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Assessment of Senior High School students’ earthquake risk perception on their metacognition in Weija-Gbawe Municipality, Ghana
Get PDFMetacognition studies have focused on the self-awareness, learning process, and outcomes of students, but how earthquake risk perception affects Senior High School students' metacognition is understudied. This study assessed Senior High School (SHS) students' earthquake risk perception and its effects on their metacognition in the Weija-Gbawe Municipality, Ghana. The study used a questionnaire to collect data from 219 students proportionally from three (3) SHS (Ansong Senior High School, Pentecost Vocational Training Institute, and Royals Senior High Schools). Data processing and analysis techniques employed were exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and path analysis respectively. Results showed a high earthquake risk perception among Senior High School students in Weija-Gbawe Municipality. Also, students' risk perception dimensions like anxiety, uncontrollability and exposure statistically significantly affected metacognition. Therefore, the study concludes that, exposure affects senior high school students' earthquake risk perception. In view of this, the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) and Ghana Education Service are advised by the study to provide counseling sessions for students as well as earthquake disaster risk awareness programmes for students. The study contributes to literature by providing link between earthquake risk perception and metacognitive functioning among Senior High School students
Old wine in new bottles: changes in dirge performance among the Akpini of Ghana
Get PDFDeath is a necessary end to human life! It is a painful experience for bereaved families. It causes shock, pain, destabilization, confusion and anger. It separates families from their loved ones. It sends people to the other world. Indeed, the pain of losing a loved one to death is difficult to bear. To ease this pain, dirges play a key role. The performance of dirges has been part of funeral rites in many Ghanaian societies, including the Akpini of the Volta Region. Dirges comfort bereaved families for losing their loved ones; inform the audience about the deceased’s new status; and give hope that the deceased is resting in the afterlife. More importantly, dirges are a means of understanding how a people perceive life and death. This paper explores the performance of dirges among the Akpini of the Volta Region. It examines the nature and importance of dirges among the people. It particularly examines various changes that have occurred in the performance of dirges from the earliest times to the present. Certain aspects of the performance, including the performers, instrumentation and song texts have undergone transformation. The paper argues that such changes have become imminent since the Akpini people continue to interact with the outside environment, and have also been affected by such factors as colonization, Christianity and globalization. At the same time, certain aspects of the performance have resisted change. The dirge performers have been able to adapt to the changes to create a genre that differs from the original form. They believe, however, that the new genre still performs the functions of the original form. The paper concludes that while these changes will continue, some aspects of the performance will persist for a long time, if not forever
Navigating Career Choices: How Parental and Counsellor Guidance Shape Ghanaian Postgraduate Students' Decisions
No full textThe study explores the impact of parental influence and career counselling on career choice. The data were collected from 103 postgraduate students from universities in the Tema and Accra metropolises using a survey questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis was employed to analyse the data and test the hypotheses. The results indicate that career counselling, career choice, and parental influence significantly influenced their lifestyle. Career counselling had a positive impact on career choice. Moreover, the study highlights the importance of career guidance and counselling in helping postgraduate students make informed career decisions. The results have significant implications for policymakers, educators, and career counsellors who aim to promote career development among postgraduate students. It is recommended that career counselling services be made readily available to postgraduate students and that parents and guardians be encouraged to play a more active role in supporting and guiding their
children's career decisions
BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL PROBLEMS AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN SELECTED SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS IN ACCRA
No full textThis study explores the impact of biopsychosocial issues on academic performance among Senior High School students in Accra. Recognizing that academic challenges often stem from biological, psychological, and social factors, the research aimed to identify specific problems affecting student performance and how these can be managed. Utilizing a survey method, the study involved 200 students from four different schools, examining their views on the relationship between these biopsychosocial problems and academic outcomes. Findings indicated that drug abuse, particularly of substances like weed and cocaine, significantly contributes to poor academic performance, while stress also detracts from students' success. The study advocates for the employment of counsellors at all educational levels to address these challenges effectively and enhance academic achievement
Exploration of Parenting Issues and Teenage Digital Misuse of Internet in Nigeria: Implication on Education
No full textUnprecedented teenage access to modern technology and digital deficiencies among parents has generated numerous vices caused by digital misuse. Digital misuses ranging from internet slangs, excessive video game usage to internet fraud that eventually culminate to e-cheating is gradually in vogue. In a bid to check these digital excesses, this study sought to explore the relationship and perception of parents to digital misuse of digital internet devices possible educational defects. The research design adopted was a descriptive survey research design, a questionnaire through stratified random was administered on one hundred and twenty respondents. Data was analyzed through Multiple Regression and finding revealed that digital misuse has several educational defects. Consequently, the digital gap between the parents and teenagers is pronounced, as most parents are dormant in learning and updating knowledge and skills of using the Internet. While the teenagers regularly update their skills online. The need for massive sensitization and mechanism to curb digital misuse was recommended. Digitally, parents should be trained to acquire contemporary skills needed in checking and curbing digital misuse among teenagers. This will help to ameliorate digital misuse from gradually eroding Nigeria educational and social values
PREVALENCE OF COHABITATION AND ITS IMPLICATION ON UNDERGRADUATES’ ACADEMIC ATTAINMENT AT TAI SOLARIN UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, OGUN STATE, NIGERIA
No full textThe conscious attitudinal constructs termed “cohabitation” that is displayed by students in tertiary made two people to romantically choose to live together without making formal commitment of marriage. The study x-rayed cohabitation among the undergraduate students of Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun Ogun State; and specifically identified factors that are responsible for cohabitation among undergraduate students, related implications caused by cohabitation among undergraduate, various challenges facing cohabiting undergraduate students, and proffered remedies to the implication caused by cohabitation of undergraduate students. The study employed the use of descriptive study to afford access to considerable number of respondents. Four hundred and fifty (450) respondents comprising both male and female students were randomly selected from various colleges and departments for the study. Structured questionnaire with 20 items was used to elicit response from the participants. Descriptive statistical instruments (frequency counts, simple percentages and mean) were employed to analyse the data
collected. The study established that conscious and unconscious attitudinal construct (cohabitation) displayed by students in the course of their short stay pursuing academic endavour derails their academic attainments psychologically, and cause great havoc to their wellbeing. Lack of strict rules formulated that are against cohabitation, sexual freedom, inadequate, high cost of hostel accommodation and relevant infrastructural facilities are some of the factors that are responsible for
cohabitation among students. Among other recommendations, available, affordable and befitting accommodation should be provided for all students by government and non-governmental organizations
Development, Evolution, and Implementation of Teachers Professional Standards: A Systematic Review of the Literature
No full textThe publication of examination scores from the Programme for International Students Assessment and the associated public discourses on which countries perform excellently and which ones do not have raised questions about teacher quality across the globe. Professional Teaching Standards have been suggested, designed, and implemented worldwide in varied shapes. Some have argued that Teachers’ Professional Standards increase teacher quality, which translates into an improvement in students’ learning achievement. Professional Teaching Standards are viewed by many as part of the solution to the current deficit in global education and learning. This paper,
therefore, examines the evolution, development, implementation and impact of Professional Teaching Standards on the learning outcomes of students. The desk research design was employed for the study, enabling the researchers to review local and international policy documents, journals, textbooks, newspapers, conference papers and manuals for secondary data. The study established that most countries use results from Programme for International Students Assessment to vindicate their educational efforts. However, mixed findings were recorded on the impact of Professional Teaching Standards on the country’s Programme for International Students Assessment ranking. The study recommends the incorporation of Professional Teaching Standards into Initial Teacher Education programs; application of technology in teacher education and professional development; Programme for International Students Assessment examinations for initial teachers; and the need to develop professional standards purposely for educational
administrators and managers
Democratic and Communist Policies in dealing with the Coronavirus Pandemic: A Comparative Study of Ghana and China
Get PDFThe outbreak of coronavirus in all parts of the world in the latter part of 2019 and early 2020 necessitated the need for various governments to enact and execute various policies to deal with the virus. Obviously, the effective implementation of such policies to a large extent depends on the system of government practiced in the country. It is in this regard that this paper seeks to compare the policies enacted by Ghana and the People’s Republic of China that practice a different system of government so as to determine which system of government is better in enacting and implementing policies that can best deal with the spread of a deadly disease like coronavirus. Grounded in Foucault’s Biopolitics and Governmentality, and Agamben’s Homo Sacer, the study relied on the qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) in the form of desktop review. The research does not suggest or recommend Ghana to do away with the practice of democracy and adopt communism as a system of government especially when the practice of democracy has aided the protection of fundamental human rights in Ghana. However, this study makes the case that a communist government like that of China with centralised political power is much effective and efficient in enacting and implementing strict, but necessary policies to deal with a deadly disease like coronavirus as compared to a democratic system practiced by Ghana
EXPLORING CHEMISTRY TEACHERS’ AWARENESS AND APPLICATION OF COGNITIVE LOAD THEORY IN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS
Get PDFChemistry teaching and learning are often regarded as difficult. Several studies have explored the causes of this difficulty and demonstrated that students struggle with chemistry because of the high cognitive demands it places on them, combined with their limited working memory capacity to process such information. These studies also suggest that chemistry can be made easier for learners when instructors consider the cognitive load theory in their instructional design. According to the cognitive load theory, humans' working memory has limited capacity; therefore, for effective learning to take place, the amount of information provided should not exceed this capacity. The theory offers opportunities for chemistry instructors to develop effective instructions that reduce learners' cognitive load, thereby improving learning outcomes. This study examined senior high school chemistry teachers’ perceptions of the cognitive load theory. A descriptive cross-sectional survey method was used to gather data from 94 senior high school chemistry teachers in the Cape Coast Metropolis, selected via a census. A questionnaire was adapted as the main tool for data collection. Descriptive statistics were utilised to analyse the responses. The findings revealed that 76.3% of senior high school chemistry teachers had low familiarity with and application of the cognitive load theory. It is therefore recommended that professional development programmes related to the cognitive load theory be implemented to improve teachers’ understanding and application of the concept
Mythography and Rituals: The Legend of Aku Sika in Focus
No full textIn African tradition and culture, myths and rituals are two inseparably
pieces of social life. These two phenomena have been aspects or part
of the society from generation to generation through oral literature as
well as being practiced or performed at ceremonies. African literature,
especially plays, feature these traditions to reflect the social life of the
people. Based on Martin Owusu’s The Legend of Aku Sika, this study
explores the employment of myths and rituals as aspects of human
existence and human society albeit through the lens of ritual theory.
The study is purposed to explore, myth, and ritual events exhibited by characters in the play. The evidences of myths and rituals in the play are identified and analysed with content analysis as an approach. The play exhibits the rich use of mythology in alignment with rituals right from its commencement to the end. Based on the discussions, it emerged that, there is serious interplay between mythology and rituals and they both have been able to create a unique phenomenon that has established a tradition that distinguishes the culture of the African people from other cultures. The beauty of the African tradition and culture, that of the Akan (Ghana) in particular, is seen to be espoused in the play. The Legend of Aku Sika as identified by the study. It is summarily concluded that oral literature and culture that has provided a conducive environment within which myths and rituals have festered are core elements in the play The Legend of Aku Sika, proving that myths and rituals are integral part of the human existence especially the African