PLAY-INTEGRATED TEACHING AND LEARNING IN BENEFICIARY SCHOOLS OF THE RIGHT TO PLAY LEARNING THROUGH PLAY PROJECT IN THE SAVELIGU DISTRICT OF NORTHERN GHANA

This study examined kindergarten (KG) teachers’ implementation of play-integrated teaching and learning in beneficiary schools of the Right To Play (RTP) learning through play initiative in the Saveligu District of Northern Ghana. An intrinsic case study design was adopted. Thirty KG1&2 teachers were purposively selected and willingly took part in this study. Semi-structured interviews and non-participant observations were used to collect data. The data were manually coded, summarised, and analysed using a deductive thematic approach to qualitative data analysis. The study identified three groups of teachers with three different ideologies and practices. They all admitted that play was an avenue for children to have fun, learn, and develop holistically. However, they approached play-integrated teaching and learning differently. While some discouraged the practice, others encouraged it partially and some other teachers embraced it fully. These disparities in teachers' views and practices of play-integrated teaching and learning revealed some infrastructural and curricular deficits in Ghanaian KG education. The study recommended that the Ghana Education Service (GES) should address the infrastructural deficit identified in most KGs in the Saveligu District and invest more in play-integrated teaching and learning. Also, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) should revise the current KG curriculum to include explicit instructions on the use of play-integrated pedagogies in KG.  Article visualizations

Exploring Children’s Communication through Art in the Early Years: The Role of the Teacher

The idea that art influences children’s communication and their general well-being is shared by most art educators and early childhood philosophers. Most children in the early years express themselves through art since they lack the ability to communicate with vocabulary and written words. This implies that teachers need to use a lot of art-based activities to meet this need of children in the early years. Based on a case study design, the study explored the pictorial representations of art done by children between the ages of two and four years at the pre-school level and the role of teachers in facilitating art activities at this level.  Guided by observation and semi-structured interview guide, a qualitative approach was used. A sample of 30 pupils’ works and 5 teachers were used for the study. The study revealed that children communicated through art but teachers did not have enough skills to guide them to promote their artistic abilities. The study, therefore, recommended that teachers should be given in- service training to equip them to provide children with the needed opportunities to express themselves through art. Keywords: Art, Communication, Children, Early Years, Teacher

Development of an integrated safety, health and environmental management capability maturity model for Ghanaian construction companies

With high rates of accidents, injuries, illnesses, negative environmental impacts and other well-being issues still recorded in the construction sector, as well its social and economic impacts, the need for safety health and environmental (SHE) improvement has become critical. Management systems, particularly environmental management systems (EMS) and safety management systems (SHMS), have been identified as innovative and systematic approaches for companies to manage SHE risks effectively in order to improve their SHE performance. However, the adoption and implementation of EMS and SHMS in the construction sector, particularly in developing countries like Ghana, has been slow and generally low, mainly due to cost and the bureaucracy that comes with the parallel implementation of standalone management systems. There is, therefore, a need for an integrated SHE management framework for effective SHE risks management and control in the construction sector. However, there is no single integrated SHE management framework for construction organisations to use, especially those within developing countries. Neither is there any mechanism by which construction companies can ascertain their capability in implementing integrated SHE management in order to guide efforts to improve their SHE performance. This research was undertaken to develop an integrated SHE management capability maturity model (SHEM-CMM) that can be used by construction firms in the Ghanaian construction industry.To achieve the aim of the study, a quantitative research approach was adopted. It involved a comprehensive literature review to generate potential capability attributes relevant to integrated SHE management. Following the literature review, a survey of experienced SHE experts was undertaken in order to verify the suitability of the identified integrated SHE management capability attributes. Subsequently, a three-round Delphi technique was undertaken with experienced SHE management experts (round 1 n=41, round 2 n=31 and round 3 n=30) and accompanied by the application of voting analytical hierarchy process, to ascertain the relative weight/priority of the capability attributes. This study found 20 integrated SHE management capability attributes which are clustered into five categories, namely: strategy; process; people; resources; and information. Collectively, the attributes within the ‘strategy’ category are the most important, followed by the ‘people’ and then ‘process’ attributes. Drawing on the capability maturity concept, an integrated SHE management capability maturity model (SHEM-CMM) was developed. The model is composed of 20 integrated SHE management capability attributes which are mapped on to five levels of capability maturity ranging from Level 1 to Level 5, and with each level having a distinct maturity level descriptor. The integrated SHEM-CMM was then validated by 59 construction professionals including SHE experts in construction companies operating in the Ghanaian construction industry in order to ensure the adequacy and practical usefulness of the model. This research has contributed to the existing body of knowledge on SHE management by establishing integrated SHE management capability attributes and their relative weight of importance. Furthermore, the research has developed a novel integrated SHEM-CMM which has practical usefulness in the construction industry. The model provides a systematic approach for SHE management capability evaluation and improvement in construction. It is anticipated that the developed capability maturity model would be used by construction firms to systematically assess their SHE management capability and identify ways to further improve their SHE management in order to obtain better SHE performance outcomes

A consumer product and service review web application

Applied project submitted to the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems, Ashesi University, in partial fulfillment of Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems, May 2020Reviews are essential in the growth of many businesses. Through reviews, firms can figure out how their customers feel about the value they provide. Information Technology has intricately become a part of the daily lives of human beings. In leveraging the ever-growing technology industry, this application seeks to provide a platform that allows consumers to share their views on goods and services they have experienced. Businesses, on the other hand, get to access valuable consumer information with which they can improve their offerings.Ashesi Universit

Sustainable Construction Implementation In Ghana: Focusing On Awareness And Challenges

The quest for sustainable construction everywhere is mainly to achieve the dual end of ensuring a balance in infrastructural development and the ecosystem both for the present and future generations. This is due the growing realization among leading scientists and researchers that the rate at which the earth’s resources are being used exceeds its long-term capacity and undermines the vital life support system of the earth. The extent to which this all-important agenda is being pursued varies from one country to the other despite the global nature of the threat. This research assesses the level of awareness and challenges of implementing sustainable construction in Ghana. The study adopted a quantitative study design where questionnaire survey was used to elicit data from respondents. Structured questionnaire was used to obtain data from 100 randomly sampled construction practitioners (architects, quantity surveyors and structural engineers). For the data analysis, descriptive statistics and severity index were mainly used. The results of the survey demonstrated that there is low level of awareness and practical application of the concept of sustainable construction amongst stakeholders in the construction industry in Ghana. The research findings further indicate cultural change resistance, lack of commitment from government, fear of higher investment costs, lack of professional knowledge, and lack of legislation as the most severe challenges of implementing sustainable construction in Ghana. Keywords: Awareness, Challenges, Construction Industry, Ghana, Sustainable Constructio

Early Childhood Education Policy and Practice in Ghana: Document and Evidence Analysis with McDonnell and Elmore’s Framework of Policy Instruments

Early childhood education (ECE) in Ghana has grown from a traditional approach to a more formalised and modernised system of care and education services for young children. As a valued practice, ECE reflects a distributive, regulatory or redistributive policy. The paper analyses Ghana’s ECE policy implementation using McDonnell and Elmore’s framework of five elemental instruments. We supported the analysis with ECE policy documents and research evidence in ECE. Enabling and inhibiting factors affecting ECE were identified and ways were devised to enhance the latter. We established that while ECE has somewhat addressed equity and access issues, concerns exist regarding implementation factors such as quality teacher training and parent involvement for promoting effective programs. The paper recommends the need to evaluate ECE and provide planned and ongoing opportunities to advance the professional development, capacity, and motivation of ECE implementers, especially early childhood teachers

Integration of multiple geospatial applications and intelligence for responding to COVID-19 in Ghana

Objective: We describe the use of integrated geospatial applications for the provision of access to timely and accurate data on samples, visualisation of Spatio-temporal patterns of cases and effective communication between field sample collectors, testing laboratories, Regional Health directors and Government Decision Makers.Design: This study describes how an integrated geospatial platform based on case location and intelligence was developed and used for effective COVID-19 response during the initial stages of COVID-19 in Ghana.Data Source: Collector for ArcGIS, ArcGIS Survey123Main outcome measure: successful development and deployment of integrated geospatial applications and analytics.                                                              Results: The Collector for ArcGIS app was customised to collect COVID-19 positive cases location information. Survey 123 was introduced as a COVID-19 contact tracing application to digitise the case-based forms and provide real-time results from the laboratories to GHS and other stakeholders. The laboratory backend allowed the testing laboratories access to specific information about each patient (sample) collected by the fieldworkers. The regional supervisors’ backend web application provided accessing test results for confidentiality and timely communication of results.Conclusion: Geospatial platforms were successfully established in Ghana to provide timely results to Regional Health Directors and Government decision-makers. This helped to improve the timeliness of response and contact tracing at the district level

Genetic and phenotypic parameters for birth and weaning weights of purebred and crossbred N'dama and West African Shorthorn cattle

Calf records for a 30 year period (1965-1995) on purebred and crossbred N'dama and West African Shorthorn (WASH) cattle and their crosses with Santa Gertrudis or Red Poll were analyzed to determine factors affecting birth and weaning weights and to estimate genetic parameters. Male calves weighed heavier (p< 0.05) at birth and at weaning. Similarly period (year grouping) significantly influenced birth and weaning weights of calves. Season of birth did not influence calf weight at birth but significantly affected calf weaning weights. Purebred calves were similar in weight at birth and at weaning. Santa Gertrudis crossbreds weighed heavier than Red Poll crossbreds at birth only but not at weaning. Generally the poor level of nutrition of the natural pasture did not permit improved weaning weights in calves, which were heavier at birth. Additive direct heritability estimates were 0.45±0.08 for birth weight and 038±0.18 for weaning weight. Moderate genetic correlation (0.48) between birth and weaning weights indicates that selection for one trait would lead to moderate positive correlated response in the other trait. Due to negative genetic correlation (-0.29±0.16) between direct and maternal effects for weaning weight, and moderate heritabilities for both traits, selection for both the direct and maternal components of preweaning traits is advised

Organisational attributes that determine integrated safety, health and environmental management capability

Implementing separate Environmental Management System (EMS) and Safety and Health Management System (SHMS) can be costly for organisations and hence the advent of integrated management systems. The effective implementation of integrated safety, health and environmental (SHE) management would require companies to have the appropriate organisational capability. Within the academic literature, it is unclear which organisational attributes are important for ascertaining integrated SHE management capability of construction companies. This study sought to address this through a comprehensive review of literature relating to SHE management in construction and SHE management systems and models. The study revealed that organisational attributes that could determine integrated SHE management capability include: senior management commitment to SHE; SHE risks management; SHE objectives and programs; staff competencies; resources for SHE implementation; SHE roles and responsibilities; SHE communications; SHE documentation and control measures; SHE emergency plans; SHE monitoring and performance measurement; and SHE auditing and management review to capture lessons learned. These attributes could enable construction companies and other key industry stakeholders to understand construction companies’ capability to implement an integrated SHE management system