ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Impact of career development on employee engagement at Women‘s World Bank, Kumasi.

The study aimed at assessing the impact of career development on employee engagement at Women‘s World Bank, Kumasi. The study used descriptive survey research and a census of 266 employees. The research approach used was the quantitative approach and Questionnaire was the main data collection instrument used to collect data from the field survey. The data for this study was processed with SPSS (V 22) and analysed with regression and correlational analysis, means and standard deviation in addition to percentages and frequencies. The results were presented in tables and figures. The study discovered that, Women‘s World Bank provides opportunity for career development for its employees. It was found that the level of satisfaction with career development on emotional engagement and cognitive engagement had strongest unique but statistically significant contribution to explaining the dependent variable when all the other variables in the model are controlled for. The findings disclosed that lack of experts to handle career counselling as a component of career development and limited promotion opportunities for employees after career development were some challenges associated with career development at Women‘s World Bank. The study recommends that management of Women‘s World Bank must put in place a strong succession plan system. Human resource managers at the bank must draw up employee career development programmes to address career development challenges.

Source: UCC
Impact Of Child Abuse On Academic Performance Of Junior High School Students At New Juaben South Municipality, Ghana

The study investigated the impact of child abuse on the academic performance of junior high school (JHS) students at New Juaben South Municipality in Ghana. The descriptive survey design was utilised. A sample of 98 JHS 2 students selected through cluster, simple random and proportionate sampling techniques. Questionnaire was used to collect data for the study. Research question one was analysed using frequencies and percentages. Research hypotheses were analysed using regression analyses. The findings revealed a distressing prevalence of abuse among the JHS students, with psychological abuse being the most prevalent form, affecting 69.4% of the student population. Physical abuse followed closely, reported by 46.9% of students, while sexual abuse was disturbingly prevalent, with 36.7% of participants revealing their ordeal. Moreover, a significant number of students reported experiencing multiple forms of abuse concurrently. The analysis showed that as psychological abuse and physical abuse increased, academic performance tended to decrease. However, no significant relationship was observed between sexual abuse and academic performance. Based on the findings, the study recommends educational institutions prioritize creating safe and supportive environments, implement comprehensive training programs to identify and address signs of abuse, and establish clear reporting and support systems.

Source: UCC
Impact of Climate Change on the Livelihood of Women in Agriculture in Ghana: A Case Study of Donkokrom

The study set out to investigate the impact of climate change on the livelihood of women in agriculture in Ghana using Donkokrom as the research setting. The researcher employed quantitative research specifically, descriptive and correctional methods to study the phenomena. A total of one-hundred and fifty (150) survey questionnaires were distributed to female farmers in Donkokrom. Upon following up with the farmers, ninety questionnaires were received. Five questionnaires were excluded from the final data analysis due to incompleteness. Therefore, a total of eighty-five questionnaires were used for the analysis representing 56.7%. Descriptive statistics and hierarchical regression were used for the analysis with the help of SPSS version 20. The finding shows that the majority of the respondents indicated that for the last 10 years, access to rainfall patterns has Changed/altered while only a few of them opined that they don’t know. Most of the respondents indicate that changes are caused by climate change-related reasons while the minority selected other related issues such as superstition/religion. In terms of challenges of climate change on their farming activities, the result revealed that the majority of the women farmers select bushfires as the major challenge they face followed by the rising day temperature, floods, Persistent drought, Early cessation of the rainy season, less rain during the rainy season, Erratic rainfall during the rainy season, Rising night-time temperatures, Late onset of the rainy season, More rain during the rainy season, and the uncertain onset of the rainy season. Finally, the impact of climate change adaptive strategies on the livelihood of the farmers revealed that all the independent variables – Seed Variety, Soil Moisture Retention Techniques, Soil Fertility Techniques, and Irrigation Infrastructure significantly improved the livelihood of the women farmers in the country. Recommendations were put forth for the stakeholders and future researchers.

Source: UCC
The Impact of Cocoa Life Project Interventions of World Vision Ghana on Beneficiaries in the Wassa East District, Western Region

This study examined the Impact of Cocoa Life Project interventions of World Vision Ghana (WVG) on beneficiaries in the Wassa East District (WED) using the mixed methods approach in a descriptive survey and exploratory design. The neoliberal, alternative development, social structural, social capital and social cognitive theories were used to develop the conceptual framework for the study. A total of 410 respondents including farmers, members of village savings and loans groups, gari processors, soap makers, the Head of the District Agriculture Department, and the Head of Business Advisory Centre were sampled for the study. Interview schedule, focus group discussion and interview .guides were the instruments used, with percentages, means, standard deviation, chi-square, t-test, ANOV A, thematic and content analyses as the analytical tools. The study found that unlike the implementation stage, the level of satisfaction in participation in planning and evaluation activities of the interventions was low. However, the Project was generally relevant to the development of beneficiary communities. Also, WVG put in place various measures to promote gender equality under the Project. Although various factors helped to sustain the Project, the level of transparency and accountability was low and with very short duration. Though the overall impact of the Project on the livelihood of beneficiaries is high, significant differences exist in educational, religious and ethnic backgrounds of beneficiaries based on the impact of the Project on their livelihoods. It is recommended that WVG should team up with Cocoa Life, local authorities and community leaders to design measures to ensure that project interventions truly reflect the diverse needs of beneficiaries.

Source: UCC
Impact of Cocoa Rehabilitation Programme on Productivity and Economic Status of Cocoa Farmers in the Offinso District, Ghana

The study sought to examine the impact of cocoa rehabilitation programme on the productivity and economic status of cocoa farmers of Offinso District in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. In this research, the descriptive research design was adopted with a sample size of 217 farmers using closed questionnaire. The study used both descriptive statistics and regression models in its analysis. the study concluded that 50.2 percent of the cocoa farmers, were between 10-20 years old. A further analysis revealed that 88.7 percent of the farmers make contact with agricultural extension officers for their services regarding their farms, 27.6 percent of cocoa farmers make contact with the agricultural extension officers for their services regarding their farms 3 times in a month, 74.10 percent of the cocoa farmers received other agricultural related training, 76.4 percent of the farmers were prepared to cut cocoa trees for complete rehabilitation. The study revealed that shaded agroforestry system, no-shaded monocropping and cocoa Agronomists of the cocoa rehabilitation program helps to cultivate large scale, undertaking early intercropping, shade regulation, replanting in stages and selective replanting of trees to regulate cocoa crown’s shape and size. This was found to account for more than 43.3% of the level of output of cocoa production. The study revealed key challenges of the rehabilitation programme including inadequate credit facilities, unsatisfactory loan agreement conditions by creditors and unfamiliarity with modern methods of farming. The study made key recommendation. Key among this is that district agricultural extension offices should pay more visit to the cocoa farms to educate them more on modern methods of farming.

Source: UCC
Impact of Computer Based Instruction (CBI) on students’ performance in mathematics: A case study of public basic schools in Kasoa

The main purpose of this study was to ascertain the differences existing between the use of Computer Based Instruction (CB1) and the traditional method of teaching mathematics. The study was conducted in two basic schools in Kasoa. The schools were St. Martha’s Basic school and Emmanuel Presby basic school all in Kasoa. The survey was conducted by using questionnaire and achievement test items. Items in the Questionnaire and the text items were of relevance to the purpose of the survey they were administered in two basic schools. The data was collected, organized and analyzed using frequency, percentage and t-test. It came to light that students attitude towards CBI in Ghana was positive. Again, the study revealed that students in the basic schools who were taught with CBI scored higher marks than those who received traditional method of teaching. Also, there was significant difference in the academic achievement of students taught with CBI and those taught with Traditional method. Conclusions drawn from the study were that, since the students had positive attitude towards CBI they are likely to embrace instructions using CBI. Again, if CBI is adopted by all schools it is likely to improve academic performance. Based on the findings it was recommended that Government and the Ghana Education Service should equip the basic schools with enough computers and educational software that can facilitate the use of CBI.

Source: UCC
Impact of Computer Usage on Safety and Health of Administrators at the University of Cape Coast

The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of computer usage on the health and safety of administrators at the University of Cape Coast (UCC). A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used, and a questionnaire was administered both online and face-to-face to 281 administrators. Chi-square and logistic regression were used in addition to frequencies, percentages, mean, standard deviation, and other statistical methods to analyse the data that was gathered and processed in SPSS. The results showed that 94.66% of the administrators were aware of the health hazards associated with computer use. However, they did not have adequate knowledge about the standard operating procedures (SOPs) to follow which resulted in major computer-use-associated health challenges such as back pain, neck pain, and vision problems. The administrators‟ symptoms from these health challenges persisted for 1-2 years. Most of the administrators also agreed that the management of UCC provides screen protectors, appropriate workstations, and conducts training on computer usage. Socio-demographic factors like gender, educational level, designation, as well as years of work experience in using computers, have an influence on health and safety challenges of the administrators. It is recommended that management should educate and train administrators on computer-use SOPs and the health hazards associated with computers. They should also engage resource persons in occupational health and safety training

Source: UCC
Impact Of Cooperative Learning on Performance of Economics Students in Senior High Schools in Ghana: a Quasi Experimental Studies in the Eastern Region

The study assessed the impact of cooperative learning on performance of Economics students in senior high school in Ghana. A quantitative approach was employed, utilizing a quasi-experimental design that included pre-tests and post-tests with control groups. The study comprised of 164 economics students (19 in the business class and 145 in the general arts classes). A 50-item achievement test and a 29-item questionnaire were used to collect the data. The experimental group was taught using the think-pair-share and Jig-saw techniques for six weeks each, whereas the control group was taught using traditional teacher-centred method for 12 weeks. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics (frequency, percentages, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (independent sample t-test and paired sample t-test). There was no statistically significant difference in the pre-test achievement mean scores between the experimental and control groups. However, a statistically significant difference emerged in the post-test achievement mean scores, favouring experimental group, indicating their superior performance. This indicates that cooperative learning (CL) strategies, specifically jigsaw and think-pair-share, significantly enhanced students’ academic performance in economics. Also, students in the experimental group held positive perceptions of CL, with no discernible gender-related differences. In conclusion, the study found that Jigsaw and think-pair-share are effective strategies for enhancing students’ learning in economics. As a recommendation, economics educators are encouraged to incorporate CL strategies, especially the jigsaw and think-pair-share models, into their teaching methods to boost the academic performance of economics students.

Source: UCC
The impact of COVID-19 on oil marketing companies (OMCS): A study in the ga west municipality of the Greater Accra region of Ghana

This study sought to examine the impact of COVID-19 on Oil Marketing Companies in the Ga West Municipality of the Greater Accra Region, Ghana. The study employed the mixed method approach as the main research approach, and the sequential explanatory design as the main research design. Through quantitative and qualitative data, the study demonstrated that indeed COVID-19 had several effects on oil retail outlets in the municipality. The study established that COVID-19 negatively impacted oil marketing outlets, affecting customer inflow, overall sales, operations, workers, interpersonal contact, financial flow among others, and positively improved sanitary conditions, personal hygiene and reduced congestion at heavily packed fuel stations. Also, measures put in place to sustain OMCs in the face of COVID- 19 were purely self-help and not government intervention in the Ga west Municipality. It was recommended that the government of Ghana should offer some form of support to the OMCs in case any pandemic of this nature pops up in the near future. This will help release the burden of patronizing PPEs and other materials by the OMCs. Also, Staff members are encouraged to perform hand hygiene frequently, follow respiratory etiquette recommendations and regularly clean and disinfect surfaces at the work area, mainly office and forecourts. The study further recommended that there should be extension of the period of tax payment by Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in case any pandemic of this nature pops up in the future to help relieve some financial burden from the OMCs.

Source: UCC
Impact of Covid-19 on the Tourism Industry in Selected Tourist Destinations in Ghaha

In its wake, COVID-19 had caused communities and countries a lot than expected. Most sectors of countries across the globe were affected but one of the most hit sectors was the tourism industry. Movement from place to place was restricted which came as a results of closure of borders, social distancing and other restriction instituted as part of measures to manage the spread of the disease. Prior studies have mostly considered the economic effects of the pandemic on the country; others have also socio economic effects of the pandemic on tourism industry, focusing on one region. This study looks at the impact of COVID-19 on the tourism industry focusing on Community livelihood of people in tourist destinations. Using a mixed method approach, the study focused on two communities, Abono and Boabeng-Fiema in the Bosomtwe district of Ashanti Region and Nkoranza-North of the Bono-East Region respectively. Data was collected using Focus Group Discussions, Key informant interview and survey questionnaire and analysed with Google form, excel and SPSS. Result from the study showed that, tourism in these communities have both negative and positive impact on their livelihood. In addition, business closure, decline in social and tourism activities were some of the effects the pandemic had on the community livelihood of both study areas. The study concludes the impacts on community livelihood of the pandemic is mainly due to direct link to tourism of both communities. Business diversity, focus on domestic tourism and local talents were amongst the recommended measures suggested to keep and make the tourist destinations and the tourism industry at large more resilient to future shocks and to enable the people of the communities build a better livelihood

Source: UCC
Impact of credit-based crop development projects (FCDP's) on socio-economic lives of small-scale maize farmers: The case of Ejura-Sekyedumase district

This study sought to find answers to the questions of whether the Food Crop Development Project improved farmers’ access to credit, changed farmers savings culture or whether small-scale maize farmers adopted the improved maize production practices. In addition, the study seeks to know whether or not there has been any significant difference in food security situation between participant and non-participant farmers. Descriptive-Correlation survey was conducted and using multistage random sampling procedure a final sample of 130 farmers was selected. Pearson’s correlation coefficients indicated that participation in FCDP had a positive and significant but moderate relationship with maize output, but had no significant relationship with total farm incomes. More participants reported having easy access to credit than non-participants with Chi-square value of 17.29 being highly significant indicating the possible relationship between ease of access to credit and participation in FCDP. Pearson’s Chi-square (÷20.01) of 14.44 was also found to be significant indicating the possible relationship between participation and saving in a financial institution. The OLS stepwise regression analysis showed that participation in FCDP, farm size and ease of access to credit were the main predictors of maize output while participation, income and household size were also the main predictors of food security. Thus, FCDP helped to improve the livelihoods of maize farmers in the study area. The policy implication of these findings is that subsidized agricultural input projects like the FCDP, have the potential to improve food security and farm incomes of peasant households.

Source: UCC
Impact of depression, anxiety and spirituality on quality of life of prostate cancer patients

The research investigated the impact of depression, anxiety and spirituality on the quality of life of prostate cancer patients in Ghana. The Survey research design was employed and the simple random sampling technique was used in selecting twenty-nine (29) prostate cancer patients as participants. Four hypotheses were tested using the One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient and Multiple Regression Analysis. The research outcome indicated that, there was no significant difference in quality of life among prostate cancer patients with respect to their income levels. Also, it was found that there existed a negative correlation between anxiety and quality of life, depression and quality of life. However, there existed a positive correlation between spirituality and quality of life of prostate cancer patients. It was recommended that prostate cancer patients receive, as part of their medical treatment, psychological assessment and treatment to help improve their quality of life. It was also recommended that, life insurance policies as well as Ghana’s health insurance scheme help augment the cost of treatment which is relevant in ensuring quality of life of prostate cancer patients.

Source: UCC
Impact of Developmental Games on Motor Skill Development of School Children in the Cape Coast Metropolis

The purpose of the current study was to examine the impact of some selected existing developmental games on the motor skill (balance, coordination and agility) development of children aged between 10 to 12 years, in the Cape Coast Metropolis in the Central Region of Ghana. Quasi-experimental design was employed in the study. Thirty school children were randomly sampled for the study. The children included five boys and five girls from each of the age groups of 10, 11, and 12. This sample was selected to meet the demands for the test battery (i.e.Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-2 (BOT-2) (Bruininks & Bruininks, 2005), which takes 15-20 minutes to test each participant). The group participated in a 12-week motor skills development programme designed for this study. The pupils’ levels of balance, coordination and agility were assessed with BOT-2 battery test using a single group pretestformulated and tested, hypotheses one, two and three were tested using repeated measure ANOVA, while hypothesis 4 was tested with a repeated factorial ANOVA. The main findings showed that the developmental games were effective tools that could be utilized in improving balance, agility and coordination among the children aged between 10-12 years, especially if the children are given about three months interval to practice. Thus, using these available developmental games can reduce the effects limited resources have on the teaching and learning of Physical Education (PE) and the general development and elevation of sports in the country. PE teachers are encouraged to use these developmental games to help children to improve their motor skills, in the resource constraint environment.

Source: UCC
The impact of dividend policy on the performance of rural banks in Ghana

The most debated issue or controversy in the field of finance is over the impact of dividend policy on the performance of a company (Brealey and Myers 2002). Different views exist regarding the impact of dividend policy on the performance of firms. Some empiricists argue for dividends irrelevance while others take the opposite view and maintain that dividends do have relevance. This current study has been undertaken aiming at evaluating the impact of dividend policy on performance in the context of selected rural banks in Ghana. Seven rural banks were selected in Ghana. The study has covered secondary data and primary data. Quantitative tools such as percentages, averages, tables and chats were used in the analysis of the findings. At the end, it revealed that there is a positive correlation between dividend policy and rural banks performance. Also, the rural banks with a higher dividend payout have their performance or share value higher. Besides, the study recommends that dividend paying firms should continue to maintain a steady growth in dividends unless there is a very good reason to make profit and expand. Also, because there are different shareholders preferences, firms should find out from their shareholders what suit their preferences before dividends policy decisions are made.

Source: UCC