Improving Pre-Service Teachers’ Performance in the Teaching of Common Fraction Using Cuisenaire Rods

This research study was undertaken to assess the difficulties pre-service teachers face using Cuisenaire Rods in teaching Common Fractions and how often these concrete models are used in their mathematics lessons. The extent of pupils’ participation and understanding the basic concept of common fractions, the student-teachers’ preference of using Cuisenaire Rods as against the use of fractional rules in teaching common fractions formed the integral part of the research study. Action research design was used for this study. The design allows the researcher to obtain answers to the questions raised directly from the respondents. The target population was pre-service teachers of Berekum College of Education.  Random sampling procedure was used to select 50 student-teachers and JHS2 pupils as sample for the study so as to enhance the validity and generalization of the result. Observation of student-teachers’ teaching practices, model teaching by the researcher, questionnaire, and interviews granted to pupils on the study of common fraction on the use of Cuisenaire Rods were among the research instruments used. Descriptive statistics in terms of frequencies with their percentages were also used in analyzing the data obtained from the questionnaire. The research findings revealed that the use of Cuisenaire Rods to teach Common Fractions stimulates motivates and arouses the interest of learners to participate fully in the teaching and learning process. This helps pupils to actively partake in learning basic concepts in mathematics whenever concrete models were used in the lesson presentation. The research findings strongly indicated that no matter how different the pre-service teachers are prepared; the competencies of teacher education in our contemporary world would much depend on student-teachers’ teaching methods and teaching practices that can bring real meaning into the lives of their pupils. It is recommended that the supply of mathematics syllabus into the Colleges of Education should be accompanied with adequate teaching and learning aids for pre-service teachers. This would allow them to receive sufficient pre-training in all aspects of the curriculum before becoming professional teachers DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-9-01 Publication date:March 31st 201

Assisting Pupils of Aduamoa D/A Junior High School Level 2 To Understand The Concept Of Water Purification Using The Filtration Method

The purpose of the study was to develop strategies to aid pupils of Aduamoa D/A Junior High School level 2 to understand the concept of water purification using the filtration method.  The population used for the study was 30 pupils and also the cluster sampling technique was used.  The research instruments used to collect thee data were observation, tests in the form of pre-test and post-test, questionnaire and interview. The researcherused action research design for the study. Data collected from both pre-test and post-test were analyzed using simple percentages and frequency distribution tables and the study came out with the findings; The filtration method can be applied using participation activities that enhance pupils’ understanding of the concept, and pupils’behaviour towards science improved remarkably after they were taken through the simple experimental procedure. Keywords: Purification, Impurities and Filtration DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-10-12 Publication date: April 30th 2019

Influence of Parasitic Worm Infections on Allergy Diagnosis in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Epidemiological studies from Sub-Saharan Africa indicate that allergies are on the rise in this region especially in urban compared to rural areas. This increase has been linked to improved hygiene, lifestyle changes, and lower exposure to pathogens in childhood. Reduced exposure to parasitic worm (helminth) infections and allergy outcomes has been the focus of a number of population studies over the years. Paradoxically, there are parallels in the immune responses to helminths and to allergies. Both conditions are associated with elevated levels of immunoglobulin E, high numbers of T helper 2 cells, eosinophils, and mast cells. These immune parallels have meant that the diagnosis of allergies in parts of the world where helminths are endemic can be hampered. The aim of this review is to examine observations from population studies conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa that demonstrate how helminth infections influence the parameters used to diagnose allergy outcomes in this region. We explore specifically how helminth infections hinder the in vitro diagnosis of allergic sensitization, influence the clinical manifestations of allergy, and also the effect of anthelmintic treatment on allergy outcomes. Advancing our understanding of how helminths influence allergy diagnosis is imperative for the development of improved tools to assess, diagnose, and treat allergic disorders in both helminth-endemic and non-endemic countries worldwide

Insect defoliation modulates influence of climate on the growth of tree species in the boreal mixed forests of eastern Canada

Increasing air temperatures and changing precipitation patterns due to climate change can affect tree growth in boreal forests. Periodic insect outbreaks affect the growth trajectory of trees, making it difficult to quantify the climate signal in growth dynamics at scales longer than a year. We studied climate-driven growth trends and the influence of spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana Clem.) outbreaks on these trends by analyzing the basal area increment (BAI) of 2058 trees of Abies balsamea (L.) Mill., Picea glauca (Moench) Voss, Thuja occidentalis L., Populus tremuloides Michx., and Betula papyrifera Marsh, which co-occurs in the boreal mixedwood forests of western Quebec. We used a generalized additive mixed model (GAMM) to analyze species-specific trends in BAI dynamics from 1967 to 1991. The model relied on tree size, cambial age, degree of spruce budworm defoliation, and seasonal climatic variables. Overall, we observed a decreasing growth rate of the spruce budworm host species, A. balsamea and P. glauca between 1967 and 1991, and an increasing growth rate for the non-host, P. tremuloides, B. papyrifera, and T. occidentalis. Our results suggest that insect outbreaks may offset growth increases resulting from a warmer climate. The observation warrants the inclusion of the spruce budworm defoliation into models predicting future forest productivity

An Experiment to Determine the Prospect of using Cocoa Pod Husk Ash as Stabilizer for Weak Lateritic Soils

A study was conducted to determine the extent to which the engineering and geotechnical properties of a lateritic soil for road construction works can be improved by using cocoa pod husk ash (CPHA) additive.Natural lateritic soil samples were collected from test pits near El wak Sports Stadium, Accra, Ghana and were subjected to Atterberg’s limit and particle size distribution tests as well as compaction and California Bearing Ratio (CBR) tests. The soil was then treated with 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0%, 4.0%, 6.0%, 8.0%, and 10.0% of CPHA and then tested for variations in the engineering properties.From the various tests carried out on the natural soil sample, and when CPHA was added, it was observed that CPHA has a significant negative effect on the maximum dry density and a positive significant effect (p<0.05) on the liquid limit. The addition of CPHA to the soil however, did not significantly (p>0.05) affect the California Bearing Ratio, optimum moisture content, plastic limit and plasticity index, and therefore the CPHA is regarded as a poor soil stabilizer. Other findings show that CPHA has no pozzolanic properties. Keywords: Cocoa pod husk ash, stabilizer, lateritic soil, pozzolanic properties

The Relationship between the Quality of Teachers and Pupils Academic Performance in the STMA Junior High Schools of the Western Region of Ghana

The study investigated into the relationship between the quality teachers and students academic performance in Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) Junior High Schools. Descriptive survey design was used and the target population was Junior High School teachers and pupils in the metropolis. Five educational circuits in the metropolis were randomly selected for the conduct of the study. Stratified and systematic sampling techniques were used to sample participants and the sample size was 500. Questionnaire was the main instrument used for the data collection. Pearson Moment Correlation, ANOVA, means, percentages and standard deviations were used to analyse the data. The results of the study showed that even though the quality of teachers was high in terms of their academic and professional qualifications, it did not reflect much in the performance of the students

Niko Kuret, Maske slovenskih pokrajin, Cankarjeva založba in ZRC SAZU, Institut za slovensko narodopisje, Ljubljana 1984, 544 str.

Additional file 1. Computational details

Early Childhood Education in Ghana: Perceptions of Stakeholders in the Western Region of Ghana

The purpose of the study was to determine the perceptions of the stakeholders in early childhood education and their perceptions affect the performance of their roles in the implementation of early childhood education programmes. Parents, community members, early childhood education teachers, members of religious organisations and Non-Governmental Organisations formed population of the study. Simple random sampling technique was used to sample the early childhood schools and stratified sampling technique participants in each district. The instruments used for data collection were questionnaire and structured interview guide. Data collected were summarised using percentages, means, standard deviations and Pearson Moment Correlation Coefficient The Stakeholder in the Western Region of Ghana have low perception of early childhood education and this adversely affects the performance of their roles to ensure effective implementation of early childhood programmes and policies in the region. There is a relationship between their perceptions and the level of performance of their roles. It is recommended that Religious organizations, District and Municipal Assemblies as well as non-governmental organizations should be encouraged to participate actively in the implementation of early childhood programmes and policies in the regio

Predictors of noncompliance to antihypertensive therapy among hypertensive patients Ghana: Application of health belief model

This study determined noncompliance to antihypertensive therapy (AHT) and its associated factors in a Ghanaian population by using the health belief model (HBM). This descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at Kintampo Municipality in Ghana recruited a total of 678 hypertensive patients. The questionnaire constituted information regarding sociodemographics, a five-Likert type HBM questionnaire, and lifestyle-related factors. The rate of noncompliance to AHT in this study was 58.6%. The mean age (SD) of the participants was 43.5 (±5.2) years and median duration of hypertension was 2 years. Overall, the five HBM constructs explained 31.7% of the variance in noncompliance to AHT with a prediction accuracy of 77.5%, after adjusting for age, gender, and duration of condition. Higher levels of perceived benefits of using medicine [aOR=0.55(0.36-0.82),p=0.0001] and cue to actions [aOR=0.59(0.38-0.90),p=0.0008] were significantly associated with reduced noncompliance while perceived susceptibility [aOR=3.05(2.20-6.25),

Perceived neighborhood social cohesion and functional disability among older adults: The moderating roles of sex, physical activity, and multi-morbidity

Though the Ghanaian social structure is largely communal in several of its social life and social spaces, the extent to which cohesive neighbourhood affects functional ability of older persons and the moderating factors of the relationship, are unknown in Ghana. This study examines the moderating roles of sex, multimorbidity, and physical activity on the association between neighbourhood social cohesion and functional disability among older people in Ghana. A cross-sectional study of 4,446 people-50 years and older-from WHO's Study on global AGEing and adult health Ghana Wave 2 was employed. Functional disability-WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0-and neighbourhood social cohesion measured with community-level participation, perceived trust and safety were studied. Generalised Logistic regressions with interactional tests were used to examine the associations. A more socially cohesive neighbourhood was significantly associated with a lower functional disability among older people (OR = 0.94, 95%CI: 0.93, 0.94; P<0.001). A similar relationship was found for community-level participation (aOR = 0.94, 95%CI: 0.94, 0.95; P<0.001) and perceived trust (aOR = 1.00, 95%CI: 0.99, 1.00; P<0.001). Community-level participation is associated with a lower functional disability among older people who were physically active (aOR = 0.98, 95%CI: 0.96, 0.99; P<0.001). Among the three individual-level measures of neighbourhood social cohesion, only physical activity (OR = 0.98, 95%CI: 0.98, 0.99; P<0.01) moderated the association between community-level participation and functional disability. Community-level participation, along with physical activity, may be relevant in improving functional ability among older people. The results highlight the usefulness of policy to ensure a more socially cohesive neighbourhood for older people in Ghana to improve their quality of life