ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
An assessment of the staff welfare services in the central administration of the University of Cape Coast

The purpose of this study was to assess the staff welfare services in the Central Administration of the University of Cape Coast. The descriptive survey research design was chosen for the study in order to observe, describe and document aspects of a situation as it were. The stratified and purposive sampling techniques were used to select the sample. The sample for the study was made up of 55 senior members, 70 senior staff and 250 junior staff. The instrument used for the study was a questionnaire with 47 items. This was made up of close-ended and open-ended items. Data were analysed using the Statistical Product for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The study found among other things that the welfare unit in the University of Cape Coast functions mainly in matters of funeral organization. The welfare services in the University were not adequate and satisfactory. There was also no well-defined and documented welfare policy in the University. There was no co-operation among staff but there was co-operation between the University administration and staff representatives. Based on the findings, it is recommended that there should be a welfare policy to serve as a pivot around which the administration of welfare could revolve. Welfare should have its own unit to be managed by a senior member of an Assistant Registrar status.

Source: UCC
Assessment of the sustainability of exploitation of fish stock and management modalities in Liberia‘s small-scale fisheries

This study examined the exploitation rate, catch trends, and sustainability of the fishery, evaluated the effectiveness with which the national institution is managing the fisheries resources in Liberia, and offered some insight into the underlying factors influencing its efficiency. Secondary data covering the period of 11 years (2010-2021), was obtained from the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA). Qualitative and quantitative methods were used for the primary data collection on managerial effectiveness in four major fishing landing sites. The sector utilized different types of fishing gear to exploit the multiple-species fishery. The total mortality rate of Butter nose, Galeoides decadactylus estimated using the length-converted catch curve method was 0.22 year-1, and the fishing mortality rate (F) was 0.06 year-1. The estimated catch per unit effort (CPUE) and maximum sustainable yield (MSY) (12,729.2 MT) from data on the size composition and landings from the fishery, provided evidence that the small scale fishery (SSF) in Liberian coastal waters are not only fully exploited but are being overfished. The maximum annual production was estimated as 63,663.7 MT (in 2021), and the least was 13,160.99 MT (in 2017). The estimated fMSY was 4,000, which is higher than the MSY, which indicates the need to implement input controls in the fishery. However, results from the survey indicate that compliance with national and local regulations is high, due to participatory decision-making and community monitoring.

Source: UCC
Assessment of the Teaching of Pattern Making and Freehand Cutting Skills in Ghanaian Senior Secondary Schools

The purpose of the study was to investigate the extent to which the content of freehand cutting and patternmaking are covered in the Senior High Schools (SHSs). All clothing students enrolled in the clothing and textiles option of the Home Economics programme at the University of Cape Coast for the 2015/2016 academic year were used for the study. A questionnaire was used to collect the needed information. The data for the study were analysed with the help of descriptive statistics. Results of the study indicate that although what freehand cutting means together with its advantages and disadvantages are being taught in Ghanaian SHSs, very few students are exposed to the practical skill of freehand cutting. The results also show that although attention is paid to drafting of basic blocks very little attention is given to adaptations for various designs. At the West African Certificate examinations level although questions are set on the skill of patternmaking no questions are set on the practical aspect of freehand cutting. It is suggested that much attention is given to the teaching of freehand cutting at SHS. In addition, more books on freehand cutting should be written to encourage its teaching at the SHS levels in Ghana.

Source: UCC
An assessment of the training and practice of circumcision by medical circumcisers in Ghana

Background: Circumcision is a common procedure in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa with an estimated prevalence of 95% in Ghana. It has been documented that most circumcision related injuries in Ghana occur after circumcision by health care professionals who perform these circumcisions in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. In spite of the high rates of circumcision in Ghana, the expertise of circumcision providers and the safety of their practice has not been assessed. This study evaluates the training and practice of circumcision by health care professionals from across the country. Methods: This is a questionnaire-based study of health care professionals who perform circumcision in Ghana. Data was extracted from pre-conference evaluation questionnaire completed by participants attending a circumcision training workshop from January to October 2019. These participants included responses on their training and practice of circumcision. Data was captured using the Epi-data software and analyzed with PASW Statistics for Windows, Version 18.0. Chicago: SPSS Inc. Results: There were 378 participants seen over the study period who already performed circumcision. The m ajority of them were midwives 281 (74.3%), followed by general nurses 89 (23.5%). The duration of practice of circumcision ranged from 4 months to 23 years and one-third of them (33.3%) had practiced circumcision for less than 1 year. The forceps guided technique was the most common (53.2%) circumcision technique used followed by the dorsal slit technique (24.1%). None of these participants who performed circumcision had any formal training on the procedure and all of them had experienced at least one adverse event such as excessive bleeding, insufficient skin coverage or redundant foreskin. Six (6) of them had seen patients who reported later with urethrocutaneous fistula and two of them had caused glans amputations. Only 102 (27%) of these participants offered anesthesia for circumcision. Conclusion: The majority of medical circumcisers in Ghana have no formal training for circumcision. They require formal circumcision training and certification to improve the practice of circumcision in Ghana.

Source: UCC
An assessment of the training and practice of circumcision by medical circumcisers in Ghana

Abstract Background: Circumcision is a common procedure in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa with an estimated prevalence of 95% in Ghana. It has been documented that most circumcision related injuries in Ghana occur after circumcision by health care professionals who perform these circumcisions in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. In spite of the high rates of circumcision in Ghana, the expertise of circumcision providers and the safety of their practice has not been assessed. This study evaluates the training and practice of circumcision by health care professionals from across the country. Methods: This is a questionnaire-based study of health care professionals who perform circumcision in Ghana. Data was extracted from pre-conference evaluation questionnaire completed by participants attending a circumcision training workshop from January to October 2019. These participants included responses on their training and practice of circumcision. Data was captured using the Epi-data software and analyzed with PASW Statistics for Windows, Version 18.0. Chicago: SPSS Inc. Results: There were 378 participants seen over the study period who already performed circumcision. The majority of them were midwives 281 (74.3%), followed by general nurses 89 (23.5%). The duration of practice of circumcision ranged from 4 months to 23 years and one-third of them (33.3%) had practiced circumcision for less than 1 year. The forceps guided technique was the most common (53.2%) circumcision technique used followed by the dorsal slit technique (24.1%). None of these participants who performed circumcision had any formal training on the procedure and all of them had experienced at least one adverse event such as excessive bleeding, insufficient skin coverage or redundant foreskin. Six (6) of them had seen patients who reported later with urethrocutaneous fistula and two of them had caused glans amputations. Only 102 (27%) of these participants offered anesthesia for circumcision. Conclusion: The majority of medical circumcisers in Ghana have no formal training for circumcision. They require formal circumcision training and certification to improve the practice of circumcision in Ghana.

Source: UCC
Assessment of the transesterification stage of biodiesel production ii: optimisation of process variables using a boxbehnken design

Renewable energy policies, in tandem with favorable market conditions, have culminated in large increases in biodiesel use globally. With increasing volumes of biodiesel and a broader range of suitable feedstocks, including used oils, stabilization is becoming ever more important. The quality of biodiesel depends on the feedstock, purity of the milled oils, the storage conditions and the transesterification process. In this study, process variables in transesterification were optimized using a Box-Behnken design. The results of linear and non-linear (quadratic) functions and interaction terms (catalyst-FFA (Free fatty acid), stirring-catalyst, FFA-stirring pairs) indicate complex relationships between the set of factors and biodiesel yield. At the 95% significance level, all the linear terms were statistically significant unlike the quadratic term in which only the catalyst was significant. Furthermore, the joint effects of the FFA*Catalyst and the Stir*Catalyst interaction terms were statistically significant whereas the interaction between stirring and FFA had no influence on the yield of biodiesel. The yield distributions for varying combinations of the factors show that the optimum factor combinations for a percentage yield greater than 98 is low (-1/0.5 g) FFA, low (-1/400 rpm) stirring rate and high catalyst amount (1/4 g). Overall, the multivariate model accounted for 86.4% of the total variance in the data

Source: UCC
Assessment of the Use of Electronic Resources among Administrators and Faculty in the University of Cape Coast

The importance and significance of electronic resources to teaching and research is widely recognized by many researchers. With the advent of information and communication technologies such as the internet and the web, electronic resources have become a widely accepted scholarly resource for both students and faculty. They have also been shown to be more helpful especially to faculty and distance learners who may have limited access to library resources in traditional formats. Information and communication technologies have transformed most traditional libraries into hybrid libraries storing most of their resources in both print and electronic formats. The study seeks to investigate faculty’s awareness and usage of online academic databases in order to determine the benefits they associate with electronic resources and the challenges they encounter in accessing electronic resources. A questionnaire was used to collect the data. This is because questionnaires are an inexpensive way to gather data from a potentially large number of respondents. A total of one hundred respondents were surveyed for this study. The statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) software version 16 was used to analyse the data collected into frequencies and percentages. The study established clearly that faculty members depend highly on online electronic resources not only for the purposes of research, but also to support their teaching. However, patronage of the library’s online academic databases was very low. This was largely because faculty members were either not aware of the existence of these databases or were not aware the library had subscription to these databases. In the light of the above revelations, there is the need for the library to heighten awareness creation among faculty members and student on the existence and usage of its electronic resources

Source: UCC
An assessment of the use of telephones in the administrative functions of Sunyani municipality directorate of the Ghana Education Service

The study was on an assessment of the use of telephones for administrative functions in the Sunyani Municipal Directorate of the Ghana Education service in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. The 119 respondents who provided primary data comprised 10 headmasters, 60 teachers, 35 students, 5 Circuit Supervisors, 5 Ghana Education Service Support staff, representatives of the Brong Ahafo Regional and Sunyani Municipal Directors of Education as well as the Brong Ahafo Regional and Sunyani Municipal Telephonists of the Ghana Education Service. Apart from the Regional and Municipal Directors, who provided qualitative data through an In-Depth Interview Guide, the rest of the data were gathered through questionnaires administration. It was ascertained from the data collected that telephones were rarely used in the Sunyani Municipal Education Directorate due to high telephone bills, frequent breakdown of telephone lines and equipment and perceived negative health impact of using telephones for communication. Also, observations from the study indicated that letters, rather than modem communication media such as electronic mails, faxes and telephones remain popular with the respondents. The study recommended that telephones and other Information Communication Technology facilities should be installed by the government, Parent Teacher Associations and corporate organisations in all educational institutions in the Sunyani Municipality to improve communication processes and enhance educational administration.

Source: UCC
Assessment of the utilisation of social media in disseminating student recruitment information at the University of Education, Winneba

The purpose of the study was to determine how effective the utilisation of social media was in disseminating student recruitment information by the University of Education, Winneba (UEW). The study used three research questions and two hypothesis which focused on the students’ level of awareness of the social media (SM) platforms, the types of information students searched for on these platforms and their perception of their effectiveness in enhancing the student recruitment efforts of the UEW. A cross-sectional descriptive sample survey was carried out using questionnaire. Data were analysed using frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviation, t-test and chi-squared tests. Stratified random sampling and the table of random numbers was used to select a sample of 364 from a population of 7124 fresh undergraduate students of the UEW. Results revealed that students were generally aware of the various channels used to disseminate student recruitment information at the UEW. However, the awareness of the use of SM platforms for such purposes was low. Facebook was the main SM used by students to search for the academic characteristics of UEW. T-test and chisquared analysis revealed that all students irrespective of gender and age search for different types of information concerning a university on social media. The study recommends that, UEW should endeavour to use variety of sources; both traditional and modern, to reach prospective students. Again, UEW should actively use SM engagement strategies and ensure that the content on its SM platforms are accurate and relevant to the needs of prospective students.

Source: UCC
Assessment of the Utilization of Mobile Data Collection Technology in Monitoring and Evaluation in the Education Sector: A Case Study of Ghana Education Service – Nsawam/Adoagyiri Municipality

In recent years, the growing importance of Mobile Technology has had a significant impact on various aspects of human life, including education. The adoption of Mobile Data Collection techniques has become a powerful tool to revolutionize educational practices, enabling educational institutions to make data-driven decisions that support improved outcomes. This research explores the Assessment of the utilization of Mobile Data Collection in GES: A case study of Nsawam/Adoagyiri Municipality. The methodology employed in this research was both qualitative and quantitative since close-ended and open-ended questions were administered. Since the research resorted to the use of Mobile Data Collection, a remote server was designed to host the data collected. After data collection, the data was downloaded from the online server to a local storage system where data cleaning was done. Microsoft Excel application was used for the data analysis and interpretation. The survey found that the usage of MDC technology in GES was very minute since there was the usage of Excel templates and Paper-based means of collecting data. Again, officers at some levels in charge of Data Collection and Analysis had no access to budget allocation for their M&E activities. Upon the results collected and collated from the research, the researcher recommended that there be the composition of a functioning M&E system within the Education Directorate, the appointment of the required officers with the technical know-how and also have the budgetary allocation for their Mobile Data Collection activities.

Source: UCC
Assessment of Trace Gas Emissions From Wild Fires in Different Vegetation Types in Northern Ghana: Implications for Global Warming

Biomass burning in Northern Ghana is a major cause for concern because of its potential contribution to global warming, hence climate change. This study assessed the emission of trace gases from human activities in the Guinea savanna of Northern Ghana using the guidelines of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Carbon content of biomass was determined from four different vegetation covers in the study area; namely, widely open savanna woodland, grass/herb with scattered trees, open savanna woodland and closed savanna woodland. Under each vegetation cover, five plots (1 m x 1 m) were demarcated for the estimation of above-ground biomass density. Using the combustion furnace method, emitted carbon, methane and carbon monoxide were estimated. Results showed that the emitted methane (CH4) and carbon monoxide (CO) differed significantly (p<0.05) under all the vegetation types. The gases were in perfect correlation (r=1.00) with the quantity of above-ground biomass density and carbon released, with more CO being emitted. Emission of CH4 and CO per hectare of burnt area in the open savanna woodland category was the highest with 0.001719 ton and 0.045119 ton respectively. Over time, emission of these gases may increase their atmospheric concentration, causing major health problems. The contribution to global warming, thus climate change, may also become quite significant. This underscores the fact that existing flaws in the wild fire management policy of Ghana must be effectively dealt with and appropriately implemented with regular reviews to reduce the annual wild fires that are very rampant in Northern Ghana, especially during the dry season

Source: UCC
Assessment of trainee – economics teachers’ effectiveness: senior high school economics students’ perspective

The main objectives of the study was to determine the effectiveness of trainee – Economics teachers from the perspective of senior high school students and to ascertaining the interrelationships among the elements of determining teacher effectiveness and to establish which element accounted most for students’ ratings. Based on the objectives of the study, the researchers employed the descriptive survey design. A total of 52 trainee – Economics teachers comprising 21 females and 31 males, as well as2194 Senior High School students, comprising 1332 males and 862 females were selected by means of stratified sampling. A students’ rating of teacher effectiveness (SRTE) questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. Frequencies and percentages were used to estimate the overall effectiveness of trainee - Economics teachers. Smart-PLS was employed to model a relationship among the variables and the score given to each trainee teacher. Pearson’s correlation and t statistics were estimated to test the model and the hypotheses formulated for the study respectively. It was revealed that majority of senior high school students rated trainee – Economics teachers to be effective in the teaching of Economics. It wasalso found out that students’ perception of trainee- Economics teachers’ intellectual quality, quality learning environment and significant had a strong effect on students’ rating of their effectiveness. However, intellectual quality wasfound to be the variable of most influence. It was therefore concluded that senior high school students had confidence in trainee – Economics teachers and their perceptions of their teachers’ effectiveness was influenced most by teachers’ intellectual quality

Source: UCC
Assessment of Trainee – Economics teachers’ Effectiveness: Senior High School Economics Students’ Perspective

The main objectives of the study was to determine the effectiveness of trainee – Economics teachers from the perspective of senior high school students and to ascertaining the interrelationships among the elements of determining teacher effectiveness and to establish which element accounted most for students’ ratings. Based on the objectives of the study, the researchers employed the descriptive survey design. A total of 52 trainee – Economics teachers comprising 21 females and 31 males, as well as2194 Senior High School students, comprising 1332 males and 862 females were selected by means of stratified sampling. A students’ rating of teacher effectiveness (SRTE) questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. Frequencies and percentages were used to estimate the overall effectiveness of trainee - Economics teachers. Smart-PLS was employed to model a relationship among the variables and the score given to each trainee teacher. Pearson’s correlation and t statistics were estimated to test the model and the hypotheses formulated for the study respectively. It was revealed that majority of senior high school students rated trainee – Economics teachers to be effective in the teaching of Economics. It was also found out that students’ perception of trainee- Economics teachers’ intellectual quality, quality learning environment and significant had a strong effect on students’ rating of their effectiveness. However, intellectual quality was found to be the variable of most influence. It was therefore concluded that senior high school students had confidence in trainee – Economics teachers and their perceptions of their teachers’ effectiveness was influenced most by teachers’ intellectual quality

Source: UCC