ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
A study into the possibility of using electronic tendering in the Ghanaian construction industry

Computerized systems are gradually overtaking manually driven systems. This move has been highly motivated by efficiency and convenience. The traditional system of tendering is time consuming and has cost implications. In the traditional system, the buyer as well as the seller has to go through manual system of tendering. This exposes the system to unfairness and as a result affects the construction industry in Ghana. The main aim of this research was to explore the benefits of electronic tendering over the traditional method of tendering and recommend the best practices for its implementation in Ghana. A literature review was undertaken which covered the inefficiencies in the traditional tendering process in the construction industry and the benefits of e-tendering. The survey approach was used in the investigation using questionnaires as the main tool of data collection. Focusing on the Kumasi Metropolis as the case study area, fifty four questionnaires were retrieved out of sixty distributed representing a ninety percent response rate. The data were analyzed and presented using descriptive statistics only. High levels of risk, abuse of tendering process, increased errors, low involvement of contractor at design stage, lack of adoption of new tendering methods and low level of professionalism were ranked to be the most severe challenges of traditional tendering. Furthermore, the findings also pointed out that potential for time saving; better financial control; reduced administrative costs; reduced manpower required and greater efficiency of activities were the most important benefits of e-tendering. The findings from the study are useful for construction stakeholders, helping them to know the benefits of electronic tendering over the traditional method of tendering and the best practices for its implementation in Ghana. In spite of the significance of these findings, there are unavoidable limitations and shortcomings due to the scope and manner in which it was undertaken. These limitations are intended to be the basis for recommendations for future research works. It is recommended that there is the need to develop a capacity building knowledge backbone to drive the adoption of e-tendering

Source: UEW
A study into the standard of precast sandcrete blocks produced by the commercial manufacturers in Sekondi Takoradi Metropolis

Throughout Ghana and many parts of the world precast sandcrete blocks have been and is still widely used as the main building material for wall units. The quality and importance of the usage of precast sandcrete blocks for the construction of walls therefore cannot be underestimated. The aim of this study was to ascertain the standard and quality of precast sandcrete blocks produced by commercial manufacturers in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis. In order to achieve the aim, the study sought to; assess the manufacturers’ compliance with the required standard mixed ratio; assess the curing time of the sandcrete blocks. Experimental research approach was used to investigate the engineering properties of the machine vibrated precast sandcrete blocks. To achieve the research objective of assessing the compliance of the block manufacturers to standard mixed ratio and curing method, questionnaires were prepared and used to solicit information from the block manufacturers. In total ninety (90) units of the machine-vibrated precast sandcrete blocks was selected from thirty (30) manufacturers in the Skekondi-Takoradi Metropolis. Three blocks samples of size 450mm × 150mm × 225mm was selected from each of the thirty (30) manufacturers which was subjected to compressive strength test. The study concluded that Ghana Standard Authority who has to set standard for the production of blocks do not take samples of blocks from the manufacturers to test in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis, crushing strength of the various precast sandcrete blocks samples tested falls far below the recommended standards in the Secondi-Takoradi Metropolis and Majority of the commercial block manufacturers operating within the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis produce precast sandcrete blocks using either the 1:6 cement to sand ratio or better. The study recommends Ghana Standard Authority should be going in for samples of blocks from the manufacturers to test in order to ensure standardization, clients/contractors to seek expert advice before they buy their blocks from recommended manufacturers for their projects and silt test should be conducted on the sand before it’s used for the manufacturing of the blocks.

Source: UEW
A study into workers’ involvement in health and safety decision making_ a case study of D1K1 and D2K2 contractors in Asutifi north and south districts

It is important that construction site workers are involved in health and safety decision making since they are physically and psychologically affected by accidents on construction sites. The aim of this research was to examine construction site workers’ direct or indirect involvement in health and safety decision making in some selected Districts (Asutifi North and South) from the perspective of D1K1 and D2K2 contractors. A quantitative research strategy was adopted using a deductive approach. The target population of the study was made up of construction site workers employed by D1K1 and D2K2 category of construction companies in Asutifi North and South District Assemblies. Purposive sampling (Non-Probability) technique was used to select the respondents. Questionnaire was the main instrument used to gather primary data. Data collected for the study was analysed with the Version 16 of the Statistical Package for Social sciences (SPSS). The findings of the study showed that the ways in which construction site workers are directly or indirectly involved in health and safety matters included; suggestions and opinions of the workforce being inculcated in the overall health and safety management systems in most of the companies, and that they were allowed to make suggestions that sought to improve upon their own safety on site. Management was also seen as showing greater commitment of involving workers by coming out with Involvement Programmes to ensure a sustainable involvement in health and safety management in some companies. Overall, the level of involvement of workers in health and safety matters was consistent with their awareness about health and safety issues, Specifically, the study found that level of awareness of workers in health and safety issues relating to the work environment was commendable in the sense that, they could tell some of the basic provisions in the regulations regarding health and safety in the country. In relation to that, they were not afraid to be victimised by management when there was the need to raise issues against management about certain health and safety decisions, which in the workers’ opinion could affect their operations negatively in one way or the other. Even though workers may possess limited knowledge in health and safety on site, they nevertheless could express satisfaction or otherwise when certain decisions by management would affect them eventually. Based on the stated findings, the study has made recommendations towards greater involvement of workers in health and safety management in D1K1 and D2K2 construction firms in the study districts.

Source: UEW
Study of change management involving physical infrastructure projects in the local government sector of Ghana, study of selected district assemblies in Central Region

Change is an endemic issue in construction project environments and often involves engineering innovation to solve problems. The aim of the study was to examine the change management involving in the physical infrastructure projects in the local government section in Ghana and to make appropriate recommendations based on the findings of the study in relation to physical infrastructure projects. The study adopted a quantitative approach of enquired through questionnaires. The target population of the study was construction professionals employed by district assemblies in the Central Region. purposive sampling technique was used to select 12 out of 22 district assemblies in the Central Region. A total of 177 questionnaires were distributed to all 177 construction professionals employed by the 12 district assemblies and a response rate of 45% was achieved. The findings of the study revealed the most important causes to included; political influence, litigation/conflicts on land, new government regulation and natural disasters. Also, the study found challenges associated with change management involving physical infrastructure projects in the assemblies studied: change of government, failures to deal with problems in time, the poor performance of subcontractors, defective workmanship and lack of coordination between consultant and contractor.The study further found that the impact of change on the performance of physical infrastructure in the projects in the assemblies is not only limited to time and cost but includes quality. Based on the findings, the study has made recommendations for managing change during project execution and for investigating the negative effects of the causes of change.

Source: UEW
The study of clause complexing in the editorials of Daily Graphic

This study is informed by Systemic Functional Grammar Theory to analyse the packing of sentence information in the editorials of the Daily Graphic (DG). It explores the structural types of sentences; compound or complex sentences which are dominant and how they relate in the editorials and the ways in which they are combined and oriented in meaning with a broad outline of a particular framework of systemic functional grammar, clause complexing. Again, the study explored the communicative implications encoded in the editorials. The researcher purposively sampled 10 editorials spanning a period of three months (January to March 2014) and did qualitative and textual analysis on the issue of clause complexity. The unit for analysis was the clause complex. In all, there were 158 clause complexes which were counted with 462 clauses. It was found that the structural type of sentences which dominate the 10 editorials were complex sentences. This study found that the ideas presented in the editorials are more of clauses of unequal statuses. It was observed that editors expand and project their ideas in a number of ways which Halliday classifies as expansion in three different types; elaboration, extension and enhancement and projection which also involves locution and idea. It was realized that the editors used expansion and projection to convey meaning and also show the relationships between the clause complexes. The highest frequency was enhancement followed by elaboration and extension. It was observed that the editors did not depart from the use of complex sentences in all the editorials. The communicative value put across indicates that editors use projection to put across their message.

Source: UEW
A study of compassion international Ghana assisted projects on the protection of children against teenage pregnancy.

This research examined Compassion International Ghana-assisted projects’ initiatives within the Bremen Cluster to protect young girls from teenage pregnancy. It focused on understanding the nature and effectiveness of these initiatives and their impacts on adolescent girls. Employing a qualitative approach and case study design, the study involved semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with twelve (12) participants including adolescent girls, caregivers, and officers from Compassion Ghana assisted project within the Breman Cluster. These participants were purposively sampled because of their relevance in providing first-hand information for the study. The study found that Compassion International Ghana-assisted projects and comprehensive programs, which include education on teenage pregnancy and livelihood empowerment, have positively influenced girls' behaviour and helped them to better manage their sexual life which to some extent has helped them to prevent teenage pregnancies. However, challenges such as inadequate funding and difficulties in abuse reporting were noted. Theoretical implications are drawn from Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory and Bowlby’s Attachment Theory, emphasizing the need for supportive environments and secure attachments. The study concluded that enhancing trust, communication, community involvement, and addressing broader socio-cultural contexts are vital for the success of such initiatives. The study therefore recommended that Compassion International Ghana-assisted projects explore new funding avenues to ensure the sustainability and expansion of programs.

Source: UEW
A study of concord in English among students of Islamic Senior High, Wa and Wa Senior High School

The major problem investigated in this study is the difficulties senior high school two students of Islamic and Wa senior high schools encounter in the use of concord in English grammar. The purpose of the study was to identify these concord learning challenges, find out why those challenges exist and find appropriate ways to help the students. The instruments used to collect data were intervention tests. The research design included pre-intervention, intervention and post-intervention. The study discovered that most of the students could not apply the rules of concord correctly. They had very serious problems with subject-verb concord. Most students applied concord rules correctly to a very large extent after they were taken through the rules guiding concord in the intervention procedure. In conclusion, this research has proved that an intervention procedure is very important in assisting students to overcome their concord learning challenges.

Source: UEW
A study of effect of multimodal instructional approaches on students’ performance in integrated science

The study took place in Winneba Senior High School. The study involved a whole class of first year Home Economics One students in Winneba Senior High School, Winneba, selected through purposive and convenience sampling technique, totalling forty (40) students (thirty-nine female and one male). Test, questionnaire and interview were the main instrument used to collect data for the study. The researcher developed Multimodal Instructional Approaches to teach some selected topics in integrated science for five weeks. The topics were relative atomic mass and relative molecular mass, mole as a unit, measurements of concentrations and preparation of standard solution dilution and dilution factor. The students wrote a series of five pre-intervention tests on the selected topics before each lesson after which the students were taught using the Multimodal Instructional Approaches. The approaches involve teaching using the video mode, aural mode, read or write mode and finally kinesthetic mode. The students then wrote a similar test but different in content as a post intervention-test. Statistical Product and Social Science (SPSS), version 20.0, for windows and Richard Hake normalized gain were used to analyze the data. The findings from the average normalized gain of the post intervention and pre intervention test scores showed a gain of 0.77, indicating effectiveness of the multimodal instructional approaches on the students’ performance. Furthermore, a greater percentage of students had a positive perception about multimodal instructional approaches to teaching and learning. The study recommends the use of multimodal instructional approach in teaching Integrated Science lessons at Winneba Senior High School. This could help the students have better understanding of scientific concepts

Source: UEW
A study of elderly neglect in Winneba

In recent years, the issue of the elderly particularly in Ghana has become a major concern since the number of aged population is increasing in societies which are least prepared for the challenges that often characterise the aged. As a result, caring for the elderly has become a burden to family members especially, caregivers. Due to this, most elderly persons are left alone to fend for themselves. Some also depend on the assistance of voluntary caregivers for survival. These among others necessitated the need for a study to be conducted into the incidence of elderly neglect in Winneba. The study sought to examine the challenges the neglected elderly face in Winneba, examine the causes of elderly neglect and to find out how the neglected elderly cope with life in Winneba. A qualitative research approach with phenomenological design was employed for the study. The study used the purposive sampling technique to select a sample size of eighteen participants which comprised twelve elderly persons aged 65 years and above and six caregivers who provided care to these elderly in Winneba. The researcher adopted unstructured or one- on- one interview and focus group discussion as instruments for gathering data. In this study, the data was read and reread which helped in the interpretation and description of emerging themes and patterns. The study revealed that, most of the neglected elderly in Winneba lived in the uncompleted buildings and unhygienic accommodations. Most of them have not been to school before and thus affected their employment opportunities and income levels as they grow old. The neglected elderly received most of their support from voluntary caregivers. Some of them continued resort to begging and others engage in labour intensive occupation such as fetching of firewood in order to make ends meet. It was recommended that there should be a separate ministry created by the government solely to address the myriad challenges faced by the elderly in Ghana. Government should also create a fund that is “Aged Fund” to support the aged, who are vulnerable to neglect. This dream could be realized by deducting certain percentage of the District Assemblies’ Common Fund (DACF) into that fund. If possible, there should be a policy to establish social centers in each district in Ghana by the government with support from other interest groups such as HelpAge Ghana to address the challenges the elderly face.

Source: UEW
A study of elf awareness among College of Education tutors of English in Ashanti region of Ghana

English continues to maintain its status as a global language. It is spoken by a third of the world’s population. However, majority of its users are non-native speakers. The concept of ELF awareness orientates a set of principles that refer to knowledge, attitudes and skillset of ELT stakeholders and ELT products. This study investigated ELF awareness among tutors of English in Colleges of Education in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Using a convergent parallel mixed method, forty-eight tutors participated in the study by providing quantitative data while nine out of the forty-eight tutors provided qualitative data for the study. Questionnaires were used to elicit responses from the participants while interviews were carried out to obtain qualitative data. The responses from the questionnaire were analyzed by means of the SPSS and the interview responses transcribed and analyzed thematically. The results of the data in terms of the benefits of ELF awareness indicated that ELF awareness equips teachers with the skills needed to prepare their student teachers to teach basic school learners. What is more, participants revealed that ELF awareness can help improve practice in terms of assessment, and designing test items around attainable non-native speaker norms. From the results, it is argued that ELF awareness is beneficial and therefore tutors would have to decide how it can help them teach English better in the colleges of education

Source: UEW
A study of financial public relations practices and coporate image in selected commercial banks in Ghana

The major purpose of the study was to investigate financial public relations practices in some selected commercial banks in Ghana. The study used both qualitative and quantitative method and adopted the descriptive survey design. The study employed the Excellence Theory as its theoretical framework. Questionnaires and interview guide were used to gather data from one hundred and fifty six (156) participants. The population was made up of all workers and clients of the Agricultural Development Bank, Cal Bank and Access Bank in Accra. The study used purposive and convenience sampling procedures. Descriptive statistics such as simple frequency counts and percentages were used to analyse the quantitative data while thematic analysis were used to analyse the qualitative data. Findings from the study revealed that the nature of financial public relations activities organized by the banks include financial relations, media relations, employee relation and community relations. The study disclosed that most of the banks‟ customers agreed their banks give more attention to financial public relation activities, appreciate, and recognise its customers through financial public relation activities. Majority of the customers were of the view that their banks are of good reputation and perform satisfactorily and will want to continue banking with them. The study further revealed that poor understanding of public relations concept, lack of specialization in the profession, lack of in-service training, lack of ethics by the existing professionals and organization inadequate budgetary allocation for public relation activities and limitation of practice by one way communication were some of the challenges of financial Public relations in the banks. Clear lines of communication, effective and efficient use of financial media, proper usage of electronic media, regular publication and distribution of annual reports, increased budgetary provision and adequate provision of in-service training were identified as ways to improve financial public relations in banks. The study recommends the need for training and retraining of bank workforce in order to motivate and equip them with skills required to enhance their performance and productivity. Finally, banks should always show their eagerness to empathize with the desires and needs of customers and other "publics" even when they cannot meet up with the needs of these "publics".

Source: UEW