ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
The language of a child-soldier-narrator as the voice of truth: A critical study of Ahmadou Kourouma’s Allah n’est pas obligé

One major characteristic of the artistry of Ahmadou Kourouma as a renowned African novelist is his linguistic dexterity. In an attempt to realise the didactic function of literary works, Kourouma creates rare harmony between fiction and reality through a language that is generally representative of the socio-cultural background of the characters and the thematic orientation of his novels. Kourouma’s characters are therefore always equipped with a language that reflects the socio-cultural and historical realities of the setting in which they evolve in the novels. This study focuses on Birahima, the twelve years old child-soldier, narrator of the story of Allah n’est pas obligé, the last novel of Kourouma published in his life time in 2000, barely three years before his death in Lyon (France) in December 2003. Through a combination of the theories of utilitarianism, superiority and realism, the study critically examines the language of this child-soldier narrator in relation to the historical realities which inform the background of the story in the novel. The study reveals that the choice of the child-soldier helps the novelist to expose the crude reality of a senseless fratricidal war in Liberian. That is, defying all diplomacy, all social taboos, all linguistic norms, Kourouma’s child-soldier-narrator lays bare the unbridled truth of the atrocities and carnage that characterized the Liberian civil war and thus puts to shame the perpetrators. Combining subtle naivety with humour and sarcasm, Kourouma employs the child-soldier-narrator’s language to satirize the architects of civil strife and armed conflicts in Liberia and Sierra Leone

Source: UCC
The language of advertising in the Ghanaian print media

Advertising takes many forms, but in most of them language is of crucial importance (Vestergaard & Schroder 1985). Language has a powerful influence on people and the way they behave. This fact manifests in many human endeavours including the fields of marketing and advertising. Language is employed in advertising as a means of communicating specific information with the intention of influencing or persuading the consumer. Although visual images and design as well as audio techniques in advertising have a great effect on the consumer; nevertheless, it is language that enables people to identify a product and remember it. The language of advertising is normally very positive and it emphasizes why one product stands out in comparison with another. Commercial information in advertising is designed to entice the reader to explore the product or service being offered in greater detail. Advertising language is a style of immediate impact and rapid persuasion. The current study analyzed the use of the English language in advertisements in the Ghanaian print media. The method of the study was basically qualitative and the analysis of data was based on Fairclough’s (1972) three-dimensional model. The study revealed that the English used in advertising in the print media in Ghana is characterized by the use of rhetorical figures, tropes and grammatical items which serve as persuasive elements

Source: UCC
Language of diplomacy: Interpersonality in Kofi Annan‘s entry and exit speeches to the united nations general assembly

One of the unique features associated with Kofi Annan, a global icon, is his language use. By adopting a systemic functional linguistic approach, this study investigated the interpersonal language choices in his diplomatic speeches. The study, specifically investigated mood, modality and polarity, and personal pronouns and vocative address. To accomplish this purpose, the first speech he delivered when he was elected into office as the Secretary-General (SG) and his final speech he delivered to end his tenure in office as SG were selected from the reliable website of the United Nations. Employing qualitative document analysis, specifically the directed and summative approaches, the study provided three key findings. The first key finding concerned the dominant use of Declarative Mood choice as a system for information dissemination. The second key finding concerned the use of modal verbs and negative polar markers to mainly indicate the speaker‘s commitment to the truth value of propositions. The third key finding concerned the use of the first and second person personal pronouns (in both the singular and plural forms) to indicate the speaker/addressee roles in the speech situations; and vocative addresses expressed observation of diplomatic protocols as well. The study provides empirical support for SFL theory and equally has implications for the scholarship on interpersonality and diplomatic practice.

Source: UCC
Language policy and instructional practice dichotomy: The case of primary schools in Ghana

‘‘Clear grounding in a location gives us the confidence to engage with knowledge from other locations as we deconstruct and reconstruct them with our purposes’’ (Canagarajah, 2005, p. 15). This quote serves the basis of what this paper presents on language policy and pedagogical practices in Ghana. Language plays an important role in pedagogy, it is the medium through which concepts are thought, learned and also assessed. The use of foreign language as a medium of instruction in multilingual classroom is often characterized by a number of challenges. This paper reports of a study which sort to explore headteachers’ and teachers’ knowledge about the Ghanaian medium of instruction policy and how this policy is being applied in Ghanaian schools. Interviews were carried out with 10 headteachers selected from 10 schools. Qualitative analysis of the results revealed what appeared to be gaps between what the policy says and what the research participants do in their schools. Implication for these gaps between policy and practice on students’ learning outcomes is discussed to inform future policies in Ghana and other Sub-Saharan Africa that have similar situation as in Ghana.

Source: UCC
Language Use in the Home Domain in the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolis: a Sociolinguistic Study

Ghana is a multilingual country with English as its official language. The use of English in Ghanaian homes is backed by anecdotal evidence, but very little is known about the extent to which this happens, and its overall effect on Ghanaian languages. This thesis, therefore, set out to investigate the use of language in the home domain, using Charles Ferguson’s (1959) formulation of diglossia as a basis. It adopted the mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) research design, using the cross-sectional survey and descriptive analysis to generalize the research results and draw conclusion on language choice in the home. Data were gathered using the survey questionnaire, an unstructured interview guide and observation. Two hundred and twenty-nine individuals provided responses to the questionnaire and three households were observed for two weeks, during which members were interviewed informally. The study revealed that indigenous languages such as Fante, Twi, Ewe, Frafra, Ga and Hausa as well as the English language are used in the Ghanaian home, with the local languages being more frequently used than the English language. It was also found that the nature of the addressee as well as forms of communication determined code choice in the Ghanaian home. The present study serves as a basis for further research on language use in other domains in Ghana.

Source: UCC
Language, power and ideology: a critical discourse analysis of Jerry John Rawlings’ June 4 speeches

With the insight from critical discourse analysis (CDA), there have been many attempts at revealing the ideology and power that reside in many discourses. As a result, there has been a keen interest in the study of political discourse, particularly presidential speeches. This study is intended to contribute to those studies in political discourse, specifically presidential speeches, by using CDA and Halliday’s transitivity to explore Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings’ June 4 speeches. The study has two objectives. The first objective is to explore the transitivity patterns of the June 4 speeches. The second objective examines the transitivity patterns associated with the key participants and how Rawlings uses that to enact power and ideology. The study shows that with respect to the transitivity patterns of the June 4 speeches, the material processes predominate. This indicates that presidential speeches reflect the actions and events of the political actors. As regards the ideology and power of the key participants, the patterns of transitivity demonstrate that the President exercises constitutional and legal powers while the opposition possesses destructive power that is detrimental to the state. The study demonstrates that the use of CDA and Halliday’s transitivity is able to reveal power and ideology that reside in texts. The study has implications for further research in Rawlings’ other speeches. ©University of Cape Coast

Source: UCC
Laparoscopy in a Semi-Urban Nigerian Hospital: An Outcomes-Focused Comparative Analysis of Laparoscopic and Open Surgery

Patient benefits and cost savings of laparoscopic surgery are well described in the surgical literature. However, laparoscopic surgery is rare in some regions of the world. Few studies have characterized its impact in low-income settings. We present one of the largest general surgery case series in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Source: UCC
Large scale testing Accountability Teachers Birim Central Municipality Assessment

The study's objective was to examine the influence of large-scale testing accountability on teaching and learning. The study used a descriptive survey design. The study enrolled 200 senior high school teachers in Birim Central Municipal. The study selected teachers from the schools using simple random sampling, specifically the lottery method. Descriptive statistics (frequency and percentages, means and standard deviations) were used to analyse the data collected for the research questions, while inferential statistics, including exploratory factor analysis, independent t-test, and ANOVA, were used to test the hypotheses and answer research question two. The study's findings indicate that senior high school teachers in Birim Central Municipality have adequate classroom assessment skills to use classroom assessment effectively to improve teaching and learning. The Ghana Education Service should use large scale testing to results to advocate better resource allocation in education and teacher professional development in order to improve teaching.

Source: UCC
Large-Scale Land Acquisition for Cashew Cultivation in Bono-East Region: Implications for Livelihoods, Food Security, and Land Disputes

This research, grounded in the pragmatism paradigm, investigates the ramifications of large-scale land acquisition for cashew cultivation in local communities in the Bono-East Region. Employing a mixed-method approach, encompassing surveys of 380 respondents and engagement with 30 participants through focus groups and interviews, the study elucidates the multifaceted impacts of such acquisitions. The findings illuminate a dual effect on farmers' livelihoods: while presenting employment opportunities and cash income, large-scale land acquisition concurrently heightens vulnerability by diminishing available land for food crop cultivation and destabilizing land tenure. Local communities have devised adaptive strategies, such as inter-cropping cashew and food crop cultivation on the same land, to address these challenges. The research underscores the imperative of formulating a comprehensive land acquisition policy that prioritizes community participation in decision-making processes, ensures fair compensation for affected parties, promotes sustainable land-use practices, supports diversification of livelihoods, encourages collaborative ventures, and enhances transparency in land transactions. In essence, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the complexities inherent in large-scale land acquisition in Ghana and provides practical recommendations for mitigating its adverse effects on local communities while fostering sustainable development.

Source: UCC
Laryngeal tuberculosis – case report and systematic review

Romania has the highest notification rate of tuberculosis (TB) in the European Union, five times the reported average. Nonetheless, the incidence of laryngeal tuberculosis (LTB) is low, most cases being diagnosed only in the large medical centers of the country. The absence of pathognomonic symptoms of TB and the modification of its clinical pattern often lead to mistaken or late diagnosis, with late treatment, which increases the contagious risk. We report a case of LTB in an HIV- negative female patient, 55 years old, with ulcerative laryngeal injuries and active pulmonary tuberculosis, in the absence of other non-tuberculous conditions.

Source: UCC
Laser induced resistivity of chiral single wall carbon nanotubes

Using the Boltzmann transport equation within the semi-classical approximation with constant relaxation time, we theoretically studied the dynamics of electrons in chiral single wall nanotubes (SWNTs)subjected to a temperature gradient (∇T)in the presence of a combined direct current and high frequency alternating fields. We obtained an expression for the resistivity (ρc) of the SWNTs which varies with temperature and depends among others on material’s chiral angle (θh), dc field strength (Eo) and ac field amplitude (Es). Our results show that chiral SWNTs exhibit metallic behavior with resistivity increasing approximately linearly with temperature over a wide temperature range well above 100 K. Based on the low chiral resistivity obtained for the SWNTs at room temperatures, we propose these materials as good candidates for possible optoelectronic applications

Source: UCC
Laser Induced Thermoelectric Properties of Chiral Carbon Nanotubes

An investigation of laser stimulated thermopower in chiral CNT in the first Brillouin zone is presented. The electrical and thermal conductivities of a chiral CNT were calculated using a tractable analytical approach. This was done by solving the Boltzmann kinetic equation with energy dispersion relation obtained in the tight binding approximation to determine the electrical and thermal properties of chiral carbon nanotubes. The electroconductivity o and the electron thermal conductivities Xcz, Xzz along the circumferential and axial directions respectively of laser induced chiral CNT are calculated. The resistivity p and differential thermoelectric power acz along the circumferential and axia az obtained. The results obtained are numerically analyzed. The parameters a, p and x are found to oscillate in the presence of laser radiations. We have also noted that the presence of the laser source lowered the figure of merit. The figure of merit is enhanced mainly by increasing As or decreasing Az in the presence of the laser. At room temperature (300K) the value of ZT recorded for the chiral CNT in the presence of laser was greater than one. Based on our findings we propose the prospect of using a monochromatic laser induced chiral carbon nanotube as a good quality and highly efficient thermoelement.

Source: UCC
Laser spectroscopy of free molecular oxygen dispersed in wood materials

The recently introduced Gas in Scattering Media Absorption Spectroscopy (GASMAS) technique is applied to the study of various wood samples. Molecular oxygen in the pores of the strongly scattering material is detected using diode laser spectroscopy around 760 nm. Diffuse light propagation in these media is studied by time-dispersion measurements. Furthermore, anisotropy related to the fibre structure of wood and gas diffusion properties are studied. Promising extensions of the experiments are discussed

Source: UCC
Laser stimulated thermal conductivity in chiral carbon nanotube

An investigation of laser stimulated thermal conductivity in chiral CNT is presented. The thermal conductivity of a chiral CNT is calculated using a tractable analytical approach. This is done by solving the Boltzmann transport equation with energy dispersion relation obtained in the tight binding approximation. The electron thermal conductivity along the circumferential χc and axial χz are obtained. The results obtained are numerically analyzed and both χc and χz are found to oscillate in the presence of laser radiations. We have also noted that the laser source caused a drastic reduction in the both χc and χz values

Source: UCC
Laser-induced autofluorescence technique for plasmodium falciparum parasite density estimation

Malaria parasites, Plasmodium falciparum (P.falciparum) infections are taking a great toll on the lives of people worldwide, especially in developing countries. Recently, haemozoin detection using optical techniques tends to provide comparable parasite densities (PDs) estimation. We conducted feasibility studies on P.falciparum infected blood (i-blood) and uninfected blood (u-blood) samples from volunteers employing laser-induced fluorescence technique for PDs estimation. Fluorescence results show high intensity in u-blood than i-blood. PeakFit analysis with Loess smoothing under Lorentzian curve shows that fluorescence peak of i-blood appears red-shifted with increasing PDs. The Lorentzian curves depict that fluorescence peak intensity ratio increases with increasing PDs in i-blood samples. This technique may be potentially applied in PDs estimation to improve malaria diagnosis

Source: UCC
Laser-Induced Autofluorescence Technique for Plasmodium falciparum Parasite Density Estimation

Malaria parasites, Plasmodium falciparum (P.falciparum) infections are taking a great toll on the lives of people worldwide, especially in developing countries. Recently, haemozoin detection using optical techniques tends to provide comparable parasite densities (PDs) estimation. We conducted feasibility studies on P.falciparum infected blood (i-blood) and uninfected blood (u-blood) samples from volunteers employing laser-induced fluorescence technique for PDs estimation. Fluorescence results show high intensity in u-blood than i-blood. PeakFit analysis with Loess smoothing under Lorentzian curve shows that fluorescence peak of i-blood appears red-shifted with increasing PDs. The Lorentzian curves depict that fluorescence peak intensity ratio increases with increasing PDs in i-blood samples. This technique may be potentially applied in PDs estimation to improve malaria diagnosis.

Source: UCC
Laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (lifs) - a non-destructive method to detect tissue browning

Laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (LIFS) was non-destructively applied on sound and bruised apples. Furthermore, the technique was tested to measure surface browning of freshly cut banana slices, which were treated with different anti-oxidative additives. Changes in the apple fruit composition after bruising become visible in intensity variations of the blue-green and red fluorescence. Tissue browning of banana slices was detected by changes in the blue-green fluorescence. Such effects were obtained before the symptoms could be visually noticed. Results of the present study point out the potential of LIFS to non-destructively detect physiological changes of fruit composition during the entire processing chain of fresh fruit

Source: UCC
Latent factors that affect applicants’ choice of the University of Cape Coast

Choice of university education in Ghana is a competitive exercise for Senior High School students. Choosing it requires consideration of various factors. The motivation for the study is to measure high school students’ perception of the University of Cape Coast. To this end, the study focuses on various factors. The objective of the study therefore is to determine the latent factors that are considered by the SHS students in their decision. In order to achieve this objective, 20 Senior High Schools were selected for the study. A questionnaire was used to that effect. The hypotheses related to the thesis lie in the choice and significance of the factors the students used to answer the 28 indicators. The main analytical technique used in the study is factor analysis. After rotation, the main latent factor influencing applicants’ choice of the University of Cape Coast is academic resources. Four other factors in decreasing order of influence are quality assurance, cost of study, influences of others and discipline. It is worth mentioning that almost all the factors are dependent on some demographic characteristic such as age and sex of the respondents.

Source: UCC
The latrine ownership ladder A conceptual framework for enhancing sanitation uptake in low-income peri-urban settings

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the latrine ownership ladder as a conceptual policy framework to enhance sanitation uptake in low-income peri-urban areas. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws from literature and a case study in a Ghanaian peri-urban community to highlight the challenges that undermine sanitation uptake in low-income peri-urban areas and the prospects of various levels of facility sharing as conceived in the latrine ownership ladder approach. Findings – The authors argue that the infrastructural and other socio-economic challenges of low-income peri-urban areas prevent some households from acquiring their own latrines. For such households, a more responsive approach to latrine promotion and prevention of open defecation would be the recognition of shared ownership regimes such as co-tenant shared, neighbourhood shared and community shared, in addition to the promotion of household latrines. The paper identifies provision of special concessions for peri-urban areas in policy formulation, education and technical support to households, regulation and enforcement of sanitation by-laws among complimentary policy interventions to make the latrine ownership ladder approach more effective. Originality/value – The paper provides an insight into the debate on redefining improved sanitation in the post-2015 era of the Millennium Development Goals and offers policy alternatives to policy makers in low-income countries seeking to accelerate the uptake of improved latrines among peri-urban and urban slum dwellers

Source: UCC
Laws applicable to the management of labour in Ghana: An exposition on the exit phase

The Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651) aside; the law governing the management of labour in Ghana appears to be scanty, incomprehensive and not readily available to those who need to use them whenever the need arises. The study therefore sought to fill this gap with specific reference to the exit phase. The study achieved this by exploring in depth and putting together the laws applicable to the exit phase of labour management in Ghana. This included not only the statement of the appropriate laws and legal principles but also the support and illustration of these principles with ample legal precedents, interpretations and enunciations to enhance the knowledge and understanding of human resource practitioners in particular and readers in general. This involved a great deal of documentary research that covered both the common law and legislation, as well as decided court cases (legal precedents) from both the local (Ghanaian) and foreign jurisdictions. The study succeeded in bringing to light the various ways in which the contract of employment can lawfully be brought to an end by the employee on one hand and by the employer on the other hand. In doing so, it also brought to the fore the legal meanings, implications and differences between terms such as terminations, resignations and various forms of dismissals (such as constructive, wrongful, fair and unfair dismissals).

Source: UCC