ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Taxonomic and molecular characterization of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts in nunu, a Ghanaian fermented milk product

Produced from raw unpasteurized milk, nunu is a spontaneously fermented yoghurt-like product made in Ghana and other parts of West Africa. Despite the importance of nunu in the diet of many Africans, there is currently only limited information available on the microorganisms associated with nunu processing. With the aim of obtaining a deeper understanding of the process and as a first step towards developing starter cultures with desired technological properties for nunu production, a microbiological characterization of nunu processing in three different towns in the Upper East region of Ghana, namely Bolgatanga, Paga and Navrongo, was carried out. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeasts associated with nunu processing were isolated and identified using a combination of pheno- and genotypic methods including morphological and carbohydrate fermentation tests, (GTG)5-based rep-PCR, multiplex PCR, and 16S and 26S rRNA gene sequencing. The LAB counts during nunu processing increased from 4.5 ± 0.4 log cfu/ml at 0 h to 8.7 ± 1.8 log cfu/ml at 24 h of fermentation while yeasts counts increased from 2.8 ± 1.2 log cfu/ml at 0 h to 5.8 ± 0.5 log cfu/ml by the end of fermentation. Lactobacillus fermentum was the dominant LAB throughout the fermentations with Lactobacillus plantarum and Leuconostoc mesenteroides playing prominent roles during the first 6-8 h of fermentation as well. Less frequently isolated LAB included Lactobacillus helveticus, Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus italicus, Weissella confusa and a putatively novel Lactococcus spp. The yeasts involved were identified as Candida parapsilosis, Candida rugosa, Candida tropicalis, Galactomyces geotrichum, Pichia kudriavzevii and Saccharomyces cerevisiae with P. kudriavzevii and S. cerevisiae being the dominant yeast species. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Source: UG
TB-diabetes co-morbidity in Ghana: The importance of Mycobacterium africanum infection

The Bacteriology Department aims to improve the quality of life first for Ghanaians and the world at large by conducting research into bacterial diseases of public health importance to Ghana and globally. In addition to working on enteric pathogens and sexually transmitted diseases, the department’s current main focus is on the two most important mycobacterial diseases of public health importance to Ghana, namely Buruli ulcer (BU) and tuberculosis (TB).

Source: UG
'Te Nygeyng Gbengbeng!' ('We are holding the Umbrella very tight!'): Explaining the popularity of the NDC in the upper west region of Ghana

This article analyses the reasons why, since the beginning of the Fourth Republic in 1992, the Upper West Region (UWR) has become one of the strongholds of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in northern Ghana. In all five general elections to date, the NDC has won more than half of the presidential vote and over 70 per cent of the parliamentary seats. The article explores the factors that explain the NDC's electoral dominance in the UWR. At the regional level the accepted argument has been that the NDC's predecessor extended developments to the area. However, if voting preferences are based on development considerations, why didn't loyalty shift to the NPP? I argue that political loyalty is generational and that the popularity of the NDC in the UWR can be understood through an appreciation of the recent history of the region. On 14 January 1983, PNDC Law 41 decreed the creation of the Upper West Region, carved out of what was then the Upper Region. I conclude that the political and socio-economic opportunities that came along with decentralization are historical memories of high value, which the NDC capitalizes on in its electioneering campaigns. © 2011 International African Institute.

Source: UG
“Teacher motivation and identity formation: Issues affecting professional practice.”

The failure of educational reforms in many countries to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of teachers to the successful implementation of such reforms illustrates how the teaching profession has been reduced to a marginal identity. Has this situation any implication for professional practice? This paper is based on review of literature which explores motivation and identity issues affecting teachers' professional practice globally. It examines scholarly views on the concept of teacher motivation, identity and practice, factors affecting teacher motivation and identity; and discusses studies on ways of enhancing teachers' identity and motivation to practice

Source: UG
Teacher-related barriers to effective teaching of physical education in public primary schools

Using cross sectional descriptive survey, the study examined perceived teacher-related barriers that impeded teaching of physical education in public primary schools of six selected circuits in the Volta Region of Ghana. Multistage sampling was used to draw 172 teachers (males=97, females=75) from estimated population of 300 in the study area. The data collection instrument was self-structured questionnaire which was validated by means of expert consultation. Reliability of the instrument was ascertained using Chronbach alpha reliability coefficient. Pre-data analyses were performed to eliminate probable errors during data entering. Data analyses were performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, version 17). The study found that five teacher-related barriers impeded effective teaching of PE in the public primary schools of the six selected circuits. These confirmed teacher-related barriers related to inadequate training in PE, negative perception about PE, lack of expertise for teaching PE, lack of interest for teaching PE, and high level of accountability for other subjects. From the study, high level of accountability for other subjects ranked the highest teacher-related barrier to effective teaching of PE while gender stereotyping ranked the least. Negative correlation was found between teacher-related barriers and the frequency at which PE lessons were taught in public primary schools.

Source: UG
Teachers’ and Educational Administrators’ Conceptions of Inquiry: Do They Promote or Constrain Inquiry-Based Science Teaching in Junior High Schools?

This study sought to examine whether teachers’ and educational administrators’ conceptions of inquiry promote or constrain inquiry-based science teaching in junior high schools. The study also explored any connections between participants’ conceptions of scientific inquiry, inquiry teaching, and inquiry learning. Multiple-case study involving semi-structured interviews was used to collect data from 18 integrated science teachers and 23 educational administrators from rural and urban areas in the Central Region of Ghana. Analysis of the qualitative data involved open coding and categorisation of participants’ responses. We found that all the teachers and educational administrators held either uninformed or partially informed conceptions of scientific inquiry and inquiry teaching and learning which, constrain inquiry-based science instruction in junior high schools. We also found that participants’ conceptions of scientific inquiry reflected in their conceptions of science teaching and learning. Again, we found that the uninformed conceptions of inquiry developed from participants’ lack of exposure and experiences with inquiry-based science instruction when they were students. We recommend regular explicit-reflective in-service trainings to promote teachers’ and educational administrators’ conceptions and teachers’ practice of inquiry-based science teaching. We also recommend reforms in preservice science education that emphasise the engagement of prospective teachers in collaborative explicit-reflective inquiry investigations and instructional practices.

Source: UG
Teachers’ Perceived Causes of Poor Performance in Mathematics by Students in Basic Schools from Ningo Prampram, Ghana

The study aimed at determining factors influencing poor performance of students in mathematics in selected Basic Schools in the Ningo Prampram District in Accra, Ghana. Descriptive research design was adopted in which random and convenience sampling method was used to select 60 teachers for the study. Data was collected through questionnaire analysed using SPSS version 21. The study found that the most highly ranked school environmental factors responsible for student's low academic performance in mathematics were lack of supervision and monitoring of teachers by head teachers and circuit supervisors, larger class size and lack of teaching and learning materials in school. Similarly, the most highly ranked teacher factor that contributed to student's low academic performance in mathematics was untrained teachers teaching the subject. Also, high level of absenteeism among students and unruly student behaviour were the most highly ranked student's characteristics responsible for their poor performances in mathematics. For parental support, the highly ranked variables that contributed to poor performance in mathematics were parents not helping wards with their homework, inability of parents to provide wards essential instructional needs for mathematics studies and parents inability to approach the school to ascertain how their wards are faring in mathematics. However, independent t-test and ANOVA analyses did not find statistical differences between the gender of teachers and the qualifications with regards to perceived causes of low performance in mathematics. .It is recommended that metropolitan, directorate and circuit supervisors intensify supervision and provision of learning materials in schools.

Source: UG
Teachers’ Perception on Assessment Strategies for Continuing Education

A study was carried out to tap the perceptions of teachers on effective strategies to assess performances of adult learners in continuing and distance education. A purposive sampling technique was used to select fifty teachers who were tested through a five-point Likert scale rating to determine the extent to which they agreed on eight assessment strategies and other measures on assessment, identified through key informant interviews and from literature. Findings favoured application of both formative and summative assessments to achieve objectives. Also respondents favoured assessments to be based on well written objectives that contain appropriate performance criteria as well as developing ways to assess whether critical thinking has occurred. Respondents also favoured assessments that would be appropriate to measure experience, performance and behaviour with emphasis on selecting the appropriate assessments for educational settings from variety of assessment tools.

Source: UG
Teachers’ promotion of creativity in basic schools

The study was conducted to find out the role of tea chers in fostering creat ivity among basic school student s in Ghana . The sample was drawn on 172 teachers , with different teaching qualifications and experience between the ages of 20 and 60 years . The findings show that teachers at the basic level of educa t ion promote creativity among students through motivation, divergent thinking, and the promotion of a conducive learning environment. Again, it was found out that teachers view the promotion of creativity as a joint responsibility of parents and teachers. Finally, although teachers agree that creativity is fostered through motivation, there was no statistically significant difference between teachers who view creativity to be intrinsically motivated and those who view it to be extrinsically motivated. The i mplications of the findings are examined.

Source: UG
Teachers’ utilization of instructional cues: types, targets and rate per minute in physical education setting

Instructional cue (IC) plays an important role in directing student's attention toward the most critical information about a movement task. Notably, an incorrect performance of a skill practiced for a long period is difficult to correct later. For this reason, physical education (PE) teachers need to constantly develop and implement good strategies that enhance students’ acquisition of critical features of movement skills. Teachers must use a variety of ICs targeted fairly at individual students and whole class. For effectiveness, different types of teachers’ ICs must be provided in an instructional setting. However, little is known about the effectiveness of teachers’ ICs in practical PE setting. The purpose of this pedagogical research in PE setting was to investigate targets, types and rate per minute of teachers’ ICs in netball shooting skill. The study was situated in three selected colleges of education (CoE) where descriptive processes were used to conduct the investigation. Digital video was utilized to record naturally occurring classroom events of pre-service teachers (n=77) and PE teachers (n=4). The video recorded lesson lasted 1 hour (60 minutes). Two independent recorders used event recording instrument to document classroom events relating to types and targets of teachers’ ICs. Inter-observer agreement procedures revealed a good reliability of data collected for the study. Descriptive analyses were conducted using mainly percentages, frequencies and means. Major findings of the study showed that verbal, visual and kinesthetic ICs were the main types of Teachers’ ICs used during the instructional period. However, verbal ICs dominated the observed practical lesson. Findings also revealed that more verbal ICs were provided to the group than individual students. Non-verbal ICs which involved demonstrations and signals were mostly used to facilitate individual students’ acquisition of the shooting skill in netball. In each minute, students received teachers’ IC relating to the proper technique of performing assigned task.

Source: UG
Teaching Drama in Education in the University of Ghana: My perspectives about Ghanaian indigenous games

This proposal reveals the significance of Applied Theatre in Ghana, with special interest in Drama in Education (DIE) as a teaching tool for teachers and learners. As a teaching tool, Drama in Education places tremendous emphasis on Process, Performance and Skill oriented activities to achieve its teaching and learning goals. The dramatic experiences derived from the improvisations; creative dramatics, mime, role-play and other Ghanaian indigenous art forms such as games, symbols, proverbs, storytelling, etc. in the learning explora tions expedite transformation in learners. In these dramatic develop ments, creativity helps to improve not only learners but society as a whole. This paper aims at exhibiting some of the games employed in various sessions with students in the University of Ghana.

Source: UG
Teaching Information Literacy (Il) As A For-Credit Course: What Librarians At The University Of Ghana Think

The study aims at highlighting the views and opinions of librarians at the University of Ghana on the viability and challenges associated with a proposed teaching of Information Literacy by librarians. The study adopted the survey questionnaire method in gathering relevant data. The researcher also employed personal experience and observation in the course of the study. The study revealed that majority of librarians at the University of Ghana do not see education or teaching as a key role, and therefore positively dislike the idea of being educators or teachers.

Source: UG
Teaching Traditional Ghanaian Dance Forms in Higher Education in the Diaspora

Learning a dance form from a culture outside of one’s own, in my observation, can be quite daunting for students, especially those who do not have any dancing experience or those who have experienced dance but not in African forms. This was indicated each year in an assignment in which students were required to share their experiences in a West African dance class that I taught for 6 years in the Department of Dance at the Texas Woman’s University. In their responses, the students shared their fears, misconceptions, uncertainties and concerns, which can be put into two categories. The first category — from students with and without dancing experience — includes fears and misconceptions about difficulty in performing African dance forms resulting in concerns about their ability to dance. The second category — from dance students — includes concerns and uncertainties about the level of challenge that the class might offer to them as an elective class open to students from all disciplines. The students, however, indicated in their responses that the structure of the class and the way in which pedagogy occurred helped alleviate their fears, misconceptions and concerns. In this article, ideas undergirding the structure created to support pedagogy of West African dance forms as a university core curriculum course are presented. The structure focused on five ideas — the five C’s — which are the need to create a comfortable environment that will provide a support base for students to build confidence in their movement capabilities, encourage them to get involved in teaching and learning through the creation of community, and provide feedback in the form of comments and compliments to the entire class. The article concludes with a few suggestions for teachers who are engaged with the pedagogy of Ghanaian dance forms at the tertiary level.

Source: UG
Technical assistance to university libraries in Ghana: the case of the ODA/BPP at the University of Ghana Library

A number of international agencies, governments, individual institutions and philanthropic foundations have contributed in various ways to the development of libraries in Ghana. This paper looks at the role of the Overseas Development Administration's Book Presentation Programme (ODA/BPP) in the University of Ghana Library. The paper provides a justification for the continued reliance on such assistance and concludes that the assistance which has now been channelled to second cycle institutions should be reintroduced, but with a suggestion that slight modifications be made in the programme. © 2000, MCB UP Limited

Source: UG
Technical efficiency and environmental impact of seabream and seabass farms

Sea cage farming of seabream and seabass is the most important form of aquaculture production in the Mediterranean Sea. Despite the continuous global growth in aquaculture production and demand, the economic performance of seabream and seabass companies has not followed the same trend. In recent years, companies have faced successive periods of market instability, with high volatility in supply and market prices that have strongly affected their operational margins. Despite the regional importance of this industry, only a handful of studies have examined the economic performance of these farms. In this paper, we investigate the technical efficiency and scale effects of Mediterranean aquaculture farms. Furthermore, environmental impact in terms of nutrient emissions from the farms is examined and discussed. Technical efficiency effects are analyzed using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), and the bootstrap procedure is used for bias correction. The results show that the mean technical efficiency could be improved by between 16% and 34%, and scale efficiency suggests that farms could improve their efficiency by operating at an optimal scale. Compared to measurements in previous studies, the environmental variables show that the emission of nutrients from the farms per kilo of fish produced has not changed over the past twenty years. Finally, policy implications suggest that more attention toward improving technical efficiency may help improve the robustness of the sector and that environmental regulation might be needed in order to improve the environmental performance of farms

Source: UG
Technical efficiency in the Ghanaian banking sector: does boardroom gender diversity matter?

Purpose: The marginalization of women on boards is a heavily discussed topic across the world. especially in Ghana. Apart from estimating the link between boardroom gender diversity and technical efficiency of banks, this study aims to test the presence of upper-echelons theory in the Ghanaian banking sector. Design/methodology/approach – The study examines data from the 2000–2019 annual reports of 23 banks in Ghana. The stochastic frontier analysis is used to estimate the impact of boardroom gender diversity in technical efficiency of banks in Ghana. Findings: This study finds that greater boardroom gender diversity generates technical efficiencies for banks. The results remain unchanged after accounting for bank types (listed and non-listed). Thus, all banks benefit in terms of technical efficiency from more boardroom gender diversity. The upper echelons theory is validated in the Ghanaian banking context. Overall, the study supports pro-gender diversity on boards. Practical implications: The results have implications at corporate, social and national levels. It supports the need for policies that improve greater boardroom gender diversity. Originality/value: This study adds to the growing number of non-developed countries by investigating the link between the boardroom gender diversity and technical efficiency of banks in Ghana, a country which historically has had minimal female participation in the workforce. New insight is, therefore, offered into this relationship by using data which examines the technical efficiency of banks periods before and after the Women in Finance Charter in 2016.

Source: UG
Technical efficiency of improved and local variety seed maize farms in Ghana: A meta-frontier analysis

The meta-frontier model technique is employed to compare the technical efficiency levels of improved and local maize seed variety farms in Ghana using a cross-sectional data from 214 farmers. The study shows that inefficiencies in maize production relate to exogenous variables considered even though some of the variables are not statistically significant. All input variables considered contribute positively to maize output in both improved and local seed varieties as well as in the pooled data. Maize farms generally exhibit increasing returns to scale (IRS) in the study area. The mean technical efficiency relative to the meta-frontier is estimated to be 72%, 44% and 50% for the improved, local maize seed variety farms and the pooled data respectively. Based on the estimated TGR of 90% and 72% for the improved and local seed variety maize farms, respectively, the study concludes that maize farmers who cultivated improved maize seed varieties are more technically efficient compared to their counterparts who do otherwise. It is recommended that stakeholder efforts should focus on labour source, education, extension contacts, ready market availability and credit that contribute positively to farmers’ efficiency to further increase maize output in Ghana. Furthermore, farmers should be encouraged and educated more on the benefits of newly developed varieties of maize so that they will be convinced enough to adopt in order to increase their output in the near future.

Source: UG
Technical efficiency of the ghanaian banking industry and the effects of the entry of foreign banks.

The effects of the entry of foreign banks and changes in bank concentration on the technical efficiency of domestic banks in Ghana over the period 2000–2008 is analyzed. Technical efficiency scores were obtained by the Data Envelopment Analysis. Then, the Tobit regression was used to analyze the impact of hypothesized explanatory variables on bank efficiency. Foreign bank share of total industry assets was used to proxy the impact of foreign banks. The findings suggest that efficiency of domestic banks has been positively affected by the entry of foreign banks and reduction in concentration. Thus, the central bank's policy of liberalizing the banking sector appears to be well placed.

Source: UG