ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
The pedagogic relevance of code switching in the classroom: insights from Ewe-English code switching in Ghana

Codeswitching as a code choice in the classroom has been a debatable issue among scholars interested in language of education, especially in Africa. Some studies promote the exclusive use of the L2 ‘target language’ in the classroom, while other studies recommend a bilingual mode of communication such as codeswitching. Against this backdrop, this research explores the pedagogic functions of codeswitching patterns in both Ewe (L1) and English (L2) primary school lessons. The current language policy of education in Ghana, under which the classrooms being observed operate, is a bilingual literacy programme, NALAP, which stipulates that that the mother tongue of the pupils should be used as a medium of instruction while English is introduced as a second language with a transition to English medium of instruction from grade 4 onwards. The data for the research are recordings of classroom discourse, responses to questionnaire surveys and interviews conducted in the Volta Region of Ghana. This paper presents both a qualitative analysis of the data, which reveals that teachers and pupils use intersentential and intrasentential codeswitching to perform various functions in their classroom interactions, and a quantitative analysis of the data, which shows that teachers have predominantly positive attitudes towards codeswitching. Based on these results, it is argued that codeswitching between Ewe and English within the lessons enabled students to understand concepts in both languages and to participate actively during lesson

Source: UCC
The pedagogic relevance of codeswitching in the classroom: insights from Ewe-English code switching in Ghana

Codeswitching as a code choice in the classroom has been a debatable issue among scholars interested in language of education, especially in Africa. Some studies promote the exclusive use of the L2 ‘target language’ in the classroom, while other studies recommend a bilingual mode of communication such as codeswitching. Against this backdrop, this research explores the pedagogic functions of codeswitching patterns in both Ewe (L1) and English (L2) primary school lessons. The current language policy of education in Ghana, under which the classrooms being observed operate, is a bilingual literacy programme, NALAP, which stipulates that that the mother tongue of the pupils should be used as a medium of instruction while English is introduced as a second language with a transition to English medium of instruction from grade 4 onwards. The data for the research are recordings of classroom discourse, responses to questionnaire surveys and interviews conducted in the Volta Region of Ghana. This paper presents both a qualitative analysis of the data, which reveals that teachers and pupils use intersentential and intrasentential codeswitching to perform various functions in their classroom interactions, and a quantitative analysis of the data, which shows that teachers have predominantly positive attitudes towards codeswitching. Based on these results, it is argued that codeswitching between Ewe and English within the lessons enabled students to understand concepts in both languages and to participate actively during lessons

Source: UCC
Pedagogical Issues in the National Literacy Acceleration Programme in Basic Schools in the Central Region of Ghana

The National Literacy Acceleration Programme (NALAP), which seeks to equip the Ghanaian child with literacies in both her mother tongue and in English, was implemented in Ghana in the 2009/2010 academic year. The implementation was followed by a study by EQUALL in 2010 which revealed a number of challenges encountered by teachers in the implementation. The EQUALL study made several recommendations and one of them was that there should be regular training on the approach so it does not fade away. The study however did not state the local language to be used in teaching pupils from different language background who happen to be in the same classroom. The Central Region of Ghana was not also included in this study even though it was one of the regions that was used in pilot testing the approach prior to its implementation. Using a pragmatic paradigm through the use of questionnaire, interviews and observations, this study sought to examine the pedagogical issues encountered by teachers in the Central Region of Ghana in using NALAP in teaching. The results of all the three instruments were triangulated to arrive at the findings of the study. The study revealed that teachers in the Central Region of Ghana do not teach according to the NALAP approach, however, they like to use the bilingual medium of instruction as they regard this medium as more beneficial in the teaching and learning enterprise. The study again found out that schools in the region are heterogeneous in nature with regards to language. It is recommended that schools in Ghana should be grouped according to local languages so that pupils will select schools that they would want to attend based on their own mother tongue.

Source: UCC
Pedagogical Strategies Adopted By English As A Second Language Teachers In Teaching Summary Writing In Senior High Schools In Cape Coast

This comprehensive study investigates the intricate domain of pedagogical strategies employed by English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers in selected senior high schools within the Cape Coast Metropolitan Area of Ghana, focusing specifically on summary writing instruction. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, combining interviews with teachers and an analysis of student responses to summary writing tasks, the research explores the relationship between teachers' motivational beliefs, innovative pedagogical approaches, and the diverse impact on student performance. Findings highlight the pivotal role of intrinsic motivation in guiding ESL teachers' pedagogical choices, with a strong emphasis on personal satisfaction derived from witnessing students' progress. Additionally, the study uncovers the theme of innovative sparks, ignited by challenges faced by students, exposure to emerging trends, and a commitment to inclusivity, driving teachers to develop new approaches for teaching summary writing. The impact of these implemented pedagogical strategies on student performance in summary writing reveals a spectrum of proficiency levels among students. While some demonstrate a commendable understanding and application of the discussed strategies, others face challenges, emphasizing the need for tailored and differentiated approaches in ESL classrooms. The study concludes that effective ESL education necessitates a multifaceted approach, considering intrinsic motivation, fostering innovation, and adapting teaching strategies to cater to diverse student needs. Recommendations are provided to empower Ghanaian teachers, promote student success, and contribute to continuous improvement in summary writing instruction. Future avenues for research include exploring the longitudinal impact of intrinsic motivation on student outcomes, conducting a comparative analysis between urban and rural schools, and investigating the role of technology in summary writing instruction.

Source: UCC
The pedagogy of sexual morality in proverbs five

The book of Proverbs is an ancient testimony to the subject of education in ancient Israel. Several scholars have explored this interesting, yet relatively new current in biblical scholarship on the book of Proverbs. Scholarly interest in the pedagogy of Proverbs includes discerning the general pedagogical principles that lie within the book’s sayings. Few studies have examined how these principles apply to specific topics in Proverbs. This paper examines the teaching and learning of sexual morality in Proverbs 5. The paper argues that several pedagogical principles, such as the need for attention on the part of the learner, the good relationship between the teacher and the student, the commitment to acquire knowledge and make it practical, and openness in teaching about sexual morality, are relevant for modern teachers and students who struggle with the subject of sexual morality, including in Africa

Source: UCC
Pedestrian risky behavior and safety at zebra crossings in a Ghanaian metropolitan area

Objective: This article assesses pedestrian behavior and safety at zebra crossings in the Cape Coast Metropolis. Method: A mix of a naturalistic exploratory and descriptive study was conducted using both primary and secondary data. The primary data included an observational study of over 6,000 pedestrians using zebra crossings in the metropolis. The secondary data were obtained from the national road traffic crashes (RTCs) database at the Building and Road Research Institute covering information on pedestrian crashes between 2007 and 2016 in the metropolis. Analyses were conducted using frequencies and percentages with Pearson’s chi-square correlation used to establish the relationship between independent and dependent variables. Results: The findings showed that the majority of the 328 pedestrian crashes between 2007 and 2016 resulted in either fatalities or serious injuries and occurred at locations away from a unction. Most of the pedestrians observed used the zebra crossing were alone and engaged in talking or using mobile phone. Age group, pedestrian status, and the location of the zebra crossings influenced pedestrians’ risky behaviors. Conclusion: The majority of the pedestrian crashes in the metropolis resulted in injuries resulting in hospitalization or fatalities and occurred at a midblock. Pedestrians largely exhibited risky behaviors predisposing the occurrence of RTCs at zebra crossings despite the fact that they are a pedestrian right-of-way. There is therefore the need for the National Road Safety Commission to carry out campaigns to educate pedestrians on the safer use of zebra crossings

Source: UCC
People detection enrichment for abnormal human activity detection

A vibrant branch of research in computer vision that has attracted a lot of attention for decades is the human activity understanding from video. A means for accurately locating humans in image or a video is a prerequisite to the process of understanding human activities or action. This work’s focus is on investigating the use of people detectors for video surveillance in Financial Banks premises so that it can eventually be used for abnormal human activity detection. An integrated framework which is made up of histogram of oriented gradient descriptors and Haar integral features is proposed thus, it is a union of Full body detector and Upper body detector. The proposed framework gives an improvement over the state of the art when applied as a case study to bank security. The technique obtained an F-score of65.83 and precision of 73.83 and recall of 59.40 percentage points

Source: UCC
People with visual impairment ‘watching’ television? Leisure pursuits of people with visual impairment in Ghana

Leisure pursuits of people with visual impairment is one of the under-researched concepts in disability discourse. Employing focus group discussions, this study explored the leisure pursuits of people with visual impairment. Their leisure pursuits include chatting, sleeping, listening to radio, meditation and watching television. The watching of television is traditionally considered unconventional for people with visual impairment; however, this was pursued for multiple reasons including as a form of resistance to traditional stereotypes on visual impairment as well as its educational and informative values. Reasons underlying their leisure pursuits include availability and accessibility, desire to obtain information and relaxation

Source: UCC
Perceived barriers and motivating factors influencing student midwives’ acceptance of rural postings in Ghana

Background: Research on the mal-distribution of health care workers has focused mainly on physicians and nurses. To meet the Millennium Development Goal Five and the reproductive needs of all women, it is predicted that an additional 334,000 midwives are needed. Despite the on-going efforts to increase this cadre of health workers there are still glaring gaps and inequities in distribution. The objectives of this study are to determine the perceived barriers and motivators influencing final year midwifery students’ acceptance of rural postings in Ghana, West Africa. Methods: An exploratory qualitative study using focus group interviews as the data collection strategy was conducted in two of the largest midwifery training schools in Ghana. All final year midwifery students from the two training schools were invited to participate in the focus groups. A purposive sample of 49 final year midwifery students participated in 6 focus groups. All students were women. Average age was 23.2 years. Glaser’s constant comparative method of analysis was used to identify patterns or themes from the data. Results: Three themes were identified through a broad inductive process: 1) social amenities; 2) professional life; and 3) further education/career advancement. Together they create the overarching theme, quality of life, we use to describe the influences on midwifery students’ decision to accept a rural posting following graduation. Conclusions: In countries where there are too few health workers, deployment of midwives to rural postings is a continuing challenge. Until more midwives are attracted to work in rural, remote areas health inequities will exist and the targeted reduction for maternal mortality will remain elusive.

Source: UCC
Perceived Causes and Effects of Uncontrolled Development in Urban Communities (A Case Study of Aowin Municipality-Enchi

The design and arrangement of buildings of a community’s built environment influences the physical and mental health of its residents. The research was aimed at ensuring effective layout of buildings at Enchi in Aowin Municipal Assembly. The study involves an assessment of views and collection of data through the use of questionnaire, personal interviews and personal observation on perceived causes and effects of uncontrolled development in urban communities. Data derived from the field survey was analyzed using descriptive statistic and presented in tables and charts. The study population of forty (40) was used which comprises of five(5) landowners, twenty(20) landlords, ten(10) developers and five(5) individuals. Random sampling technique was used to categorize landowners, landlords, developers and individuals to ensure the desired representation of each group for the study. Among the findings are; people build without obtaining permit which lead to haphazard arrangement of buildings in the communities, inability of Town and Country Planning agency to zone communities for physical development has created congestion in terms of movement in communities, law enforcing agencies do not enforce law on people who violate building laws which has given people chance to build without considering rules and regulations in the building industry. The study among others recommended that, there is the need to produce manuals on acquisition of land, process of obtaining building permits, proper enforcement of laws prohibiting indiscriminate development and further research be conducted into the exact cause of uncontrolled development in urban communities.

Source: UCC
Perceived causes of low academic performance of Senior high school students in core mathematics in the Kumasi metropolis

The study explored the perceived causes of low academic performance of Senior High School students in core mathematics in the Kumasi Metropolis. The study used the descriptive survey design with quantitative approach. Multi-stage sampling procedures were used to select a sample of 439 respondents which included 381 students and 58 core mathematics teachers. Students and teachers’ questionnaires were used to collect data for the study. Means and standard deviations were used to analyse the data that was gathered. The findings of the study revealed that school-environment factors such as inadequate teaching and learning materials and unavailability of core mathematics textbooks were contributors to the low academic performance in core mathematics. The study also revealed that teacher-related factors such as lateness and absenteeism, inability of teachers to complete their syllabus and prepare their lesson notes contributed to the low academic performance in core mathematics. The study further revealed student-related factors such as lateness and absenteeism, students being unhappy in core mathematics classes, low self-esteem and poor attitudes toward core mathematics as contributors to the low performance in core mathematics. The findings of the study did not show any home-based factors as contributors to the low academic performance in core mathematics. Further analysis showed that students being unhappy and teachers’ absenteeism in core mathematics classes had the highest factor loadings. Recommendations were made based on enforcing the necessary laws by stakeholders in education to curb lateness and absenteeism, provision of TLMs, exhibition of good attitudes towards core mathematics and good academic relationship among students and teachers.

Source: UCC
Perceived Challenges Confronting Primary School Teachers In Teaching and Learning of Physical Education in the Volta Region of Ghana

The purpose of the study was to investigate perceived challenges confronting primary school teachers in teaching and learning of physical education in the Volta Region of Ghana. The research design was cross-sectional descriptive survey. Multistage sampling technique yielded 636 participants out of estimated population of 9,165 teachers. Data collection instrument was self structured questionnaire. Findings revealed that fundinghudgetary constraints, quality of facilities, supervision of PE programme, access to équipment, access to supplies and access to professional training in PE were institutional challenges that impeded teaching and learning of PE in the primary schools of Volta Region of Ghana. Findings also revealed that inability to provide safety for children during PE lessons, inability to plan for PE lessons, accountability for other subjects, inadequate training/knowledge in PE, negative attitude to PE and lack of expertise/qualification for teaching PE were teacher-related challenges that hindered effective teaching and learning of PE in the primary schools of Volta Region of Ghana. Findings suggested that high levels of institutional and teacher-related challenges were associated with low levels of frequency of PE lessons and that an increase in the level of pre-service education in PE was associated with a corresponding increase in the frequency at which PE lessons were taught. The study did not find a significant effect of age and gender on teacher-related challenges confronting teaching and learning of PE. It was concluded that institutional and teacher-related challenges were barriers to quality PE in the primary schoolsofVolta Region, Ghana. It was recommended that GES and MoE should prioritise investments in PE teacher preparation, equipment and facilities to minimize the challenges.

Source: UCC
Perceived Challenges Undergraduate Distance Education Students of University of Winneba in the Northern Region Face in Conducting Research

The study explored the challenges undergraduate distance education students of University of Education, Winneba, face in conducting research. For the purpose of the study, the descriptive research design with quantitative approach was used. Census sampling was used to select 433 first- and second-year undergraduate distance education students and 20 supervisors of University of Education, Winneba (Northern Region) who served as the sample for the study. Self-developed questionnaires were used to collect data for the study. The statistical tools that were used in the analysis included frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations. The study revealed student-related challenges such as inadequate time to conduct research work and inadequate theory and knowledge in the area being researched as affecting the conduct of students’ research work. The results of the study also revealed supervisor-related challenges such as inability to meet students regularly, difficulty to return students’ work promptly, and difficulty to communicate with students on their progress on time. Results of the study also revealed institutional-related challenges to include the lack of online research resources on university’s website and little or no online interactions in research work. In addition, the study explored some suggested ways of solving the aforementioned challenges. Recommendations included the need to extend the time used by distance education students in studying research methods and adequacy of time needed to conduct the research work.

Source: UCC
Perceived competency levels and training needs of agricultural extension agents in communication methods and teaching aid in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana

The need to improve upon the performance of the extension worker and hence agricultural productivity is evidenced by the number 0 f national agricultural extension programmes held tried since Ghana gained independence in 1957. One of the drawbacks of these programmes is that the long-term desired outcome of improving agricultural productivity has never been met. Recent studies have identified incompetence of staff as a major cause of the poor performance of organizations. This study was, therefore, conducted to determine the present competency levels and training needed in agricultural communication methods and teaching aids of extension agents in the Greater Accra Region as perceived by themselves. Communication methods generally used to communicate with their clients were also examined. Self-administered validated questionnaires targeted at the agents were used to collect data. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Statistical analysis used included descriptive, Pearson correlated techniques "and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The results indicated that about 70.2% of the respondents were males. The mean age of AEAs studied was forty-one years. Eighty-two AEAs representing 67.8% of the respondents' posses the basic educational requirement; ie General Agricultural Certificate. The mean communication skill of the AEAs was twelve (11. 7) with the majority (64%) having over nine years experience in communication skills. The survey revealed that a majority of about 64% had over nine years experience in communication skills, representing a mean of 11.7. The number of training courses attended was found to be irregular with majority of the AEAs representing 33.9% attending only two training courses with only 0.8% of the AEAs studied had the highest training courses of twenty- four. However, their perceived competency level in planning, implementing and evaluating extension teaching aids was found to be good, they needed a higher level of training in implementing and evaluating extension teaching aids. It was recommended that AEAs competency level in extension communication methods and extension teaching aids should be frequently assessed so that the discrepancy between what knowledge they have achieved, and what they have acquired can be ascertained. This invariably will improve upon their competency level in planning, implementing and evaluating both communication methods and extension teaching aids.

Source: UCC