ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Effects of Smoking on the Quality Attributes of Shrimps in Ghana

The study assessed the effects of smoking on the quality attributes of penaeus notialis shrimps in Ghana. Terminalia ivorensis, Petersianthus macrocarpus and Albizia zygia were used as fuel woods to smoolder the shrimps. Four research objectives and two hypotheses were used to find solution to the research problem. Theoretical, empirical and conceptual framework were used shape the study. Descriptive and experimental research designs were adopted to guide the entire study. Frequency and percentage were used to analyse the background information of the respondents. In the case of research objectives and the hypotheses, one way Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test for significant differences among the types of wood used and consumer’s preferences. The study revealed that seven nutrients (Dry Matter, Moisture, Ash, Protein, Fibre, Fat/Oil and Carbohydrate) found were significant. Also, the fuel used for the smoking did not have any negative effect on the nutrients in the smoked shrimps. The study further showed that panelists accepted ‘USAZ’ formulation as the most preferred product with a mean score of 4.11. Also, ‘PSAZ’ formulation was also most preferred with a mean score of 4.14. There is a significant difference in the types of wood used for smoking with regards to nutritional and chemical properties of the shrimps. The study further found a significant difference on shrimps smoked with selected wood types for smoking and consumers preference. The study therefore, recommended that, the use of a particular wood type would encourage the consumption of smoked shrimps due to its flavour or aroma, colour,texture and even the taste.

Source: UCC
Effects of social inclusion of children with down's syndrome on peers in a regular classroom at the Methodist primary cluster of schools in Cape Coast

This study examined the views regular pupils held for children with Down’s syndrome and ascertained the effects an intervention on social interaction between children with and without Down’s syndrome would have on the perception and attitude of those without disabilities. The research design for the study was a pre-testpost-test non-equivalent quasi-experimental design. Cape Coast Aboom Methodist cluster of schools was used for the study. The entire Basic Stage 4 pupils in the schools (56) with 4 Down’s syndrome children were the subjects for the study. The instruments for the experiment were questionnaire and observation. The Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient of reliability for the two instruments were .88 and .80 respectively. The finding revealed that inclusive education has a positive effect on social interaction and was consistent with the Social learning theory as regular pupils after watching the researcher and some school children, familiar with children with Down’s syndrome interacting, were motivated to do likewise. It was effective in improving pupils’ “perception” and “attitude” towards their Down’s syndrome peers but not on “friendship”. The recommendations included the need to enhance effective social interaction among children with and without Down’s syndrome to lessen associated phobias children without Down’s syndrome have for their peers with Down’s syndrome. Equally important is educational authorities organising joint programmes such as sports, games and cultural activities for children with and without Down’s syndrome.

Source: UCC
Effects of social media on the academic performance of students in selected senior high schools in the Efutu Municipality

The study explored the effect of social media on students’ academic performance in Senior High Schools in the Efutu Municipality. The study specifically, looked at the frequently utilised social media platforms and how social media exposure, addiction, and usage influences the students’ academic performance. Additionally, the study investigated gender and age difference that exist of social media usage. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was used. The study covered four Senior High Schools in the Efutu Municipality. Student respondents were selected from various programmes and classes based on a multi-stage sampling procedure. Questionnaire was the main instrument for the collection of data and administered to 86 students. Throughout the conduct of the study, ethical issues were not overlooked. Mean and Standard Deviation were employed for the analysis of the information gathered to answer the research questions. The mostly used social media platform was Facebook, followed by WhatsApp and thirdly, Instagram. Other social media platforms used by the students were YouTube, SnapChat, and Imo. Social media addiction was negatively associated to students’ academic performance. The findings of the study revealed that exposure and usage to social media positively influenced the students’ academic performance. The study revealed that gender and age differences exist in the utilisation of social media platforms among the respondents. It is recommended that school counsellors together with management of Senior High Schools in Efutu Municipality should map out strategies to reduce students’ addiction to social media platforms.

Source: UCC
Effects of socio-demographic characteristics and perceived benefits of tourism on community participation in tourism in the Mesomagor area of the Kakum National Park, Ghana

Community participation in tourism development is essential for their socio-economic well-being and the sustainable management of natural and cultural resources. In view of this, community-Based Ecotourism Projects (CBEPs) have assumed popularity in most parts of the world including Ghana. However, due to the heterogeneity of communities not all community sub-groups have equal opportunity to participate in tourism planning and development. Yet studies on community participation have hardly examined the relationships between peoples’ characteristics and their levels of participation in tourism development activities as well as the effects of perceived benefits of tourism on community participation. This study examined the effects of socio-demographic characteristics and perceived impacts on level of participation in tourism development at the Mesomagor Area of the Kakum National Park in Ghana. A survey involving 252 adult community members was conducted. The results of the study show that gender and income were the only socio-demographic variables which significantly related to community participation, with men showing greater participation than women. Also, the effect of perceived economic benefits of tourism on community participation was significant whilst the effect of perceived environmental benefits was insignificant. It is recommended that tourism product in the community should be repackaged to provide income-earning opportunities for farmers

Source: UCC
Effects of Socio-Economic Factors on Entrepreneurship Activities in Cape Coast, Ghana

Entrepreneurship involves the creation of jobs and wealth in the economy, normally through a small business management. There may be problems in performing these functions by entrepreneurs, because of certain factors, which affect their involvement in entrepreneurial activities. The objective of this study is to assess the impact of socio-economic factors on entrepreneurial activities in Cape Coast, Ghana. A simple random sampling method is used to select 181 entrepreneurs from Cape Coast for the study. The Structural Equation Model-Partial Least Square version 2.0 is used for the analysis. The finding reveals that inflation, high tax rate, religion, and life style of the entrepreneurs significantly influence their entrepreneurial activities and performance. The study concludes that for a successful entrepreneurship performance to be achieved, there is a need for good socio-cultural conditions and sound economic policies to be put in place. The study recommends that the government should reduce the interest rate to make borrowing flexible to entrepreneurs and a lower tax regime should be commenced to encourage low-level income earners to have access to funding for entrepreneurship activities in Cape Coast, Ghana

Source: UCC
Effects of sowing and fertilizer application methods on growth, flowering characteristics and yield of three rice varieties – a field trial in Twifo-Wamaso, Ghana

Most indigenous rice farmers have adopted urea broadcasting because it is easy and convenient in terms of time and labour requirements but it results in low yield due to fertilizer loss by leaching and volatilization. In this work, Urea Deep Placement (UDP) treatment was used because it involves one time application of urea fertilizer, results in reduced weed infestation and negligible loss of urea fertilizer due to leaching and volatilization. A field experiment was carried out at the School of Agriculture Teaching, Commercial and Research Farm, Twifo-Wamaso outstation, University of Cape Coast from 2018-2019 to study effects of three sowing methods and determine the impact of two fertilizer placement methods on the productivity of three rice varieties for the minor and major seasons. The experiment was laid out in a split plot design with three replications for the sowing methods and four replications for the fertilizer placement methods. The results showed that, higher paddy yield was obtained in transplanting (2.30 t/ha) method as compared to drilling (1.96 t/ha) and broadcasting (1.57 t/ha) for smallholder rice cultivation. Among the sowing methods, transplanting had higher number of tillers per hill, plant height, paddy yield and straw yield than the other sowing methods. The results clearly suggested that UDP treatments can increase yield better than broadcasting application. Paddy yield obtained under UDP treatment was 2.85 t/ha whiles BCT treatments recorded 2.24 t/ha for smallholder rice cultivation. Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that interaction effect of transplanting of various varieties and UDP treatment produced significantly higher grain yield.

Source: UCC
Effects of Sports Participation on the Academic Performance of Senior High School Students in Mathematics

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of engaging in sporting activities on the academic performance of students in mathematics at the senior high school level in the Cape Coast Metropolis. To ascertain the main objective of the study, descriptive survey design was employed. The study used 100 senior high school students comprising 59 student-athletes and 41 non-student athletes. For data collection, each respondent was presented with the research questionnaire designed for the study. The study revealed that, there is no statistically significant difference between the performance of studentathletes and non-student athletes in mathematics. The study, however, concluded that, sports participation has no negative effects on students-athletes’ academic performance in mathematics. What this finding implies is that, parents and mathematics teachers should not seize students from participating in sporting activities with the fear that participating in sports worsens academic performance.

Source: UCC
The Effects of Stigma on Mental Health Nurses: A study at Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital

Society’s perception of the causes of mental disorder is one of the factors that influence how thementally ill is treated. Stigma affects not only people with mental illnesses but nurses and other professionals working with individuals diagnosed with mental illness. This study assessed the effect of stigma on mental health nurses. A cross-sectional descriptive design was adopted for this study, and a structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 101 mental health nurses. Data was analyzed and summarized descriptively using frequency tables and graphs. An inferential analysis was conducted by Pear son Product Moment of correlation and Independent sample t test. The results show that the respondents perceive stigma to stem largely from the society. Females reported a higher level of stigma and discrimination from the general public than males. The majority of the participants view stigma as discrimina tion. Public education and expansion of community care are important meas ures to reduce the effects of stigma and discrimination.

Source: UCC
Effects of Strategic Management on Organisational Performance in the Mining Industry: A Study of Anglogold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine Limited

The study examined the effect of strategic management practices on performance of AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine limited. The study specifically sought to examine the effect of strategy formulation, strategy implementation and strategy evaluation and control on AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine performance. The study used descriptive survey design and quantitative approach. The researcher used simple random sampling technique to select a sample size of 210 respondents to participate in the study. The study used questionnaire to gather primary data to address the research questions. The Mean and standard Deviation and linear multiple Regression were used to analyse the data collected. The study found that strategic management practices have statistically significant positive effect on AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine performance. The study also found that the Company systematically conducts both internal and external environmental analyses to identify the competitors’ strength and weaknesses. The mission provides direction for strategy implementation. The study concluded that strategic management practices have significant positive effect on organisational performance.

Source: UCC
Effects of strategic recruitments and selection process on companies performance: a case study of certified technology service limited (ctsl) of Takoradi

All companies have to be concerned with the issue of making sure that the best and most effect people are employed. This is something that a lot of organisations struggle with and find challenging. In recent times we have seen significant changes in both business and social environment, and those changes have caused organisations to reconsider the implementation of their Human Resource Management policies and practices. Selecting individuals that have good technical skills is no longer enough to ensure that there will be effective job performance. The study investigated the effects of strategic recruitment and selection process on the performance of an organization using Certified Technology Service Limited of Takoradi as a case. The study examined the strategic recruitment and selection process on the company in the real sector using descriptive survey research design. The data was collected and analysed using both quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods. Quantitative methods involve both descriptive and inferential analysis. The data was collected using a questionnaire. The analyses of responses obtained through a questionnaire that was administered to randomly selected respondents revealed that recruitment and selection criteria have significant effects on organizations performance. It is recommended that recruitment and selection is of great importance to every organization and therefore Human Resource Department must give fair treatment to applicants, issues of favouritism must be avoided while giving the chance to all

Source: UCC
Effects of stress on performance of health care employees at the Sissala east municipal hospital

The reason for undertaking this study was to find out the impact of work related stress on the employee performance of health care workers at the Sissala East Municipal Hospital. The study specifically investigates the causes of stress of health care employees; examine the relations between stress and the performance of health care employee; examine the effect of stress on the performance of employee; and examine the strategies used by nurses to manage stress at the Sissala East Municipal Hospital. The study used quantitative approach, used descriptive research survey designs and Questionnaires were used to gather data. Eighty-two respondents were selected for the study. The mean, standard deviation and multiple regression were used to analyze the data. The findings showed the causes of stress were role conflict, heavy workload, and lack of management support, long working hours, inadequate staff, role ambiguity and poor working conditions. The finding further revealed that nurses at Sissala East Municipal Hospital go through some level of stress. The study recommends that management of Sissala East Municipal hospital should clearly state and clarify the roles of the employee to reduce stress. Management must also organise training through workshop for employees to equip them with the knowledge on stress coping strategies to deal with stress and create a conducive working environment. Management of Sissala East Municipal Hospital should pay urgent attention to stressors and the negative effect on employee performance

Source: UCC
Effects of Stress on the Job Performance of Psychiatric Nurses at Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital, Cape Coast, Ghana

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of stress on job performance of psychiatric nurses in the Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital in Cape Coast. Descriptive survey design was adapted for the study. A sample of 150 psychiatric nurses were selected from a population of 197 psychiatric nurses using simple random sampling procedure. Data were collected using questionnaire adapted from Weiman Occupational Stress Scale (WOSS). Data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study discovered the genesis of stress among psychiatric nurses to be feeling unsafe due to possible harm, threats and harassment from patients, difficulty communicating with the mentally ill patients, working on holidays without incentives, difficulty obtaining leave from in-charges to attend to family emergencies and inadequate logistics and protective equipment. The study revealed that the effects of stress included mild to severe headache, loss of concentration, exhaustion, anger and overreaction, finding excuses and absence from work and forgetfulness. Regarding the management of stress, the results were clear that the respondents took a short break when they feel tired, took few hours to sleep when they felt stressed and employed relaxation techniques to reduce stress. In light of the discoveries, it was suggested that the hospital authorities should structure the work schedules of psychiatric nurses in such a way that the nurses can get intermittent periods of leave away from work while at the same providing the logistics to make the work of psychiatric nurses easy.

Source: UCC
Effects of Stress on the Work Attitude of Staff of College of Distance Education, University of Cape Coast

The study sought to find out how the staff of the College of Distance Education react to stressful conditions at the work place. The cross-sectional survey design was adopted for the study. Responses of 77 lecturers and administrators of the College of Distance Education to a self-administered questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study found among others that pressure to meet deadlines on students’ related issues and task of bringing lots of feedback from study centres, unpleasant office environment and unavailability of work schedule cause stress on staff of the college. It was again revealed that the stress from the work environment make staff delegate task, report to work late, make mistakes, dislike going to work, get nervous, easily irritated and close before the closing time. Among the recommendations made were the institutionalization of free health screening/ care as well as health and safety seminars particularly on stress management, organisation of recreational activities, re-introduction and increment in number of day-offs and ergonomically arranging offices.

Source: UCC
Effects of Student Support Services on Academic Achievement of Distance Education Students of the University of Cape Coast

The study sought to examine the effects of student support services on academic achievement of distance education students. The correlation and descriptive survey designs were employed to conduct the study. A total sample of 342 was selected using purposive, stratified as well as simple random sampling procedures. Questionnaire and test scores (quiz items) were used as data collection instruments. Pearson Product Moment Correlation as well as multiple regression analysis procedures were used to analyze the data for the study. The results of the study show that face-to-face element adds an opportunity for colleagues to bond, develop social linkages and an added value being able to gain insight from other students. Findings of the study also show that the use of instructional materials (course modules) help in the attainment of teaching and learning objectives as well as the development of learners’ intellectual abilities. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that the College of Distance Education, University of Cape Coast, should continue to see to it that face-to-face contact sessions are conducted in a manner that satisfies the needs of distance education learners and ensuring the process of continuous improvement of the distance education programme. Secondly, the College of Distance Education should provide suitable learning environment at the various study centres so that students attend lectures regularly for effective tutoring and learning.

Source: UCC
Effects of Student Teams Achievement Divisions and Jigsaw Cooperative Learning Strategies on Students’ Learning Outcomes in Electronics

This study was based on the premise that students have difficulties and alternative conceptions regarding electronics concepts and that cooperative learning methods could solve these issues. Therefore, this study compared the effects of Student Teams Achievement Divisions (STAD) and Jigsaw cooperative learning models on senior high school students’ learning outcomes in electronics concepts. A total of 103 Form 2 senior high schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis students offering the general science programmes were randomly selected using computer-generated random numbers. The study used a quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest non-equivalent group design, with 41 students from one intact class at one school allocated to the STAD group and 62 students from another school assigned to the Jigsaw group. Both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies were used for data collection. The results showed that students in the Jigsaw group significantly performed better than their STAD counterparts in terms of achievement and conceptual understanding. Moreover, while addressing students' alternative conceptions in electronics, the Jigsaw cooperative learning technique helped students change their conceptions than the STAD method. After using both strategies, students' motivation and attitudes toward studying electronic concepts improved. It was suggested that senior high school teachers adopt STAD and Jigsaw cooperative learning models into their teaching tactics, particularly for complicated areas such as electronics, to improve students’ achievement and understanding.

Source: UCC