Mother Tongue Usage in Ghanaian Pre-Schools: Perceptions of Parents and Teachers

The present study investigated the perceptions of parents and teachers on the use of the mother tongue and their preferred medium of communication and instruction for preschool children at home and in school. The sample was made up of a cross-section of parents and teachers (N=120, Female=80% for teachers and 55% for parents) of children (between ages 2 and 5) in a suburb of the Greater Accra Region, Ghana. A structured questionnaire was administered to the respondents to elicit information on their perceptions on the use of mother tongue in communicating with the children. The results indicated that both parents and teachers appreciate the importance of the mother tongue, with reasons including the promoting of cultural identity, the easy understanding of concepts and for effective communication. An appreciable number of teachers and parents also support the use of mother tongue as the language of instruction in school alongside English language. The two main arguments against the use of the mother tongue in schools are (1) the importance of English language for future learning and status growth and (2) the paucity of teaching and learning materials in the local languages. Parents support the use of mother tongue at home because it enhances children’s connection to their family, relatives, culture, history and identity. Recommendations made, include the provision of instructional materials and trained teachers in local language usage. Keywords: Mother tongue education, Medium of instruction, Ghana

What Works for Parents: How Parents Support Their Children with Math Homework in Rural Ghana

Family and Consumer Sciences programs target families in deprived rural and urban communities with the objective of equipping them with skills to improve family well-being, education, and relationships. In recent years, the focus of FCS in Ghana has been on parental styles and education that foster parents’ involvement in their children\u27s school work. Using a child-parent interactive model, a series of math activities were delivered to children between the ages of 6 and 10 years. Group activities were also facilitated by the FCS staff. Parents used local materials, such as small empty cans, bottles, leaves, stones, sticks, old newspapers, and sand, to explain math concepts. Staff, parents, and children used fun activities and role plays to demonstrate developmental processes that enhance effective child development. The lessons identified were tied to the understanding of appropriate parenting styles that foster acquisition of skills for basic math concepts. Parents reported increased interest and confidence in math and were more proactive in supervising their children to complete their homework. The importance of the model lies in its simplicity in conveying fundamental knowledge that relates to the interwoven aspect of developmental domains to ensure children experience maximal success with math-related activities

Double Jeopardy: HIV-Positive Wives Caring for Their HIV-Positive Spouses in Accra

Given improved medical treatment, AIDS seems no longer like a death sentence in many countries. AIDS patients live longer and are expected to be given the necessary care and support. This study explored the experiences of HIV-positive wives caring for their husbands living with AIDS. Using a qualitative method, 15 semi-structured interviews were conducted with women living with HIV/AIDS selected from the Fever Unit at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.  The study revealed that although participants demonstrated their willingness to give quality care, care experiences were closely linked to available resources. In other words, care was perceived by all participants as being synonymous with availability of family resources.  Insufficient resources (especially in terms of energy and financial resources) hindered the quality of care provided to HIV positive husbands. The challenge of insufficient financial, time, energy and other resources placed a lot of physical, health, economic and emotional burdens on participants and this affected their capacity to engage fully in daily activities. In conclusion, experiences of wives caring for their husband with AIDS influenced care practices in the home. Insufficient resources (especially in terms of energy and financial resources) hindered the quality of care HIV positive wives provided to HIV positive husbands. It resulted in a compromise of adequate and quality care not only to the sick husband but to the children as well. In the light of these findings, it was recommended that there should be sensitization or education on effective Family Resource Management; stigmatization and fear of HIV/AIDS by the Family and Consumer Sciences Outreach Program, HIV/AIDS advocates, Ghana Health, Ghana AIDS Commission and other relevant stakeholders Further research could also be conducted using a larger sample size to gain insight into the challenges of HIV positive wives when caring for their HIV positive husbands. Keywords: HIV, Wives, Husbands, Care

Where Children Live and Have their Wellbeing; A Study of Housing Conditions and Health in Accra-Ghana.

The study investigates the links between housing conditions and reported health conditions of children in Madina, a suburb of the Greater Accra region of Ghana. The study used purposive sampling and snowballing sampling techniques to sample residents who were parents and guardians (N = 90; 79% = female; age 18 < 50; with children <15 years). Research questions explored include the resident’s perceptions and classification of the housing conditions, their perceptions of the aspects of their housing which affects the health of their children and the children’s health conditions commonly reported to health institutions. Housing conditions were measured with an observation checklist assessing: overcrowding, ventilation, structural problems, and sanitation among others. Health conditions were measured by the reporting of symptoms. Pearson’s correlations, and chi-square tests were used to analyze the relationship between health and housing conditions. The results indicated that majority of respondents (83%) perceived their household conditions as poor. Among others, respondents mentioned poor ventilation, leaking roofs, and poor sanitary conditions as some of the problems they face. About 79% of sampled households reported the occurrence of at least one existing health condition in their children, which they attributed to their housing conditions. These findings highlight the need for housing policies to improve housing conditions in Ghanaian suburbs to strengthen the health and wellbeing among among the residents and especially children. Keywords: Housing Conditions; Health Problems; Urban Areas; Accra Ghana

Interview dataset on mothers experiences of preterm infants

The data is part of a study that examined the experiences of and coping resources available to mothers of preterm infants in Accra, Ghana, during the Covid-19 pandemic</h3

Willingness of Rural and Peri-Urban Women Smallholder Farmers to Participate in Home-Grown School Feeding Farming Contracts in Ghana

The Ghanaian government has implemented a Home-Grown School Feeding Program, which mandates that school caterers source food from local producers. The volume of local purchases, however, remains low. This study explores constraints faced by local producers—particularly women—in selling their production to local schools. We present results of an agricultural household survey, which includes questions pertaining to a series of hypothetical school-grower contracts. We find that women state slightly lower willingness to participate in contracts compared to men, something that is partially explained by their differential ability to dictate the management of land and use of household income

Adaptation of the Wound Healing Questionnaire universal-reporter outcome measure for use in global surgery trials (TALON-1 study): mixed-methods study and Rasch analysis

BackgroundThe Bluebelle Wound Healing Questionnaire (WHQ) is a universal-reporter outcome measure developed in the UK for remote detection of surgical-site infection after abdominal surgery. This study aimed to explore cross-cultural equivalence, acceptability, and content validity of the WHQ for use across low- and middle-income countries, and to make recommendations for its adaptation.MethodsThis was a mixed-methods study within a trial (SWAT) embedded in an international randomized trial, conducted according to best practice guidelines, and co-produced with community and patient partners (TALON-1). Structured interviews and focus groups were used to gather data regarding cross-cultural, cross-contextual equivalence of the individual items and scale, and conduct a translatability assessment. Translation was completed into five languages in accordance with Mapi recommendations. Next, data from a prospective cohort (SWAT) were interpreted using Rasch analysis to explore scaling and measurement properties of the WHQ. Finally, qualitative and quantitative data were triangulated using a modified, exploratory, instrumental design model.ResultsIn the qualitative phase, 10 structured interviews and six focus groups took place with a total of 47 investigators across six countries. Themes related to comprehension, response mapping, retrieval, and judgement were identified with rich cross-cultural insights. In the quantitative phase, an exploratory Rasch model was fitted to data from 537 patients (369 excluding extremes). Owing to the number of extreme (floor) values, the overall level of power was low. The single WHQ scale satisfied tests of unidimensionality, indicating validity of the ordinal total WHQ score. There was significant overall model misfit of five items (5, 9, 14, 15, 16) and local dependency in 11 item pairs. The person separation index was estimated as 0.48 suggesting weak discrimination between classes, whereas Cronbach's α was high at 0.86. Triangulation of qualitative data with the Rasch analysis supported recommendations for cross-cultural adaptation of the WHQ items 1 (redness), 3 (clear fluid), 7 (deep wound opening), 10 (pain), 11 (fever), 15 (antibiotics), 16 (debridement), 18 (drainage), and 19 (reoperation). Changes to three item response categories (1, not at all; 2, a little; 3, a lot) were adopted for symptom items 1 to 10, and two categories (0, no; 1, yes) for item 11 (fever).ConclusionThis study made recommendations for cross-cultural adaptation of the WHQ for use in global surgical research and practice, using co-produced mixed-methods data from three continents. Translations are now available for implementation into remote wound assessment pathways