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AbstractThis study investigated stakeholder perception of sixty-six years of guidance service delivery in Ghana. An explanatory sequential mixed method was used. A total of 413 respondents were sampled from a study population of 17, 743 for the quantitative and twelve (12) participants were also sampled for the qualitative perspectives of the study. The numeric data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods, while the qualitative data were analysed using thematic content analysis and pattern matching. The study revealed that there were significantly negative stakeholder opinions regarding basic school guidance services (GS). Responsible factors included a lack of adequate and competent guidance service coordinators, a lack of remuneration for guidance service delivery, and failure to capture GS on the teaching timetable, among other factors. Therefore, it is recommended that the Ghana Education Service, representing the Government of Ghana, should employ adequate and competent guidance service coordinators to ensure effective and satisfactory service delivery.

The incongruity between academic programmes pursued and the career path among graduates in recent times suggests that career path does not always lead to programme choice and vice versa. Different occupations/professions not directly found in the area of academic programmes pursued could appeal to graduates. This study sought to examine how the various occupations/professions in Ghana appeal to university graduates. This study modelled university students' preferences and interconnectedness among various careers/occupations in Ghana. The descriptive survey design was used. The census technique was used to capture all 144 final-year university students pursuing a BED accounting programme with a university in Ghana. Data were collected using an adapted Occupational Inventory Profile ((OIP) and data were analysed with the Partial Least Square Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM). The study found that technological activities, mathematical computation activities, managerial-clerical activities, scientific research activities, persuasive-enterprising activities, and fine art activities significantly predicted mechanical-technological occupation, mathematical computation occupation, managerial-clerical occupation, science research occupation, persuasive-enterprising occupation, and fine art occupation. Additionally, there was also strong interconnectedness between the six various occupations among BED Accounting students in Ghana. Though the career path of BED accounting students does not generally agree with the realistic and artistic personality type, the study found that these students have a significant interest in activities and occupations in line with these personality types. This suggests that the personality of university students studied had an interest in several occupations not trained for, suggesting that they had a combination of personality types in varying degrees for the various occupations studied. Therefore, it was recommended that teaching pedagogies should vary and the government should create more employment opportunities to better prepare graduates to pursue careers outside what they were trained for. Graduates should also be equipped with skills and resources to be able to create their own jobs in their areas of interest outside or along their professional training. The theoretical and other practical implications of the findings of the study have also been adduced.

This study examined 66 years of guidance service delivery in Ghana by analysing stakeholders' attitudes and perceived relevance to career success. The study employed positivist philosophy and cross-sectional survey methods. A sample of 413 comprised basic school headteachers, school guidance coordinators, and district guidance coordinators across 15 regions in Ghana. A self-developed questionnaire was used to gather the data and analysed with Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (fourth-generation analytical tools). The study found that stakeholders' attitudes towards guidance services at the basic school level were significantly related to policy implementation, perceived relevance, and career success. Additionally, perceived relevance or guidance services were also found to have a significant relationship with policy implementation, monitoring, and career success. Perceived relevance was also found to have a mediating influence on the relationship between attitude and career success and attitude and policy implementation on guidance services at the basic school level. The study recommends that the government of Ghana, through Ghana Education Service, should develop a more positive attitude towards guidance services by providing office allocation, logistics, special allowance or remuneration, and dedicated time for guidance services at the basic school level.

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.

The ideal context for competence-based education (CBE) in the global south appears elusive with negative ramifications on both the teacher and the student. Using Ghana as a case study, this article shines light on the research question: What are the contexts and the implications of the contexts in which agriculture is taught on competence-based education? Drawing on a mixed methods approach involving cross-sectional data on 112 students, 238 teachers, and qualitative enquiries involving key informant interviews, and on-site observations. The findings showed inadequate facilities and low enrolment in agriculture. Specifically, 34% of pre-tertiary schools had less than 5% of the total student population offering agriculture. Theory-based pedagogies still dominate contrary to the core principles of competence-based education, culminating in students limited hands-on exposure that demotivates teachers and learners. We recommend the Ministry of Education focuses on competence-based education by increasing funding allocation to address the inadequate facilities, classrooms, and equipment needed for the effective teaching, learning, and the practice of agriculture. This article argues for sustained investment and conscious efforts directed at addressing challenges constraining CBE to allay the myths, drudgery, and low potentials ascribed to agriculture, with an ultimate aim to motivate the youth to pursue agriculture as a career and game-changer in providing self-employment and resolving the high unemployment phenomenon in the sub-region.

The aim of this study was to assess how basic school teachers' job satisfaction relates to their productivity in the Asante Akim South District of the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The descriptive design was employed in conducting the study. The population covered all the Basic School teachers in the Asante Akim South District. The sample size was 217, made up of 179 males and 38 females. A questionnaire was used to collect data from respondents. Data analysis was done, using frequency and percentage counts as well as the Pearson Product Moment correlation. Key findings of the study indicated that majority (71.9%) of the respondents perceived that the government's District Best Teacher award scheme only motivates a few teachers at the expense of the majority of teachers. Teachers' level of job satisfaction shows a strong positive correlation with teacher productivity (r = 0.870, p = 0.020). In order to enhance teacher job satisfaction and productivity, it was recommended that the District Best Teacher award scheme should be made to cover at least 20% of teachers in the district instead of an individual so that majority of them would not feel unmotivated, neglected and unrecognized. Government should make teacher promotions and salaries relatively equitable and competitive with that of workers in other analogous institutions in the country in order to enhance their job satisfaction and productivity.

AbstractEven though copious knowledge has been advanced in the extant literature on climate variability and change. Two schools of thought exist—one that views farmers’ perceptions of climate indicators as erroneous and inferior, while the other views, scientific data, specifically meteorological data, to be superior and accurate. The accuracy of farmers perception of climate variability indicators is in doubt relative to the scientific data. This article targets assessing farmers perception of climate variability indicators compared to the scientific data with an eye to distil policy implications for climate variability resilience and adaptation. Using cross-sectional data on 197 smallholder maize farmers in southern Ghana, the article answers the research question: To what extent do smallholder farmers perception of climate variability indicators align or vary from objective climate data? We find variation between farmers perception of climate indicators and the objective data from the Ghana Meteorological Agency. Specifically, while farmer perceptions showed a decrease in rainfall over the past 10 years (2009–2018), the objective data proved otherwise. Again, a contradiction existed between farmers perception of sunshine and the scientific data. However, farmers’ perceptions of temperature aligned with the objective data. The scientific data established coefficient of variations of 0.21, 0.04, 0.03, and 0.12 for rainfall, sunshine, maximum, and minimum temperatures respectively. We recommend collaborative efforts between the national research council’s, Ghana Meteorological Agency, and academic institutions to commission further studies that will test, confirm, and harmonize the reliability of smallholder perceptions of climate variability and change in climate adaptation efforts.

Pesticides are widely used in Ghana, especially in cocoa farming. However, the practice is suboptimal and unsupervised. Incorrect use of these chemicals can seriously harm human health, the environment, and economies that rely on these farmers' output. The study assessed cocoa farmers' pesticide knowledge, practices, and risk perception. Four hundred and four cocoa farmers were chosen randomly from 26 communities in four cocoa-growing regions of Ghana to answer questions about their risk knowledge, awareness, and practices, including personal protective equipment, storage and disposal of leftover pesticides, and used containers. The study revealed that 87% of the respondents belonged to cooperatives and certification groups. There was a significant positive relationship between group membership and benefits derived from inputs and training in pesticide use. About 70% of insecticides used were approved by the Ghana Cocoa Board, with neonicotinoids and pyrethroids being the most highly used insecticide classes in cocoa farms. Although farmers claimed adequate pesticide knowledge, this did not translate into practice, with the majority exhibiting improper pesticide storage, application, and disposal practices. Farmers appeared to know a lot but lacked the skills and attitude to put their knowledge to use. The improper practices appear to manifest in a variety of health symptoms experienced by farmers as a result of chemical exposure. The findings from this study suggest that cocoa farmers in Ghana require adequate practical training and support on pesticide use to reduce their associated health risks, protect the environment and ensure sustainable cocoa production in the world’s second-largest cocoa bean exporter.

Although evidence of the limiting role of pollination in cocoa production is mounting, concern about the potential harm of insecticides to pollinators is also increasing. However, effort at examining farmer knowledge and practices on pollination and insecticide use aimed at promoting cocoa pollination is limited. This study assessed farmers' knowledge and practices on pollination and insecticide usage in four cocoa-growing communities (two organic and two conventional) in the Eastern region of Ghana. Data from interviewing cocoa farmers (200) with a structured questionnaire were analysed using various statistical techniques. Less than 50% of the farmers had knowledge of pollination and its influence on yield. Only 1% of the respondents identified midges as pollinators of cocoa, while 11% and 19.5% identified honey bees and ants as pollinator agents, respectively. Less than 50% of respondents believed insecticide application might impact on beneficial insects, including pollinators. Farmers’ responses were highly influenced by farming system, educational background, farmer groups and extension officers. Our findings show that educating smallholder farmers on pollination and judicious insecticide use is crucial in improving long-term cocoa yields. These findings have implications for pest management policies and farmer sensitization on the impact of indiscriminate insecticide application on the environment and pollinators.

This study examined the time–frequency relationship between renewable energy, globalization, economic growth, trade openness, urbanization, and CO2 emissions in Asia. The wavelet-based causality framework was utilized to quantify the causal associations in time–frequency space among the variables. The method is favorable as a scaling tool and it unveils the time–frequency dependence among variables with more reliability and it accounts for the seasonality, cycles, or trends extracted from the transformation change over time. The empirical data demonstrated that within the sample period, the substantial causal relationships between the employed variables are primarily focused on the short and medium runs at different frequency scales. The wavelet coherence results provided evidence of a strong association among the variables in the long-run estimation, which is supported by the Trace analysis and the Toda–Yamamoto causality. The findings also revealed that renewable energy and CO2 are out of phase and have an anti-cyclic impact, with CO2 emissions driving the cycle. A positive co-movement between globalization and CO2 emissions was observed with no lag relationship, while the association between trade openness and CO2 emissions was seen to be insignificant in the long run. These results have significant policy implications for Asian economies’ long-run sustainable policies. Environmental researchers should take into account lead–lag channels of transmission and the time–frequency nexus between series.

Husbands have been the primary support of student mothers in furthering their education. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of husbands of student mothers (HSM) in a distance education programme of a university in Ghana. Eighteen participants were selected and interviewed. The transcendental phenomenology design was adopted. The sample consisted of all HSM with babies up to 5 years. Coding and content analysis were employed to analyze the data. The study's findings indicated that husbands experience challenges such as stress, guilt, resentment, and work-family conflict in child care. Coping strategies such as using loan facilities, suspending family projects and using older siblings were adopted by the participants. The study recommends that, Counsellors should orient husbands to understand the need to support their wives and the implications of such support. Husbands should also be educated on basic skills of child care to lessen their frustrations and to avoid stress.

This study explored stigma experiences of mothers of children with ASD and forgiveness as their coping response. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 6 mothers of children with ASD. Results of this study found several noteworthy themes including, feelings of mother, family/societal reactions, forgiveness factors, and impact of forgiveness. Mothers reported significant stigmatization from families and society. Some expressed their feelings towards themselves, others and God, and finally recounted the use of forgiveness as a coping resource which contributed significantly to their well-being. Findings from this study contribute to the emerging literature on forgiveness as a coping resource for persons who are offended. Implications for clinical practice, intervention and policy are discussed.

Low self-esteem can pose serious threats to the general well-being of individuals and if not checked may lead to the development of mental health problems. The study sought to ascertain the effects of assertiveness training and cognitive restructuring on low self-esteem among technical university students in Ghana. The study employed the quasi-experimental design. The simple random sampling method was used to select 60 participants for the study. Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem (RSE) Scales were used for the data collection. The Cronbach’s alpha reliability co-efficient for the instrument was 0.77. The statistical tools used for data analysis were one-way analysis of covariance (One-way ANCOVA) and two-way analysis of covariance (two-way ANCOVA). The results showed that participants who were exposed to assertiveness training and cognitive restructuring recorded better scores in the post-test scores as compared to participants in the control group. It was concluded that assertiveness training and cognitive restructuring were effective in enhancing participants’ self-esteem levels. It was therefore, recommended that counsellors should employ the two therapies to improve the self-esteem of students.

The study explored the nexus of human capital development, foreign direct investment, and economic growth within the ECOWAS region while controlling carbon emission, urbanization, and renewable energy. To examine the dynamic link between economic growth, human capital, foreign direct investment, CO2 emissions, and urbanization in ECOWAS, the selected countries were clustered into Lower Middle-Income Countries and Low-Income Countries. Drawing on panel data from 1990 to 2017, the study suggests that the rate of human capital, foreign direct investment, CO2 emissions, and urbanization affect economic growth as LMIC and LIC. The effect weight, however, changed per sub-panel this implies that LMICs and LICs should focus on investing in human capital development through education and health to enhance their economic growth. Policies to reduce CO2 emissions by focusing on renewable energy usage. This is fundamental in achieving the United Nations’ sustainable development goal 4 which seeks to safeguard inclusive and equitable quality education and stimulate lifetime learning opportunities (human capital development) and 17 which seeks to reinforce the means of implementation and rejuvenate the global partnership for sustainable development (FDI).

Background Community health participation is an essential tool in health research and management where community members, researchers and other relevant stakeholders contribute to the decision-making processes. Though community participation processes can be complex and challenging, evidence from previous studies have reported significant value of engaging with community in community health projects. Objective To identify the nature and extent of community involvement in community health participatory research (CHPR) projects in Ghana and draw lessons for participatory design of a new project on diabetes intervention in Accra called the Contextual Awareness Response and Evaluation (CARE) diabetes project. Methods A scoping review of relevant publications on CHPR projects in Ghana which had a participatory component was undertaken. PubMed, PsycINFO, African Journal Online, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, Humanities International Complete and Google Scholar were searched for articles published between January 1950 and October 2021. Levac et al.’s (2010) methodological framework for scoping reviews was used to select, collate and characterise the data. Results Fifteen studies were included in this review of CHPR projects from multiple disciplines. Participants included community health workers, patients, caregivers, policymakers, community groups, service users and providers. Based on Pretty’s participation typology, several themes were identified in relation to the involvement of participants in the identified studies. The highest levels of participation were found in two studies in the diagnosis, four in the development, five in the implementation and three in the evaluation phases of projects. Community participation across all studies was assessed as low overall. Conclusion This review showed that community participation is essential in the acceptability and feasibility of research projects in Ghana and highlighted community participation’s role in the diagnosis, development, implementation and evaluation stages of projects. Lessons from this review will be considered in the development, implementation, and future evaluation of the CARE diabetes project.

Levodopa is routinely co-administered with carbidopa in the management of Parkinson’s disease. Although the aforementioned combination therapy is effective, there may be fluctuating plasma levels of levodopa after oral administration. We formulated and evaluated the kinetic characteristics of the chitosan-pectin-based multiparticulate matrix of levodopa and carbidopa. Pectin was extracted from the cocoa husk, and the chitosan-pectin-based matrix was prepared by wet granulation. Formulations were evaluated for drug-excipient compatibility, drug content, precompression properties and in vitro release. For pharmacokinetic evaluation, rats were put into groups and administered either chitosan-pectin based matrix of levodopa/carbidopa, Sinemet® CR or levodopa/carbidopa immediate release powder. Rats were administered the different formulations of levodopa/carbidopa (20/5 mg/kg) per os every 12 hours. The pharmacokinetic parameters of levodopa were estimated for the various treatment groups. The percentage content of levodopa and carbidopa in the various formulations was within the acceptance criteria. The AUC0-24 for levodopa/carbidopa multiparticulate matrix (Formulation 3: 484.98 ± 18.70 µg.hr/mL); Formulation 4: 535.60 ± 33.04 µg.hr/mL), and Cmax (Formulation 3: 36.28 ± 1.52 μg/mL; Formulation 4: 34.80 ± 2.19 μg/mL) were higher than Sinemet® CR (AUC0-24 262.84 ± 16.73 µg.hr/mL and Cmax 30.62 ± 3.37 μg/mL). The t1/2 of the new formulation was longer compared to Sinemet® CR.

Urban informal economic activities in the developing world have not been fully understood by city authorities. These viable economic activities are seen as a nuisance and are brutally treated. Using the case of Kumasi, Ghana's second city, this study draws on multiple qualitative methods to explore the production, form, and dynamics of urban informality. Respondents were selected among street hawkers, market traders, shop owners, city officials and customary authorities. Four main forms of informal economic activities are identified: roaming, settling, attaching, and inserting. The study suggests differential treatment of these informal economic activities and calls for recognition, acceptance, and inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the probabilities of acquisition of requisite human capital by new entrants in the institutional network. Graph theories applied in complex social networks using multi-attribute decision models were employed for our study. We coupled the dynamical and complexities of social network analysis with BASS-SIR epidemiological model to ascertain sustainability in the light of internal and external forces in the human capital acquisition. The results show that a new entrant’s ability to acquire human capital within the network increases rapidly and reaches a steady state by the third month. The fractional analysis indicated that a combined effect of internal and external injection of knowledge into the network sees entrants acquiring the required knowledge and work world skills in a relatively shorter time. Finally, the discrete and continuous analyses revealed that relatively even and continuous patterns of information flow reduce the time of reaching a steady state in the industry. We recommend a strong policy on continuous and even rates of training, a high rate of information flow such as internal and external training with the emphasis on internal training systems to gain competitive advantage.

The paramount vision of every country or sub-regions is to attain economic growth and sustainable economic growth. The paradigm drift of studies into foreign aid and sustainable economic growth has shown conflicting results that play on researchers to fill the gap of knowledge void. The plurality of studies looked at economic growth and foreign aid in single countries. However, one of the major determinants of sustainable growth such as CO2 emissions and trade goes beyond the boundaries of a country. Deductively, grouped countries or sub-regional studies are needed to ascertain the heterogeneous relationship and cross-sectional dependency among panels grouping. We fill these gaps with the recent empirical methodology to unveil the impact of foreign aid, CO2 emissions, trade openness, and energy consumption on economic growth. Thus a percentage rise in foreign aid corresponds to different significant weights in all panel groupings with exception of Southern African Development Community, which unveiled a non-significant estimate. Whereas trade openness in all panel grouping indicated a significant weight on economic growth. An increase in CO2 emissions has a significant material effect on economic growth in Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, Economic Community of West African States, and Community of Sahel-Saharan States. The impact of energy consumption on economic growth across the panel groupings was statistically significant with Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa having the highest weight impact. These results obtained in this study indicate that foreign aid, energy consumption, trade openness, and CO2 emissions are positively correlated with economic growth. Based on the finding, the significant of the policy implications suggested. (a) The need for a paradigm shift from fossil fuel sources to renewables is encouraged in the various trading blocs (b) The need to embrace carbon storage and capturing techniques to decouple pollutant emissions from economic growth on the continent's growth trajectory.

The study examined factors influencing students’ choice of programme of study at the College of Distance Education, University of Cape Coast. The study adopted the pragmatist’s approach from the positivist perspective. Specifically, the study used descriptive research design. Simple random sampling techniques were used to draw a sample of 2324 students at all levels from the 63 study centers (those offering education programmes) across all regions of Ghana. Data collection instruments were self-administered questionnaire. Survey data was analysed using descriptive statistics, specifically, frequencies and percentages. The study discovered that students’ personal interest for a particular programme, ambition or aspiration in life and credibility of the institutional certificate influence their choice of selection of a programme of study at UCC-CoDE. It was recommended that management of the College of Distance Education and all institutions running distance learning programmes should tailor curriculum of academic programmes to meet the interest and aspirations of applicants.