University Of Ghana Research Articles

Institutional repository infrastructure: a survey of Ghanaian public universities

PurposeGhanaian public universities have fully embraced the concept of open access. This is evident in the increasing numbers of institutional repositories (IRs) by universities in Ghana. However, to ensure the sustainability of these IRs, it is vital the current IR infrastructure is capable of responding to current and future demands. The purpose of this study is to investigate the sustainability of the current IR infrastructure of public universities in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachThe convergent parallel mixed methods design was adopted. A total of 830 respondents comprising IR managers, library staff (digitisation and e-resources units), postgraduate students, lecturers and university librarians from five public universities in Ghana were sampled for this study. A questionnaire and a semi-structured interview guide were the main instruments used for data collection.FindingsThe findings of this study revealed that the IR infrastructure of public universities in Ghana is robust and has the capacity to expand when the need arises. However, funding, cost of internet connectivity, personnel and erratic power supply were identified as major challenges confronting IRs in Ghana.Originality/valueThis study highlighted Ghana's existing IR infrastructure situation. This study is a significant contribution to the literature from West Africa because there is not much research on IR infrastructure from this part of the world.

“It seems the women are taking over": Stereotyping around women in top-level leadership positions in Ghana's universities

abstract This article explores patterns of change in the advancement of academic women’s leadership at universities in Ghana. Referred to as the ‘glass ceiling’, women generally suffered great setbacks in their advancement in leadership positions, although recent events have led to the appointment and election of women into top-level leadership positions at universities. At a conference at the University of Ghana, organised by the Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa in September 2022, one attendee commented that “It seems the women are taking over”, due to the number of women occupying top-level positions at the university. Existing literature on women’s leadership at the universities have not adequately explored the implications of the recent appointment of women vice-chancellors on the perception of women’s leadership and advancement of the careers of other women at universities. This article sets out to investigate the challenges women face in the advancement of their careers, and implications of the recent appointment of women into leadership positions. Using a feminist decolonial lens, it inductively analyses semi-structured interviews with key academic women as well as men in leadership positions at selected universities, backed with the authors’ experience as female academics, and employment records. It adds to knowledge on the gradual advancement of women to top leadership positions at universities.

Editorial introduction

Editorial introduction

5613514 PAVING THE WAY FOR GENETIC MEDICINE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: A REPORT ON THE FIRST GENETIC COUNSELLING PROGRAM IN THE REGION

Genetic disorders, chiefly sickle cell disease (SCD), pose a significant public health and developmental challenge in the sub-Saharan African region and genetic counsellors have a unique role to play in addressing this critical challenge in the region. Paradoxically, as at 2021, there were no postgraduate training programmes in human genetics in West Africa. Thus, whereas there were thousands of registered Genetic Counsellors in North America, there were about 25 in Africa, all in South Africa. In January 2022, the West African Genetic Medicine Centre (WAGMC) of the University of Ghana (UG), West Africa, inaugurated the first genetic counselling program in the sub-region. The two-year full-time accredited program aims to provide cutting edge training in the science of genetics while fostering a strong foundation in counselling. Graduates from the 2-year program further undertake one-year internship to be licensed as genetic counsellors by the Ghana Psychology Council, which is the body responsible for ensuring ethical genetic counselling practice in Ghana. In Ghana, where about 14,000 babies are born with SCD every year and the incidence of other genetic disorders keep rising, it is the goal of current genetic and genomic initiatives in the region to better understand these conditions and help drive preventive and precision medicine. This requires the contributions of genetic counsellors. Therefore, the new MSc. Program in Genetic Counselling holds vast opportunities for the first cohort and all prospective students on the program, despite the anticipated challenges. These include limited genetic testing facilities as well as resources for integrating genetic counsellors into the clinical and public health systems of Ghana and other countries in the sub-region.

Coping Strategies Adopted by Regular Undergraduate International Students in Southern Ghana Universities on Their Adjustment Needs

The study investigated the coping strategies adopted by regular undergraduate international students of the universities in southern Ghana on their adjustment needs. The descriptive design of the quantitative research approach was employed for the study. The research instrument used to elicit responses was a questionnaire. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentage) and inferential statistics (Independent samples t-test and Kruskal-Wallis H test). The findings showed that there was no significant difference in the coping strategies on the adjustment needs of undergraduate regular international students based on both gender and age. It was recommended, among other things, that policy makers and management of the universities must take into account the reality of the adjustment needs of regular undergraduate international students and consider effective ways of making their stay in southern Ghana’s universities less stressful. Keywords: coping strategies, adjustment needs, international students, emotions, gender DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-10-03 Publication date: April 30 th 2023

The Quest for World-Classness: Lessons for Newly Created Public Universities in Ghana

There is a growing trend globally, among institutions of higher learning to either claim to be world-class Centers of Excellence or to aspire to be. Evidence of the quest for world-classness by these institutions abound in their strategic mandates, vision, and mission statements. Public universities in Ghana are no exception to the rule, and there seem to be a close competition between so-called traditional universities and newly created ones for world-classness albeit through vision and mission statements. This study sought to examine successes chalked by three selected traditional universities in Ghana and the coping strategies initiated by two recently established ones in their quest to distinguish themselves as world-class centers of excellence. The study adopted the exploratory research method or approach. Relevant documents reviewed included the Act of Parliament establishing the regulator of tertiary education in Ghana; the Acts of Parliament establishing the five selected public universities for the study; strategic mandates, vision, mission statements, core values and reports from the selected public universities. The findings revealed a rigorous criteria or performance indicators prescribed by globally renowned league tables, notably the Times Higher Education World Universities Ranking League. It further revealed that the traditional universities, have featured prominently on world league tables on the basis of global reputation for research, quality of conference papers, citation impact score and number of international collaborations or linkages created, while the newly created ones are yet to make an impression. Thus, the study recommends the prioritization of benchmarked practices.

Printing Press Operator and Publisher: The Misconception of Graphic Design Students in Technical Universities in Ghana

The study concerned itself with the exploration of the misconception held by Graphic Design students in Technical Universities, with particular emphasis on Takoradi Technical University (TTU) and, to some extent, by some Graphic Arts/Printing Press Practitioners in Ghana that a printing press operator (a printer) and a publisher are the same in meaning and work or can be used interchangeably to connote same. The objectives of the study were to: 
 
 Identify who a printing press operator and a publisher is; 
 Find out the differences between a printing press operator and that of a publisher, 
 Draw the workflow chart of a printing press operator and a publisher, and 
 Draw conclusions based on the prospects of changing the misconception narrative among Graphic Design students in Technical Universities and some Graphic Arts/Printing Press Practitioners in Ghana 
 
 The study was carried out at the Department of Graphic Design Technology, Faculty of Applied Arts and Technology (FAAT), TTU, in Ghana. An expert purposive sampling technique was adopted. The research design employed was a qualitative research approach since the nature of the study required heavy reliance upon extensive observation, document reviews, verbal data from Graphic Arts/Printing Press Practitioners, course lecturers, experts well-versed in the printing press and publishing activities, and Graphic Design students that resulted in non-numerical data. Data for the study were gathered from two main sources: 
 
 Primary – through interaction and observation sources, and 
 Secondary – through literary sources
 
 Content analysis and descriptive analyses were employed to present and analyze the data. The study recommended that adequate information in relation to who a printing press operator and a publisher are and what their individual workflow and activities are should be inculcated in the Graphic Design programme being run and pursued at the Technical Universities to eradicate that deep-seated misconception held by Graphic Design students.

Translating Social Capital into Ubuntu to Retain Academic Staff in Emerging Universities in Ghana

Universities in developing countries are often engaged in competition for academic staff. Universities are recognised for the quality of their teaching and high research outputs, and this leads to a “war for talent” in terms of experts in teaching, research and community engagement. This article assumes that poor conditions of service and strained relationships between academic staff and university authorities may cause attrition of academic staff in emerging universities. Therefore, institutions of higher learning seeking to retain their best academic staff need to foster a good social relationship with the academic employees based on African indigenous practices to ensure a reduction in staff turnover. This paper explores how the translation of social capital into the indigenous practice of Ubuntu can reduce academic staff attrition in the new public universities in Ghana. A purposive sampling approach was used to select two new public universities that suffer from frequent academic staff attrition. The qualitative study employed interviews involving 30 participants (from two new universities) and observation as data collection tools. The study revealed that emerging universities in Ghana do not develop social capital or practise African indigenous practices and this alienates academic staff, hence they often look for greener pastures elsewhere. The study also revealed that good human relationships based on African values of mutual respect, cooperation, compassion and love are important ingredients for the retention of academic staff in any institution of higher learning. The findings validate the assumption that poor human relationships are a catalyst for academic staff attrition in emerging universities.

Evaluating the moderating role of information seeking platforms on university students' risk perception and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana

IntroductionThe emergence of COVID-19 resulted in heightened usage of online information seeking platforms among students aimed at obtaining information about the virus. This situation further increased the levels of risk perception and anxiety levels as students managed to stay safe. This study examined the roles of information seeking platforms; specifically, social media platforms and professional platforms as moderators of the link between risk perception and anxiety among university students in Ghana.MethodsParticipants were recruited from two universities in Ghana; namely, University of Education, Winneba (UEW) and University of Cape Coast (UCC) through a survey approach. The study conveniently sampled 778 participants who completed a set of questionnaires.ResultsThe study results revealed that COVID-19 risk perception was positively related to anxiety. Further, the use of specific online information platforms significantly moderated the link between risk perception and anxiety. Specifically, social media platforms significantly moderated the relationship between COVID-19 risk perception and anxiety level. Primarily, students who utilized social media as a COVID-19 information source reported high anxiety levels in the presence of high-risk perception compared to those who did not use social media. Additionally, professional platform usage acted as a buffer in the positive link between COVID-19 risk perception and anxiety levels. In the presence of high risk perception, students who used professional platforms, compared to those who did not use professional platforms, showed significantly low anxiety levels.ConclusionsThe findings suggest the key role social media and professional platforms played in shaping students' perceptions of COVID-19. These outcomes call for the swift scrutiny of health-related information obtained from social media platforms. Both users and disseminators of health-related information on social media platforms have the responsibility of verifying the credibility of whichever information they post and/or access. Risk perception should also be an integral part of effective risk communication planning in educational institutions during outbreak of diseases.

Examine the staff training and development culture of public universities in Ghana and its impacts on employee retention

Examine the staff training and development culture of public universities in Ghana and its impacts on employee retention

Exhibition as a Medium of Exposure for Graphic Design Students in the Technical Universities in Ghana

Exhibition as a Medium of Exposure for Graphic Design Students in the Technical Universities in Ghana

Examine the staff training and development culture of public universities in Ghana and its impacts on employee retention

Examine the staff training and development culture of public universities in Ghana and its impacts on employee retention

Niche differentiation between some species of Ghanaian orb-web spiders (Araneae: Araneidae, Tetragnathidae)

The web placement and web structure of the nine most common species of orb-web spiders (Araneae: Araneidae, Tetragnathidae) coexisting in the park-like campus of the University of Ghana in Legon, Ghana, were investigated to analyse differences between their ecological niches. Various web parameters, such as: relation to habitat, height, light exposure, web size, mesh size, and web inclination, were measured. When comparing these parameters in all species pairs, the webs of each species were found to differ in at least two parameters from the web of every other species. Since the analysed web parameters are all likely to influence the number and kind of prey caught, this suggests a niche differentiation between all analysed species. Some observations were also made on the prey caught. While the prey analysis was not detailed enough to find differences between all species, there was a positive correlation between the web's mesh size and the size of the prey.

Stress Management Strategies Employed by Lecturers of Special Education in Selected Public Universities of Ghana

The study investigated stress management strategies employed by lecturers of special education in selected public Universities in Ghana. It adopted a descriptive survey research design. A sample of 22 lecturers of special education students was selected from three (3) public universities using census technique. A four-point likert scale questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. The study revealed that the teachers experience stressful situations in their duties, and they used various stress coping strategies known to them. The study recommended that management of the universities should employ additional special education lecturers to reduce the workload of individual lecturers. Also, that management of the universities should sensitize lecturers to make use of counselling services provided by the universities.

Modelling university students’ preferences and interconnectedness among various careers/occupations in Ghana

The incongruity between academic programmes pursued and the career path among graduates in recent times suggests that career path does not always lead to programme choice and vice versa. Different occupations/professions not directly found in the area of academic programmes pursued could appeal to graduates. This study sought to examine how the various occupations/professions in Ghana appeal to university graduates. This study modelled university students’ preferences and interconnectedness among various careers/occupations in Ghana. The descriptive survey design was used. The census technique was used to capture all 144 final-year university students pursuing a BED accounting programme with a university in Ghana. Data were collected using an adapted Occupational Inventory Profile ((OIP) and data were analysed with the Partial Least Square Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM). The study found that technological activities, mathematical computation activities, managerial-clerical activities, scientific research activities, persuasive-enterprising activities, and fine art activities significantly predicted mechanical-technological occupation, mathematical computation occupation, managerial-clerical occupation, science research occupation, persuasive-enterprising occupation, and fine art occupation. Additionally, there was also strong interconnectedness between the six various occupations among BED Accounting students in Ghana. Though the career path of BED accounting students does not generally agree with the realistic and artistic personality type, the study found that these students have a significant interest in activities and occupations in line with these personality types. This suggests that the personality of university students studied had an interest in several occupations not trained for, suggesting that they had a combination of personality types in varying degrees for the various occupations studied. Therefore, it was recommended that teaching pedagogies should vary and the government should create more employment opportunities to better prepare graduates to pursue careers outside what they were trained for. Graduates should also be equipped with skills and resources to be able to create their own jobs in their areas of interest outside or along their professional training. The theoretical and other practical implications of the findings of the study have also been adduced.

Social studies and history curriculum assessment in colleges of education in Ghana: Reflective practices of teacher educators

Assessment is a crucial and essential component of successful instruction and learning. As a result, teachers must examine their actions in the classroom through a process of reflective practices (self-observation and self-evaluation) and think about why they do it and if it works. This essay examines the reflective practices of Ghanaian teacher educators regarding the evaluation of social studies and history curricula. It made use of the sequential explanatory mixed method as a methodology drawn from questionnaires, interviews and document reviews. The findings disclosed that teacher educators in Ghana’s colleges of education have low efficacy and poor reflective practices when it comes to affective domain assessment. The study suggests that the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) should ramp up the instruction of the methods for evaluating the affective domain in coordination with Ghanaian universities. For Social Studies teacher educators, consistent professional development programs on the methods for assessing the affective domain should be organised. The universities in Ghana should train Social Studies History teacher educators in the field in the area of measurement and evaluation with particular emphasis on the construction of appropriate test items for determining expected outcomes.

Situational Analysis of the Willingness to Accept Interns, Benefits and Challenges of Academic Internship Programmes to Host Organisations: Empirical Evidence from Ghana

Most technical universities in Ghana have recently begun paying much-needed attention to industrial attachment programs or exercises. This follows from their primary goal of educating students to develop the practical skills and pertinent competencies required for entering the workforce or starting their businesses. Most studies on the subject have emphasized the advantages of the exercise for students, host organizations, and academic institutions. The current study concentrated on observing participating organizations' attitudes in continuing the internship program and the advantages and difficulties these businesses have while taking on students on attachment. The article employed the descriptive-exploratory research survey design to execute the research. The findings from the paper revealed that participating organisations face four major challenges in accepting students on internship; inadequate space, health insurance cover for interns, poor attitude towards training and outmoded curricula.

“I’m Not Asking for Special Treatment, I’m Asking for Access”: Experiences of University Students with Disabilities in Ghana, Ethiopia and South Africa

It is often challenging for youth with disabilities to access university education in Africa, and for those who manage to make it to university, while there, their experiences are still not barrier-free. The purpose of this study was to uncover the experiences of the barriers and facilitators to inclusion for youth with disabilities in universities in South Africa, Ghana and Ethiopia. This qualitative project applied a critical, participatory research approach to exploring youth experiences. Youth with disabilities and their colleagues conducted seven focus group discussions, with an average of five students in each focus group, and we used a qualitative descriptive method to analyze data. The findings uncovered similarities and differences in the barriers and facilitators to inclusive education among students with disabilities across all sites. Participants noted limited financial support and university services, and how inaccessible spaces and harmful attitudes are all barriers that hinder their access to education and inclusion. The identified facilitators include support systems and self-directed facilitation. Although the students self-advocated and reported some support to assist in their inclusion in university, it was still insufficient. Notably, some universities are making a concerted effort toward inclusion and accessibility, but more work needs to be done.

Hypertension and associated factors among patients attending HIV clinic at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

This study determined the prevalence of hypertension and its associated factors among patients attending the HIV clinic at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH). A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at KBTH. The prevalence of hypertension was estimated among study participants, and socio-demographic, lifestyle, anthropometric, metabolic and HIV/ART-related factors associated with hypertension were determined by logistic regression modelling. Study participants were recruited from the HIV clinic at the KBTH. A total of 311 Persons Living with HIV were recruited as study participants. Simple random sampling technique was used to recruit study participants. A questionnaire adapted from the WHO STEPwise approach to chronic disease risk-factor surveillance was used to collect study participants' data. The prevalence of hypertension was 36.7%, and the factors associated with hypertension were increasing age, positive family history of hypertension, minimal exercising, current BMI ≥25.0 kg/m2, total cholesterol level ≥5.17 mmol/L, exposure to anti-retroviral therapy (ART) and increasing duration of ART exposure. This study shows a high prevalence of hypertension among patients attending the HIV clinic at KBTH, associated with exposure to ART and increasing duration of this exposure. Blood pressure monitoring should move from routine to a more purposeful screening of patients for hypertension. Patients with the identified risk factors should be encouraged to have regular blood pressure measurements at home and not only when they visit the HIV clinic. Office of Research, Innovation and Development (ORID) of the University of Ghana. The funding agency was not involved in the design of the study and collection, analysis, and interpretation of data and in writing the manuscript.

PhD Students’ Perceptions of Research Seminars in Doctoral Education: A Case Study

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 supplement 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’ perceptions 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 education as spaces evoking manifold purposes—constructive advice; discrediting students’ 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.