ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Context matters: Sociocultural considerations in the design and implementation of community-based positive psychology interventions in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract Scholars conducting cross-cultural research in mental health often import intervention programs found to be efficacious in one social context (e.g., Western) and directly implement them in other contexts (e.g., African and Asian) without recourse to the sociocultural disparities between the target populations and the theoretical foundations of the constructs and principles underpinning the intervention programs. Such efforts mistakenly assume that positive psychology interventions (PPIs), most of which were developed from Western perspectives and assumed individualistic cultural orientation and value systems, operate equally across all contexts. Drawing on the extant literature and on insights from designing, implementing, and evaluating group-based (mental) health behavior change intervention programs across several communities in Ghana, we discuss some sociocultural, theoretical, and methodological issues that can significantly constrain the design, uptake, and effectiveness of PPIs in the rural, low literate, socioeconomically disadvantaged, highly collectivistic context of Ghana, and sub-Saharan Africa more generally. In all illustrations, we offer suggestions to guide the design and implementation processes to ensure culturally appropriate, highly acceptable, and potentially effective intervention programs. We argue that PPIs can be potentially fructuous in the sub-region when adapted to, or embedded in, the cultural values of the target population and tailored to the needs, capacities, and circumstances of participants.

Source: UG
The contexts of housing stability and change among HIV-positive persons in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality, Ghana

Due to stigma, discrimination and economic insecurity, persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) are highly vulnerable to housing instability. For instance, PLWHAs are more likely to either remain stable in inadequate homes or change residence. Yet, few studies explore the contexts of housing stability and change among PLWHAs, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where the majority reside. This study used qualitative in-depth interviews to explore the narratives of 38 PLWHAs on the contexts of hous ing stability and the circumstances leading to change in residence. On diagnosis with HIV, the major ity of PLWHAs (58%) changed housing locations, mostly from bad to worse conditions. Reasons for change include: eviction due to stigma and discrimination, inability to afford rent, quest to hide HIV status and death of a cohabiting partner. Our findings suggest policy makers should pay attention to the deplorable and poor housing conditions of PLWHAs in Ghana.

Source: UG
A Contextual Analysis of Implementation Challenges of Small-Scale Mining Laws in Ghana: A Case Study of Bekwai Municipality

This study examines the implementation challenges of small-scale mining laws in the Bekwai Municipality of Ghana. The study adopted the qualitative approach using a case study design. Primary data were obtained through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Among others, this study found that illegal mining is a formidable challenge to the implementation of small-scale mining laws in the Bekwai Municipality. The study also found that scarcity of logistical and human resources undermines the implementation of small-scale mining laws in the Municipality. © 2016, © The Author(s) 2016.

Source: UG
The contextual awareness, response and evaluation (CARE) diabetes project: study design for a quantitative survey of diabetes prevalence and non-communicable disease risk in Ga Mashie, Accra, Ghana

Diabetes is estimated to affect between 3.3% and 8.3% of adults in Ghana, and prevalence is expected to rise. The lack of cost-effective diabetes prevention programmes designed specifically for the Ghanaian population warrants urgent attention. The Contextual awareness Response and Evaluation (CARE): Diabetes Project in Ghana is a mixed-methods study that aims to understand diabetes in the Ga Mashie area of Accra and identify opportunities for community-based intervention and inform future diabetes prevention and control strategies. This paper presents the study design for the quantitative survey within the CARE project. This survey will take place in the densely populated Ga Mashie area of Accra, Ghana. A household survey will be conducted using simple random sampling to select households from 80 enumeration areas identified in the 2021 Ghana Population and Housing Census. Trained enumerators will interview and collect data from permanent residents aged ≥ 25 years. Pregnant women and those who have given birth in the last six months will be excluded. Data analysis will use a combination of descriptive and inferential statistics, and all analyses will will account for the cluster sampling design. Analyses will describe the prevalence of diabetes, other morbidities, and associated risk factors and identify the relationship between diabetes and physical, social, and behavioural parameters. This survey will generate evidence on drivers and consequences of diabetes and facilitate efforts to prevent and control diabetes and other NCDs in urban Ghana, with relevance for other low-income communities.

Source: UG
Contextual Factors Which Affect the Success of Microcredit Programs Among Women

Microcredit programs usually target poor rural women to reduce poverty and empower the women involved. The general body of existing research provides conflicting evidence, depending on context, poverty reduction and empowerment may or may not be partially achieved. Research on the effects of context on microcredit is limited in Ghana. Based on focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with stakeholders, the contextual factors that affect microcredit for poverty reduction among women are explored. The findings of this study suggest that the orthodox use of social collateral through group lending doesn’t fully account for why some microlending programs are effective, and others are not. Contextual factors appear to make the difference.

Source: UG
Contextual influences on new technology ventures: A study of domestic firms in Ghana

This study examines the mechanisms and processes that explain the contextual influences on the development of new technology ventures. Based on interviews with technology entrepreneurs in Ghana, we developed a three-phase dynamic process model that demonstrates how institutional factors interact with firm-specific factors to influence entrepreneurial development. We identified constraints such as lack of access to financial credit, inadequate infrastructure, and human capital and resource constraints in Phase I, followed by formulating post-formation strategy in Phase II. Phase III focused on strategies for overcoming the constraints through innovations, leveraging new technologies and different financing models to outwit incumbents. The implications of the analysis for the sector and promising opportunities for future research are also outlined.

Source: UG
A contextual study of co-worker relationship and turnover intentions: the mediating role of employee cynicism

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to clearly examine how employee cynicism mediates the relationship between co-worker relationship and employee turnover intentions in organizations in Ghana. Design, methodology, and approach: using a cross-sectional survey of employees from both public and private organizations, the authors tested our hypotheses with a sample of 288 employees by means of structural equation modelling (SEM) using maximum likelihood estimation with LISREL 9.2 and bootstrapping procedures. Findings: Findings showed that co-worker relationship are negatively associated with employee cynicism. The findings further revealed that employee cynicism is positively associated with employees’ intention to leave. Additionally, employee cynicism negatively mediated the relationship between co-worker. and employee intentions to leave their organizations. Practical implications: The work recommends that organizations become aware of employee cynicism which can adversely affect co-worker relationship and consequently, organizational performance. Therefore, organizations ought to reduce employee cynicism and rather encourage positive co-worker relations through interpersonal relationships and support for employees. Originality/value: An investigation of co-worker relationship in organization and employee intentions to leave or turnover is a significant micro-level analysis for contemporary Human Resource Management (HRM) research. This study gives us a scarce opportunity to understand how employee cynicism negatively mediates the relationship between co-worker relationship and turnover intentions of employees.

Source: UG
Contextualising thesis process digitalisation at a university in Ghana

This study utilised thesis process as a case to investigate how its digitalisation can improve operational and pedagogical processes. A thesis management system (Wihi), developed during thesis process digitalisation in a Finnish university, was piloted at the University of Ghana. The purpose was to see if the system supported the thesis process at the University of Ghana and if good practices were transferable. A total of 44 system users from the University of Ghana participated in the pilot to develop a more fluent and effortless thesis process for students, supervisors and coordinators. Eight of them were selected as informants for the study through interviews and a focus group. The data were coded and analysed using theory-based content analysis. The study’s findings reveal that the manual thesis process in use was laborious and dispersive, resulting in supervisors and coordinators frequently losing track of students’ work progress. The digitalisation improved the administrative and educational experiences of all the parties concerned, helping students and supervisors to maintain a transparent thesis process based discussion and to better plan writing schedules. Additionally, coordinators were able to use data from thesis processes to support their decision-making. The results demonstrate that the good practices of thesis process digitalisation can be transferred across these two universities.

Source: UG
Contextualism as an important facet of individualism-collectivism: Personhood beliefs across 37 national groups

Beliefs about personhood are understood to be a defining feature of individualism-collectivism (I-C), but they have been insufficiently explored, given the emphasis of research on values and self-construals. We propose the construct of contextualism, referring to beliefs about the importance of context in understanding people, as a facet of cultural collectivism. A brief measure was developed and refined across 19 nations (Study 1: N = 5,241), showing good psychometric properties for cross-cultural use and correlating well at the nation level with other supposed facets and indicators of I-C. In Study 2 (N = 8,652), nation-level contextualism predicted ingroup favoritism, corruption, and differential trust of ingroup and outgroup members, while controlling for other facets of I-C, across 35 nations. We conclude that contextualism is an important part of cultural collectivism. This highlights the importance of beliefs alongside values and self-representations and contributes to a wider understanding of cultural processes. © The Author(s) 2013.

Source: UG
Contextualizing Schistosoma haematobium transmission in Ghana: Assessment of diagnostic techniques and individual and community water-related risk factors

The overall goal of the department is to conduct research and provide solutions to nutritional problems in Ghana. In pursuance of this goal, the Nutrition Department since its inception has focused its research in the areas of maternal, infant and young child nutrition, food consumption and food security and micronutrient deficiency and interventions. These are priority food and nutrition problems in Ghana.

Source: UG
Continent-wide panmixia of an African fruit bat facilitates transmission of potentially zoonotic viruses

The straw-coloured fruit bat, Eidolon helvum, is Africa's most widely distributed and commonly hunted fruit bat, often living in close proximity to human populations. This species has been identified as a reservoir of potentially zoonotic viruses, but uncertainties remain regarding viral transmission dynamics and mechanisms of persistence. Here we combine genetic and serological analyses of populations across Africa, to determine the extent of epidemiological connectivity among E. helvum populations. Multiple markers reveal panmixia across the continental range, at a greater geographical scale than previously recorded for any other mammal, whereas populations on remote islands were genetically distinct. Multiple serological assays reveal antibodies to henipaviruses and Lagos bat virus in all locations, including small isolated island populations, indicating that factors other than population size and connectivity may be responsible for viral persistence. Our findings have potentially important public health implications, and highlight a need to avoid disturbances that may precipitate viral spillover. © 2013 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

Source: UG
The contingency effects of supply chain integration on management control system design and operational performance of hospitals in Ghana

Purpose – This paper extends prior contingency-based management accounting research by building and empirically testing a theoretical model of contingency effects of supply chain integration (SCI) on the dimensions of management control system (MCS) and supply chain operational performance (SCOP) of hospitals in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses factorial and structural path analysis of survey responses collected from 237 hospital accountants to model these relationships. Findings – The results show that under strong SCI, the association between the MCS dimensions and hospital operational performance namely, cost effectiveness, flexibility and quality will be strengthened. In other words, the installation of MCS is more likely to provide a broad range of performance benefits for hospitals that align the four dimensions of the MCS with the dimensions of SCI (internal and external). Research limitations/implications –Alimitation of this study would be its limited scope, as it focused only on hospitals in one developing country. Therefore, the results as indicated here may have limited generalizability to other industries and countries. Practical implications – We theorize that using optimal amounts of the MCS, a high level of SCI is likely to reduce supply chain (SC) cost, improve speed, flexibility and quality of the SC among healthcare institutions in Ghana. Also, based on the direct impact on performance exhibited by the MCS dimensions, effective implementation of SCI decisions requires the use of optimal amounts of MCS for high performance. Originality/value – The paper contributes to contingency-based management accounting research and provides theory-driven and empirically proven explanations for hospital managers in recognizing the importance of aligning the dimensions of SCI and MCS.

Source: UG
Contingent valuation study of the beneﬁts of seasonal climate forecasts for maize farmers in the Republic of Benin, West Africa

This study aims to assess the economic benefits of seasonal climate forecasts in West Africa based on a random survey of 354 maize farmers and to use the contingent valuation method. Results indicate that farmers need accurate seasonal climate forecasts between 1 and 2 months before the onset of rains. The most desirable dissemination channels are radio, local elders, local farmer meetings and extension agents. The most likely used farming strategies are change of: planting date, crop acreage, crop variety, and production intensification. The vast majority of farmers are willing to pay for seasonal climate forecasts, and the average annual economic value of seasonal climate forecasts are about USD 5492 for the 354 sampled farmers and USD 66.5 million dollar at the national level. Furthermore, benefits of seasonal climate forecasts are likely to increase with better access to farmer based organisation, to extension services, to financial services, to modern communication tools, intensity of use of fertilizer and with larger farm sizes. Seasonal climate forecasts are a source of improvement of farmers’ performance and the service should be integrated in extension programmes and in national agricultural development agenda.

Source: UG
Continuing education and employment creation: Investment in entrepreneurship matters

This paper explores continuing education and employment generation in Ghana. It places emphasis on entrepreneurship, and how continuing education could help students’ create jobs. It used Bachelor of Administration final year students at Accra Learning Center as a unit of analysis. It is a qualitative study which sought to understand, determine the range of responses, and secure deeper insights and meaning into what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur. In-depth interview guides were conducted with 14 purposively selected students. It came to light that, in addition to classroom learning, students' participation in short seminars and workshops equipped them to become creative thinkers, take informed risks, create jobs, and envision a better future for them selves. It concludes that students’ lifetime experiences should be allowed to supplement the classroom lecture.

Source: UG
Continuing Education and Perception of Community Learning Centres: A Case Study of the University of Ghana Community Learning Centres, Ghana

Diverse national and local policies represent efforts to guarantee inclusive and equitable quality education and provide lifelong learning for all (SDG4). Their effects have the potential to alter local access to education. There has been a lot of research on the factors that led certain universities to embrace distance learning programs in their local communities, but relatively little has been done to examine how these changes can affect the perceptions of the larger community approach to investigating public opinion. This study investigates community perceptions of distance learning through community learning centres in Ghana’s port city, Tema Metropolis – which supports various educational activities – using semi-structured interviews. Although community members expressed concerns about the possible socio-economic effects of learning centres, we discovered that individual students who used the learning centres were driven to pursue distance learning largely for its educational advantages. Our research demonstrates that the scope and speed of distance learning made possible by community learning centres has influenced local communities such as the Tema Metropolis and beyond. To guarantee that community learning centres encouraged by DE policy are administered effectively and fairly, such implications must be considered in research, policy, and planning.

Source: UG
Continuing education for librarians in Ghana: problems and expectations

Continuing education has been given various interpretations depending on the context in which it is used. For the purpose of this paper, Continuing education is used to donate attendants of conferences, workshops, seminars, and short courses. which may have a variety of objectives, they may be refresher courses, exchange of experiences courses or post experiences courses. in this paper, Continuing education excludes formal certificates or degree awarding education

Source: UG
Continuing Formal Education For Nurses: Exploring The Experiences Of Non - Professional Nurses In The Greater Accra Region

Continuing formal education is essential to the growth of the nursing profession due to the dynamic environment of the health industry. Nurses after their initial training received at school, have the opportunity to engage in continuing formal education. The study sought to have an in - depth exploration of the perceptions, motivators, barriers and measures to enhance the continuing formal education of non - professional nurses. The qualitative descriptive design was employed and the purposive sampling technique used to recruit twenty - three non - professional nurses from Pantang Hospital in the Greater Accra Region. The thematic content analysis was used in analysing the data. Four main themes that guided the study were the perception of continuing formal education, motivation for continuing formal education, barriers to continuing formal education and measures to enhance continuing formal education. The findings of the study showed that non - professional nurses have a positive perception about continuing formal education. Motivating factors that encouraged non - professional nurses’ return to school include self - determination and age, low academic qualification and practising outside one’s job description. Barriers to continuing formal education originated from the personal situation of non - professional nurses, educational institutions, the non - professional nurse’s disposition towards school as well as employers and management of healthcare facilities within which non - professional nurses work. The measures to enhance continuing formal education of non - professional nurses include clear educational policies on education and the development of educational programmes to meet the needs of non - professional nurses. The study recommended that continuing formal education should be considered as a collective responsibility of all stakeholders responsible for the continuing formal education of non - professional nurses. Appropriate measures are therefore required by stakeholders to promote the continuing formal education of non -professional nurses.

Source: UG
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Practices Among Basic School Teachers in the Central Region of Ghana

This paper reports on an exploratory study regarding the current continuing professional development (CPD) situation of basic schoolteachers in Ghana. The study investigates the teachers’ CPD needs, frequency and nature of CPD provisions, and barriers to teachers’ participation in CPD activities. Using a cross-sectional survey involving 456 teachers, the study found that teachers required to be developed in areas of “ICT skills for teaching,” “research and dissemination,” and “teaching students with special learning needs.” It was also revealed that the predominant CPD practices were workshops and in-service training, and continuing education. However, these practices were seldom provided and rarely met the development needs of the teachers. Teachers’ participation in CPD activities were also found to be minimal due to factors such as non-availability CPD offerings, lack of pre-requisite information on CPD activities and lack of schools’ support. The study concludes that the current CPD situation of teachers in Ghana reflects a lack of implemented CPD policy framework. There is, therefore, the need for a broader CPD policy framework that will guide the provision, participation, and CPD practices of teachers in Ghana.

Source: UG