The Relationship between Household Economic Resources and Youth Academic Performance in Ghana: A Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling

The Government of Ghana recognizes the importance of education for improving the socioeconomic well-being of young Ghanaians and the development of the nation. Education currently accounts for the largest share: 31%) of Ghana\u27s national budget: GNA, 2012). Educational reforms and investments have had remarkable success in improving access to education up to the Junior High School: JHS) level, but progression beyond JHS remains a challenge. More than half of JHS graduates do not gain admission into Senior High School: SHS) because of poor academic performance and the inability of those who qualify to afford the drastic increase in educational costs. Stakeholders have focused on different ways to address these educational challenges. Researchers who study the developmental effects of owning assets: e.g., savings, home, land, livestock, etc.) in particular have begun paying attention to ways in which personal: e.g., savings) and household: e.g., assets) economic resources can improve young people\u27s educational outcomes. This emerging area of work is guided by the asset-effects framework, which posits that economic resources may influence educational outcomes directly through being able to pay for tuition and school supplies and indirectly through their influence on cognitive processes: e.g., academic self-efficacy and expectations). Empirical evidence from around the world suggests potential connections, but there are significant research gaps on how specific types of economic resources affect educational outcomes. For instance, while most studies that link income and educational outcomes find strong relationships between income and children\u27s academic performance, others find mixed or contradictory results. The mixed results suggest the need for further conceptualization and empirical research to clarify the nature of the relationships between different types of economic resources and academic performance. To help address the research gaps, this study uses nested cross-sectional data from an ongoing youth savings experiment to examine potential direct and indirect associations between two types of economic resources--parents\u27 income and household assets--and math and English scores of middle school-age youth in Ghana. In addition, the study assesses the possibility that gender moderates the relationships between the aforementioned types of economic resources and math and English scores. Using multilevel structural equation modeling techniques, the study does not find strong evidence to support the hypothesized direct relationship between economic resources and educational outcomes. However, the study finds strong evidence that parents\u27 income and household assets indirectly affect math and English scores through young people\u27s academic self-efficacy and expectations. These findings suggest that psychological factors such as academic self-efficacy and expectation are more predictive of youth academic performance than economic resources. Subgroup analyses also show that gender moderates the indirect relationships between economic resources and English scores but not math scores. This finding concerning possible gender differences could inform policymakers about economic resources that may promote parallel outcomes for boys and girls

An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Lived Experiences of Graduate-Level Peace Educators: Voices for Sustained Peace

Peace education is arguably one of the underappreciated areas of study within the social sciences. Many lifelong, dedicated peace education professionals often feel undervalued by the military-industrial complex apparatus. Influential individuals and corporations that thrive in chaotic and conflicting environments every so often underestimate the relevance of peace educators. Educators find among academic and professional students an intensified urgency to learn the skills necessary to address real-world conflict; however, these courageous individuals are seemingly battling powerful forces with wealth and power. Although such happenings can be demoralizing, it is slowly galvanizing dedicated peace educators to evolve by altering their skill sets, remaining resilient, and growing from the ongoing challenges. In this dissertation, I sought to investigate the lived experiences of peace educators and explore, through their voices, the challenges they face as global conflicts spiral out of control. This study aims to share the peace educators’ voices first-hand. From the findings, the study unveils some of the invisible structural and systemic issues that often undermine peace educators’ efforts. Participants’ storylines showed that the job is interdisciplinary, transformative, and holistic. Bringing forth the narratives and interpreting their stories were pivotal in unearthing peace educators’ involvement in designing programs, developing conflict management strategies, and deepening their understanding of educational policies

Youth Saving Preferences in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Potential for Asset Accumulation

As youth transition to adulthood, their ability to save and accumulate assets becomes very important as they begin to accept financial responsibilities and plan for the future. This paper uses data from Masindi, a rural area in Uganda, to (a) investigate the savings preferences of youth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), (b) examine the relationship between an asset-building intervention for youth and higher savings, and (c) determine whether gender and marital status interact in their effect on young people’s savings in SSA. Univariate statistics, independent sample t-test and factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) are used to address the study’s three goals. Results reveal that most youth in SSA prefer informal saving to formal saving mechanisms. In addition, a culturally tailored asset-building intervention is associated with higher savings in SSA. Finally, the study finds that gender and marital status do not interact to affect young people’s total savings. It is suggested that formal financial institutions should be encouraged to provide equal savings incentives and opportunities for both young males and females in rural communities

Conceptual Development of the CYFI Model of Children and Youth as Economic Citizens

Conceptual Development of the CYFI Model of Children and Youth as Economic Citizen

Research Evidence on the CYFI Model of Children and Youth as Economic Citizens

Research Evidence on the CYFI Model of Children and Youth as Economic Citizen

Visual Demonstration of Academic Performance and Parental Involvement in Ghana

Visual Demonstration of Academic Performance and Parental Involvement in Ghan

Youth and Savings in AssetsAfrica

As youth transition to adulthood, their ability to save and accumulate assets becomes very important as they begin to accept financial responsibilities and plan for the future. In this paper, we investigated the effects of an asset building intervention on youth asset accumulation in Masindi, a rural area in Uganda. Two waves of data were collected on youth, between 15 and 35 years of age, for both the treatment and comparison groups. We used a Propensity Score Matching (PSM) technique and Difference-in-Difference model to estimate the effects of the asset building intervention. We find that the mean difference in financial assets ($763.17), total wealth ($897.75) and net-worth ($1,17.83) are statistically significant in favor of the youth in the treatment group. However, the mean difference in productive assets ($3.77) is not statistically significant. The results show that youth in rural Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are able to accumulate substantial assets that may well contribute to their well-being in the long-term

Parental Involvement and Academic Performance in Ghana

Parental Involvement and Academic Performance in Ghan

Assets and Child Well-Being in Developing Countries: A Research Review

The impact of assets on child well-being in developing countries has received considerable attention in the last decade. Increased recognition of the critical role played by assets in enhancing children’s well-being has spurred efforts to study the relationship between assets and a range of outcomes for children. This chapter reviews current studies (i.e., conducted within the past 10 years) that explore the relationship of asset ownership and a range of outcomes. The studies we have included in this review illustrate the impact that assets can have on children’s outcomes in the area of health, education, and child labor. Overall, the studies reviewed show that asset ownership improves children’s health conditions, advance schooling outcomes, and decrease incidence of child labor. Further research on the asset effects for child outcomes can inform progressive asset-building initiatives that will provide impetus for programs and policies to enhance household well-being in developing countries

Factors contributing to spatial inequality in academic achievement in Ghana: Analysis of district-level factors using geographically weighted regression

Like most Sub-Saharan African countries, Ghana's basic educational system continues to undergo reform, receiving substantial investment to ensure all citizens have access to quality educational opportunities regardless of where they live. Although the reforms have markedly improved access to education at the junior high school level, the overall level of academic achievement among Ghana's population remains low, especially in deprived areas of the country. The low rate of achievement warrants examination because the lack of education hampers social mobility and constrains the ability of pupils from deprived communities to progress up the academic ladder. This study uses spatial modeling tools and district-level data to examine spatial variability in rates of academic achievement among districts in Ghana, and to investigate the differential effects of macro-level factors on academic achievement. Analysis reveals two key findings: (a) the existing pattern of spatial inequality primarily favors academic achievement of students in the Middle and Southern Belt regions of Ghana; and (b) factors contributing to academic achievement vary spatially, with the significance level, magnitude, and direction of relationship varying from one district to another. The study demonstrates the quintessence of an approach to educational development that emphasizes decentralization, thereby allowing educational investments and interventions to be tailored to local needs