Department of Adult Education and Human Resource Studies

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    Afrophobia, “black on black” violence and the new racism in South Africa: the nexus between adult education and mutual co-existence
    (Cogent Social Sciences, 2022) Addae, D.; Quan-Baffour, K.P.
    Black South Africans have been widely described in the popular media as having anti-foreigner sentiments, particularly towards African migrants in the country. Anchored on labels such as “makwerekwere” (a derogatory word used to describe African migrants in the country) and “foreigners”, such sentiments have Unfortunately, this resulted in waves of violent attacks on African migrants, leading to loss of lives and properties. These actions have been described as being “Afrophobic”, “Black on Black” violence, and a new form of racism in South Africa. We contend that these vices cannot be divorced from the history of Apartheid, which fostered a system of fear of and mistrust for other foreign African nationals through isolating black South Africans from the international community. In this paper, we employ Kenneth Waltz’s levels of analysis as an analytical framework to examine the conceptualisations of Afrophobia, “black on black” violence and the so-called new racism in South Africa. Using Bronwyn Harris’ thematic classifications of the Using various hypotheses of the causes of xenophobia, we analyse the rationale behind the increasing anti-migrant tendencies of black South Africans. Going beyond this analysis, the paper examines how adult education could help promote tolerance and co-existence between South Africans and foreign nationals
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    Engaging Students Online: Readiness of Lecturers to Use Learning Management System (LMS) at a Technical Vocational Education and Training College
    (Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 2022) Munyaradzi, M.; Addae, D.; Dichaba, M.M.
    Higher education institutions worldwide have embraced remote learning as a response to restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in in the imposition of stay-at-home protocols. While this shift from conventional face-to-face mode to remote learning platforms represents a notable innovation in education circles, we contend that implementing online learning in these times requires faculty to be adequately prepared to use online tools to facilitate learning among students effectively. In this case, a study conducted at a vocational college, a rural community college in South Africa: we explore the readiness of lecturers (N = 15) to use an institutionally designed Learning Management System (henceforth referred to as MLMS) to engage their students in learning. The study revealed that the participants were largely unprepared to use the MLMS for teaching. This lack of readiness was influenced by the poor MLMS design, lack of user experience, and inadequate technological resources for lecturers and learners. It emerged from the findings of this paper that the MLMS needs upgrading to improve its effectiveness for online and teaching purposes. The findings suggest that the college should seek the buy-in of lecturers by providing them with further training on the use of the MLMS
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    Continuing professional development (CPD) at a distance: Teachers’ reflections on enhancing distance education (DE) provision
    (International Journal of Educational Research Open, 2024) Abakah, E.; Addae, D.; Amuzu, D.
    In Ghana, continuing professional development (CPD) initiatives for teachers are fragmented, with limited participation opportunities for all subject teachers, resulting in a high reliance on distance education (DE) programs. This qualitative study investigates teachers’ experiences with DE upgrading programs and their thoughts on improving. Data was gathered from 32 participants in the Ekumfi district of Ghana. The findings show that, despite the constraints, teachers in Ghana are taking an agentic stance in using DE for their profes sional development. However, while DE programs provide reliable paths to updating professional knowledge, they are insufficient as a CPD tool to assist teachers’ learning for improvements in classroom practice. Teachers’ DE experiences reveal a rigid program structure with content that is unreflective of current educational concerns and the utilization of didactic teaching and learning approaches. These are detrimental to active learning and unlikely to result in effective teacher improvement. To strengthen DE as an effective CPD tool in Ghana, the study recommends regularizing other CPD avenues, revising DE upgrading programs for teachers, and systematising mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating teachers’ competencies before and afterDE participation.
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    Tackling the legislative underrepresentation of women in Ghana: Empowerment strategies for broader gender parity
    (Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 2023) Awusi, M.; Addae, D.; Kwapong, O.A.T.F.
    The question of women’s legislative underrepresentation is an enduring problem which continues to garner considerable scholarly attention all over the world. Whereas the burgeoning literature on the subject has largely focused on impediments to gender parity in representation in parliament, the interest of this paper is somewhat different. In an effort to make an original contribution to the discourse, the starting point of this paper is the argument that women can be politically empowered to achieve greater representation in parliament. Conse quently, in this paper – which draws on empowerment theory as theoretical lens – we present a snapshot of the views of 22 women parliamentarians from Ghana, with the aim to exploring empowerment strategies for attaining greater gender parity in representation in the legislature. They emphasize the importance of affirmative action policies, funding, inclusive political party structures, education, and societal re-socialisation in addressing women’s legislative underrepresentation in Ghana. These findings may have some important implications for the nature and scope of interventions targeted at women for the purpose of promoting an inclusive political environment.
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    Effectiveness of Student Psychological Support Services at a Technical and Vocational Education and Training College in South Africa
    (Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 2019) Munyaradzi, M.; Addae, D.
    In this case study research, the effectiveness of psychological support services rendered to students at a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college in South Africa is explored. Using the systems theory of psychology, the article postulates that students at TVET colleges encounter a myriad of psychological challenges, which can adversely affect their academic success. From an interpretivist paradigmatic standpoint, a sample of 30 students was purposively selected to participate in focus group interviews. It was found out that psychological support services improved students’ academic performances, attendance, retention, and also enhanced college certification rate. It is recommended that institution need to establish linkages with key stakeholders such as the Departments of Higher Education and Training and Health, psychological professional bodies, and other TVET colleges in order to create a platform for sharing vital information on psychological support to students.
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    PhD Students’ Perceptions of Research Seminars in Doctoral Education: A Case Study
    (Cogent Education, 2023) Addae, D.; Kwapong, O.A.T.F.
    There is no doubt that supervision plays a significant role in doctoral education. Supervisors have a fiduciary responsibility for guiding their supervisees throughout their doctoral research and theses writing journeys. In recent times however, many doctoral education programmes have adopted a collegial support system for doctoral students by introducing students’ research seminars to sup plement traditional supervision. Research seminars offer both students and faculty the opportunity to engage in scholarly dialogue aimed at improving the former’s research and thesis. Although such seminars have become commonplace in many doctoral education programmes worldwide, little research exist on students’ per ceptions of research seminars in doctoral learning. In this paper, we contribute to the literature by exploring the perceptions of 12 PhD students from a University in Ghana about research seminars and their usefulness in doctoral education. The findings indicate that the students perceived research seminars in doctoral educa tion as spaces evoking manifold purposes—constructive advice; discrediting stu dents’ work; varied views; and “muffling” students’ voices. Furthermore, the students’ perceptions of the usefulness of research seminars in their learning were trifocal in scope—research and thesis writing, presentation skills, and confidence building. The paper makes some recommendations for improving research seminars in doctoral education for the purpose of enhancing collegial learning.
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    The Pedagogical Value of the Lecture Method: The Case of a Non-Formal Education Programme in Ghana
    (Africa Education Review, 2018) Addae, D.; Quan-Baffour, K.
    Adult learning rests on the foundation of learner experience and involvement in the teaching and learning process. The methods employed in facilitating adult learning have to a large extent sought to place the learner at the centre of the entire teaching and learning encounter. The lecture method is one of the many methods used to facilitate learning in many educational programmes. This article reports on a study that posed the question: How effective is the lecture method in facilitating learning in non-formal adult education programmes? The case study design was used for the study. The National Functional Literacy Programme of Ghana was purposively selected for this investigation. Two classes in the programme comprising 10 adult learners and one facilitator each were purposively selected as sample for the study. It was found that the lecture method was ineffective in promoting learning in non-formal adult education programmes in Ghana since it failed to stimulate the comprehension of subject matter and learner involvement in class activities.
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    Lifelong education trajectories and futures in Ghana: issues of policy, ideology and practice
    (International Journal of Lifelong Education, 2022) Tagoe, M.; Addae, D.; Amuzu, D.
    This paper examined lifelong education and learning trajectories and issues of policy, ideology and practice that have underpinned the imple mentation of adult literacy and adult learning education strategies within a lifelong learning perspective in Ghana. Using documentary analysis, the paper noted that although the concept of lifelong education/learning has been used in some national development documents and educational policies, Ghana has no national policy on lifelong learning. The paper found that multilateral and bilateral organisations have influenced the direction and strategies captured in the national development documents and educational policies. The paper found that recommendations from International Conferences on Adult Education have often had very little influence on these national policy texts. For Ghana to be able to provide opportunities for lifelong learning for all there is the need for a vision of lifelong learning that is situated in the present and looks into the future. Ghana must work towards building a culture of lifelong learning. Policymakers need to understand that lifelong learning cannot be achieved when there are no clear-cut policies on adult literacy and adult learning and education, which are all critical components of lifelong learning. The learning needs of the youth and adults have to be given recognition in national development documents and educational policies.
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    Role of community colleges and other TVET institutions in advancing sustainable development by supporting access, diversity, and inclusion for nontraditional student populations
    (Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, 2023) Raby, R.L.; Legusov, O.; Addae, D.; et al.
    The Sustainable Development Goals link access to higher education, parti cularly for non-traditional populations, as a way to fight poverty and ensure prosperity. This article examines the experiences of several under-researched categories of non-traditional students who attend Community Colleges and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges in multiple jurisdictions worldwide. The article begins to fill in the gap with comparative data on how these institutions advance equity, diversity, and inclusion through access to higher education. The implications of Community Colleges and TVET are analyzed using the lens of Neo-Liberalism and the Capabilities Narrative. The study extends the scope of the inquiry into the contributions these institutions make to sustainable development. The arti cle uses a comparative multi-case study approach to examine the Community Colleges and TVET Colleges in different jurisdictions worldwide.
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    Online student engagement in times of emergency: Listening to the voices of students
    (E-Learning and Digital Media, 2022) Addae, D.
    The closure of schools and colleges worldwide, as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown and stay-at home protocols, were timely actions given the surge in infection rates. It became immediately necessary for innovative strategies to be put in place to engage students while they remained at home. In Ghana, many traditional universities adopted the use of online learning tools to promote learning amongst their students during this period of uncertainty. In this exploratory case study, I explore the experiences of final year undergraduate students (N = 18) in the University of Ghana with the intention of examining: (1) the various strategies adopted by lecturers to engage students in online learning during this time when they were at home; (2) the challenges the students expe rienced; and (3) the students’ views on ways of promoting effective student online learning en gagement during future emergencies. Three strategies were identified by the students as being used by the lecturers for online learning engagement, namely videoconferencing, use of discussion boards, and use of regular assignments. It was found that the students experienced manifold engagement challenges in online learning including data and network problems, technical difficulties, assessment overload, as well as administrative issues. In order to ensure effective student online learning engagement in future national emergencies, it was suggested that resources such as internet facilities should be made available to students; assessment load should be reduced while interactive and active online learning engagement strategies are prioritized; and administrative support should be offered to students. The study’s findings have significant implications for the planning, design and the implementation of online learning programmes in higher education.