ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Play activities among preschoolers at early childhood centres in the central Tongu of the Volta Region

The purpose of the study was to investigate play activities among pre-schoolers at early childhood centre in the central north Tongu district. The study sought to assess the perception of kindergarten teachers on play activities, examine instructional practices of early childhood educator in play activities, examine the contribution of educational play activities to the development of children, and identify the challenges kindergarten teachers face when implementing play activities in the central Tongu district. The philosophical underpinning of the study was pragmatist. The study adopted a mixed method approach with a concurrent nested mixed method design. The sample size for the study was one hundred and forty (140) kindergarten teachers. Census and purposively sampling techniques were used in the study. Structured questionnaire and semi-structured interview guide were instruments used to collect data for the study. Quantitative data were analysed in the form of frequency count, percentage, mean, and standard deviation with the aid of Statistical Package for Service Solutions (SPSS) version 26 software. The qualitative data gathered from the sample were analysed using thematic approach. The study found that there were differences in perspectives and understanding about children’s play among public kindergarten teachers in the district; some teachers viewed play and learning as two separate activities, whereas others believed children learn through play. Also, the study found that teachers played several roles when using play-based teaching as an instructional technique and activity. Moreover, the study discovered that play contributes to cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development of children in the central Tongu district. Furthermore, the study discovered that inadequate play equipment and materials, insufficient indoor space and having too many pupils to teach were the challenges kindergarten teachers face when implementing play activities in the classroom. Thus, the study recommended that the Central Tongu District Directorate of Education should organise periodic workshops for kindergarten teachers on pedagogical skills for play-based teaching, how to integrate play into teaching and learning, and their roles in the implementation of play-based teaching. Lastly, it should liaise with the Central Tongu District Assembly and Non- Governmental Organisations in the district to provide adequate play materials and equipment to all public kindergartens in the district.

Source: UEW
Play activities among preschoolers at early childhood centres in the Sangnarigu municipality.

The purpose of the study was to investigate play activities among pre-schoolers at early childhood centres in the Sangnarigu Municipality. This research employed the concurrent nested mixed method design where the quantitative method is dominant to the qualitative method. The accessible population of the study was all kindergarten teachers in the Sangnarigu Municipality. There were one hundred and forty (140) kindergarten teachers in the ten circuits within the Sangnarigu Municipality. This comprised fifteen (15) males and one hundred and twenty-five (125) female teachers. The sample size for the study was one hundred and forty (140) participants. Participants were sampled through census and purposive sampling techniques questionnaire and interview guide was used to collect data for the study. The findings indicate that some teachers viewed play and learning as two separate or dichotomous activities, but others believed children learn through play. The findings of the study revealed that play features on the school timetable of public kindergartens in the district. The findings also revealed that teachers played several roles when using play-based teaching as an instructional technique and activity The findings of this study identified lack and inadequacy of play equipment and materials, not having enough indoor space, not enough time on the schedule, and having too many pupils to teach. Based on the first research question, the study recommends that the Sangnarigu Municipality Directorate of Education should organise periodic workshops for kindergarten teachers on the importance of play. Finally, with respect to fourth research question, the study recommends that the Sangnarigu Municipal Directorate of Education in liaison with the Sangnarigu Municipal Assembly and Non-Governmental Organisations in the district should pro

Source: UEW
Play activities among preschoolers at early childhood centres in the Sangnarigu municipality.

This document is a compilation of all the learnings I have acquired in the 2-year Master of Education program in Guidance and Counselling specializing in family system . In this document, one will come across my growth journey, how my family connects with my choice of program and profession as illustrated with a genogram. Also, my curriculum vitae, reference letters and flower exercise that display my goals and mission in life are in this document. The unique components from each of the core courses I studied in the program as well as my specialization area in counselling, family system and group counselling broaden my knowledge about the social and psychological issues in our communities. I specifically, connected my personality to one traditional theory which is Rational Emotional Behavioral. Therapy and one post modern theory which is Solution-Focus Brief Therapy, and then display my knowledge of ethics in the document that guides the client counsellor relationship. Later, I reflected on my overall experience and knowledge gained throughout the learning journey and in the compilation process.

Source: UEW
Play-based learning in early grade learners in the Sissala West District of the Upper West Region, Ghana.

This study focused on the use of play-based learning in early grade centres in the Sissala West District of the Upper West Region, Ghana. Specifically, the study sought to evaluate play-based activities teachers, engage early learners in during instruction, head teachers, support in the use of play in instruction and the barriers of implementing play in instruction. The study employed a descriptive survey design. Thus, questionnaires and interview guides were used as data collection instruments. A simple random sampling and purposive sampling method was adopted in selecting teachers, early childhood education centres and headtecahers respectively. A sample size of 125 teachers and 10 head teachers were selected for the study. The data obtained were statistically analyzed mean/standard deviation. The findings revealed that head teachers in the Sissala West District of the Upper West Region, support teachers in the use of play in teaching early grade leaners by providing play materials, supervision of teachers, training and education of teachers as well as motivation of teachers. Again, it was found that play activities employed by teachers in the use of play in instruction included integration of games and songs in the classroom learning activities and engaging children in outdoor play activities. However, it was found that some challenges that limit teachers in the use of play in their teaching processes are; inadequate in-service training, limited play materials, unavailability of play space and centres. It was recommended that early childhood centres should be allocated sufficient time in the timetable for children to engage in play activities. Time allocated for play activities should not be used for teaching other subjects. Also, teachers in the early grade schools should improvise in making available some play or instructional materials needed in play activities during instruction and head teachers should strengthen their supervision and monitoring roles to motivate teachers to use play activities effectively in teaching.

Source: UEW
Politeness in parliamentary discourse an analysis of the Hansard

This study investigates politeness in parliamentary discourse in Ghana. Using politeness theory as framework and the parliamentary Hansard as of source of data, the study examines the politeness strategies employed by parliamentary actors, the implications of the frequency of the usage of the politeness strategies and how the Standing Orders of Parliament determine the choice of a politeness strategy. Findings of the study show that political actors in the Parliament of Ghana use the bald on-record politeness strategies, the positive politeness strategies, the negative politeness strategies and the off-record politeness strategies in varied proportions. The study further reveals that the negative politeness strategy is the most frequently used politeness strategy and the Speaker being the highest user of the negative politeness strategy and the bald on-record politeness strategy. Again, the study found out that the off-record politeness strategy is the least used strategy. The Majority Members in Parliament use the highest frequency of positive politeness strategies while the Minority Members of Parliament employ more negative politeness strategies. The study concludes that parliamentary discourse in Ghana is more of the direct explicit polite expressions than the indirect implicit expression of politeness. The study recommends that researchers should pay critical attention to the politeness phenomenon in parliamentary discourse.

Source: UEW
Politeness strategies in Dagbani a socio-pragmatic approach

This study offers a systematic socio-pragmatic discussion of politeness strategies in Dagbani, a Gur (Mabia) language belonging to the Oti-Volta branch in the Niger-Congo family. The work focuses on both linguistic and non-linguistic strategies that are employed in the language for the coding of politeness. It employs Brown and Levinson’s notion of ‘face’ as the theoretical framework. The study explores some key thematic areas, which include the correlation between power and politeness, the possible relationship between gender and politeness as well as the correlation between age and politeness strategies in Dagbani under two broad categories-linguistic and nonlinguistic politeness strategies. It was found out that there exists a correlation between power, age, gender and politeness. Thus, politeness strategies are marked along the lines of these social determinants. The research also shows that honorifics are used extensively as politeness strategies among speakers of Dagbani. Another interesting finding, which requires additional research in future, is how women are required by societal expectations and cultural underpinnings to use more politeness strategies both verbal and non-verbal in their daily discourse as well as their general behaviour. The study concludes that politeness strategies among the Dagbamba manifest in various forms including sitting arrangement in palaces, dress codes, the use of proverbs and euphemisms as well as linguistic hedges. In all, the effective use of these politeness strategies shows one’s communicative competence in Dagbani.

Source: UEW
Politeness strategies in legal discourse an analysis of cross-examinations at the Winneba District Court

The present study investigated the politeness strategies in legal discourse through an analysis of cross-examinations conducted at the Winneba District Court. The study is qualitative, and used document as the data collection method because the data were obtained from some selected record of proceedings on cross-examination sessions from 2020-2022 at the Winneba District Court. The study is guided by the Politeness Theory and Speech Acts Theory. Utterances from the cross-examinations is gathered as data. The researcher analyzed the utterances of all the cross-examiners and the crossexaminees, and then classified them into politeness strategy themes such as bald onrecord politeness, positive politeness, negative politeness, and off-record politeness. The four themes were further put into sub-themes such as deference, seek agreement, hedging, apology, request, assert a common ground, among others. The study indicates that the politeness strategy mostly used is positive politeness, and this is followed by negative politeness, bald on-record, and finally, off-record politeness. The findings suggest that it is necessary for cross-examiners and cross-examinees; whether professional or non-professional to use politeness strategies in order to as much as possible avoid threatening the face of others they communicate with. The findings contribute to the understanding of how politeness operates within the context of legal discourse and have implications for legal practice, courtroom communication, and politeness theory.

Source: UEW
Political economy of communication among selected market traders’ associations in the kejetia city market

This study examined the political economy of communication among selected Market Traders’ Associations in the Kejetia City Market. Drawing on the media richness theory, the political economy theory and the concept of direction of communication flow, the case study examined the communication channels and patterns of the Market Traders’ Associations. It also analysed the power relations embedded in the communication patterns of the Market Traders’ Associations. Observations and interviews were employed as the data collection methods. The data gathered were thematically analysed. The study found that the channels of communication among the Market Traders’ Associations were WhatsApp, Face-to-Face Meeting, Letters, Telephone Conversation, Gong, and Grapevine. The study revealed that these channels were used because they were convenient at the time. They were able to send and receive information, and also able to curb the spread of the corona virus. These channels were also considered as being much swifter in sending and receiving information than other channels. The study also revealed that the patterns of communication employed in the groups under study were Downward Communication, Upward Communication, Horizontal Communication, and Diagonal Communication. The study showed that the power relations embedded in the communication patterns of the Market Traders’ Associations were Lobbying, Building Relationship with Authority, and Strategic Manipulation. It concludes that owing to the fact that resources were not fairly available in the market and were limited in supply, a lot of times traders had to compete for the allocation or distribution sometimes and did certain things to get access to the fewer resources that were available.

Source: UEW
Political economy of news production a case study of three campus-based radio stations

This study examined the political economy of news production amongst three campus-based radio stations: Radio Windy Bay, Radio Univers and Radio ATL in Ghana. The study identified the various filters of news production to include how the filters affect news production and how journalists negotiate the filters during news production. Using a qualitative research approach via interviews and documents and anchored on the political economy theory, the study showed that size, ownership, advertising, sourcing mass media news, flak and enforcers, and self-interest affected news production at the selected radio stations. Again, the study revealed that interference in news production, delays and cancelation, order of content production, ethical issues, financial intervention, economies of time and efficiency were the outcomes of the effects of the filters on radio news production. The study concludes that in negotiating the filters journalists resorted to compliance, adaptation, dialogue, and ethics as best means of dealing with the filters during news production.

Source: UEW
Politics and the Ghana school feeding programme in the Ga West and Effutu municipalities

This study sought to examine the institutional politics around the implementation of the Ghana School feeding Programme (GSFP). The aim of the study was to examine the effects of politics on the implementation of the GSFP in the Ga West and Effutu Municipalities of the Greater Accra and Central Regions respectively. The study adopted qualitative research methodology and purposive sampling was used to select 63 respondents. The research instrument used for data collection was an interview guide containing key questions of interest to the study. The study found that there was stakeholder collaboration in the implementation of the GSFP. The structures vital to the implementation of the school feeding programme at the District level such as the District Implementation Committees and the School Implementation Committees were not functioning to expectation in the Effutu Municipality whilst they were functioning better in the Ga West Municipality. From the analysis, the first two objectives of the GSFP had been met to a large extent in both Municipalities. The third objective had, however, not been achieved in both Municipalities. Also, the level of community participation varied in the two Municipalities. The Ga West Municipality had some appreciable level of participation whilst the Effutu Municipality had very little community involvement. From the results, I argued that the District level structures should be strengthened to better supervise the Ghana School Feeding Programme. I recommend that validation and sensitization workshops should be organized to get the beneficiary communities involved in the implementation of the GSFP at the district levels. There should be a district level procurement agency to buy foodstuffs grown locally from the local farmers and sell to the caterers in order to boost local agriculture and local economy.

Source: UEW
Politics, power and unequal access to fisheries subsidies among small-scale coastal fisherfolk in Ghana

This paper contributes to the literature on subsidies in the fishing industry and its implications for fishery governance and sustainability. Using a political ecology approach, we examine the political forces behind the distribution of subsidized premix fuel by disclosing the winners and losers, and the implications of unequal access to subsidies on declining fish stock and small-scale marine fishery governance in Ghana. The empirical data consisted of 300 household surveys and 20 in-depth interviews with relevant stakeholders from the Western Region of Ghana. The findings indicate that significant controversies exist in the distribution of fuel subsidies among small-scale fisherfolk. There are high levels of asymmetrical power relations among the local fishers. Access to vital subsidized fishing input (specifically premix fuel) is highly characterized by unequal power relations between the politically connected and the less connected within the fishing communities. This distributive inequality has had deleterious consequences on fisherfolk livelihood in terms of reduced frequency of fishing, reduction in catch, frequent damage of outboard motors and increased illegality in fishing. This study calls on governments and policy makers interested in fisheries subsidy reforms to consider the impact of unequal access to subsidies on vulnerable groups. In addition to livelihood diversification, a target intervention must consider beneficiaries� characteristics � the winners and losers, to ensure the most vulnerable groups and less politically connected are treated equitably in the distribution of subsidies. � 2021 Elsevier Ltd

Source: UEW
Pollutant Profile Estimation Using Unscented Kalman Filter

In this paper, we develop an estimation model for carbon monoxide (CO) air pollution concentrations. CO is an important pollutant which is used to calculate an air quality index (AQI). AQI becomes less reliable as the proportion of data missing due to equipment failure and periods of calibration increases. This paper presents the Unscented Kalman filter (UKF) to predict missing data of atmospheric carbon monoxide concentrations using the time series data of monitoring stations. � 2020, Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Source: UEW
Pontificating the relationship between parenting styles and academic performance of senior high school students in the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana

The study analysed the relationship between parenting styles and academic performance of senior high school students in the Kumasi Metropolis. Convenience and simple random sampling techniques were used to select the schools and 376 respondents, respectively. Pearson�s Correlation Coefficient Matrix and multiple ordinary least square were used to estimate the impact of parenting styles on academic performance. The study found that authoritative parenting style had greatest significant positive impact on academic performance of the students (? = 0.104, SE = 0.011, t = 9.539, p < 0.001), followed by authoritarian style (? = 0.044, SE = 0.011, t = 3.971, p < 0.001). However, permissive style had no significant impact on students� academic performance (? = 0.042, SE = 0.025, t = ? 1.682, p = 0.093). Neglecting style had significant negative impact on students� academic performance (? = 0.072, SE = 0.011, t = ? 6.740, p < 0.001). Following from the study findings, it is recommended that the Schools in collaboration with the Parent Teacher Association should organise guidance and counselling programs for parents to sensitise them on various parenting styles and their ramifications on academic performance of students. Also, Class Counsellors� professional capabilities to manage the psycho-social problems of students are imperative for an improved academic performance of the latter. � 2020, Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Source: UEW
Poor English language reading among basic five pupils of Kukurantumi Islamic primary school

The purpose of the study was to investigate poor reading among Basic Five Pupils of Kukurantumi Islamic Primary School in the East-Akim Municipality. Action research design was employed for the study. The study sample was made up 30 pupils. Test, observation and interview were used to solicit information from the respondents. The instruments covered three main aspects: reading difficulties of pupils, causes of reading inability of pupils and strategies to curb the problem. The data collected were analyses using Statistics Products and Service Solutions (SPSS 16). Frequency counts and percentages were used for all the items. The responses from the interviewees were put into themes for analysis. The study revealed that prior to the intervention pupils found it difficult to reading well. This was ascertained during the preintervention results. The study attested to the fact that phonics pattern improved the reading skills of pupils. The post-test results indicated that the performance of pupils enhanced after the intervention. The study recommends that, children or pupils should be encouraged by theirs teachers to develop the habit of reading. The Ghana Education Service should intermittently organise workshop on modern methods of teaching to improve the teaching of reading by teachers. Finally, teachers should be encouraged to use the phonic method to improve the reading ability of pupils

Source: UEW