ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the staff training and development programmes of Ghana Commercial Bank Kumasi central branches

The training, development and education of employees at all levels within organisations is now considered a vital component in maintaining competitiveness in the international arena. The objectives of the study were to describe the purposes of training and development programmes, determine the commitment of the bank and examine the effectiveness and challenges of training and development programmes.The study involved 120 junior, senior and management staff respondents from the Kumasi Central branches of the Ghana Commercial Bank. The case study and exploratory research designs were used and the main source of data was the primary source through the use of questionnaire.The study revealed that training and development programmes served as mechanisms for improving upon employee performance and programmes were organised for individuals groups and teams in the form of on-the-job trainings.The bank was not committed to training and development programmes and the programmes were not effectively organised. Training and development programmes had had significant effect on employee performance but the programmes suffered challenges like inadequate evaluation programmes, absence of transfer of learning and lack of logistic and financial support to programmes.The study recommended that management should ensure strict adherence to the training process and provide logistic and financial support for training and development programmes.

Source: UCC
Evaluation of the strength of concrete slabs using bamboo-mesh in place of iron rod mesh with palm-kernel shells as additives

Bamboo was used in the form of a mesh and placed within the concrete slab mold. The cement, sand and stone mixture were varied with the addition of palm kernel shells. Usually, the main mixtures for the production of concrete slabs are cement, sand, stones and water with iron rod mesh in-between the mixture. Due to high production cost, it was suggested that, if some waste material, in this case palm-kernel shell, is used to argument or supplement the amount of stones used and bamboo-mesh used to replace the costly iron rods, production cost as well as environmental issues would be addressed. The concrete slabs produced with this new mixture gave the compressive strength, after 28days of curing an average compressive strength of 60.0 KN/m 2. This value fell within the range of type A, B and C blocks with respective values of 4.0 KN/M 2,3.0 KN/M 2 and 2.5 KN/M 2

Source: UCC
Evaluation of the Teaching and Learning of Business Management in Senior High Schools in the Obuasi Municipality

This study used the Objective-based evaluation model to examine the teaching and learning of Business Management in Senior High Schools in the Obuasi Municipal Assembly of the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Specifically, the study focused on the aims, content, methods of teaching, and challenges of Business Management. Five research questions were formulated to guide the study. The descriptive survey design was used, questionnaire, interview guide, observation guide and checklist were the instruments used for data collection. The sample size comprised four (4) teachers and 96 students from all the Senior High Schools in the Obuasi Municipality which offer Business Management. The data from the teachers and students were analyzed through the computation of frequencies, percentages, mean of means distributions and standard deviations. The findings depicted that, respondents were highly knowledgeable about the aims of the Business Management Curriculum; were highly aware about the content of the Business Management Curriculum; and preferred the discussion method of teaching business management. It is recommended that Heads of Schools should motivate the teachers to sustain their efforts in teaching in order to realize the aims of the Business Management Curriculum. Teachers should continuously conscientise the students� on the aims of the Business Management curriculum to keep them focused on the relevant academic tasks.

Source: UCC
An evaluation of the teaching and learning of history in senior high schools in the Central Region of Ghana

The study evaluated the teaching and learning of history in Senior High Schools in the Central Region of Ghana. Specifically, the study focused on the methods of teaching the subject, learning styles of students, teaching-learning resources, assessment instruments and teachers’ and students’ perceptions of the subject. Data were collected from documents, through the use of questionnaire and observation of classroom lessons. The internal reliability co-efficient of the questionnaire was .735. The sample comprised 570 students (selected randomly) and all the 31 history teachers from all the Senior High Schools in the Central Region which offer History. Frequencies, percentages and means were the main statistical tools employed for the data analysis. The study found that the most prominent methods of teaching history, in order of ranking, were the question and answer, discussion and lecture methods. Students were found to use both audio-visual and active-reflective learning styles. The findings also revealed the inadequacy of instructional resources in the schools and teachers’ use of class tests and exercises in assessing students’ learning outcomes. Finally, the study found that history teachers have a positive perception of the teaching of the subject while history students have a negative perception of the learning of the subject. It is recommended that teachers should adopt interactive teaching methods and use investigative study and project work in assessing students’ learning outcomes. Also, the Ghana Education Service should provide instructional resources to schools.

Source: UCC
Evaluation of the training policies for the teaching staff of public senior high schools in the obuasi municipality.

The study evaluated the training policies and programmes of the Ghana Education Service (GES) for teachers of senior high schools. It was conducted at the Christ the King Catholic Senior High School and the Obuasi Technical Senior High School in the Obuasi Municipality. The study was a census which covered 55 teachers. Interview schedule and questionnaires were used to gather information. The data collected was analysed with the Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) (Version 16.0) software. The findings were presented in frequency tables and percentages. The main findings of the study included the respondents attributing their lack of knowledge of the training policies to lack of accessibility of the training programmes, inadequate information and information reaching respondents later than usual. The great majority of the respondents wished to benefit regularly from the training policies which they suggested could take the form of in-service training, workshops, seminars and further studies. Also, the types of training programmes respondents had benefited from were study leave with pay, occasional short courses and workshops, distance education and sandwich programmes. The study recommended that the GES should make the training programmes readily accessible to all teachers. Again, there should be easy release of teachers to attend training programmes. Finally, training programmes should be organized at least once every term to help teachers be abreast with the current trends in teaching and learning.

Source: UCC
Evaluation of the Undergraduate Ghanaian Languages Programme in the University of Cape Coast

The study evaluated the undergraduate Ghanaian languages programme in the University of Cape Coast using Stufflebeam’s 1971 CIPP model. The sequential explanatory design was employed for the study. The census technique was used to involve 143 students and eight lecturers while the snowball technique was used to sample 15 graduates for the study. The Programme Evaluation Questionnaire (PEQ) and the Follow-up Interview Guide (FIG) were used to gather data. Descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and inferential (repeated measures ANOVA, independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA) statistics were used to analyse the quantitative data and thematic analysis for the qualitative data. Findings indicated that the students, the graduates and the lecturers were all satisfied with the context rubric of the Ghanaian languages programme. However, the low appeal of the programme to students was due to limited awareness, ill knowledge of the programme’s prospects and misconceptions students had about the programme. The respondents exhibited moderate satisfaction towards the input and process rubrics. The evidence showed that respondents were highly satisfied with the product components of the programme. It was recommended that the programme needs to acquire enough resources such as books and a language laboratory and recruit more lecturers for its implementation. The Department of Ghanaian Languages and Linguistics also needs to advertise the programme.

Source: UCC
The evaluation of the usability and effectiveness of TELERECS E-Collaboration System

Electronic Collaboration environments can be used to facilitate collaborative teaching, learning and research environment. However, the current e-learning in higher educational institutions is not facilitating these activities. Hence the proposed e-collaborative system entitled Teach, learn and Research Collaboration System (TELERECS). A total of 30 undergraduate students undertaking introduction to business information system course participated in this study for two months. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the feasibility of the instruments and to evaluate students’ perceptions regarding the usability and effectiveness of the system. The methodology employed multiple methods of data collection, including individual and team assessment through activities logs, instructor’s personal observation as well as experimental and control group survey using pre-test and post-test. The findings show that the system is a usable and effective environment for e-collaboration. The results of the pre-test and post-test also indicated that there are significant difference between the mean scores of the experimental and control groups

Source: UCC
The evaluation of the use of the Bible by the Twelve Apostles' Church as a basis for divination: A case study of Jomoro and Ellembele traditional areas

One of the bases of the Twelve Apostles’ Church for practising divination is the story of Saul consulting Samuel in 1 Samuel 9:1-10:26. Some Christian churches believe that the concept of divination is not biblical and must be condemned since it is a key element of the African traditional religion. This study therefore uses the Twelve Apostles’ Church in Nzema area as a case study to find out whether divination as practised by the Twelve Apostles’ Church has any biblical justification. The Twelve Apostles’ Church emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit, has a flexible liturgy, a prominent place for women. The Church also uses sacred articles like the water, candles, incense, white clothes, erects crosses and so on. The Twelve Apostles’ Church defines divination as a means of communicating with God for him to reveal sources of problems and prescribe solutions to them. The types of divination employed are; prayers, the use of the holy cup, the use of the tasbih, carrying basins of water and the use of the Bible. Evaluating the passage, 1 Samuel 9:1-10:26 three instances of divination by Samuel are observed. Samuel received a message about Saul through a night dream, chose an Israelite king by casting lots and located Saul by the help of Urim and Thummim. The issue that remains unresolved is whether or not the people of the Twelve Apostles’ Church use the spirit of God in practicing divination or not.

Source: UCC
Evaluation of Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum L) Genotypes for Bacterial Wilt (Ralstonia Solanacearum) Resistance in Ghana

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most important vegetables which ranks second after potato in the world. Its productivity is extremely low due to the effect of pests and diseases. Bacterial wilt, caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is one of the most devastating and wide-spread bacterial diseases of tomato. The objective of the study was to identify tomato genotypes resistant to bacterial wilt disease that can be used for future improvement of the crop. The study collected and characterized 20 isolates from some major tomato growing areas in Ghana using both morphological and molecular tools to determine prevalent bacterial wilt strains, screenhouse and field evaluations coupled with marker assisted selection were used to identify resistant materials. In addition, broad sense heritability was estimated for bacterial wilt disease and other economic traits in tomato. From this present study, phylotype II was identified based on the molecular characterization. Four accessions H7996, LA 0442, LA 0443 and LA 0376 were identified to be resistant under both screenhouse and field conditions. For maker validation, six out of the twelve accessions possessed both Bwr-12 and Bwr-6 genes which confer resistance to BW disease. High broad-sense heritability was observed for both disease incidence, severity of BW disease, as well as other agronomic characters investigated. The four promising lines identified could be evaluated and subsequently released to farmers. In addition, findings from this study could be used to improve the tomato breeding programme in the country.

Source: UCC
Evaluation of training and development of staff programmes of the internal revenue services in Ghana, at the headquarters

The study examine the staff training and development programmes of the IRS by; identifying the training and development needs of staff, examining the overall training and development processes, assessing the benefits of training and development as well as examining the challenge facing the effective implementation of staff training and development policies in the IRS. Descriptive and cross-sectional survey designs were adopted for the research and a sample of 240 drawn using simple random sampling technique and SPSS version 17 to process the data. The study identified dynamic leadership skills, training on ICT and knowledge on the Service’s Strategic Plan as the main training need of staff. It was found that training in IRS takes the form of formal training, job rotation, and vestibule and on the job training. It was found also that training stimulates organizational growth by closing the performance gaps and giving the staff the needed competitive advantage. In addition the study identified low productivity resulting from the vacancies created in the office during the training periods and budgetary constraints as the major challenges the training and development programmes. The study recommended that a comprehensive work schedule and stand-ins be provided to prevent low productivity during training and development periods. The Ministry of Finance should establish a fund to finance training and development programmes of the service.

Source: UCC
Evaluation of training and development of staff programmes of the internal revenue services in Ghana,at the headquaters

The study examine the staff training and development programmes of the IRS by; identifying the training and development needs of staff, examining the overall training and development processes, assessing the benefits of training and development as well as examining the challenge facing the effective implementation of staff training and development policies in the IRS. Descriptive and cross-sectional survey designs were adopted for the research and a sample of 240 drawn using simple random sampling technique and SPSS version 17 to process the data. The study identified dynamic leadership skills, training on ICT and knowledge on the Service’s Strategic Plan as the main training need of staff. It was found that training in IRS takes the form of formal training, job rotation, and vestibule and on the job training. It was found also that training stimulates organizational growth by closing the performance gaps and giving the staff the needed competitive advantage. In addition the study identified low productivity resulting from the vacancies created in the office during the training periods and budgetary constraints as the major challenges the training and development programmes. The study recommended that a comprehensive work schedule and standins be provided to prevent low productivity during training and development periods. The Ministry of Finance should establish a fund to finance training and development programmes of the service.

Source: UCC
Evaluation of training staff through rights-based approach: A case of Action Aid Ghana

Good governance is a preferred system of claiming and legitimising rights that can be boosted through effective citizen-state engagement. The state often holds and controls the bulk of public resources and governments must formulate policies and decisions for distribution of such resources to ensure sustainability. While governments are built and held in power by ordinary people, their authority and decision-making mandate often put them in categories above those of ordinary persons. The new approach to rural development entreats development agencies to assist target populations to demand their rights from duty-bearers. One critical area in this direction is the depth of knowledge of employees of organisations that attempt to initiate Rights-Based Approach (RBA). This study was therefore meant to evaluate training programmes for employees of ActionAid Ghana (AAG) in RBA. A descriptive survey approach was employed for the study. Participants for the survey were employees of AAG, Community-based Organisations (CBOs) and assembly members with a total of 50 respondents. The findings from the study showed that majority of respondents had an appreciable level of knowledge in RBA. Employees of AAG and their collaborators in the CBOs found that the input of RBA on development of communities in which they were engaged was high. However, collaboration between government agencies and organisations promoting RBA was not seen to be good. Heads of some state agencies felt they were being exposed by RBA. It is recommended that all stakeholders are properly trained in RBA to help accelerate community development.

Source: UCC
Evaluation of two newborn resuscitation training strategies in regional hospitals in Ghana

Aim: In Ghana, institutional delivery has been emphasized to improve maternal and newborn outcomes. The Making Every Baby Count Initiative, a large coordinated training effort, aimed to improve newborn outcomes through government engagement and provider training across four regions of Ghana. Two newborn resuscitation training and evaluation approaches are described for front line newborn care providers at ﬁve regional hospitals. Methods: A modiﬁed newborn resuscitation program was taught at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (GARH) and evaluated with real-time resuscitation observations. A programmatic shift, led to a different approach being utilized in Sunyani, Koforidua, Ho and Kumasi South Regional Hospitals. This included Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) and Essential Care for Every Baby (ECEB) training followed by objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE) with manikins at ﬁxed intervals. Data was collected on training outcomes, fresh stillbirth and institutional newborn mortality rates. Results: Training was conducted for 412 newborn care providers. For 120 staff trained at GARH, resuscitation observations and chart review found improvements in conducting positive pressure ventilation. For 292 providers that received HBB and ECEB training, OSCE pass rates exceeded 90%, but follow-up decreased from 98% to 84% over time. A decrease in fresh stillbirth and institutional newborn mortality occurred at GARH (p < 0.05), but not in the other four regional hospitals. Conclusion: Newborn resuscitation training is warranted in low-resource settings; however, the optimal training, monitoring and evaluation approach remains unclear, particularly in referral hospitals. Although, mortality re- ductions were observed at GARH, this cannot be solely attributed to newborn resuscitation training.

Source: UCC
Evaluation of urinalysis parameters and antimicrobial susceptibility of uropathogens among out-patients at University of Cape Coast Hospital

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a major global public health issue. The gold standard for diagnosing UTI is urine culture. This is however labour intensive and time consuming. Many prescribers therefore rely on urinalysis in diagnosing UTI. This study sought to evaluate the performance of some parameters of urinalysis as predictors of urine culture positivity. The common causative agents and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns were also determined. Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out at the University of Cape Coast Hospital from July 2017 – December 2017 among out-patients. The performance characteristics of leukocyte esterase (3+) and nitrite reactions were estimated and compared with urine culture. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were done using disc diffusion technique described by Kirby-Bauer. Results: Prevalence of UTI in this study was 30.0% (64/213). The most prevalent pathogen was E. coli (20, 31.2%), followed by S. saprophyticus (9, 14.1%). Most of the bacteria (52, 94.5%) were sensitive to amikacin, followed by ciprofloxacin (42, 76.3%). The most sensitive (94.4%) of the parameters was pus cells [>5 white blood cells (WBC) per high power field (HPF)] and the least sensitive was the nitrite test (21.0%). The leukocyte esterase test showed the highest accuracy of 91.1%. Conclusion: The study supports the recommendation of the use of oral ciprofloxacin as the first line treatment of uncomplicated UTI by the Ghana Standard Treatment Guidelines (2017).

Source: UCC