ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
The impact of age and gender on linguistic and politeness choices in sms messaging: a case of trainee teachers in Ada College of Education

This thesis explored age and gender influence on linguistic features and politeness strategies in SMS messaging among trainee teachers in Ada College of Education using Crystal’s (2008) and House & Kasper’s (1981) analytical frameworks. The data were collected from 400 first and second-year trainee teachers via user diaries, and semi-structured face-to-face interviews. A total of 200 SMS messages were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The data revealed contractions and non-standard spellings as dominant linguistic features in the trainees’ messaging. Again, it was established that there was marginal age difference within the age groups in relation to politeness strategies. Another aim of this study was to determine whether men and women were different with respect to the use of politeness strategies. The results showed no significant difference between the groups. Thus, the findings did not confirm the previous studies regarding age and gender-bound language. The study has both pedagogical and theoretical implications as the results have certain flair and authenticity to influence researchers who may wish to undertake similar study as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students who are taking formal courses in English language. For stakeholders in education, this research offers a means of not just reading and condemning students’ writings, but heightens the awareness of the need to scrutinize SMS texts and educate students accordingly.

Source: UCC
Impact of agricultural development Bank credit facility on small scale agro-processors and out grower farmers: a case study in the Twifo Hemang Lower Denkyira and Abura Asebu Kwamankese districts in the central region of Ghana

The role of micro- finance in the livelihood improvement cannot be over emphasized. Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) credit to agro-processing farmers in the Central Region has increased and aims at increasing economic opportunities for commercial agro-processing farmers. As an agricultural country different types of crops and fruits are produced here. There is enough scope for export of these items through processing mechanism and value addition.Currently, there is no empirical information on the impact of this credit facility in the study areas. It is in this light that the research sought to find out the impact of Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) credit on agro-processing farmers.The study was conducted in Twifo Heman Lower Denkyira and Abura Asebu Kwamankese Districts in the Central Region. A descriptive research design was used for the study. Structured interview schedule was the major instrument use in the data collection.The results revealed that the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) micro-credit facility has had a very high impact on the beneficiaries. Even though, the loan facility was insufficient, untimely and without any ADB pre administrative support, it has improved beneficiaries access to land, information, credit, and income to support their family education and standard of living. The research therefore recommends that ADB should increase its credit portfolio to cover more in the study areas.

Source: UCC
Impact of an electronic clinical decision support system on workflow in antenatal care: the QUALMAT eCDSS in rural health care facilities in Ghana and Tanzania

Background: The implementation of new technology can interrupt established workflows in health care settings. The Quality of Maternal Care (QUALMAT) project has introduced an electronic clinical decision support system (eCDSS) for antenatal care (ANC) and delivery in rural primary health care facilities in Africa. Objective: This study was carried out to investigate the influence of the QUALMAT eCDSS on the workflow of health care workers in rural primary health care facilities in Ghana and Tanzania. Design: A direct observation, time-and-motion study on ANC processes was conducted using a structured data sheet with predefined major task categories. The duration and sequence of tasks performed during ANC visits were observed, and changes after the implementation of the eCDSS were analyzed. Results: In 24 QUALMAT study sites, 214 observations of ANC visits (144 in Ghana, 70 in Tanzania) were carried out at baseline and 148 observations (104 in Ghana, 44 in Tanzania) after the software was implemented in 12 of those sites. The median time spent combined for all centers in both countries to provide ANC at baseline was 6.5 min [interquartile range (IQR) 4.0 10.6]. Although the time spent on ANC increased in Tanzania and Ghana after the eCDSS implementation as compared to baseline, overall there was no significant increase in time used for ANC activities (0.51 min, p 0.06 in Ghana; and 0.54 min, p 0.26 in Tanzania) as compared to the control sites without the eCDSS. The percentage of medical history taking in women who had subsequent examinations increased after eCDSS implementation from 58.2% (39/67) to 95.3% (61/64) p B0.001 in Ghana but not in Tanzania [from 65.4% (17/26) to 71.4% (15/21) p 0.70]. Conclusions: The QUALMAT eCDSS does not increase the time needed for ANC but partly streamlined workflow at sites in Ghana, showing the potential of such a system to influence quality of care positively.

Source: UCC
The impact of anthropogenic activities on the Fosu Lagoon in the Central District of Cape Coast: Integrated Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination

Effluents from humans and industrial discharges into the environment pose a serious threat to human health and aquatic life. In view of this, levels of some heavy metals Zn, Pb, Cu, Ti, V and Mn were determined in sediment samples collected from one of the most polluted water bodies (Fosu Lagoon) in the central region of Ghana using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) - (Varian – AA240 FS). The average concentrations of lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), Titanium (Ti) and Vanadium (V), from the various sites ranged from 138.75 mgkg -1 (Ti) to 4.90 Mgkg -1 (Zn). Among the concentrations of heavy metals found in the sediment samples, Ti recorded the highest concentration of 4600 mgkg -1 followed by Mn (290.00 mgkg -1) and then Cu (235.93 Mgkg -1 ). The sequence of distribution followed Ti>Mn˃V>Cu>Pb˃Zn. The mean concentration of Mn, Cu, Ti and V exceeded the USEPA and WHO standard guideline whiles Pb and Zn were below the standard regulation limits. The Pearson correlation analysis between the heavy metals at the various sampling points was generally weak, with both positive and inverse correlations demonstrating that heavy metals may be coming from different anthropogenic sources. Comparing results from this study with previous works in the same Lagoon showed increased anthropogenic activities around the lake which pose potential pollution threats to the lagoon especially, the heavy metal pollutants which may be toxic to humans and aquatic life– AA240 FS). The average concentrations of lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), Titanium (Ti) and Vanadium (V), from the various sites ranged from 138.75 mgkg -1 (Ti) to 4.90 Mgkg -1 (Zn). Among the concentrations of heavy metals found in the sediment samples, Ti recorded the highest concentration of 4600 mgkg -1 followed by Mn (290.00 mgkg -1 ) and then Cu (235.93 Mgkg -1 ). The sequence of distribution followed Ti>Mn˃V>Cu>Pb˃Zn. The mean concentration of Mn, Cu, Ti and V exceeded the USEPA and WHO standard guideline whiles Pb and Zn were below the standard regulation limits. The Pearson correlation analysis between the heavy metals at the various sampling points was generally weak, with both positive and inverse correlations demonstrating that heavy metals may be coming from different anthropogenic sources. Comparing results from this study with previous works in the same Lagoon showed increased anthropogenic activities around the lake which pose potential pollution threats to the lagoon especially, the heavy metal pollutants which may be toxic to humans and aquatic life

Source: UCC
Impact of application of neem leaves and poultry manure on nutrient dynamics of a Haplic Acrisol

A 12-week incubation study of a Haplic Acrisol amended with ground neem leaves (Azadirachta indica Adr. Juss.) (20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 t h71) plus 10 t h71 poultry manure in pots were carried out at the Technology Village of the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, to assess the changing patterns of NH4þ N, NO37 N and available P. The study lasted for 12 weeks starting from 17 April 2004. Thepeak of release of NH 4þ N occurred at the 2nd week after incubation of samples; the peak of release of the available P occurred also at the 2nd week and the NO37 N occurred at the 4th week. Theproduction of NH 4þ N and available P had proportional relationships with the quantity of neem leaves and poultry manure incorporated into the soil. The amount of NO37 N produced was not proportional to the quantity of the neem leaves and the poultry manure as above. The higher levels of the neem leaves (100 t, 80 t and 60 t) plus the poultry manure produced lower cumulative values of NO37 N than the lower levels (40 t and 20 t) of the neem leaves plus the poultry manure. This exception was assigned to the probable nitriﬁcation inhibitory role played by the active ingredient (azadirachtin) in the neem leaves which was expected to increase with the increasing levels of the neem leaves. The poultry manure was found to enhance the release of NH4þ N, NO37 N and available P in the neem leave-poultry manure soil amendment. The moisture content of treatments signiﬁcantly increased in relation to the amount of neem leaves and poultry manure in the amendment

Source: UCC
Impact of Audio-Visual Aids on Senior High School Students’ Achievement in Physics

This study was aimed at finding out the impact audio-visual-aided instruction on students’ achievement in physics at Cape Coast township of Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana. The study was a non-randomized pretest-posttest group design. A total of 65 students in Senior High School (SHS) formed the sample for the study. The students were fourth year science students from two purposefully selected co-educational SHS. The two selected schools were randomly designated experimental and control groups respectively. A validated physics achievement test instrument of a reliability coefficient of 0.76 was administered. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and t-test statistics were used to test the two hypotheses formulated to guide the study at a significance level 0.05. The results showed that SHS students taught with audio-visual aided instruction performed better than those taught with traditional method. The mean achievement scores of both male and female students improved significantly by the use of the audio-visual aided instruction. It was therefore recommended that SHS physics teachers should explore the use of audio-visual-aided instruction to teach the subject, physics.

Source: UCC
Impact of Automobile Waste on Heavy Metal Accumulation and Microbial Activity at two Selected Auto-Mechanic Workshops in Kumasi, (Ashanti Region) - Ghana

Auto mechanics have over the years played a major role in the transport industry in Ghana by providing services to many road users including; heavy duty cars, tankers, salon cars, commercial vehicle among others. In the process of discharging their duties, they intentionally and unintentionally deposit various waste from vehicles on the soil within the workshops and the adjoining fields. A survey was conducted to assess the impact of automobile waste on soil heavy metal levels and soil microbial activity. Two auto mechanic workshops at Edwenase and South Suntreso in Kumasi Metropolis (Ashanti Region of Ghana) were considered. The experimental design used was Randomized Complete Block Design. Composite soil samples were taken at depths of 0-10 cm and 10-30 cm from the upper part through to the middle part and to the valley bottom and analyse for heavy metals including; Pb, As, Zn and Cd. Selected parts of maize and plantain at the adjoining fields were also randomly sampled for heavy metal accumulation analysis. Soil samples were subjected to microbial activity analysis using the basal respiration method. The levels of Zinc recorded in the soil sample were highly above the FAO acceptable limit of 3.5 – 6 mg/kg. The levels of arsenic at South Suntreso were within the FAO acceptable limit of 20 mg kg-1. Pb of plant samples had 0.03 mg/kg level. Zinc levels emerged the highest at 15.47 mg/kg in plant biomass. At South Suntreso, the valley bottom recorded the highest microbial activity of 65.24 mgCO2/kg soil/day. After the study, it was established that there were some traces of heavy metals in soil and plant samples at the two study sites; and the presence of the heavy metals had an effect on soil microbial activities.

Source: UCC
Impact of beck’s cognitive behavioural therapy on prevalence of depression among infertile women in Cape Coast, Ghana

This study aimed at examining the effect of Beck’s Cognitive Therapy on females who exhibit depressive symptoms due to their suffering from infertility in Cape Coast Metropolis. To achieve this, the study adopted the experimental design which included 29 infertile women, to better understand their thoughts, emotions and behaviours, purposive and census sampling techniques were used. These infertile women were grouped into experimental and control groups. Treatment was administered to the experimental group. At the end of two months, the depressive the symptoms of the infertile women in the experimental group were very much improved as compared to the women in the control group. The obtained data were analysed using inferential and descriptive statistics. The conclusion drawn at the end was that the use of Beck’s Cognitive Therapy is very effective in reducing depressive symptoms among infertile women. In light of this, it is recommended that Counsellors, and Clinical Psychologists apply Beck’s Cognitive Therapy to treat people who suffer depression especially due to infertility and other emotional disturbances. Besides, the study recommends that our health facilities use multi-discipline approach to solve our health needs.

Source: UCC
Impact of Big Data on Security

The motivation behind this chapter is to highlight the qualities, security issue, advantages, and dis- advantages of big data. In the recent researches, the issue and challenges are due to the exponential growth of social media data and other images and videos. Big data security threats are rising, which is affecting the data heterogeneity adaptability and privacy preservation analytics. Big data analytics helps cyber security, but no new application can be envisioned without delivering new types of information, working on data-driven calculations and expending determined measure of information. This chapter demonstrates how innate attributes of big data are protected.

Source: UCC
The impact of blended learning on students using ibox platform: evidence of Adu Gyamfi senior high school

The study investigated the impact of blended learning on students using IBOX platform. A blended learning environment was designed to provide opportunity for integrating the learning management system “moodle” with face-to-face classroom interaction. Despite the implementation of blended learning, the poor student performance and outcomes persist. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how teaching processes and practices at the institution have influenced blended learning to improve student achievement. The study was underpinned by social constructivist framework. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews with ten senior high school teachers. The findings revealed that the use of blended learning technology approaches in teaching increased students’ performance. It was recommended that training should be provided to teachers to address their varying needs on blended learning development. Teachers need for appropriate technological orientation to the IBOX platform must be considered for both students and teachers

Source: UCC
Impact of body image and self-esteem on suicidal ideation among adolescents with sickle cell disorder: the mediating role of hopelessness

Mental health of adolescents with chronic medical conditions has been a major focus of researchers and clinical psychologists over the years. The purpose of this study was to examine the body image and self-esteem as determinants of suicidal ideation with consideration to mediating role of hopelessness among adolescents with sickle cell disorder in Cape Coast, Ghana. The study was a quantitative study that employed the descriptive cross-sectional design. The census method was used to engage all 80 respondents in the study. The respondents were required to answer a questionnaire that comprised the BESAA, RSES, HPC and SBQ-R. Data was analysed using means and standard deviations while further statistical analysis was done using one-way ANOVA, regression and Hayes PROCESS. The results revealed significant association between body image and self-esteem of adolescents with SCD. Also, hopelessness mediated the association between body image and suicidal ideation. However, the association between self-esteem, hopelessness and suicidal ideation was not significant. Based on the results from the analysis, the researcher observed that the variables observed to be associated with suicidal ideation among adolescents with SCD were body image and hopelessness. It was concluded that adolescents with SCD are significantly affected by negative perception about themselves and that higher levels of hopelessness affects their mental health. It is thus recommended that health officers and school authorities pay attention to adolescents’ psychological status in relation to their holistic healthcare. The study findings will lay the base for health experts to offer interventions that will meet specific needs of adolescents struggling with chronic conditions.

Source: UCC
Impact of bullying behaviour and personality traits on psychological health of junior high school students in the Greater Accra Region.

The purpose of the study was to ascertain the impact of bullying behaviour and personality traits on psychological health of junior high school students in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The study used the descriptive survey design with quantitative approach. Multi-stage sampling procedures were used to select a sample of 390 junior high school students for the study. Three questionnaires adapted from the Olweus Bullying Questionnaires, Brief Symptoms Scale and Eysenck’s Personality Inventory were used to collect data for the study. Frequencies, means, standard deviations, spearman rank correlation, Pearson product moment correlation and independent sample t-tests were used in the analysis. The study revealed that bullying is prevalent among the junior high schools students in the Greater Accra Region with emotional bullying being the most prevalent [Overall mean % of 47%]. The study also revealed that the prevalent kind of personality traits among the junior high school students is extraversion [Overall mean of 2.93]. The results of the study further show a significant moderate negative relationship between bullying behaviour and personality traits [rbp = -.501, p = .014] as well as a significant strong positive relationship between bullying behaviour and psychological health [rbp = .731, p = .006]. In furtherance, the results show no significant relationship between personality traits and psychological health. The study also revealed a statistically significant difference in bullying with respect to gender [t(388) = 3.367, p = .002] with male students being the most perpetuators of bullying [Mean = 26.18]. Recommendation were made based on the need for policy makers and stakeholders in education to formulate policies to curb bullying in schools.

Source: UCC
The Impact of Capital Adequacy on the Financial Performance of Commercial Banks: A Ghanaian Perspective

This study is about the impact of capital adequacy on financial performance on of commercial banks: A Ghanaian perspective. The study sought to investigate the impact of capital adequacy on the financial performance of commercial banks. Nine banks were selected for five years (2013 to 2017). Capital adequacy is among the most regulated aspects in the banking industry in the world. The three major Basel Accord as international standard of capital adequacy recognize worldwide and it is the best for the banking industry. The key concern is that all the financial institutions must have enough capital to meet its obligations. This study adopted descriptive and panel data methodology and the population was the 35 commercial banks from which 9 listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) were selected. Secondary data was collected from audited financial statements and the Banking Sector Reports for the period under review. Stata 14 Statistical Software was used for the analysis. The study concluded that capital adequacy (CAR) had a negative and significant relationship on Return on Asset (ROA) and Return on Equity (ROE). Likewise, capital adequacy ratio (CAR) also had an adverse impact on the Total Deposits (TD) of the selected commercial banks. The empirical study showed that capital adequacy requirement was a move by regulators to protect the sovereignty of depositors and the continual existence of the banks rather than improving upon performance. The study further recommended that other indicators of performance such as risk and macro-economic indicators be looked at as a way of positively impacting on the performance of banks in Ghana.

Source: UCC
Impact of career and succession planning management on organisational performance in Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT)

The dissertation aimed to access the impact of career and succession planning practices on the achievement of the organisatioal goals of SSNIT. It employed a descriptive approach to describe the demographic orientation and analyze the views of respondents. Due to the cumbersome nature of the population a sample of (175) respondents were used. Again, it applied statistical descriptive method as well as seasonal trend analyses to explain key performance indicators that were linked with respondent responses to draw relevant conclusions to address the research questions. The dissertation uncovered that SSNIT pays attention to staff training and development and that there is a clear career and succession path for staff to occupy vacant positions. It also revealed that there is a significant impact of career and succession planning on the achievement of organisatioal goals of SSNIT. The Study recommends an improvement on the progression for staff of all categories to breathe a fresh life into the organisatio which was bedevilled with rumours and dissatisfaction of staff placements.

Source: UCC