College of Education
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Item Towards Social Justice Consciousness in Ghana’s Higher Education: Revisiting the Thoughts of Nkrumah and Nyerere(Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 2021) Amuzu, D.This article revisits the thoughts of Kwame Nkrumah and Julius Nyerere on decolonizing higher education in Africa. Their critique of colonial higher education centers on the notion that it was designed to promote the economic aspirations of the colonial metropolis, making it socially unjust, culturally irrelevant, and developmentally inapt. For redemption, African universities should align with the aspirations of their societies and promote African cultural consciousness. Their value-laden thoughts are classified into themes, discussed, and consequently recommended as ideas for policy considerations because they are yet to firmly influence Ghana’s higher education policy framework despite their relevance. The themes are: liberating the African mind; nurturing African character; owning the African narrative; and the essence of knowledge.Item Assessing Quality Assurance Practices in Institutions of Higher Learnings(International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 2019) Dei, D.G.J.In the effort to globalize higher education services and embark on innovative knowledge production and dissemination aimed at fitting into the global scheme, quality assurance becomes the sine qua non. Quality assurance (QA) provides the tools and direction to improve the quality of knowledge created, stored, and shared at institutions of higher learning. This study assesses the development and practice of QA in institutions of higher learning (IHLs) in Ghana. The mixed research method was used to collect data from staff and officers of institutions of higher learning who are directly involved in ensuring quality in the institutions. Six (6) IHLs participated in this study. The results indicated a generally higher degree of awareness and understanding of the concept of QA at the institutions as all of them have a QA department. The institutions are putting in more effort to ensure quality by carrying out internal assessments as there are available policies and strategies aimed at ensuring quality at the institutions. This led to high service quality at the institutions except for the College of Health. Besides, the focused areas quality at the institutions: stated vision, mission; governance structure; statutes and conditions of service; academic and programs; clean and siren environment; staffing; and library, technology, and information services. Despite these, the study established that the quality assurance units of the institutions lacked the necessary resources (technology, library, staff, laboratories, etc) for effective quality assurance activities.Item Schooling and Education in Ghana: Research Conversations(Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 2021) Amponsah, S.; Kyei-Blankson, L.Ghana, a former British colony, known as the Gold Coast, is located in the West Africa, south of the Sahara. With a current population estimation of 30 million and a functional adult literacy rate of 79% (Macrotrends, 2021; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO] Institute for Statistics, 2020), eradicating illiteracy and dealing with issues affecting schooling and education in this country has always been at the forefront of academic dialogue and governmental policies.Item Internet Usage and its effect on Senior High School Students in Bantama Sub-Metro in Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana(2021) Kwaah, C.O.; Ankrah, E.; Frimpong, A.D.; et al.The internet has become the fountain of information access for senior high school students and academics. Poor telecommunication infrastructure, difficulties in accessing relevant information, inadequate computers, high cost of bundles, system failure, low internet bandwidth, and power fluctuation are some challenges Senior High students face in their quest to access information on the internet. The study sought to determine internet usage and its effect on students of three Senior High schools in the Bantama Sub-Metro in the Kumasi Metropolis. The study adopted the survey research design, and the quantitative research approach was used; hence questionnaires were the main instrument employed for data collection. A total of 360 students were conveniently sampled from three selected Senior High schools. From the results, it was found that students accessed information on the internet prominently for communication, recreation, and learning. The public internet café was the highest point of internet access followed by the home and availability of computer laboratories in the schools. However, confirming the effects on students regarding the use of the internet, the students were given limited hours to access information and different internet infrastructure in the schools. The majority of the students rated the internet access in their school computer laboratories as poor. By implication, Administrators and parents should adopt safety measures to monitor the internet content used by students, educating students on how to access and use information from the internet, provision of more computers in the school's laboratories, and high bandwidth to access the internet.Item Information Systems Evaluation in Ghanaian Academic Libraries Using DandM IS Success Model(Library Philosophy and Practice, 2021) Ocloo, P.E.D.; King, L.The use of Information Systems (ISS) has been widely accepted and proven to increase service quality in many organizations. Academic libraries have embraced the use of ISs and have implemented them to perform different activities. The efficient utilization and management of ISs in libraries will help libraries derive maximum benefit from adopted ISs. The researchers therefore used the DeLone and McLean IS success theory to determine the impact of IS management on the quality of the IS and the use of the IS. The researchers solicited responses using questionnaires from all the staff members who use any electronic system in libraries that were purposively selected. The research revealed that the management of ISs affects the quality thereof. The quality of ISs affects use, and use affects the benefits gained from use.Item Use Of Social Media By Leaders Of Charismatic Churches In Ghana(Library Philosophy and Practice, 2021) Animante, M.A.; Akussah, H.; Darko-Adjei, N.This study examined the use of social media platforms by leaders of the Charismatic Churches in Ghana. This study is germane in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic where churches are embracing social media platforms to supplement conventional face-to-face church meetings. The study was conducted within the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) framework. A questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data from a sample size of 152 respondents. Also, 2 head pastors and their deputies, as well as 2 IT personnel, were interviewed. The study found a high level of awareness of social media platforms adopted by the churches for running their day-to-day activities through their departmental heads and church leaders. Also, the study found that the two churches had documented policies for guiding the use of the adopted social media for running the church's activities. Also, the study arrived at a positive perception towards the adopted social media platforms, and as such, the church leaders found the social media platforms very useful. This finding confirms the preposition of the TAM where perceived usefully increases the extent of platform use. Also, the absence of a functional dedicated help desk to support and facilitate the use of the platforms appeared to be the most critical challenge. The study recommended that orientation on social media use should be intensified in the churches, training of users, and strengthening of policies on the use of social media in the two churches, should be given priority attention.Item Categories of Stress Among Librarians in Public Universities: The Causes and Effects(Library Philosophy and Practice, 2021) Kodua-Ntim, K.; Adjei, E.; Akussah, H.The study aimed to investigate the causes and effects of stress encountered by library staff of the University of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and University of Cape Coast and the various categories of stress. Using purposive, simple random, and convenience sampling techniques, the researcher sampled 153 respondents from UG, KNUST, and UCC to respond to the questionnaire and interview questions. Descriptive statistics (Means and Standard Deviation), inferential statistics (Multiple Regression and ANOVA) were used for the quantitative analysis while content thematic analysis was used for the qualitative analysis. The study among other things found that poor administrative support, lack of support systems, lack of in-service training and inadequate resources, anxiety and frustration, staff conflict, ill-health, and smoking and drinking were the major causes of stress among public university library staff in Ghana. However, it was revealed that library staff also adopt numerous coping strategies such as taking time off work and leave, positive thinking, building strong human relationships, and going for counseling in an attempt to manage their stress. It was recommended that universities institute proactive guidance and counseling measures, strong social support systems, and compensation for additional work.Item African Women, Technology and ICTs(The Palgrave Handbook of African Women's Studies, 2019) Frimpong Kwapong, O.A.T.Technology has much to offer women in their public and private lives. In view of this, the Strategic Development Goal (SDG) 5b seeks to utilize enabling technology, particularly information and communications technology, to empower women. Through a desk review, this chapter looked at the position of African women in the development, deployment, and utilization of technology in the broad sense with a special focus on information and communication technology. Factors that inhibit women’s full utilization of technology and some policy directives have also been enumerated in the chapter. Various interventions in the area of women and technologies have yielded results. African women are not only users of technology but also breaking through as developers in the technology space. Despite infrastructural and socio-economic challenges, women in Africa are capable of harnessing the full potential of technology to improve their lives. They should therefore be perceived as such and be supported accordingly.Item Analysis of Ghanaian teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education(International Journal of Inclusive Education, 2018) Butakor, P.K.; Ampadu, E.; Suleiman, S.J.Social and inclusive education as captured under the Sustainable Development Goals enjoined most countries to implement policies to bring about education for all students. Inclusive education recognises that students come from diverse backgrounds with varied characteristics, which include different learning capacities and cognitive development. The purpose of this study was to examine Ghanaian teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education. The Multidimensional Attitudes Toward Inclusive Education Scale (MATIES) developed by [Mahat, M. 2008. “The Development of a Psychometrically Sound Instrument to Measure Teachers’ Multidimensional Attitudes toward Inclusive Education.” International Journal of Special Education 23: 82–92.] was administered to 280 selected teachers in Ghana. The results of Confirmatory Factor Analysis revealed that the three-factor structure of the MATIES theorised by [Mahat, M. 2008. “The Development of a Psychometrically Sound Instrument to Measure Teachers’ Multidimensional Attitudes toward Inclusive Education.” International Journal of Special Education 23: 82–92] was not supported by the Ghanaian sample. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a correlated four-factor solution. These four factors were labelled Behavioural, Affective, Positive Beliefs, and Negative Beliefs. The reliability coefficients for these four subscales were 0.90. 0.86, 0.77, and 0.73, respectively. Analysis of variance revealed that males exhibited more negative beliefs towards inclusive education than females; more experienced teachers exhibited lower behavioural attitudes than their counterparts with less teaching experience.Item “It Began With A Dm”: A Study Of Young Ghanaian Twitter Users’ Search For Intimacy Online(University Of Ghana, 2020-07) Asare, N.A.G.Recent statistics have shown a rapid growth in the use of social networking sites among Africa’s youth (Ngwainmbi, 2017). The increasing popularity of these sites highlights how social networking sites have gradually become a place of convergence (Hughes and Palen, 2009), making these sites powerful social intermediaries which mediate how people meet, maintain and negotiate their relationships. This study sought to explore how young Ghanaian adults use Twitter for self-presentation, to create, negotiate, and maintain their intimate relationships, to express their sexual agency and to redefine the traditional codes of intimacy by drawing on the theory of impression management. Using in-depth interviews conducted with 12 young Ghanaian Twitter users, the study found out that young Ghanaian Twitter users use the tool in very similar ways to negotiate their online-based intimate relationships. The findings revealed that Twitter has different implications for how relationships at different stages of evolution are conducted and is enabling a change in the way love and intimate relationships are conducted traditionally.