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Demographic Characteristics and Training Transfer: Evidence from Senior Staff Administrators of University of Cape Coast, Ghana
No full textFew studies have been conducted on demographic characteristics of trainees and training transfer. These studies which are conducted in business organizations in the Western and Eastern countries have different demographics and also differ in conclusions. This descriptive study examines the difference between demographic characteristics and transfer of training among senior staff administrators of University of Cape Coast (UCC) by formulating and testing five hypotheses. A questionnaire is used to obtain data from 155 senior staff administrators who participated in UCC organized training following a stratified random sampling technique. The data is analyzed using Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis Tests.All the hypotheses are supported; there is no statistically significant difference between demographic characteristics (gender, age, job position, level of education and work experience) of senior staff administrators and training transfer. The study concludes that the demographic variables have no role to play in transferring training and that trainers and human resource professionals may not take into consideration, the demographic characteristics of trainees when planning for training
Job Dissatisfaction and its Implications for Employees of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
No full textThe study examined job dissatisfaction in a public university in Ghana and its implications for educational administration using Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) as a case study. A sample of 346 staff comprising 119 Junior Staff 118 Senior Staff and 117 Senior Members of KNUST were administered with a questionnaire using stratified sampling. The data were analysed with SPSS version 20. The study revealed that few of the three categories of the staff have job dissatisfaction and that there is a significant statistical relationship between the category of staff and the level of job dissatisfaction. The study also showed varying degrees of job dissatisfaction for those who experienced job dissatisfaction. Majority of the respondents’ job dissatisfaction was within somehow dissatisfied and highly dissatisfied while those who indicated they were highly dissatisfied were the minority. On the effects of job dissatisfaction, most of the respondents said it was stressful. Concerning ameliorating job dissatisfaction, most of the respondents felt improving teaching and working conditions could address their job dissatisfaction. The study makes recommendation or mechanisms to be put in place to address issues of job dissatisfaction especially adoption of Human Resource Policy and Performance Management System in the University to enhance productivity. 
Armed Politics, Small Arms Control and Electoral Violence in Nigeria
Get PDFThe article interrogates the impact of armed politics on small arms control and electoral violence in Nigeria. It conceptualises armed politics as a form of political and electoral competition where the deployment of violence and coercion is decisive in securing electoral victory. Based on secondary data collected through books, reports, journal and newspaper articles and interpreted using both thematic and content analysis, the argument is that Nigeria’s electoral democracy may aptly be described as characterised by armed politics since the process of political leadership emergence is mainly through the bullets and guns rather than the ballot. The paper makes three claims regarding how the logic of armed politics affects small-arms governance, control and political legitimacy. Firstly, the legitimacy of the electoral and democratic process is contested, and people’s influence on the actions of emergent political leaders is weak, resulting in continued dependence on armed actors for support and victory in elections. Secondly, political accountability to the people on the part of the ruling elites, including accountability in issues of small arms control, is generally weak and lacking. Lastly, emerging through bullets and guns adds further twists to the democratic process of controlling weapons in post-electoral victory and leadership with implications for the proliferation of small arms in Nigeria
KNOWLEDGE AND SELF-EFFICACY OF TEACHERS INTEGRATION OF ICT INTO BASIC INSTRUCTION
Get PDFThe use of technology in education has become an unstoppable force in recent years. However, its usefulness largely depends on the success of its integration into teaching and learning. Unfortunately, the majority of teachers do not incorporate it into their classes. The study aimed to test teachers’ knowledge and self-efficacy belief towards integrating Information Communication Technology into teaching and learning at the elementary level. In particular, this research focuses on Junior High Schools in the Kumbungu District of Northern Ghana. The study adopted a qualitative research approach. The results showed that the teachers had high knowledge about ICT and strong positive self-efficacy beliefs on ICT integration into the delivery of their lessons
Motivation for Doing Scholarly Publications Among Professional Librarians in Ghanaian Public Universities
No full textThe study investigated the factors that motivated professional librarians to engage in scholarly publication and the type of support provided to facilitate scholarly publication in four public university libraries in Ghana. The study also sought the views of the professional librarians as to whether scholarly publications should be required for their promotion. The research design was amixed methods approach. The questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data from 47 professional librarians while four university librarians were also interviewed for qualitative data. The quantitative data were analysed by using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20 software while content analysis was employed to analyze the qualitative data. The findings revealed that the respondents engaged in scholarly publication to contribute to research in the profession, professional advancement and personal growth, to earn promotion/career advancement, to earn recognition among professional colleagues/peers and visibility. The respondents also affirmed that scholarly publications should be among the requirements for their promotion. The study also identified training, workshops, seminars, conferences and informal mentoring as the major institutional support for scholarly publication. It is recommended that the library management should establish formal mentoring programmes and other sources of funding should be solicited by the professional librarians to facilitate scholarly publication scholarly activities in the librarie
Academic Staff Transition into University Leadership Roles in a Ghanaian Public University
Get PDFAcademic leadership skills are critical to the success or otherwise of universities worldwide. However, leadership preparation remains at the periphery in universities. Using questionnaire responses from 21 Heads of Departments (HoDs) at a public university, we examined HoD preparation and the impact on the stressors they face in leading their departments once appointed. The results indicate that: first, all HoDs performed academic leadership roles, but about a half of them had not received prior preparation before their appointments. Second, the interdependence between HoDs’ leadership preparation and the level of stressors they faced as middle-level university leaders showed ambivalent outcomes. Inferential statistics showed that only the stress of combining academic and administrative roles was found to have a significant relationship with HoDs’ leadership preparation (Chi-square=0.036, p=0.05). Other stressors such as difficulty in people management, role ambiguity and administrative role stress showed no significant relationship with HoD preparation. We recommend carefully formulated training and mentorship programmes on HoD leadership preparation among universities, so that the competencies acquired can help them overcome the stressors associated with leading their departments
Choice Determining Factors and Attributes of Urban Transportation by Travellers: A Case Study of the AccraTakoradi Route, in Ghana.
Get PDFSeveral factors come to play when determining the reasons for the choice of a specific mode of transport. These may broadly be classified into characteristics such as the purpose, objective of the trip, attributes of the transport services and the socio-economic and demographic status of the traveller. The objective of this paper is to find the factors and attributes that influence the choice of transport modes. The primary data was generated from input on travellers at various transport terminals in Accra. Independent variables, such as the socio-economic and demographic factors of passengers, were tested to show how they influenced the dependent variable being choice of transport modes. The influence of other, variables such as the perceived and physical attributes of transport services were analysed. Using quantitative methods, such as surveys enabled primary data to be collected and analysed using univariate, bivariate analysis and multinomial logistic regression. The data showed that many variables and attributes influence travellers choice of transport services or mode. They included the socio-economic and demographic factors of passengers, such as income, occupation and distances from origin and destinations. The paper concludes with some policy, practical and theoretical recommendations
POLITICIANS’ REACTIONS TO ELECTION RESULTS IN GHANA’S FOURTH REPUBLIC: A MODEL TO DEMOCRATIC ACQUIESCENCE?
Get PDFGhana has witnessed three decades of uninterrupted democratic governance since 1993. This feat has been marked by eight (8) successive multiparty elections, laced with three peaceful alternations of political power. Despite this milestone achievement, some practices have almost marred a peaceful transition of power. For instance, central to the alternation of power is the acceptance of electoral defeat by the losing candidate. However, presidential election results since 1992 have been greeted with mixed reactions by defeated presidential candidates. Effects of three out of the eight successful presidential elections (i.e., 1992, 2012, and 2020) have been outrightly rejected, protested, failed to concede defeat, and petitioned by defeated candidates. Against this background, this paper sought to explore the actions and inactions of defeated political parties, their losing presidential candidates and their impact on democratic consolidation in Ghana. The paper adopts the qualitative approach and gleaned data via interviews with Political Science and Electoral Politics experts, leaders of political parties and policymakers, and analysis of extant literature. The paper argues that perceived rigging, mistrust in the election management body, margin of defeat, and winner-takes-all politics imbibed in Ghana’s democratic governance linger and manifest defeated presidential candidates’ reluctance to concede defeat. Such tendencies predicate a rocky and bumpy road to Ghana’s democratic consolidation
THE ADOPTION OF A LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (LMS) AMONG STUDENTS AND FACULTY MEMBERS OF THE AFRICAN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATIONS (AUCC)
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Learning Management System (LMS) in institutions of higher learning is increasing either as a supplement to face-to-face instruction, blended instruction, or fully online course offerings. This study explored the possible differences or similarities in the perspective of both faculty and students of the African University College of Communications (AUCC) regarding the adoption of the LMS during and after the COVID-19 restrictions. In explaining how LMS is adopted or rejected, the Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DOI) and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) were used for this study. With the use of a qualitative research approach and case study, data was gathered from eight students and eight faculty members purposively sampled from both the Communication and Business Schools of AUCC. Data gathered was thematically analysed with the attributes of DOI and TAM. The data collected found that the participants had divergent views concerning the attributes of DOI and TAM in their adoption or rejection of the LMS. Some students preferred the new LMS because they can download it and run it on their smartphones hence having an advantage over the previously used portals that only gave them access to their grades. With compatibility, all the respondents indicated that the new LMS did not require any lifestyle change. To the faculty, it is just like an extension of the old portal previously used. For this reason, AUCC faculty are not using it effectively, and sometimes it is not used at all. The study concludes that students and faculty alike need the necessary support to maximize the use of LMS for curriculum delivery, especially during an outbreak of a pandemic like COVID-19
Team Building as a Tool for Developing the Competencies of Members of the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA): A Case of the University for Development Studies
Get PDFTeam building is a strategy for the empowerment of employees to enhance performance and productivity. Universities could benefit from this approach if implemented appropriately; however, applying this concept to higher education administration is limited. The author discusses team building's pertinent issues as a tool for developing the competencies of University Administrators and Professional Staff: a case of the University for Development Studies. These issues are relevant to implementing team-building amongst Administrative and Professional Staff in the University. The importance of team building amongst Administrative and Professional Staff includes better communication, staff motivation, promotion of creativity, development of problem-solving skills, increasing professionalisation, breaking barriers, and collective empowerment