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This study explored the prevalence of the null curriculum in the Ghanaian basic school education system. It also sought to identify the main reasons behind teachers' omission of specific topics or experiences from the basic school curriculum. Three hundred seventy-five basic school teachers from kindergarten, primary, and junior high schools participated in the study. A 32-item self-designed questionnaire was used to collect data for the analysis. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. The study participants identified lack of resources, the problematic nature of some topics, insufficient time, and inadequate knowledge and skills as factors contributing to the prevalence of null curriculum in Ghanaian schools. The findings show that a null curriculum is prevalent in the Ghanaian basic education system. The study found no statistically significant difference between teacher characteristics (i.e., teacher status and grade level) and the reasons behind omitting some topics or experiences. Implications of the study findings for educational theory and practice are discussed.

The study explored in-service teachers' efficacy beliefs in pupil engagement. The sample size was 299 kindergarten teachers selected from both public and private kindergarten schools in the Kumasi metropolis of Ghana. The study adopted and used pupil engagement subscale of the Ohio State Teacher Efficacy Scale (OSTES) developed by Tschannen-Moran and Woolf Hoy (2001) as survey instrument. Results of the study revealed that kindergarten teachers in the Kumasi metropolis of Ghana have high efficacy beliefs in pupils' engagement. No statistically significant difference was found in the efficacy beliefs in pupil engagement of trained and untrained kindergarten teachers. The results also show that efficacy beliefs in pupil engagement among public and private kindergarten school teachers did not differ significantly. It is argued that the training background of the teachers (i.e. whether they were trained or untrained) and their institutional placement (i.e. whether they taught in a public or private school) are not essential influential factors in teachers' efficacy beliefs in pupil engagement. Implications of the findings for research and practice are discussed.

The objective of the study was to investigate kindergarten teachers' efficacy beliefs in classroom management. The sample size was 299 teachers drawn from both public and private kindergarten schools in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana. The efficacy beliefs of the teachers with respect to their classroom management practices were measured on a six-point Likert agreement survey questionnaire. Findings from the study indicated that kindergarten teachers in the study area had high efficacy beliefs in classroom management practices. No statistically significant difference was found in the efficacy beliefs in classroom management practices of trained and untrained kindergarten teachers, and of public and private kindergarten teachers. The study drew the conclusion that the professional status of the teachers (i.e. whether they were trained or untrained) and their institutional placement (i.e. whether they taught in a public or private school) were not important influential factors in the teachers' efficacy beliefs in classroom management. Recommendations for early childhood teacher education programme and research are made.

The study examined rural and urban kindergarten teachers' teaching efficacy and its implications for the implementation of the standard-based curriculum in Ghana. It also examined whether kindergarten teachers' teaching efficacy differs in terms of teaching experience. It also sought to determine the influence of gender, academic and professional qualification, job satisfaction, and teaching and learning resources on teaching efficacy. The Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) was used to collect online data from 375 kindergarten teachers drawn from rural and urban school settings. Findings from the study showed that kindergarten teachers in rural school settings reported higher levels of teaching efficacy in the area of instruction and pupil engagement than their urban counterparts. Again, rural and urban kindergarten teachers' teaching efficacy differs across the different categories of teaching experience in areas of instruction and engagement but not for classroom management. The findings further showed that job satisfaction did not influence kindergarten teachers' teaching efficacy. It is concluded that the Ghana Education Service should organize continuing professional development programmes to boost and sustain kindergarten teachers' self-efficacy in areas of instruction, classroom management, and engagement. Implications of the study's findings to research and practice are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to verify claims that water supplied by operators of tanker trucks in Cape Coast does not meet quality standards recommended for human consumption, and to investigate the sources of any contamination. Design/methodology/approach - Samples were collected from a water hydrant from which tanker operators draw water from the Ghana Water Company Limited distribution system in Cape Coast and a number of tankers sampled at random. Additional samples were taken from the premises of a patron of the tanker service and a regular customer of the Ghana Water Company Limited. All samples were subjected to physico-chemical and bacteriological analyses and the results compared with the World Health Organization's guidelines for drinking water. Findings - It was found out that water supplied by the tanker operators indeed failed to meet the World Health Organization's guidelines for some quality parameters as alleged by patrons of the service. The tanker-supplied water was found to contain high levels of Escherichia coli, colour, turbidity and total iron. This was found to arise from the management of the water hydrant and the tankers by the Ghana Water Company Limited and the tanker operators respectively. Originality/value - The study provides a basis for the set of actions that must be taken to safeguard public health and consumer confidence in drinking water supply using tankers as an emerging alternative to conventional water supply in urban centres of the developing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]