ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Implementing National Accelerated Language Programme (NALAP) in Northern Ghana: Lessons from the Wing Schools

Accelerated and complementary (alternative) approaches for schooling and education provision continue to gain grounds even at the post-2015 global mandate stages. The Wing School as an example of complementary basic education programme has made it possible to extend education to remote and deprived communities in Northern Regions of Ghana where the issue of non-enrolment and drop out incidences are high. However, the strength of the Wing Schools (WS) in Northern Ghana does not lie in its ability to boost enrolment alone but also to change the phase of schooling and learning. The language backgrounds of children from the hamlets and rural communities of the Northern part of Ghana are often from homogenous language contexts. This study reveals that when Wing Schools applied the NALAP programme to children from this background, leap to literacy and numeracy was smooth for the majority of the children. Recommendations from this for nationwide implementation has been presented.

Source: UCC
Implementing quality education in low income countries

Quality in education is now crucial in Africa’s strategic plans towards catching up with the developed world. While the notion of quality and priority foci may differ from country to country, the term has become a determining factor in facilitating international support for educational expansion and developmental initiatives. Understanding the geographical context of quality in education, what its indicators are within the cultural milieu of particular countries, the challenges associated with implementing quality education are therefore significant. Increasingly successive governments in Ghana have sought and continue to seek strategies for quality delivery of education. Yet, in the country, locally research-based literature on issues related to quality in education is limited.

Source: UCC
Implication of menopausal symptoms on women’s health in Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria

Menopause refers to the period of dramatic hormonal changes accompanied by various symptoms which may have implication on women‘s health. This study examined the implication of menopausal symptoms on women’s health in Ibadan, Oyo state Nigeria. A cross sectional descriptive research design was used for this study. Twenty basic schools in Ibadan North Local Government (IBNLG) area of Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) were selected using multistage random sampling technique and 300 eligible women were recruited. Data were collected using structured questionnaire and analysed using SPSS software version 21 to produce descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings from the study revealed physical, mental exhaustion and sexual problem as the most common and most severe symptoms experience. Physical and mental exhaustion as well as sexual symptoms were also the highest reported distressful symptoms. However, majority of the study participants reported that the symptoms experiences were not distressful. Role performance and social functioning domain of health was perceived as not good by majority of the study participants. Age and menopausal status had significant relationship with number of symptoms experiences. Finally, the findings of this study have far reaching implication on work performance and productivity as middle aged women working in basic schools under the IBNLG area of Oyo State may not be able to function optimally. Hence, policy makers may find the findings of this study useful in the formulation of policies on increase health expenditure of middle aged women.

Source: UCC
Implication of Menopausal Symptoms on Women’s Health in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Menopause refers to the period of dramatic hormonal changes accompanied by various symptoms which may have implication on women‘s health. This study examined the implication of menopausal symptoms on women’s health in Ibadan, Oyo state Nigeria. A cross sectional descriptive research design was used for this study. Twenty basic schools in Ibadan North Local Government (IBNLG) area of Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) were selected using multistage random sampling technique and 300 eligible women were recruited. Data were collected using structured questionnaire and analysed using SPSS software version 21 to produce descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings from the study revealed physical, mental exhaustion and sexual problem as the most common and most severe symptoms experience. Physical and mental exhaustion as well as sexual symptoms were also the highest reported distressful symptoms. However, majority of the study participants reported that the symptoms experiences were not distressful. Role performance and social functioning domain of health was perceived as not good by majority of the study participants. Age and menopausal status had significant relationship with number of symptoms experiences. Finally, the findings of this study have far reaching implication on work performance and productivity as middle-aged women working in basic schools under the IBNLG area of Oyo State may not be able to function optimally. Hence, policy makers may find the findings of this study useful in the formulation of policies on increase health expenditure of middle-aged women.

Source: UCC
Implication of ‘Leap’ on the Educational Well-Being of Orphaned and Vulnerable School Children in the Ho Municipality of Ghana

The purpose of the study was to explore the contribution of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme to the educational well-being of orphaned and vulnerable school children (OVCs) from beneficiary households in the Ho Municipality of Ghana. The overarching research question that guided the study was ‘how has LEAP contributed to the educational well-being of beneficiary households?’ Five specific research questions were developed out of this question. The design adopted for the study was qualitative phenomenology. Simple random and Purposive sampling techniques were used to select ten (10) households with OVCs, Ten caregivers and eleven teachers for the study. Data was collected from the participants using the interview guide. The data was manually categorized to generate similarities and differences in opinions which were used to form the themes around which the discussions were based. The findings showed that in general, the grant helped to improve the educational well-being of the school children, especially by meeting the direct educational needs of the children. There was also a reported improvement in the households’ ability to meet the educational needs of the children during the grant period compared to the period before the grant. Some households reported stagnation and deterioration in their ability to meet the educational needs of the children during the grant period. Based on these findings, it was recommended among others that Government of Ghana should rather operate scholarship schemes for these children or empower the caregivers economically to be able to take care of the educational needs of these children. The findings have far reaching implications for the improvement of the educational component of the LEAP programme.

Source: UCC
Implications of COVID-19 Pandemic on Evolution of Diabetes in Malaria-Endemic African Region

he coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to cause havoc to many countries of the globe, with no end in sight, due to nonavailability of a given vaccine or treatment regimen. The pandemic has so far had a relatively limited impact on the African continent, which contributes more than 93% of global malaria burden. However, the limited burden of COVID-19 pandemic on the African region could have long-term implications on the health and wellbeing of aﬀected inhabitants due to its malaria-endemic status. Malaria causes recurrent insulin resistance with episodes of infection at relatively low parasitaemia. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) which is widely distributed in the human body is implicated in the pathogenesis of malaria, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and COVID-19. Use of ACE2 by the COVID-19 virus induces inﬂammation and oxidative stress, which can lead to insulin resistance. Although COVID-19 patients in malaria-endemic African region may not exhibit severe signs and symptoms of the disease, their risk of exhibiting heightened insulin resistance and possible future development of T2DM is high due to their prior exposure to malaria. African governments must double eﬀorts at containing the continued spread of the virus without neglecting existing malarial control measures if the region is to avert the plausible long-term impact of the pandemic in terms of future development of T2DM

Source: UCC
Implications of Covid-19 Pandemic on Human Security in the Accra Metropolis, Ghana

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated measures to contain it impacted every facet of the individual's life. This study investigated how the COVID-19 pandemic affected human security among informal sector workers in the Accra Metropolis by using a qualitative study approach. Purposive, snowball and convenience sampling methods were adopted. Interviews were conducted with fifty-seven (57) respondents in Jamestown and New Fadama communities in the Accra metropolis. Key informants from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection were also interviewed. The findings revealed that not only COVID-19 threaten public health, but it also threatened economic security, food security and political security. Self-reported outcomes included mental health challenges such as anxiety, panic disorders, fear, loss of sources of income, lack of economic and physical accessibility to food and violation of civil rights such as freedom of movement and association. Spirituality, spending time with family and switching of businesses to more viable ones were some of the strategies adopted by some respondents to cope with the stressors occasioned by the pandemic. Government intervention in free food distribution to ameliorate the impact of the pandemic on the vulnerable group during the lockdown was not apparent in the lives of the targeted population. From the findings, there is a need for the government to address issues of poverty and economic recovery as well as bridge the inequality gap in the country by providing basic social amenities such as pipe-borne water to every household to ensure that the underprivileged are not deprived of basic human needs such as water.

Source: UCC
Implications of environmental sanitation management for sustainable livelihoods in the catchment area of Benya Lagoon in Ghana

The study explored the implications of environmental sanitation for three coastal livelihood activities, namely fishing, tourism and salt production. Qualitative data were collected from purposively selected respondents through key informant interviews and focus group discussions, and analysed using thematic and most significant stories approaches. The study found that sanitation affected livelihoods associated with tourism, fishing and salt production through its implications for health, productivity, income, job security and sustainability of the physical environment. However, while virtually all respondents acknowledged the effect of sanitation on human capital through the health implications, a substantial part of the people who eked their living from the stated livelihood activities did not appreciate the link between sanitation and these livelihood avenues. Sanitation behavioural change communication messaging by the responsible actors should, therefore, stress the relevance of sanitation not only for human health but also the linkage between sanitation and sustainable livelihood in its entirety.

Source: UCC
Implications of farmers’ perception, local knowledge and climate change on rice production in the Central River Region, The Gambia

Rice production plays a critical role in food security of farmers in Central River Region (CRR), The Gambia. Over the past years, the region has experienced a reduction in yield due to perceived climate change negative impacts but limited studies were done in the area on how climate change affect rice production. This study assesses the implications of farmers‘ perceptions, local knowledge and climate change on rice production in the CRR. Two data collection methods namely quantitative and qualitative were used in this study. The quantitative data was obtained from a survey of 438 respondents while the qualitative data was collected from 58 focus group discussions with rice farming communities in all 11 districts of the region. In addition, 13 key informant interviews from relevant institutions were done. The results showed that rice farmers experienced changes in terms of inconsistent rainfall pattern, drought, high temperature, and floods which impacted negatively resulting in low yields, youth migration, food insecurity, and livestock death. Local knowledge was found to be useful in predicting climate and weather conditions and season performance by farmers. Adaptation measures; crop diversification, youth migration; early maturing varieties, livestock sale and remittance were used to address climate change impacts The study also found the inability of state institutions to effectively support the adaptive capacities of farmers, thus further increase rice farmers vulnerability. The study concludes that rice farmers acknowledged the existence and impacts of climate change, and therefore recommends availability of climate change ready- rice‖ to farmers to address climate change impact in the Central River Region.

Source: UCC
The Implications of Ghana’s 2017 Small-Scale Mining Ban on Livelihoods: A Case Study of Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality

The study investigated the livelihoods of small-scale miners in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality following the 2017 Government ban on small-scale mining operations in the country. The study adopted the mixed-method research design. Using questionnaires, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, data was solicited from 418 (that is 378 registered concessionaires and their labourers, 20 unregistered concessionaires and their labourers, and 20 supporting groups) respondents. The study revealed a complete dependence of respondents on the mining activities. Unemployment and the desire to acquire wealth ‘quick’ were the major factors that attracted people to engage in the mining even though the activities are risky. The major consequences of the 2017 ban were economic and social hardship, limited job opportunities available, and arise in criminal activities in the municipality. The study recommends to government that a ban on any social or economic activity in the country should not be done in a rush. A careful and serious debate should always be done before the imposition to avoid any adverse effects in the future.

Source: UCC
Implications of Monitoring and Evaluation Systems for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Selected Metropolis in Ghana Implications of Monitoring and Evaluation Systems for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Selected Metropolis in Ghana

The study's purpose was to examine how monitoring and evaluation systems affect small and medium-sized businesses in selected Ghanaian metrolopises. The objectives were to evaluate the evaluation system in the chosen SMEs, evaluate the monitoring system in the chosen SMEs, test the impact of monitoring and evaluation systems on the sustainability of the business, analyze the impact of monitoring and evaluation systems on the resilience of the business, and examine the impact of monitoring and evaluation systems on the growth of the business. The research design used was explanatory. Five metropolises were chosen for the study, including Sunyani, Accra, Kumasi, Cape Coast, and Tamale. The sample size for the study was 423 SMEs. The primary data collection tool was a self-administered questionnaire. Data was collected, cleaned, and coded before being entered into statistical software programs like SPSS and SmartPLS. For the study's key findings, it was noted that the SMEs that took part in the study had monitoring and evaluation practices in place. The third and fourth objectives showed that monitoring and evaluation systems had a significant effect on both business resilience and business sustainability, respectively. It was discovered that monitoring and evaluation systems had a large and favourable effect on business growth and the digitalisation business respectively, for objectives 5 and 6. The study recommended that managers of SMEs within the selected area improve upon their monitoring and evaluation systems. This will increase the effect it will have on their resilience, growth, sustainability and digitalisation.

Source: UCC
Implications of the Absence of Qualified Technicians in Colleges of Education in Ghana to Support Pre-Service Teachers’ Technology Training

Efforts have been made by governments and educational stakeholders to inject funds in procuring and expanding technology infrastructure for teacher training institutions and equipping teacher educators through various intervention programmes to ensure that teacher educators are able to deliver technology integrated lessons and teach teacher trainees to be able to use technology to deliver instruction yet there have been challenges with using technology to teach by pre-service teachers. This study aimed at investigating into the presence or otherwise of qualified technicians in colleges of education in Ghana and how this is affecting the training of pre-service teachers to integrate technology into teaching and learning. A qualitative approach was adopted to gather data from teacher educators and pre-service teachers in order to verify the availability of qualified technicians in colleges to aid in teacher trainees’ professional development to integrate technology into teaching and learning. Four student focus groups consisting of not less than ten students in each group together with a purposive sample of four tutors teaching technology related courses and other courses participated in the study. The qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic approach. The study adopted a qualitative approach because it aimed at digging deep into the problem in order to know more about how the presence or otherwise of qualified technicians in the colleges and how this is affecting both trainee teachers and teacher educators to develop their technical competencies in handling and using technology for instructional purposes. It was revealed that most colleges were without technicians as the government failed to provide qualified technicians for the colleges. Colleges are therefore calling on the government and stakeholders to provide them with qualified technicians to enable them fix their technical problems, lend a helping hand to their tutors and support to develop pre-service teachers’ technical expertise to overcome their technical fears to be able to use technology for instruction. It is therefore being recommended that stakeholders and as well as the government help provide colleges with qualified technicians to help equip pre-service teachers with technical abilities to teach effectively with technology in the classroom.

Source: UCC
AN IMPLICIT ANALYSIS OF THE PREVALENCE OF TEST ANXIETY AMONG PRESERVICE TEACHERS

This unique study, which was carried out in an area that seemed under researched, explored the relationship between the sources and manifestations of anxiety and the general test anxiety among preservice teachers. Data was collected from 100 female preservice teachers in a college of education in Ghana by using an adapted version of the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI) developed by Spielberger and Vagg. A key finding is that external factors such how others (e.g. parents and tutors) perceive preservice teachers when they perform poorly tend to be the major source of trainees’ test anxiety. This brings to bare the sources of general test anxiety among preservice teachers in the study, which is an illumination on what literature seems to suggest that students who experience test anxiety tend to be the type of people who put a lot of pressure on themselves to perform well. The findings suggest that the status of the test and how high the stakes are for a test the more likely that preservice teachers will experience increased test anxiety.

Source: UCC
Importance of Agronomic Practice on the Control of Wheat Leaf Diseases

Soil tillage and crop rotation are considered important tools in wheat leaf disease control; however, the results of investigations are inconsistent. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of the soil tillage system and cropping sequence on the development of winter wheat leaf diseases in 2012–2017. The disease development was assessed in a two-factor experiment: (a) soil tillage system; and (b) crop rotation. Foliar fungicides were used uniformly in all variants. The results showed that tan spot (caused by Pyrenophora tritici-repentis) dominated in 2012, 2013, and 2016, but the level of Septoria tritici blotch (Zymoseptoria tritici) was essentially lower and exceeded the severity of tan spot only in 2015. The agronomic practice used significantly influenced only the development of tan spot. Reduced soil tillage and continuous wheat sowing substantially increased tan spot severity, especially when both practices were used simultaneously. Short crop rotation (only wheat and oil seed rape) provided sufficient control of tan spot in ploughed fields, whereas in non-ploughed fields, the level of this disease did not decrease. The results could be explained by differences in the pathogens’ life cycle: P. tritici-repentis ascospores in wheat debris is the main source of infection; in contrast, Z. tritici spreads by conidia from living plants

Source: UCC
Importance of employee retention for attainment of organisational goals in Ghana Commercial Bank, Kumasi

The study examined the importance of employee retention for attainment of organisational goals in Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), Kumasi. Various factors that contributed to attainment of goals such as organisational factors, human resource factors, organisational benefits, commitment, employees retention and job satisfaction were examined.Quantitative research design, specifically a correlational study design was adopted. A study population of 98 senior and junior members of staff, and nine branch managers of GCB, Kumasi were sampled for the study. Interview guide and self administered questionnaire were the research instruments used. Statistical tools used to analyse the data included frequencies, correlation, standard multiple regression, step-wise regression and hierarchical multiple regression.The findings of the study revealed that the organisational goals of GCB were effective and employees knew and understood the goals of the bank, but they conflicted with employees’ personal goals. Employee retention was found to be high and was important for attainment of the bank’s goals. However, more than half of the employees indicated their intention to quit the bank very soon. A relationship was found between policies, job satisfaction and employee retention; and employee retention and attainment of organisational goals. It was recommended that employees and branch managers should be involved in the formulation of the bank’s goals. Reviewing banks retention policies to take care of all the spectrum of workers in the bank was also recommended.

Source: UCC