ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Punctuation errors in the writings of Abetifi Presbyterian Senior High School students, Abetifi-Kwahu

This research was designed to examine the punctuation errors in the writings of SHS 2 student of Abetifi Presbyterian Senior High School. Although a number of students in the Senior High School can express themselves in oral and written English, they have problems in punctuating their writings well to communicate effectively. The research sought to identify how the errors occur in students‟ work with the use of punctuation marks so that appropriate measures can be put in place to curb the problem. The researcher considered activities such as class test, class exercise to observe how the various texts in the said materials have been punctuated. The result indicated that students used some punctuation marks such as the comma, semi-colon at the expense of others such as colon and the apostrophe. Also, the result is an indication that teachers of English Language do not treat punctuation as a main topic in grammar from the findings, the researcher recommended that teachers of English as well as curriculum developers should attach much attention to punctuation when preparing the syllabus and other related teaching materials

Source: UEW
Pupil s’ performance on the primary school mathematics national minimum standards in the Effutu municipality

The study sought to investigate primary school pupils’ performance on the national minimum standard assessment test. A survey design was used to solicit pupils’ responses on the national minimum standard assessment test. The population of the study comprised all primary six pupils in the Efutu municipality in the central region of Ghana. A stratified sampling technique was used to select 300 pupils (159 boys, 141girls) who responded to test items on the national minimum objectives enshrined in the primary school mathematics syllabus. The findings revealed that pupils’ general performance on the national minimum standards assessment test was good. However, the study revealed that seven (43%) out of the sixteen standards were found to be difficult by pupils. The findings also revealed that boys performed better than girls, private schools performed better than public schools and urban schools performed better than rural schools. The results were further analyzed using independent samples t-test and chi-square relational test with the level of significance fixed at 0.05. The findings of the independent samples t-test revealed that the gender of pupils have no influence on their achievement of the National Minimum Standards assessment test. However, there were significant differences in the performance of pupils with respect to the type of school and school location. The findings on the chi-square relational test on the proportion of pupils reaching the national education assessment benchmarks with respect to the type of school revealed that there was a significant difference between the mean scores attained by private and public schools (2 = 13.332, df = 2, p > 0.01). It was also revealed that more than half (52%) of pupils from the urban schools have reached proficiency as compared to rural schools (29%), with a significant difference (2 = 21.609, df = 2, p > 0.00).

Source: UEW
Pupil s’ performance on the primary school mathematics national minimum standards in the Efutu municipality

The study sought to investigate primary school pupils’ performance on the national minimum standard assessment test. A survey design was used to solicit pupils’ responses on the national minimum standard assessment test. The population of the study comprised all primary six pupils in the Efutu municipality in the central region of Ghana. A stratified sampling technique was used to select 300 pupils (159 boys, 141girls) who responded to test items on the national minimum objectives enshrined in the primary school mathematics syllabus. The findings revealed that pupils’ general performance on the national minimum standards assessment test was good. However, the study revealed that seven (43%) out of the sixteen standards were found to be difficult by pupils. The findings also revealed that boys performed better than girls, private schools performed better than public schools and urban schools performed better than rural schools. The results were further analyzed using independent samples t-test and chi-square relational test with the level of significance fixed at 0.05. The findings of the independent samples t-test revealed that the gender of pupils have no influence on their achievement of the National Minimum Standards assessment test. However, there were significant differences in the performance of pupils with respect to the type of school and school location. The findings on the chi-square relational test on the proportion of pupils reaching the national education assessment benchmarks with respect to the type of school revealed that there was a significant difference between the mean scores attained by private and public schools (2 = 13.332, df = 2, p > 0.01). It was also revealed that more than half (52%) of pupils from the urban schools have reached proficiency as compared to rural schools (29%), with a significant difference (2 = 21.609, df = 2, p > 0.00).

Source: UEW
Pupils’ perception on the cockcrow as children’s literature and its influence on pupils reading in the Dunkura circuit

This study examines Pupils’ Perceptions on “The Cockcrow” and its influence on reading in the Dunkura circuit. The study sought to find out the pupils’ perceptions on ‘The cockcrow’ as literature for children; find out how these perceptions influence their reading in general and “The Cockcrow” in particular. The study adopted a Mixed method which is a research approach for collecting, analyzing, and mixing quantitative and qualitative data at some stage of the research process within a single study in order to understand a research problem more completely. The tools used for this research work were questionnaire and interview. 60 pupils were questioned and 10 were interviewed. Various books, articles from journals and internet were consulted to gain insight into the subject under investigation. The findings of the research reveal that pupils have been introduced to “The Cockcrow” by their English Language teachers in school. The study concluded that Pupils’ perceptions on a book have greater impact on the reading and learning performance of a book, and “The Cockcrow” is no exception. Participants (respondents) in this study revealed certain short falls that they perceive “The Cockcrow” to be having, which include difficult diction used in the book, voluminous nature, theme identification difficulty, et cetra. and as such do not perceive “The Cockcrow” to be a complete children’s literature book. It further recommends that Curriculum developers and other education stakeholders should have a review of “The Cockcrow” to be able to be a desired book for children literature at the JHS level of education concerning the themes, difficult diction, metaphorical and personified expressions, and length of some of the “stories” in “The Cockcrow” and the volume of the book (The Cockcrow) itself.

Source: UEW
The puzzle of the informal economy and the circular economy

Proponents present the circular economy as an alternative to traditional, linear systems that use natural resources indiscriminately. The puzzle guiding this perspective piece is that the circular economy model needs further investigation in more diverse, unstructured contexts. With economic growth at the top of the agenda for Global South countries, testing the relevance of the circular economy in these contexts is important. There remain questions about whether the adoption and upscaling of circular principles and practices can contribute to economic development in contexts where social factors, such as high inequality, collide with environmental factors, such as high natural biodiversity. Another blind spot concerns how the structural conditions in Global South countries, such as vast informal economies, hinder this transition, and what new forms of organisation can facilitate the implementation of innovative circular practices. This perspective calls for greater attention from the academic community to help fill in some of the missing pieces in the puzzle of the informal economy and the circular economy. � 2022

Source: UEW
Qualitative Analysis of the Transmission Dynamics of Dengue with the Effect of Memory, Reinfection, and Vaccination

Dengue fever has a huge impact on people's physical, social, and economic lives in low-income locations worldwide. Researchers use epidemic models to better understand the transmission patterns of dengue fever in order to recommend effective preventative measures and give data for vaccine and treatment development. We use fractional calculus to organise the transmission phenomena of dengue fever, including immunisation, reinfection, therapy, and asymptotic carriers. In addition, we focused our study on the dynamical behavior and qualitative approach of dengue infection. The existence and uniqueness of the solution of the suggested dengue dynamics are inspected through the fixed point theorems of Schaefer and Banach. The Ulam-Hyers stability of the suggested dengue model is established. To illustrate the contribution of the input factors on the system of dengue infection, the solution paths are studied using the Laplace Adomian decomposition approach. Furthermore, numerical simulations are used to show the effects of fractional-order, immunity loss, vaccination, asymptotic fraction, biting rate, and therapy. We have established that asymptomatic carriers, bite rates, and immunity loss rates are all important factors that might make controlling more challenging. The intensity of dengue fever may be controlled by reducing mosquito bite rates, whereas the asymptotic fraction is risky and can transmit the illness to noninfected regions. Vaccination, fractional order, index of memory, and medication can be employed as proper control parameters. � 2022 Tao-Qian Tang et al.

Source: UEW
A qualitative content analysis of public complaints against police officers in Ghana

This study employed the qualitative approach to examine complaints lodged by citizens against some police officers of the Ghana Police Service. Particularly, the study relied on documented complaints at the Police Professional Standards Bureau (PPSB), a body established under the Police Service to deal with issues of police conduct and professionalism. Relying on the Procedural Justice and the Media Richness theories, the researcher analysed the kind of complaints lodged against the police, the channels of lodging these complaints and how the complaints were resolved. Out of the 1709 complaints lodged at the bureau in the year 2018, 987 of them were connected to the theme of unfair treatment and abuse of power. The second most dominant category of complaints included performance deficit which encapsulates unprofessional handling of cases, undue delay of investigation, enlistment fraud, inability to apprehend criminals, involvement in civil cases and lackadaisical attitude towards work. Also, complaints were lodged against the off-duty conduct of some police officers. The study found that the most paramount channel of lodging complaints is through letters to the Director of the PPSB. Nonetheless, some complainants rely on their lawyers or law firms to lodge complaints. Findings suggest that the complaint resolution process is largely rigorous. When complaints are lodged, they are first processed, investigators are assigned to investigate the issues and the issues are dealt with based on the outcome of the investigation. In light of the findings gathered from this study, it is recommended that the bureau optimises the use of other media, particularly social media, and emails for receiving complaints because the over-reliance on official letters, might inconvenience other complainants. Other digital channels could also be adapted to support the complaint process in order to minify police misconduct.

Source: UEW
Quality and status of pedagogical content knowledge of well-performing physics teachers a case study of six teachers in senior high schools in Volta region.

The study explored the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) among well-performing senior high school (SHS) physics teachers in the Volta Region of Ghana. This research investigated the link between teacher knowledge and learner achievement, with a specific focus on topic-specific PCK. A case study design and qualitative method were employed to examine the PCK of six physics teachers and their development in teaching thermal physics. The selection of participating teachers was based on their schools' consistent per formance in WASSCE physics over a five-year period. Data were collected through les son plan analysis, pre-lesson interviews, lesson observations, post-lesson interviews, and document analysis. The analysis assessed individual teachers' content knowledge in thermal physics, their understanding of instructional strategies, their knowledge of learn ers' preconceptions and learning difficulties and factors contributing to the development of teachers’ PCK. The findings revealed that the six physics teachers generally possessed the necessary content knowledge of thermal physics and employed topic-specific instruc tional strategies. However, they demonstrated limited knowledge of learners' preconcep tions and learning difficulties related to thermal physics. Even though these well performing teachers demonstrated limited knowledge of learners' preconceptions and learning difficulties related to thermal physics, they exhibited adequate knowledge of content and instructional strategy, and this apparently, is the reason their learners perform well. The teachers’ development of PCK in teaching thermal physics was primarily at tributed to formal university education programmes, extensive classroom teaching expe rience, peer support, and participation in in-service workshops. The implications include enhancing the quality of physics instruction in senior high schools by encouraging both well-performing and non-performing teachers to adopt effective instructional strategies, improve their PCK while they identify and address common student misconceptions. This integrated approach can lead to improved student understanding and learning outcomes in physics, particularly in challenging topics such as thermal physics. The study emphasised the need for teachers to address learners' learning difficulties to enhance instructional ef fectiveness. Additionally, it underscores the significance of continuous professional de velopment programmes to further enhance teachers' PCK and improve physics education outcomes in the region.

Source: UEW
Quality assurance procedures in automobile workshop a case study in the J. A. Plant Pool Ghana Limited in Accra

A common discussion is that the in automobile workshop lacks efficiency, quality is poor, budgets are unreliable and prices are excessive. Better management would result in increased efficiency with reduced quality failures while saving tremendous amount of money. This study was on quality assurance procedures in automobile workshop: A case study in the J. A. Plantpool Ghana Limited. The objectives of the study was to increase knowledge and awareness of quality related matters in quality assurance procedures in automobile repair workshop, to shed light on automobile repair workshop in relation to quality and quality related matters, to identify the current quality assurance procedures used in J. A. Plantpool Ghana Limited workshop and measure the current process. 100 respondents were chosen through convenience sampling technique from J. A. Plantpool Ghana Limited to answer the questionnaire. Data obtained was anaylsed using Statistical Product for Service Solutions (SPSS 22). The research strongly suggests that quality is a problem for the automobile workshop. The research revealed that there is a scope for improving quality and it is possible. This conclusion is both supported with literature research and the research results. The research revealed that quality professionals saw clear improvements in organisational operations after having implemented quality assurance procedures in the automobile workshop. Furthermore the general employee had a very positive view towards applying and using the system on his work. However the research suggests that there is a gap in the use and implementation of quality assurance procedures in automobile workshop and that knowledge needs to be improved.

Source: UEW
Quality characteristics of sesame seed spread

Sesame is recognized as one of the most important and oldest oil seed plants in the world and provides many nutrients to humans. Honey is one of the most digestible foods and contains a variety of nutritionally important balance factors. Most of the spreads used in the Ghanaian context are peanuts, butter and jam. However, despite the nutritional and health benefits of sesame, less attention has been paid to the use of sesame in the production of spreads. A study aimed at developing a recipe for making spreads from a mixture of sesame and honey was conducted. Water, ash, protein, fat, fiber, carbohydrates, free fatty acids, and total sugar were measured using standard methods. Sensory evaluation and shelf life analysis were also determined. In this study, five different variations of the sesame honey blend were created. According to the results of the study, the moisture content of the spread sample ranged from 3.64 + 0.01 to 6.87 + 0.12. The ash content of the spread samples ranges from 2.42 + 0.09 to 4.63 + 0.29 g / ml. The protein content varies from 9.64 + 0.04 to 16.47 + 1.60 g / ml. The fat content in the spread was found to be between 39.9 + 0.19 and 66.87 + 0.51 g / ml. The fiber content of the spread samples in this study ranged between 4.40 + 0.54 and 5.78 + 1.39 g / ml. Studies show that the carbohydrate content ranges from 2.61 + 0.85 to 39.9 + 0.20 g / ml. Sample ABC had the highest free fatty acid content and EFG had the highest total sugars. The HIZ sample (60g sesame seeds, 40g honey, 15 minute bake) was rated the highest in terms of ease. BDD (80g sesame seeds, 20g honey, 15 minute roast time) has the highest rating for spreadability. CFG (70g sesame seeds, 30g honey, 15 minute roast) has the highest rating for aroma, texture, smoothness, and general acceptance. No E. coli, Esure reis, or Salmonella typhi were found in the samples. However, total viable counts, total coliform counts, fermentation and mold were found, the number of which increased after 8 weeks of storage. Samples stored under refrigerated conditions had fewer microbes than those stored under ambient conditions. The study concludes that the ABC sample (90 g of sesame seeds, 10 g of honey, 15 minutes roast) has the lowest moisture and carbohydrate content.

Source: UEW
Quality control management practices of large scale garment producing companies in the Accra metropolis

The world is now a global market, and every business is striving to compete favourably among all businesses within their sector or enterprise. The garment producing companies are also experiencing pressure from this competitive market as well as increasing requirements of customers of quality of their products to exceed their expectations. This has led to the garment producing companies to consider the improvement of their internal quality, strengthen management commitment levels as well as pay closer attention to quality control management practices. The main aim of the study was to assess the quality control management practices of large scale garment producing companies within the Accra Metropolis. The data collection was through two sets of questionnaires presented to customers of these companies as well as to senior management employees of these large scale garment producing companies in the Accra Metropolis. The data collected was analysed using simple percentages as well as Microsoft Excel. From the analysis, it was realized that, quality control practices by the garment producing companies agrees to the concept that quality control is always defined by the customer, and management practices of these garment producing companies are trying their optimum best to create value to their customers. Majority of their customers were also satisfied with the final products of their garments produced. It was recommended that garments produced by these companies should always be designed and constructed to fitness to ensure customer satisfaction. Also these companies should always think of the academic upgrade of their employees to make them more committed in their work to enable them give off their best for effective quality control management practice.

Source: UEW
Quality customer service delivery in the hospitality industry of Ghana the case of modern city hotel in Tamale

Poor service quality has the potential of harming the service provider in the long term, if not instantly. This is because, the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction is direct. This position is most crucial especially when the goal of a business is to attract and maintain a large customer base for its services. But most often than not, issues of service failure hinder the fulfilment of this organizational goal especially in the hospitality industry. For this reason, this study assessed the quality of customer service delivery in the hospitality industry of Ghana with specific focus on the Modern City in the Tamale Metropolis. It focused on the dimensions of service quality as proposed by Parasuraman et al. A 20 item questionnaire was designed to collect data from guests of the hotel. Convenience sampling was used to select 108 guests for the study and questions relating to their expectations and perceptions of quality of service received at the hotel were asked. The data were analyzed using SPSS Version 20. The findings of this research pointed to the fact that there was poor performance in the services provided by the hotel despite doing relatively well in one of the dimensions of service quality i.e. assurance. This is because, customers are very concerned about such things as facilities and technology. Their high expectations in the reliability and empathy of the hotel were met with lower perceptions of service quality. The success influencing factors of the hotel are however, the dimensions of assurance and empathy. It was however found that, for a successful quality service delivery, all the five dimensions of service quality must be properly addressed. To this end, management of the hotel is advised to focus on such dimensions as assurance and empathy as it captured the highest expectations from customers. Typically, the hotel’s management was advised to adjust the operating hours of their facility and to make significant investments in modern infrastructure and service delivery systems. Also, they are advised to share service encounter information among staff and with industry players to ensure harmonious hotel services so as to satisfy and retain their guests for a long time.

Source: UEW