ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Stigmatization and social reintegration of liberated Trokosi women in Ghana

The study examined the subject of stigma and social reintegration of liberated Trokosi women in Mafi traditional area of the North Tongu District of the Volta region. One hundred (100) liberated trokosi slaves aged between 10 and 41 years were randomly selected from international Needs Vocational Training Centre at Adidome to answer the questionnaires for the study. The results showed that there was no significant relationship between age and type of stigma experienced, however there was a significant statistical relationship between self-esteem and physical isolation but not for loss of identity, verbal stigma and loss of access to resources. Forced entry regression of self-esteem on physical isolation, loss of identity, verbal stigma and loss of access to resources showed that physical isolation was the best predictor of self-esteem. Findings are discussed in the light of how stigmatization and self-esteem affect social reintegration of liberated Trokosi women. Recommendations have been given on what needs to be done to completely end the practice and how the liberated Trokosi women can be integrated into their communities.

Source: UEW
Stock market prediction with gaussian naive bayes machine learning algorithm

The stock market is one of the key sectors of a country's economy. It provides investors with an opportunity to invest and gain returns on their investment. Predicting the stock market is a very challenging task and has attracted serious interest from researchers from many fields such as statistics, artificial intelligence, economics, and finance. An accurate prediction of the stock market reduces investment risk in the market. Different approaches have been used to predict the stock market. The performances of Machine learning (ML) models are typically superior to those of statistical and econometric models. The ability of Gaussian Naive Bayes ML algorithm to predict stock price movement has not been addressed properly in the existing literature, hence this attempt to fill that gap in the literature by evaluating the performance of GNB algorithm when combined with different feature scaling and feature extraction techniques in stock price movement prediction. The performance of the GNB models set up were ranked using the Kendall's test of concordance for the various evaluation metrics used. The results indicated that, the predictive model based on integration of GNB algorithm and Linear Discriminant Analysis (GNB_LDA) outperformed all the other models of GNB considered in three of the four evaluation metrics (i.e., accuracy, F1-score, and AUC). Similarly, the predictive model based on GNB algorithm, Min-Max scaling, and PCA produced the best rank using the specificity results. In addition, GNB produced better performance with Min-Max scaling technique than it does with standardization scaling techniques. 2021 Slovene Society Informatika. All rights reserved.

Source: UEW
Stock prices and macroeconomic information in Ghana: speed of adjustment and bi-causality analysis

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to investigate the causal relationships and speed of adjustment of stock prices to changes in macroeconomic information (MEI) in Ghana from 1996 to 2018 using monthly data. The paper seeks to conduct the investigation at individual MEI level rather than the composite MEI. Design/methodology/approach: Quantitative approach was used in this paper. Monthly data span of 1996�2018 was used. The delay and half-life technique was used to determine the speed with which the information resulting from the changes in the macroeconomic are evident in the stock price. Thereafter, Toda�Yamamoto Granger no-causality approach was used to examine the causal relationship amongst variables. Findings: The paper revealed that although the market adjustment to MEI has improved, the speed is till slow. The exchange rate exhibited the slowest speed in respect of the market reaction while the market reaction to money supply was the fastest. Toda�Yamamoto Granger no-causality estimation also revealed a bi-directional causality between MEI (gross domestic product, interest rate and money supply) and stock price and uni-directional relationship flowing from MEI (the exchange rate and foreign direct investment) to stock price. The paper also found no causality between inflation and stock price. Research limitations/implications: The findings although revealed improved level of market efficiency in comparison with the earlier data, the speed of adjustment is still undesirable. Rigorous approach should be adopted for the implementation of major reforms such as alternative market so as to increase the number of share listing and to increase the scope of investors' participation to enhancing trading volume and marketability and ultimately speed up information diffusion. Practical implications: The practical implication of the low level of information processing rate of Ghana Stock Exchange (averagely more than a month) is that astute investors and market analysts could employ MEI to outperform the market prior to their infusion onto the stock market. Originality/value: This study is one of the few studies in the Ghanaian literature that has extended the investigation of the speed of adjustment beyond composite or aggregate macroeconomic level estimation to estimation at individual variable level. This contribution is very relevant since each macroeconomic variable has unique characteristics and require specific policy framework, it is important to consider the speed of adjustment from the perspective of each of the individual variables. � 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Source: UEW
Strategies for minimising rework in the building construction industry in Ghana

Rework is an endemic problem in building construction projects and it is an area of research that has received limited attention. Recent research has shown that rework is the primary cause of time and schedule overruns in projects and that rework levels do not significantly differ between current procurement methods despite calls from government for the use of more integrated procurement approaches such as design-and-construct to improve project performance. The study adopted a quantitative research approach involving the administration of survey questionnaires to a simple random sample of 89 architects.The findings revealed eight key factors underlying rework on construction sites. The factors included; high employee turnover and unrealistic schedules, lack of experience and knowledge of design and of the construction process, re-construction due to quality failures, pressure for early completion, on site correction of errors in design, lack of design coordination and integration, inadequacies in contract documentation and client initiated changes in design and execution. Further findings of the study revealed four key effects of rework in construction industry in Ghana as including; increased expenses of labour wages and pay, increased expenditure on building materials, increased time to construct the project and/or correct errors and increased total cost of project. Also, six key strategies for minimizing or preventing rework in the construction industry included; monitoring as the project proceeds, brainstorming in meetings, risk identification, probability analysis, checklist of risk factors and deducing from past experience. Key challenges to minimising or preventing rework included; carelessness of workers, uncertainty about design changes from client, adverse behaviour of some workers, and difficulty in supervision and unclear specification and recruitment problems University of Education,Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh xiii in getting the right calibre of workers. Based on the findings, the study recommends that Architects should review newly released working drawings in order to prevent any field inconsistency prior to construction, intensify supervision during the execution stage of the project, liaise with the contractor during recruitment of personnel for the project and there is the need for consensus on a workable mechanism to bring together the client, consultant and the contractor to minimize change orders and introduction of additional works during construction phase.

Source: UEW
Strategies mathematics teachers employ in motivating their students in learning mathematics

Motivation in educational institutions is one of the issues to be taken in to consideration in other to realize the goals and objectives of education in any country. This study focused on the strategies mathematics teachers employ to motivate their students in classroom settings. The study area was Nkawie Municipal district in the Ashanti region of Ghana. The study respondents from the district involved teachers who were in the Senior High School (SHS) specifically Nkawie Senior/Technical School, Toase Senior High School and Mpasatia SHS. Interviews and questionnaires were used to solicit information from 200 teachers in three Senior High Schools at Nkawie Municipal. Quantitative analysis was done using mean and standard deviation, and regression analysis to analyze the respondents’ responses to the questions for the study. Both teachers’ and students’ level of motivation in teaching and learning of mathematics were positive and high from the descriptive statistics. Among these strategies includes providing room for open exchange of ideas, accepting mistakes as normal part of learning, and creating encouraging and supporting environment for students to learn and grow. The study suggested that teachers should be supported academically to acquire adequate mastery of subject matter and classroom management to help them teach and use appropriate teaching methodologies and classroom management techniques. The Study recommends also that mathematics teachers should manage their classroom environment effectively and focused on discipline.

Source: UEW
Strategies of handling employee grievance and their impact on job satisfaction evidence from selected hotels in Ghana

This study aims to fill the gap to find out the causes of grievances and effect of handling grievances strategies including open door policy and confidence enjoyment on job satisfaction. The study employed a cross-sectional research design with a quantitative approach to analysing data. A survey questionnaire was the instrument used to collect data from the selected employees. The population for this study was made up of employee in selected hospitality industry in Ghana. However, the accessible population was employees in the Central Region of Ghana. The purposive sampling technique was used to select three hundred and forty-four (344) participants for the study. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was employed for linear regression analysis to answer the research questions. The findings from the quantitative data analysis revealed that low wages and salary paid, unattainable and impossible set target, poor working conditions, lack of protective gadgets for preventing workplace accidents and poor working relationships among employees are the causes of employee grievance at the selected hotels in the Central Region, Ghana. Among the handling grievance strategies, integrating and confidence enjoyment have no influence on job satisfaction among employees in the hospitality industries. Handling grievance strategies such as dominating, integrating, obliging, avoiding, and compromising influence job satisfaction. Obliging strategy is the most important strategy to deal with employee grievance in the hospitality industry in Ghana. Therefore, stakeholders in hospitality industries should improve work environment by way of giving employees space and privacy to do their work, making the office more comfortable, and improving communication. Furthermore, they should keep the employee productivity and morale high and further increase the pay of employees. To further foster a positive work environment, the industry should practice open communication to encourage an unhindered flow of ideas among employees and management with no fear of tough criticism. Second, handling grievance strategies such as dominating, integrating, obliging, avoiding, and compromising influence job satisfaction. From these findings, it is significant to indicate that the several handling strategies are paired and no single selection is best. More so, employees and managers should have the ability to master the various handling strategies when managing grievance as a key skill to be developed to satisfy employee job satisfaction. The employees or the supervisors should be able to identify and apply the optimal mix of strategies in conformity with the situation being handled.

Source: UEW
Strategies teachers use in managing children with inappropriate behaviours in selected basic schools in Sandema in the upper east region of Ghana

The purpose of this study was to find out the strategies teachers use in managing children with inappropriate behaviours in selected basic schools in Sandema in the Upper East Region of Ghana. This study employed a mixed method research design to guide the study. The sample size was 36 respondents. Questionnaire in the form of a Likert-type scale was used to collect data for the study. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. The results revealed that basic school teachers in Sandema mostly relied on the use of punishment and being genuine and sincere in praise when managing inappropriate behaviours of children. It was further revealed that there was general ineffectiveness of regular teachers’ strategies in managing inappropriate behaviours. In view of the findings, the researcher recommended among other things that educational institutions at the basic schools should organize seminars, workshops, talks or symposia for teachers on how to handle inappropriate behaviours of children. Attempts should be made to assist the teachers to accurately identify, diagnose and institute appropriate behaviour management strategies such as the token economy, and time out.

Source: UEW
Strategies to mitigate the causes of construction accidents in the tamale metropolis perspectives of site managers

The Construction industry plays a major role in any economy and its activities are also vital to the achievement of the socio-economic development goals of providing shelter, infrastructure and employment. However, the construction industry is also recognized as an accident prone industry in Ghana. The ever-increasing cost of medical treatment, tends have a negative impact on a company's profit. The aim of the study was to examine strategies for mitigating the causes of work-related accidents on construction sites in Tamale Metropolis. The specific objectives of the study included; to identify the causes of work-related accidents on construction sites in Tamale Metropolis, to identify effective strategies for preventing or minimizing occurrence of accidents on construction sites in the Tamale Metropolis and to make recommendations for minimizing the occurrence of accidents on construction sites in the Tamale Metropolis. Using purposive sampling technique, survey questionnaires were administered to a sample of one hundred and twenty-eight (128) site managers and a response rate of 48% was achieved. The findings indicated that more than half of the respondents are of the view that workers negligence, equipment without safety devices, negative attitude of workers, improper supervision and management attitude are the major causes of accidents on construction sites. The findings also indicated that the effective strategies for mitigating the causes of construction site accidents included; knowledge on the rights on health issues as a workers, training on health and safety issues, first aid promptly administered, proper understanding of warning signs at the workplace and conducting periodic safety seminars and safety campaigns. Based on the findings, the study recommends that management of construction firms should be more committed towards ensuring safety on construction sites and safety campaigns, incentives and education need to be vigorously pursued by management.

Source: UEW
Strategies used by local furniture companies to overcome foreign competition (case study in northern region of Ghana)

Furniture is a use in making a room or other areas ready for occupancy in every house hold in the world. It provides comfort and harmony in the room for humanity. It also provides livelihood for furniture companies and employees in general. It‟s production is of great importance in that, it creates jobs, generate income, reduce poverty and generate export earnings. There are two types of furniture in the Ghanaian market, the foreign and the local furniture. The foreign product has captured the market to the detriment of the local product. Local furniture companies are collapsing, employees are not paid and families cannot get three square meals a day. This lead to this study which I intends to investigate the strategies that the local furniture companies will use to overcome foreign competition. The strategies to be investigated includes; marketing, machines, innovation, branding and employment of skilled labour. For instance, marketing strategy was used to advertise the products, through orgainsing of show cases, building and also renting of show room and other promotions. Secondly modern machines or technology was introduced to bring innovation, quality and quantity products. This was put to produce product that place them on the same level ground with their foreign compatriots. Both strategies mentioned above was achieved through employing skill labour, who brought their skills to bear. This brought about improvement in production, influencing purchase intentions thereby increase income generations, GDP growth, reduction of unemployment and so on. The targeted group for the study was the owners or managers of furniture companies in five towns or areas in Tamale in the northern region. The areas under the study were; Aboabu, Choggu, Kalpoheni, Lamashegu and Sakasaka. The findings indicated appropriate that the strategies could help the local furniture companies to overcome foreign competition.

Source: UEW
Streetism among children in Atimpoku, Ghana implications for counselling

The study explored streetism among children in Atimpoku in the Easten Region of Ghana adopting the qualitative phenomenological design. Fifteen participants were selected using purposive sampling technique. Interview guide was used for data collection. Data were analysed in themes. The study found that family break-up, fear of being punished, poverty, lack of parental care and control and child abuse were the key reasons children in Atimpoku take to streetism. Attacks by thieves, arrest by the police, street accidents, spiritual attacks and attack by colleagues were social challenges street children in Atimpoku faced. Truancy, frequent illness lack of accommodation, lack of basic needs of life and unmet love and affection from friends and family members were the personal challenges faced by street children in Atimpoku. Receiving assistance from colleagues, parents, caregivers, asking for alms, self-medication, use of drugs and drinking of alcohol were coping strategies street children in Atimpoku used to manage their plight. It was concluded that children in the street of Atimpoku were supposed to have been in school, acquiring the needed knowledge and skills that would enable them to become responsible future leaders. Children in the street of Atimpoku and their life style as well as the problems they encountered signify that streetism is a social problem that needs to be solved. It was recommended that the Government should partner with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) who work to address issues of child streetism to establish training centers. These centers will serve as places where children would be kept and be provided with education and employable skills training such as: ICT, hair dressing shoe making, beads making, fashion designing, carpentry and even formal education among others. These skills could equip them for the job market than being on the streets. The Department of Social Welfare in collaboration with chiefs and opinion leaders, counsellors and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) should put their resources together to mobilize community members in Atimpoku and sensitize them on the consequences of child streetism.

Source: UEW
Stress and job performance of basic schools teachers in Asikuma Odoben Brakwa district, Ghana

This study explored the effects of stress on the job performance of teachers in the Asikuma Odoben Brakwa District of Ghana. Mixed method research was used, underpinned by pragmatism and an explanatory sequential design. The sampling procedures adopted for the quantitative phase of the study were stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Participants sampled were 237 teachers out of which 159 were male and 78 were females. Participants responded to closed ended questions for the quantitative phase of the study, while 6 of the participants, 3 males and 3 females, were purposively selected and interviewed for the qualitative phase. The quantitative data gathered was analysed using independent sample t-test, Pearson Product Moment Correlation, frequencies, means and standard deviation while the qualitative data was used to elaborate the quantitative result when necessary. The study revealed that lack of resources, poorly defined discipline policy, students disrespecting teachers‟ authority, increase in workload, changes in educational policies and programmes, large class size etc. were some of the causes of stress among teachers. Also, the study revealed that stress influenced teachers‟ job performance negatively. Again, the study identified that manifestations of stress among teachers were psychological, emotional and physical: frustration, unusual sleeping, anxiousness, headaches, joint pains etc. Therefore, it was recommended that Ghana Education Service should enhance the conditions of service of teachers especially those posted to villages. Also, the District Education Directorate should provide seminars and training for teachers on stress in order for them to build resilience to stress.

Source: UEW