The secondary data was analysed using gender analytical tools from the Moser Framework and the Social Relations Approach. The primary data was thematically analysed. The study found that men as household heads structurally controlled production relations and therefore had better access and control than women. All but one of the selected interventions was gender aware. Responses to interventions were gendered with men inclined to crop related interventions and the women, to those offering off-farm livelihood diversification. The study concluded that production relations affected the nature of responses to any intervention. It recommended that interventions should be planned in view of contextual production relations so as to address relations between men and women. Women farmers should also endeavour to form farmer groups to develop their agency.

Source: UCC
Gendered perspective on road crossing behaviors: a study of University of Cape Coast Students

Globally, studies have provided significant facts about pedestrian demographic characteristics influencing road crossing behavior of pedestrians. However, there seems to be an unconcluded argument about the influence of demographic characteristics on road crossing behavior. This study examines the gender differences in road crossing behavior of UCC students on campus. The study was done by mapping out the road conditions of pedestrian crossing sites, identifying the perceived gender prone to indulge in bad road crossing behavior and examine the gendered perception towards drivers’ attitude on road crossing behavior on campus. An observation checklist was used to observe the road crossing behavior of both men and women. One Focused Group Discussion was conducted each for men and women groups on UCC campus. Results indicated that men were more prone to road crossing accidents than women. Further analysis showed differing drivers’ attitudes towards pedestrians and road crossing behaviors by men and women on campus. It was found that women were relatively treated better than men. It is recommended that road users educated to be sensitive to each other to reduce gender-biased attitude and behaviors while using the road

Source: UCC
Gendered perspectives of leisure patterns and constraints of university students in Ghana

Leisure researchers have contended that leisure patterns and constraints are significantly influenced by gender. Despite this assertion, little has seen done to compare gender differences across leisure patterns and constraints within a single study population beyond the treatment of sex as a variable. The focus of this study was to assess the gendered leisure patterns and constraints of university students in Ghana, Africa. Data were collected from randomly sampled students at the University of Cape Coast and analyzed with a chi square test and a multivariate analysis of variance. Female students recorded low participation in three main domains of leisure, namely socializing, creative, and physical activities, as compared to their male counterparts. Intrapersonal and interpersonal leisure constraints were found toe associated with female students’ leisure pursuits. It was therefore concluded that female students are more constrained in their leisure pursuits than their male counterparts

Source: UCC
Gene action of cassava resistance metabolites to whitefly (Bemisia tabaci)

Several metabolites are linked to cassava resistance to whitefly. There is limited information however, on the mode of gene action of the metabolites associated with cassava resistance to whitefly (Bemisia tabaci). The objective of the study was to determine the combining abilities and mode of gene action of salicylic acid, antioxidative capacity, total phenolic content, flavonoid, tannin, peroxidase and protein of selected cassava genotypes. Ten genotypes were crossed in half diallel and the parental and 45 S1 progenies evaluated for nymph count, whitefly count, leaf damage and sooty mold at Namulonge in season two of 2016. In season one and two of 2017, the parental genotypes and their corresponding forty-five S1 progenies were evaluated in randomized complete blocks with two replications for Bemisia tabaci population and leaf damage and leaf metabolite content assayed. The results indicated highly significant (P< .05) for flavonoid, protein;

Source: UCC
General scattering mechanism and transport in graphene

Using quasi-time dependent semi-classical transport theory in RTA, we obtained coupled current equations in the presence of time varying field and based on general scattering mechanism τ ∝ Eβ .We find that close to the Dirac point, the characteristic exponent β = +2 corresponds to acoustic phonon scattering. β = +1 long-range Coulomb scattering mechanism. β = −1 is short-range delta potential scattering in which the conductivity is constant of temperature. The β = 0 case is ballistic limit. In the low energy dynamics of Dirac electrons in graphene, the effect of the time-dependent electric field is to alter ust the electron charge by e → e(1 + (Ωτ) 2) making electronic conductivity non-linear. The effect of magnetic filed is also considered

Source: UCC
Generalized Auto-Correlation Function of Higher Order Arma Processes: Application to Pandemic Data

The Autocorrelation Function (ACF) of a time series process reveals the inherent characteristics of the series that may not be visible from the original series. The ACF of the ARMA(p, q) process has been presented in a few studies in understandably rigorous and laborious manner with no explicit form of the function. In this study, the approach of autocovariance generating functions (acvgf) is used to obtain an explicit expression for a series that follows a linear process under condition of distinct real roots of the AR(p) lag operator polynomial. The technique is used to derive ACF of processes as far as ARMA(3,0). The procedure has shown a clear connection among the autocovariances at consecutive lags of the respective process as well as between particular lags of consecutive orders of the process. It is also observed that the Yule-Walker relation emerges after lag (q + 2) for processes higher than ARMA(2,1). This means that there is the need for the computation of individual γ(k) for k ≤ (q + 2). The derived approach is applied to daily new Covid-19 cases for three countries with stationary series, and are found to have different ARMA processes. The results are compared with those based on ”ARIMAfit” function in R. In each case, the results of the two methods are found to be the same with damp exponential decay, an indication that the pandemic would cease eventually in these countries. The results provide useful relations that may be utilized as diagnostic tests for determining whether a given data follows a specified process.

Source: UCC
Generation and amplification of terahertz radiation in carbon nanotubes

We investigate theoretically the feasibility of generation and amplification of terahertz radiation in aligned achiral carbon nanotubes (zigzag and armchair) in comparison with a super lattice in the presence of a constant (dc) and high-frequency (ac) electric fields. The electric current density expression is derived using the semi classical Boltzmann transport equation with a constant relaxation time with the electric field applied along the nanotube axis. Our analysis on the current density versus electric field characteristics demonstrates negative differential conductivity at high frequency as well as photon assisted peaks. The characteristic peaks are about an order of magnitude styronger in the carbon nanotubes compared to super lattice. These strong phenomena in carbon nanotubes can be used to obtain domain less amplification of terahertz radiation in carbon nanotubes at room temperature

Source: UCC