Lectures and Speeches
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Item Stressors and Coping Strategies: The case of Teacher Education Students at University of Ghana(University of Ghana, 2020-02-26) Amponsah, K.D.; Ampadu, E.This research examined the stressors that teacher education students of the University of Ghana usually encounter and the coping stratagems that they frequently embrace. Random sampling technique was employed to select 270 second- and third-year undergraduate students in 2018/2019 academic year to answer a survey questionnaire with closed-ended and open-ended questions. Dental Environmental Stress (DES) questionnaire on stressors was adapted whereas coping stratagems that might be utilised by students to minimise stress was measured using an adapted form of the Brief COPE. The outcomes of the research revealed that ‘working to meet scholastic requirements’, ‘inadequate supply of power and water in halls’, and ‘changes in eating and sleeping habits’, were three major stressors experienced by teacher education students. Furthermore, learners utilised numerous approaches, such as praying or meditating, and self-diverting actions as coping strategies. Learners also used more adaptive coping strategies, than maladaptive and avoidance coping strategies. Overall, resident students were found to be more stressed than non-resident students. Again, this study revealed that resident students are more prayerful and easily get help and advice from lecturers or teaching assistants but deeply averse with substance abuse such as using tobacco/ alcohol/ drug to feel better compared with their non-resident counterparts. It was recommended that the Department of Teacher Education should establish a counselling centre to assign academic counsellors to learners and organise frequent stress management programmes for them.Item The influence of Senior High School Student Factors and Teacher-Student Interaction on Student Performance in Mathematics in the Cape Coast Metropolis(2018-03-21) Awoniyi, F.; Ampadu, E.A total of 3,342 eleventh graders of 69 intact classes were randomly chosen along with their 57 teachers from ten public Senior High Schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis. The research employed a sequential explanatory mixed methods design. Four research instruments namely questionnaires, observation schedule, interview guides and achievement test were used to collect the data. The data collected from quantitative sources were analysed using inferential statistics and frequency counts. While those collected from interviews were analysed qualitatively and presented as narrative with some examples. Findings revealed that the variables: student anxiety, student attitude, student motivation and teacher-student relationship jointly explained 19% of the variance in achievement scores and attitude emerged as salient predictors of student achievement in mathematics and the sub constructs of the four variables collectively explained 44% of the variance in achievement scores. The implications of the results for the teaching and learning of mathematics are discussed.Item Using Structural Equation Modelling to Examine Predictors of Teachers’ Work Engagement in Ghana(2018-10-24) Butakor, P.K.; Ampadu, E.The role and engagement of teachers has been an issue of interest to educational researchers in Ghana lately following the abysmal performance of Ghanaian students in national examinations. This is based on the assumption that the more teachers are actively engaged with teaching and learning environment, the better the performance of students. The purpose of the study was to examine the causal relationship between teachers emotional intelligence, job satisfaction, professional identity, and work engagement. And to achieve this purpose, a questionnaire consisting of four scales was administered to 260 teachers selected from the Adentan Municipal in the Greater Accra Region. Exploratory Factor Analysis, Structural Equation Modelling, and univariate statistical analyses were employed to analyse the data. Results of the analyses established that job satisfaction mediated the relationship between teachers’ emotional intelligence and work engagement. The findings also revealed that emotional intelligence positively affected professional identity directly and indirectly through job satisfaction. It was revealed that female teachers exhibited more professional identity and were more satisfied than their male counterparts. The study concluded with the recommendation that for Ghanaian teachers to be actively engaged with their job, they should be provided with the opportunity to develop and improve their emotional intelligence. It was also recommended that a module on emotional intelligence be included in the curriculum for training pre-service teachers.Item Instructional Practices, Barriers to Quality Teaching and Status of Physical Education in Public Primary Schools(2019-09-18) Ampadu, E.; Donkor, S.K.The study examined 1) instructional practices of teachers and regularity of teaching PE 2) adequacy of teacher education for teaching PE 3) status of PE as a school subject and 4) barriers to effective teaching of PE in the public primary schools of Volta Region, Ghana. The study design was cross-sectional descriptive survey. Multistage sampling technique yielded a sample of 636 subjects out of estimated population of 9,165 from six randomly sampled districts in the Volta Region of Ghana. Validated and reliable self-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Pre-data analyses were performed to clean data from probable errors during data entering. All data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS for Windows, Version 17). The study found that a large number of teachers do not follow prescriptions of lesson time table for teaching PE in the public primary schools, neither do they regularly teach PE, write lesson notes, attend workshops nor get supervised. According to the study, most teachers of public primary schools received inadequate knowledge in PE before starting professional carrier as teachers of PE. In comparison with other curricular subjects such english, maths and science, most teachers rated PE as having lower status as a school subject. From the study, an increase in the quality of teacher education programme in PE was associated with a corresponding increase in the frequency at which PE lessons were taught while a decrease in the quality of teacher education programme in PE was associated with an increase in teacher-related barriers to effective teaching of PE in public primary schools. It was recommended that Ghana Education Service (GES) and schools should liaise to supply and improvise teaching resources, create opportunities for workshops/professional development for teachers in public primary schools.Item Biology, Behaviours, T2DM and Hypertension among Young Adults in Accra, Ghana(2017-10-18) Assasie, E.; Ampadu, E.Non-communicable chronic diseases (NCD) are a principal cause of death and disability globally. Ghana is in the middle of lifestyle transition and has a high prevalence of risk factors that contribute to the onset of NCDs. Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension are among the most common NCDs. This research examines the links between lifestyle factors (nutrition, alcohol, smoking, sedentary behaviour and physical activity) with T2DM, hypertension, and hyperlipidaemia status, among a group of young adults from the Greater Accra region of Ghana. A population-based sample of 117 participants aged 18 to 35 years were recruited. Data on anthropometric parameters (height, weight, skinfolds and several circumferences), blood pressure, and biomarkers (fasting plasma glucose/OGTT, and serum lipids- total cholesterol and triglycerides) were taken. Physical activity levels were subjectively and objectively measured with the IPAQ and actigraph respectively. Questionnaire data on demographic characteristics, dietary behavior, smoking, and alcohol consumption were also included in the analysis. There were no cases of T2DM and hyperglycaemia. Moreover, rates of systolic (3.3%) and diastolic (1.8%) hypertension were low. However; systolic pre-hypertension and diastolic pre-hypertension prevalence was 25.7% and 6.8% respectively. High cholesterol prevalence was 21.7 % and total elevated triglyceride prevalence 20.9%. Smoking prevalence was minimum (1.7%) compared to alcohol consumption (37.1%). Adiposity measures were high with 37.6% overweight/obesity and 21.4% central obesity prevalence. The actigraph results revealed that participants spent more than 73% of their time sedentary.Item Proposing a Contextual Approach to Pre-School Teacher Education in Ghana(2017-03-27) Nyarko, N.Y.; Ampadu, E.Efforts of Ghanaian Universities and Colleges of Education in training pre-school teachers have been found inadequate and unable to meet their training needs. As a result, other private and non-governmental organisations have been contributing to the education of early childhood practitioners, although on pilot basis. Currently, most pre-school teachers remain untrained. Using the Cultural Historical Activity Theory as a Framework, this paper proposes a contextual approach to pre-school teacher education using radio as a training tool for teachers. The radio is easily accessible, handy, far reaching to remote rural settlements (than the internet) and low in cost. It is suggested that as in other community radio efforts it should be localised so the community ‘runs’ their own stations. Specific programmes should be devoted to topics on child development, child survival, early childhood pedagogy and other practical issues relevant to pre-school classrooms. This presentation concludes by suggesting periodic community (of stakeholders) meetings to form a support group.