Browsing by Author "Boafo-Arthur, A."

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2023: International Student Employability: Narratives of Strengths, Challenges, and Strategies from Global South Students
(Springer, 2022) Boafo-Arthur, S.; Attah, D.; Boafo-Arthur, A.; Tsevi, L.
Studying abroad is seen as a very beneficial aspect of any study experience. And in some countries or cultures, it is expected to be a part of the path carved by any serious potential academician. With studying abroad, and the expectations of being highly employable post one's graduation, it can be quite a disappointment should one's expectations of employability, and the job market not match the reality of employment within the country of origin, or the country of sojourn. This chapter intends to examine the expectations individuals have prior to graduation, the discrepancy between that and the reality of the job market, and tentative solutions to the challenges faced. Narratives from current and former international students/study "abroaders" will be included to depict the actual experiences of these individuals and how their experiences connect to the broader issue under discussion.
Bolstering Maternity Insurance to Support Family Health of Ethnic-Minority Women under Universal Two-Child Policy: Empirical Evidence from China’s Ningxia-Hui Autonomous Region
(2020) Antwi, H.A.; Zhou, L.; Boafo-Arthur, A.; et al.
Background Despite the overwhelming feeling of great happiness, joyful excitement and rituals that heralds the arrival of a child, for too many women (especially in developing countries), child bearing is associated with suffering, ill health and even death. The need to consolidate and support women to procreate in tranquillity has inspired international and domestic agencies to harness the resources at their disposal to protect the health of women especially during pregnancy, child birth and the post-partum period. Methods The study applied a systems dynamic model to selected data to establish the influence of the universal two-child policy in China on maternity insurance fund income. The study also established sensitivity analysis of the appropriate rate of contribution to keep the fund active. Results The study revealed that increases in utilisation rate as results of increase in number of births under the universal two-child policy increased the accumulated deficit of the maternity insurance fund income in the Ningxia-Hui Autonomous Region. At the current rate, the entire fund will be depleted by the end of 2021 unless the contribution rate is increased from 0.5% to 0.75%. Conclusions Maternal health is a “sentinel event” requiring an unprecedented global resource mobilisation to safeguard the future of humanity. Thus maternity insurance schemes in China require new methods of fund raising to keep a sustainable maternity insurance fund in the region. Study also reveals that population reform is not done in isolation but require changes in the fundamental social structures to ensure its sustainability.
Changing Forms of Political Communication and Voter Choices In Ghana’s Elections, 1992-2008
(University of Ghana, 2015-07) Asah-Asante, K.; Ninsin, K. A.; Boafo-Arthur, A.; Essuman-Johnson, A.; University Of Ghana, College of Humanities, School of Social Sciences, Department of Political Science
The Fourth Republic has witnessed six successive elections, including those of 1992, 2000 and 2008, which have been examined in this thesis. In all these elections, the role of political communication has been crucial in determining voter choices. Accounting for the accretion of political communication is the liberalization of the media landscape in 1995, which led to the proliferation of radio and television stations as a complement to the explosion of newspapers after the restoration of democratic rule in 1992. In these elections, politicians have made effective use of messages and channels of communication to influence the choice of the electorate. Of the messages that have been used with great effect, those relating to the economy, development, corruption, slogans and gestures stand out. This study, which examined the changes in forms and sophistication of political communication and their ultimate influence on voter choices in the three elections, found out that messages on the economy were most important in influencing voter choices. Significant though were messages on development, corruption and in slogan and gesture, their impact was not phenomenal as the economy. Of least influence were messages on ethnicity, human rights, accountability and transparency. In this study, political rally which emerged as the most influential channels of communicating messages to voters during the three elections has exposed the limitations of the impact of traditional media channels in effectively communicating messages during elections. That said, the study has underscored the relevance of political communication in elections and identified the type of messages and appropriate channels available to politicians to communicate their messages. To influence more voters, politicians should seek expert advice in identifying issues of concern to the electorate and develop them into effective messages as well as select relevant channels to c
Determinants of Job Satisfaction among Healthcare Professionals in Ghana : A Position Paper
(International Journal of Scientific Research in Science, Engineering and Technology, 2019) Adu, E.; Li, F.; Boafo-Arthur, A.; et al.
There is a growing interest in the health professionals’ performance sustenance and work- related attitudes research. This is primarily because health professionals experience on daily basis some undesirable variables like fatigue, `well-being, stress, emotional drain, psychological need frustration and job dissatisfaction which affect performance and its sustenance. Health managers quest to resolve issues of performance sustenance, have resulted in difficulties in their attempt to motivate health professionals to be highly functional and effective to sustain performance. In a lower-middle income country like Ghana, there has not been a lot of success in this regard considering the enormity of psychological challenges and the seemingly disturbing work environment health professionals engage their services in. These continue to affect performance fundamentally because they keep experiencing negative development psychologically. Additionally, it has been documented severally in the extant literature how these negative psychological developments affect the performance of healthcare professionals which unreservedly requires a new dimension in the way work environment is managed. A gap our study intends to address through the incorporation of positive psychological capital which we seek to use in moderating the work related attitudes that has the capacity to address the negativity that has engulfed work environment among healthcare professionals.
Empirical Review Analysis of Overview of the Concept of Psychological Capital and Healthcare Employee Behaviours
(nternational Journal of Scientific Research in Science and Technology, 2019) Adu, E.; Li, F.; Boafo-Arthur, A.; et al.
The argument is made often times that anytime management shows appreciation of employee’s effort, there is a guarantee of high individual performance and job satisfaction, the lack of it, causes severe damage to the economy of the organization and the nation as a whole. The USA alone, there is a budget loss of $450 and $550 billion dollars due to job dissatisfaction, a phenomenon that transpires highly in the less developed economies especially in the health sector. The WHO reports that in the health service of sub-Saharan Africa, job dissatisfaction on the part of health professionals has been the major reason for health professional’s brain drain, which has caused the economies huge sums of money. Essentially, health institutions continue to loose health professionals who complain of dissatisfaction over job or psychological needs frustration which when not addressed, leads to counter productive work behavior that threatens the survival and sustainability of health service delivery. Indeed, the continuous survival of health institutions very much depends on the level of satisfaction employees derive from the job and work environment, which ultimately translates into performance. Research has showed that job satisfaction of health professionals for instance, is crucial for higher performance, motivation and patient satisfaction. However, extant literature reports of low job satisfaction on the part of health professionals in Ghana. This paper presents reviewed work of some authors that are related and of relevance to the study.
Endangering China's environmental health security goals through negative environmental investor behaviours
(Int J Health Plann Mgmt, 2019) Zhou, L.; Antwi, M.O.; Boafo-Arthur, A.; et al.
China sees the need to maximise its environmental health security as a major priority in its sustainable development agenda. This is at the heart of China's “ecological civilisation” and “beautiful China” dream. One of the objectives of this dream is to sensitize investors to invest in health and envi ronmental stocks to support environmental health goals. However, both the Shanghai and the Shenzhen stock mar kets continue to witness contemporaneous movement (herding behaviour) by investors from environmental stock to perceived safer stocks and this is stifling the growth of the environmental health sector due to capital deprivation. Our paper evaluates the significance and potential effect of this herding trend among environmental stocks using a collection of sophisticated econometric models namely, the state-space model, enhanced state-space model, the cross-sectional SD (CSSD) and the cross-sectional absolute deviation (CSAD). The models are used to evaluate firm-level data collected from the 80 environmental stocks indexed by the KGRM MSCI China IMI Environment 10/40 Index. Three of the models confirm the presence of endemic negative (herding) investor behaviour among environmental stocks in China and this threatens the sustainability of environmental stock capi tal to promote China's environmental health goals. We have proposed measures to ameliorate the risks posed by such negative contemporaneous investor behaviours.
Help seeking behaviors of international students: Stigma, acculturation, and attitudes towards counseling
(Global Perspectives and Local Challenges Surrounding International Student Mobility, 2015) Boafo-Arthur, S.; Boafo-Arthur, A.
International students' pursuit of education in the United States (US) is mutually beneficial to both international students and the economy of the United States. Students often experience culture shock or transitional stress upon arrival. Despite these challenges, research indicates that international students are not likely to seek professional counseling to manage or resolve their issues. In the event that they seek help they are known to prefer medical instead of psychological help. Authors in this chapter review the influence of stigma and acculturational variables on help seeking behaviors of international students. The authors also discuss implications for international students and institutions of higher education, and conclude with recommendations that may be beneficial to international students, student counseling services, and institutions of higher education in the United States. © 2016 by IGI Global. All rights reserved.
Promoting Gender Equality in Ghana: Sociocultural Factors in Perspective
(Reimagining Development Education in Africa, 2022) Ussher, Y.A.A.; Tsevi, L.; Boafo-Arthur, A.
Despite many efforts in promoting gender equality, the issue has not become obsolete. Gender inequality with respect to education continues to exist as it finds its expression in socio-cultural factors. This paper explores sociocultural factors that contribute to gender disparity with respect to education. Using semi-structured interviews, the study explores the views of university faculty members regarding sociocultural factors that affect gender educational inequality and solicit their views on interventions being implemented to promote gender equality. The findings of the study show that gendered division of labour is the predominant socio-cultural practice that promotes gender inequality with respect to education and must be reviewed using advocacy and community engagement. The authors therefore argue that unless these socio-cultural practices hegemonized in African society is done away with, gender inequality with respect to education will never become obsolete. There is therefore the need to create awareness and sensitization of the negative effects of socio-cultural practices using African indigenous knowledge and education to promote self-emancipation of females, and an agenda for education and development.
Promoting Gender Equality in Ghana: Sociocultural Factors in Perspective
(Reimagining Development Education in Africa, 2023) Ussher, Y.A.A.; Tsevi, L.; Boafo-Arthur, A.
Despite many efforts in promoting gender equality, the issue has not become obsolete. Gender inequality with respect to education continues to exist as it finds its expression in socio-cultural factors. This paper explores sociocultural factors that contribute to gender disparity with respect to education. Using semi-structured interviews, the study explores the views of university faculty members regarding sociocultural factors that affect gender educational inequality and solicit their views on interventions being implemented to promote gender equality. The findings of the study show that gendered division of labour is the predominant socio-cultural practice that promotes gender inequality with respect to education and must be reviewed using advocacy and community engagement. The authors therefore argue that unless these socio-cultural practices hegemonized in African society is done away with, gender inequality with respect to education will never become obsolete. There is therefore the need to create awareness and sensitization of the negative effects of socio-cultural practices using African indigenous knowledge and education to promote self emancipation of females, and an agenda for education and development
Reconstructing family doctors’ psychological well-being and motivation for effective performance in China: the intervening role of psychological capital
(BMC Family Practice, 2020) Xu, X.; Zhou, L.; Boafo-Arthur, A.; et al.
Background: Family practice and family doctors are critical part of China’s primary healthcare delivery in a constantly evolving society. As the first point of contact with the medical system, family practices require physically and psychologically sound and a well-motivated family doctors at all times. This is because an error can lead to loss of lives as gatekeepers of the medical system. Our study explored the extent to which positive psychological capital promotes higher performance among family doctors. Methods: A questionnaire was used to collect data from family doctors in Shanghai, Nanjing, and Beijing. We applied a structural equation analysis to analyze the causal relationship among the variables. Results: We found out that psychological well-being and job involvement significantly influences the performance of family doctors in China. The study also noted that psychological capital moderates the relationship between psychological well-being attainment, job involvement, and performance. Conclusions: Studies have shown that these pressures affect their well-being considerably. For this reason, a healthcare professional who experiences positive emotions affects the total behavior which culminates into performance.
The Sojourner’s Return: Narratives on the Re-entry Experience
(Springer Link, 2020) Boafo-Arthur, A.; Boafo-Arthur, S.; Attah, D.A.; Tsevi, L.
This chapter reflects on the re-entry experience with emphasis on the cognitive, psychological, and behavioral aspects of the experience for individuals from sub-Saharan African nations. These issues will be discussed against the backdrop of Szkudlarek’s (2010) Expectations model; Gullahorn and Gullahorn’s W-curve hypothesis; and Martin and Harrell’s (2004), Intercultural Model of re-entry. The internationalization of higher education has become a priority among many institutions of higher education. Sojourning abroad comes with related issues such as culture shock. This notwithstanding, sojourners who choose to return often report many benefits of the stay abroad experience. Likewise, returning home after being away for several years also presents other challenges as students re-adjust to their home countries.
The Sojourner’s Return: Risks and Challenges of the Study Abroad Experience on Re-Entry
(2022) Attah, D.A.; Boafo-Arthur, S.; Boafo-Arthur, A.
Thousands of students are participating in study abroad programs, which is a major decision that could alter the life of a student and shape his/her future. It is important, therefore, to carefully weigh the options that come with being an international student. This chapter explores the history of study abroad, students’ study abroad experiences, and the benefits of these programs. Study abroad benefits include personal growth, intercultural development, and career attainment. Educators consistently assert that a significant part of the studying abroad experience is training future global leaders to be more effective and efficient, respecting the diversities of people and cultures, including political and economic systems, and the willingness to take a stand for the world’s welfare. Following this, the re-entry experiences of students who return to their home countries at the end of their studies are examined with respect to the physical, social, and psychological risks that student returnees are faced with.
The Sojourner's return: Risks and challenges of the study abroad experience on re-entry
(Study Abroad Contexts for Enhanced Foreign Language Learning, 2018-04) Attah, D.A.; Boafo-Arthur, S.; Boafo-Arthur, A.
Thousands of students are participating in study abroad programs, which is a major decision that could alter the life of a student and shape his/her future. It is important, therefore, to carefully weigh the options that come with being an international student. This chapter explores the history of study abroad, students' study abroad experiences, and the benefits of these programs. Study abroad benefits include personal growth, intercultural development, and career attainment. Educators consistently assert that a significant part of the studying abroad experience is training future global leaders to be more effective and efficient, respecting the diversities of people and cultures, including political and economic systems, and the willingness to take a stand for the world's welfare. Following this, the re-entry experiences of students who return to their home countries at the end of their studies are examined with respect to the physical, social, and psychological risks that student returnees are faced with.
Strategies and Initiatives in Acculturation: Voices from Ghana
(Kent Academic Repository, 2017) Boafo-Arthur, S.; Attah, D.A.; Boafo-Arthur, A.; Akoensi, T.D.
Culture shock and acculturation are salient aspects of any international study trip. Over the years, many institutions have devised several strategies to help international students transition to life in the host country. However, most of these strategies are insensitive to diverse cultural or country specifics. Drawing from Social Learning Theory, this paper provides narratives from four former students from the West African country of Ghana and how they navigated the process of acculturation in their respective host nations. The narratives discuss their feelings during the study abroad trip, some of the challenges they faced, and personal as well as institutional strategies that aided in ameliorating the experience of culture shock. A few recommendations for Student Affairs Practitioners are also provided.