Influence of teachers’ coverage of mathematics curriculum materials (MCM) on their schools’ performance in mathematics

This study was conducted in the Agona West Municipality, covering a total of nine-nine (99) junior high schools. The objective was to determine the relationship between the proportions of syllabus covered by teachers to their students’ performance in the basic education certificate examination (BECE) mathematics. Stratified random sampling technique was employed for the selection of forty (40) out of the 99 schools (representing 40.4% of total schools in the municipal). A survey design was adopted for the study and data was collected using questionnaires and interview guides from fifty (50) teachers in the forty schools sampled for the study. The findings show that only 62% of the mathematics curriculum materials (MCM) were implemented even though teachers admitted in interviews that they conduct extra-classes for the students. This implies about 38% of the content in the MCM are not taught by the majority of the teachers and therefore the omission or skipping of certain topics was common practice in the municipality. A one way ANOVA used to test the null hypothesis that ‘there is no significant difference between the school performance categories (high, average and low) with respect to their teachers’ coverage of mathematics curriculum’ showed the results F = 22.80 and p=0.00 (p<0.005), indicating a significant influence of the teachers’ coverage of the content in the MCM on the schools’ performance. The implication is that the teachers in the high performing schools cover a great deal of the content of the official curriculum (high mean content coverage = 89.31%). It is recommended that the Ghana Education Service support mathematics teachers in low performing schools to engage in in-service education and training to deal with how to teach difficult topics identified in this study. Also, opportunities should be created for mathematics teachers in high performing junior high schools to share their successes in the implementation of the mathematics curriculum.

Assessing College of Education Tutors Readiness to Integrate Hand Held Devices in Teaching and Learning of Science, Mathematics and Ict

The purpose of the study is to understand tutors knowledge, skills and current practices that are considered secured, emerging and aspirational in integrating hand held devices (HHDs) in teaching of science, mathematics and ICT in colleges of education. The convenient sampling technique was used, since the focus was on Science, Mathematics and ICT tutors in the College. Ten (10) Tutors who were available and willing to participate were conveniently sampled for the study. Questionnaires were the major tools used for data collection. It is concluded from the findings of the study that the knowledge and skills of the college of education tutors as far as the use of hand held devices to support learning are concerned is very high (secured). However, majority of the tutors needed knowledge and skills to effectively integrate HHDs in their practices as well as understand how to use YouTube videos as a resource for learning topics that are challenging to them. More so, tutors want to incorporate technological tools to plan sessions carefully to ensure productive use of time and meaningful learning in lesson delivery and to break down difficult concepts to make the subject accessible to pre-service teachers via HHDs. Keywords: Handheld devices, ICT integration. Knowledge, skill, practice

Knowledge translation and evidence generation to increase the impact of vector control in Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Malawi

Lack of context-specific evidence and inadequate evidence-use for decision-making contribute to poor health. This paper reports on our work aimed at addressing the knowledge translation (KT) gap between evidence generators and users. We present our experiences of strengthening KT via technical advisory groups (TAGs) in parallel with increasing evidence generation through research fellowships and operational research. Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) impose substantial health and economic burdens in sub-Saharan Africa despite being preventable with vector control. The Partnership for Increasing the Impact of Vector Control aimed to reduce the burden of VBDs in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Malawi, and at regional and global levels. TAGs can promote evidence-use in policy and practice by engaging relevant stakeholders in both research and policy processes. TAGs and related activities are best facilitated by a coordinator with skills in research and policy. Contextual factors should influence the design and governance of TAGs, which will likely evolve over time. Relevant national stakeholders should be included in TAGs and be actively involved in developing research agendas to increase the relevance and acceptability of research findings for decision-making. The countries present three differing contexts with longer-term research and evaluation necessary to draw lessons on impact

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Ghanaian public and private junior high school mathematics classroom learning environment: A look at students’ attitudes

The public outcry about students’ poor performance in mathematics can be said to have gained currency in recent times, in the dailies in Ghana. The outcry has been fueled by the fact that Ghanaian eight graders have always been among the least performing in international assessments such as TIMSS. Since available literature is replete with the fact that students’ attitudes of their mathematics classroom environment influence their attitudes to their classroom activities and hence their mathematics achievement, this study was designed to determine the attitudes of junior high school pupils towards their mathematics classroom learning environment. A total of 350 eighth and ninth graders (i.e., forms two and three junior high school students) from four public and two private randomly selected schools in a metropolitan community in southern Ghana participated in the study. The study adapted the mathematics attitude questionnaire (MAQ) instruments, a questionnaire designed to measure students’ attitudes of their classroom environment on four different subscales. The results revealed that, though in general, the attitudes of students were positive, that of the private school students were relatively more positive than their public-school counterparts in each of the subscales. Implications of this are discussed and recommendations for classroom teachers and future research are also presented

Prevalence, correlates, and reasons for substance use among adolescents aged 10–17 in Ghana: a cross-sectional convergent parallel mixed-method study

Abstract Background Substance use among adolescents poses significant risks to their health, wellbeing, and development, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, including Ghana. However, little is known about the outlets and reasons for substance use among Ghanaian adolescents. This study examined the prevalence, correlates, reasons for substance use, and outlets of these substances among adolescents aged 10–17 in Ghana. Methods Data were obtained from the Department of Children, Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Ghana, which employed a cross-sectional convergent parallel mixed-methods technique to collect quantitative and qualitative data from children aged 8–17, parents or legal guardians and officials of state institutions responsible for the promotion and protection of children’s rights and wellbeing. Overall, 4144 adolescents aged 10–17 were interviewed for the quantitative data, while 92 adolescents participated in 10 focus group discussions. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s chi-square test, and multivariable binary logistic regression were used to analyse the quantitative data, while the qualitative data was analysed thematically. Results The prevalence of substance use was 12.3%. Regarding the types of substance use, alcohol (56.9%) and cigarettes (26.4%) were the most common substances. Being a male and currently working are significant risk factors, whereas being aged 10–13, and residing in the Middle- and Northern-ecological belts of Ghana are significant protective factors of substance use. Peers, household members who use substances, drug stores, and drug peddlers are the major outlets. The reasons for substance use were fun, substance as an aphrodisiac, boosting self-confidence, dealing with anxiety, and improved social status. Conclusions There is a relatively high substance use among adolescents in Ghana, and this calls for a multi-sectoral approach to addressing substance use by providing risk-behaviour counselling, parental control, and effective implementation of substance use laws and regulations

Bridewealth and women’s contraceptive use in Sub-Saharan Africa: does completeness of payment matter?

The relationship between bridewealth payment and women’s reproductive autonomy has been the subject of investigation for many years in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). But few studies have examined whether the level of completeness of bridewealth payment is associated with women’s use of contraceptives. Efforts to assess this relationship has been hampered by lack of survey data. We address this knowledge gap using recently collected survey data in four SSA countries. We analysed data from a sample of 5,322 women in union who had a desire to postpone or stop childbearing. We found that women in marriages where bridewealth was partially paid or yet to be paid were significantly more likely to use modern contraceptives relative to those in marriages where bridewealth was fully paid. This suggests that complete bridewealth payment limit women’s use of modern contraceptives. Therefore, efforts to increase modern contraceptive uptake need to address the curtailing effect of bridewealt

Additional file 1 of Prevalence, correlates, and reasons for substance use among adolescents aged 10–17 in Ghana: a cross-sectional convergent parallel mixed-method study

Working status of adolescents by sex

Methodological innovations for evidencing and estimating the prevalence of traditional contraceptive use in sub-Saharan Africa

An estimated 55 million married women in LMICs use traditional methods of contraception. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), traditional methods use is estimated at 4.1% in West and Central Africa and 2.9% in East and Southern Africa. Many demographers have speculated that the actual prevalence of traditional methods in SSA could be higher than the estimates reported in national surveys. Yet, only a few studies have interrogated the actual prevalence of traditional methods in the region. Drawing on recently collected data in four SSA countries, we test various methodological innovations for estimating the true prevalence of traditional methods. The results showed that probing during interviews increased the percentage of women reporting traditional method use. Also, revising the standard approach for estimating contraceptive prevalence increases the percentage reporting traditional method use. The current study demonstrates the need to explore ways of capturing and estimating traditional contraceptive use in national surveys