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This study examined the relationship between two dimensions of instructional quality and trainee-teacher effectiveness in the delivery of instruction among trainee-teachers at the College of Distance Education, University of Cape Coast (CoDE, UCC). The correlational design was adopted for the study. The accessible population was 53,293 comprising 1,837 CoDE course tutors and, 51,456 CoDE trainee-teachers. The sample size for the study was 726, made up of 397 trainee teachers and 329 course tutors. The data collected were analyzed with the Pearson product-moment correlation. The results showed that faculty quality and quality interaction had a positive and significant relationship with trainee-teacher effectiveness. It was recommended that the management of CoDE, UCC should continuously organize seminars and workshops to upgrade the competencies and interactive capacities of faculty members in order to enhance their relevance and competitiveness.

Schistosomiasis, an endemic neglected tropical disease in areas with poor sanitation, causes physical and mental defects in both children and adults. Various strategies, especially drug administration for morbidity control, have been implemented to combat the disease in Ghana and globally. Despite these efforts, schistosomiasis remains prevalent in Ghana, negatively impacting children's academic performance, growth, and overall quality of life. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of schistosomiasis in school children at Esuekyir, a peri-urban community in Ghana. A cross-sectional study using simple random sampling technique to select participants and collect stool and urine samples from 246 school children in Esuekyir was adopted. Microscopy of urine and stool samples was performed involving urine sedimentation and stool formol-ether sedimentation techniques to analyse for parasite eggs. Questionnaires were developed to help detect risk factors that expose these children to the disease. The prevalence of urogenital schistosomiasis in children at Esuekyir was 15.45% while that of intestinal schistosomiasis was 6.957.0%. There was one case of co-infection of urogenital and intestinal schistosomiasis from a 13 year old primary student. Children in primary school had higher risks of infection due to their activities around the water body. There was a significant association between class groups and urogenital schistosomiasis (p-value = 0.042). The presence of schistosomiasis in school children highlights the importance of targeted interventions and public health initiatives in addressing this specific disease condition especially in primary school children. Findings from the research revealed a higher prevalence of urogenital schistosomiasis in the study population as compared to intestinal schistosomiasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past settlement sites often relate to the accumulation of elements in Anthrosols. The analyses of Anthrosols can resolve specific queries on the estimation of element enrichment factors and their potential suitability for arable fields. We studied Anthrosols in the sub‐Sahara developed on a mid‐19th century AD Bremen missionary settlement in the Volta Region, Ghana, aiming to compare the physicochemical properties with control soil unaffected by past settlement activities. The black colour of the Anthrosols contrasted with the brown Acrisols of the control on the same bedrock. The pH, contents of organic C, total (N, P, Ca, K, Mg, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn and Sr) and plant‐available Mehlich‐3 (P, Ca, K, S and Mg) elements substantially increased in the 0–85 cm depths of the Anthrosols compared with the control. The Anthrosols are thus suitable for arable land‐use. Total K, Cu, Mn, Zn, Sr, Ca, Mg and Fe well indicated past settlement activities according to their significant correlations with P. Total and plant‐available P and K content of each element significantly correlated and vice versa for Ca and Mg. However, in calculating the enrichment factors in the field for geoarchaeological purposes, we confirmed that total element contents are more suitable. The substantial enrichment by plant‐available elements implied that mineral fertilizer applications on arable fields on previous settlements should not be the same as fields without settlement activities. Past settlement sites represent a storehouse of nutrient‐rich Anthrosols in cultural landscapes traceable through detailed multi‐element analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]