ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
The Van Hiele geometric levels of students’ in the Ga Mashie circuit gender and school type differences

This study sought to investigate students‟ van Hiele‟s geometric thinking levels from public and private basic schools at the Ga-Mashie circuit of the Accra Metropolis. The population for the study was 562 J.H.S.3 students from private and public basic schools. Purposive and stratified sampling was used to select three hundred and thirty seven (337) students for the study, two hundred and seventy six (276) from public schools and one sixty one (61) from private schools. A quantitative descriptive survey approach was used for the study with van Hiele‟s Geometric Test (VHGT) as the instrument. Four research questions were formulated for the study, research question one was on the van Hiele‟s levels reached by private and public basic school students. Research questions two to four were meant to find out whether there was a difference in terms of gender and school type between the two schools (private and public). It was revealed that 190 (56.40%) of students attained No level, 126(37.40%) attained level 1, 20 (5.90%) attained level 2 and only 1 (0.30%) attained level 3 in both public and private school. The study also reveals that with regard to gender and school type there was no significant difference in students‟ van Hiele geometric levels. Recommendations are made for improving the geometric levels of students.

Source: UEW
Variation in bending strength properties in stem and branch woods as influenced by density and moisture levels in Entandrophragma cylindricum

Branchwood is being exploited as a supplement to stemwood in wood products manufacturing, and the wood�s bending strength properties are vital for structural and non-structural applications. Non-destructive methods are being adopted in determining wood properties, and wood density and moisture content are two variables that could be useful. This study assessed the influence of density and moisture content (MC) on the Modulus of Elasticity (MOE) and Modulus of Rupture (MOR) of branch and stem woods of Entandrophragma cylindricum (sapele) tested at two moisture levels (10���4% MC and 17���3% MC). Density was determined in accordance with ISO 3131. To determine bending strength properties, BS 373 was followed, using an INSTRON TCM Machine with a crosshead speed of 6.6�mm per minute. Results indicated that branchwood has higher density than its stemwood counterparts. MOE and MOR of both wood types were significantly higher at 10���4% MC than their counterparts at 17���3% MC. Differences in MOE and MOR between the wood types were not significant, although the branchwood had 87% and 93% respectively of the MOE and MOR of stemwood. From the two-way ANOVA, MC had a significant effect (P�<�0.05) but wood type and the interactions of wood type and MC did not have a significant effect on MOE and MOR of stem and branch woods. The predictive powers of MC and density as a combined predictor for estimating bending strength properties were higher for branchwood than stemwood. Although density of E. cylindricum branchwood was significantly higher than its stemwood counterpart that did not translate into significant differences between MOE and MOR of branchwood and stemwood. � 2016 Institute of Foresters of Australia (IFA).

Source: UEW
Verbal nominalization as a derivational process: The case of Akan

This paper discusses the derivational morphology of the Akan language with particular focus on verbal nominalization through affixation (particularly prefixation). There are two ways through which this nominalization process can be realized in the Asante-Twi dialect of Akan. These are direct verb stem/base nominalization and nominalization after reduplication. The main difference between the two nominalization processes is shown to be that while in the former process, the nominal prefixes adjoin the verb stem directly to derive nominals, in the latter process, the same prefixation process also applies but after the reduplication process. I first discuss direct verb nominalization through prefixation and follow it up with the discussion of the nominalization process that takes place after reduplication has applied. We observe that in the case of the latter process, sometimes the nominal prefix adjoins another prefix; the reduplicative prefix, as studied by Dolphyne (1988), McCarthy and Prince (1995), Abakah (2004), etc. therefore, giving us the morphological structure: Affix1 + Affix2 + Stem/Base. The paper argues that in the direct verbal nominalization, whereas nominal prefixation has to apply first before nominal suffixation in the Asante-Twi dialect so that the former forms a constituent with the stem/base, in the reduplicated stem, the Affix2 (i.e. the reduplicative prefix) has to adjoin first the stem/base before the Affix1, which is the nominal prefix. A swap in the order/level of prefixation between Affix1 and Affix2 renders the output form ill-formed, a case for Siegel’s ([1974] 1979) Level Ordering Hypothesis. Following Siegel (idem), the reduplicative prefix, which does not cause a change in lexical category in Akan, is treated as a Class/Level 2 Prefix while the nominal prefix, which changes the lexical category of the stem and/or the reduplicated form, is a Class/Level 1 affix. In the end, this paper proposes a common template structure to account for affixation in nominalization of verbs in Akan by conflating what looks like two similar morphological structures for both nominalization of stem/base verbs and reduplicated forms, as follows: Affix1 ± (Affix2) + Stem/Base ± (Affix3)in that order.

Source: UEW
Vers la deconstruction redefinition de lideologie feministe dans la litterature Africaine une etude d Anowa d Ama Ata Aidoo

Certains critiques sont d'avis qu'Ama Ata Aidoo est une féministe radicale tant dans sa vie privée que dans sa vie littéraire. La présente étude soutient que, même si dans sa vie privée quotidienne, l’auteure se veut féministe radicale, dans ses œuvres littéraires, elle ne soutient pas la position radicale du féminisme euro-américain. L’étude prouve qu'à travers l'emploi d’ironie, Aidoo appelle à un féminisme modéré. L'article vise donc à étudier la représentation de l'idéologie féministe dans Anowa d'Ama Ata Aidoo. Ensuite, il analyse comment l'ironie permet à l'auteure de proposer un féminisme modéré dans la pièce. Les données sont principalement recueillies de la pièce Anowa et soumises à l'approche interprétative. L'étude est fondée sur la théorie du féminisme radical et une combinaison des courants du féminisme afro-centrique. L'étude conclut que, bien qu'Aidoo condamne l’hégémonie masculine dans sa pièce, elle dénonce aussi l’esprit radical et violent adopté par certains militants féministes dans la quête de l’autonomisation des femmes, appelant ainsi à une forme modérée de féminisme

Source: UEW
Viewers perspectives on reality dating shows in Ghana- a case study of date rush show

Reality television shows are a relatively new genre on television that intriguingly draw in and hold the interest of different viewer demographics. One of the most common types of reality shows is a reality dating show. Reality dating shows have steadily taken over the TV programmes market and have also recently attracted a lot of interest from both scholars and television viewers. As such, the African media landscape has gradually embraced this genre of television programming and Ghana is not an exception. However, research on the phenomenon of reality dating shows has not received much attention. This study attempts to analyse the Date Rush show, a reality dating show produced by a privately owned Ghanaian television network, TV3. The study gathered data through three focus group discussions with active viewers of the Date Rush show in Winneba and phone interviews with four contestants of the show. The work was anchored on The Uses and Gratification theory, which offers an analysis of the motivations of the focus group participants for watching the reality dating show. Furthermore, Para-social Interaction theory was used to analyse the nature of interactions the viewers and contestants of Date Rush share. A purposive and snowball sampling technique are used to draw a sample of thirty (30) participants, consisting of four (4) contestants on the show and twenty-six (26) viewers. An analysis reveals that the most salient gratifications sought were entertainment and social interactions. Also, findings show that the viewers perceived the 'real' in the reality genre as partially scripted, not original or authentic. Besides, it was discovered that viewers and contestants of the Date Rush show form Para-social interactions. The Para-social interactions between viewers and contestants bothered on the kind of narrative engagement, social media engagement as well as face-to-face interactions. The study concludes that the Date Rush show (reality dating) television programmes have serious influences on viewers. The study recommends that there should also be more avenues for viewers to share and comment on the show. It appears that even though viewers interact with contestants of the show, the avenues for interactions are limited. The inclusion of segments like call in live and pass their comments or interests with the contestants would go a long way to enriching interactions.

Source: UEW
Views of caregivers on satisfaction derived from utilizing rehabilitation services for their children with cerebral palsy the case of Salvation Army Community Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Centre Agona– Duakwa, Centra

The point to which caregivers are satisfied with the care they receive for themselves and their children from the health professionals, has increasingly become an issue for all stakeholders concerned with improving health outcomes. The Salvation Army Community Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Centre Agona–Duakwa, provides rehabilitation services to children with cerebral palsy and for their caregivers. These caregivers mostly seek these services to address the problems of their children and themselves as caregivers as well. The purpose of this study, was to use a qualitative research approach; case study, to find out the views of caregivers on satisfaction they derive from utilizing the rehabilitation services on offer at the Centre. These views on satisfaction encompasses the prior expectations, the enabling factors to service utilization and identification of barriers that caregivers encounter that might affect their satisfaction with service delivery. Five in-depth interviews were conducted with five caregivers out of the anticipated six caregivers who had attended the centre for ten sessions or more. Data was collected and a thematic analysis was undertaken. The results showed that most of the caregivers generally reported being satisfied with the rehabilitation services. The areas caregivers reported as satisfying included the assurance, responsiveness, empathy and support services that they received from the rehabilitation team. Respondents were also content with the outcome of the service encounter on the basis of the improvement each of them had seen in their children, which they attributed to compliance with home base therapy/programmes. However, majority of the caregivers were dissatisfied with the information provided on the condition of the child, caregiver involvement in decision making and participation in treatment regimes (e.g. therapy/exercise sessions) and timely and appropriate communication of the personnel during the service encounter. Consequently, this may have been attributed to the inability of the personnel to find out the expectations of caregivers, what they perceived to be enabling or barriers in their utilization of service. In conclusion, the study findings were similar to findings of earlier researchers. The study also made some recommendations to the management which included, incorporating caregiver satisfaction into the quarterly and annual evaluation of the Salvation Army Community Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Centre, Agona – Duakwa

Source: UEW
The views of educational practitioners in Ghana on ICT use and instructional design practice for promoting quality education

Many ICT boosters are of the view that ICT on its own can promote quality teaching and learning. In line with this metaphor, the need to provide computers in the classrooms often takes precedence over training teachers to acquire skills in instructional design. However, it is evident in the instructional technology literature that good design of the learning task by the teacher is the fundamental requirement for quality teaching. This study was intended to explore the views of 90 educational practitioners (students, teachers and policy makers) in Ghana on the use of ICT and good design of instruction by the teacher for quality teaching and learning. Five Point Likert-type scales were used for the data collection. The results of the study indicate that in Ghana students are not very certain as to whether ICT or teachers can facilitate the implementation of the first five principles of instruction for quality teaching and learning. Moreover, a great number of teachers and policy makers are of the view that teachers can facilitate the implementation of the first five principles of instruction better than an ICT. However, it was recommended by the students, teachers and policy makers that both teachers and students should be trained to use ICT to facilitate teaching and learning. � 2007 IEEE.

Source: UEW
Views of pre-service teachers on their preparation towards inclusive education in selected colleges of education in the eastern region of Ghana

This study examined views of pre-service teachers on their preparation towards inclusive education in selected Colleges of Education in the Eastern Region of Ghana. This was premised on the argument that teacher preparation is a key consideration in the implementation of inclusive education. The self-efficacy theory was adopted for the study. The study employed the cross-sectional design to recruit 287 respondents made up of 272 level 300 pre-service teachers and 15 tutors for the study. In selecting the sample, the researcher used non-probability sampling involving quota sampling technique to select 20% of the pre-service teachers, while a purposive sampling technique was adopted for the selection of tutors in the Colleges of Education. Data from questionnaire were fed into Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 software and the mean scores were computed and used for the analysis and interpretation. The results of the study showed that the pre-service teachers had demonstrable knowledge of inclusive education, but there were mixed reactions to their ability to adapt the curriculum to meet the learning needs of diverse learners in inclusive classrooms. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that the curriculum for the Colleges of Education should be reviewed to ensure that pre-service teachers have the necessary skills attitudes, confidence and competence to design and deliver inclusive curricular for a diverse range of learners to improve their participation in learning.

Source: UEW
Views of preventing borassus aethiopum from extinction among four Communities in Ghana

An investigation into how Borassus aethiopum might be prevented from extinction among farmers was carried out in four communities (Fiaso, Oforikrom, Nyamebekyere and Bayerenkwanta) in the transitional vegetation zone of Ghana, from April 2013 to July 2013. The farmers were randomly selected from the communities. Data were collected from the farmers using questionnaire supplemented with interviews. In addition to the crops grown for food, farmers also obtained food from the wild/non domesticated plants of which Borassus aethiopum was one. Farmers also used Borassus aethiopum, as a timber source, for the production of wine, for roofing and for making fan, as fire wood and as a medicinal plant. No education had been received on the plant or even on any other non domesticated plant. All the farmers agreed that the plant should be preserved, however, only few (Fiaso – 44%; Oforikrom – 48%; Nyamebekyere – 40%; Bayerenkwanta – 20%) had some ideas on how the plant might be preserved. The few farmers considered cultivation (Fiaso – 40%; Oforikrom – 33%; Nyamebekyere – 50%; Bayerenkwanta – 60%) as a means of preventing the extinction of the plant. Other preservation methods were; prevention of bush burning and indiscriminate felling of the tree, and enacting laws on the usage of the plant. It was recommended that all communities with the support of governments should create community forest reserves/parks made up Borassus aethiopum/non domesticated plant food species, and also enact laws to preserve these plants. Keywords: Borassus aethiopum, extinction, preservation

Source: UEW
Violence against Senior High School teachers in the Wa municipality Prevalence and Consequences

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and consequences of violence directed at teachers in Senior High Schools in the Wa Municipality. The study adopted an applied research using a cross-sectional survey design. Primary data were collected from a cross-section of teachers in the Wa Municipality. Seventy-seven (77) teachers across different schools were contacted and their ideas used for this survey. The total population of teachers in the selected municipal schools where this research was conducted is one hundred and fifty-two (152) and seventy-seven (77) sample size of respondents. The selection of those schools was purposive; based principally on numerous complaints of violence against teachers. The study utilized a questionnaire to collect data and to elicit information on the characteristics of respondents. Also, instrument-triangulation was applied resulting in the use of both survey questionnaires and unstructured interviews. The data were analyzed using tabulation and charts. Information on demographic characteristics of respondents was analyzed by means of tabulation and charts. Microsoft Excel was used to analyze some of the information. The findings highlighted that teachers experienced violence in a number of different forms ranging from verbal abuse, attacks on internet base platforms, physical abuse, intimidation, threats among others. A number of different perpetrators were found to abuse teachers including students, parents, colleagues, strangers, and others. In accordance with the findings the present research recommends that the Ministry of Education and other relevant agencies should consider as a matter of urgency to establish functional and competent guidance and counseling departments in all secondary schools. Also, teachers should be educated on the need to relate well with their students.

Source: UEW
Violence against women in Winneba in the Effutu Municipality

Over the years, in addressing issues of violence against women, the focus had always been on men as the perpetrators and women as victims. However, that is not always the situation. Women also perpetrate violence against their fellow women. This study examined violence against women in Winneba in the Effutu Municipality. The study focused on woman as victims and perpetrators of violence against women. The study explored the forms, causes and effects of violence against women as well as the support seeking behaviour of victims. The study draws upon the ecological model which considers violence against women as an outcome of interacting factors at four levels and the social learning theory which explain the phenomenon as the effect of generational transmission of violence. The qualitative research approach was employed. The research design adopted for the study was phenomenology. A total population of seventeen (17) respondents were involved in the study. In obtaining data, the interview guide was administered to the respondents who were sampled using the purposive and snowballing techniques. The study revealed that unequal power relations, suspicion of infidelity, experiencing violence as a child were the main reasons why women perpetrate violence various forms of violence against women in Winneba while poverty and single parenting made other women victims of such violence. Also, there was a general consensus among the participants that violence against women had negative consequences on both victims and perpetrators. However, most victims of violence against women did not report to the appropriate quarters and the few who did found the whole process to be tedious and time consuming. Based upon these findings, the study recommended that stakeholders such as DOVVSU, Ministry of gender, child and social protection and CHRAJ formulate policies to address risk factors at the individual, relationship, community and societal levels. These stakeholders should also encourage victims of violence against women to report violence to the appropriate institutions by creating awareness on the existence of such institutions and making the process less tedious. Religious and non- governmental organisations within the communities in Winneba in the Effutu Municipality should embark on women empowerment programmes that will help reduce women dependency on others which will in turn help reduce violence against women.

Source: UEW
Visual framing of environmental sustainability analysis of video coverage of illegal mining in Ghana o

The content including documents published on social media, could influence individuals’ attitudes and actions toward environmental issues, such as galamsey. Given this, media outlets have key role in the fight against illegal mining activities especially in Ghana. With the widespread use of social media, these media outlets have also utilised social media platforms including YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, among others in their efforts and campaigns to address environmental sustainability concerns. Despite this, there is notable inadequacy in media coverage of environmental issues, particularly regarding visual representations on platforms like YouTube. This study aims to bridge this gap by examining how environmental concerns, specifically illegal mining, are depicted on YouTube in Ghana, considering the country's substantial role as the primary gold producer in sub-Saharan Africa, entwined in global environmental discussions. This study analyses the videos and images published on a popular social media platform (YouTube) by two selected media outlets in Ghana focusing particularly on how their documents about illegal mining were visually framed during the fight against galamsey from 2017 and 2018. Underpinned by the visual framing and environmental citizenship theories, this study explores the way the issue of galamsey was conveyed by Citi News and Joy News were similar, even though they used different but related hashtags, keywords and captions to make meaning and disseminate messages about the menace to the public. The study found that the visual framing of the information about illegal mining influenced users to act as environmental citizens and tone of their comments to show support for the fight. Videos that showed various activities in galamsey could more likely provoke negative comments and testimonies from users. This study calls for improvement in the report and visual presentation of illegal mining activities online especially YouTube by the media outlets. However, there is the need for regulations to address issues regarding the spread of misinformed and disinformed videos which could magnify conflicts, tension and insecurity in mining communities.

Source: UEW