Relationship between attendance and academic performance among student-athletes in Obuasi municipality, Ghana

Participation in sports is a topic that has gained considerable attention over the years.  While many scholars argue that sports participation results in high academic output among student-athletes, others contended that it decreases academic performance. There is another school of thought that has established that participation in sports promote absenteeism. Despite these discussions, there is a gap in the literature on the relationship between absenteeism and academic performance among student-athletes particularly in a developing country like Ghana. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between absenteeism and academic performance among 203 student-athletes in two public senior high schools in the Obuasi Municipality of Ghana. A census was employed to gather data from all the student-athletes who were in form three and form two. A generated form that solicits student-athletes end of semester results in the core subjects English, Mathematics, Integrated Science, and Social studies, and attendance for two semesters was the main instrument used to gather the data. Data was analysed using percentages and correlation. The results showed that student-athletes attendance to classes was high and their academic performance was also good. The results further revealed that the academic performance of the student-athletes is linked to their class attendance. It is recommended that the management of senior high schools and other stakeholders within the Obuasi Municipality should find ways of encouraging students to participate in school sports and attend classes regularly since that might improve their academic performance.&nbsp

Internal Challenges Affecting Academic Performance of Student-Athletes in Ghanaian Public Universities

This paper examined internal challenges affecting academic performance of student-athletes in Ghanaian public universities, using a descriptive survey research design.  Proportionate random sampling technique was employed to select Three Hundred and Thirty-Two (332) respondents for the study.  The instrument used in gathering data for the study was a questionnaire titled “Questionnaire on Internal Challenges Affecting University Athletes (QICAUA)” structured and developed by researchers. The QICAUA was validated by two jurors in the field of physical education and sport, from Ghana and Nigeria and pilot tested using test-retest method.  A reliability correlation coefficient of .85r was obtained from the reliability testing. In all, two research hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 alpha level of significance. Data collected were analyzed using chi-square (x2) statistical method. The findings from the study showed that time constraints and physical/emotional strain were significant internal challenges affecting the academic performance of student-athletes in Ghanaian public universities. Based on these findings, the study recommends that Management of universities, university sports administrators and the Ghana Universities Sports Association (GUSA) should collaborate to schedule sports programmes in such a way that student-athletes will have adequate time for both academics and sports; student-athletes should be counselled on how to manage their time effectively on campus; and coaches should ensure that student-athletes are not over worked physically and emotionally during training and competitions. Keywords: Academic Performance; Challenge; Public Universities; Student-Athlete

Psychometric Properties of a Safety Culture Index among Mental Health Workers in Ghana

Safety culture among mental health workers is essential, especially in developing countries where workplace safety seems neglected. However, few studies have provided detailed psychometric analyses of convenient safety instruments with practical relevance for the healthcare industry in the Sub-Saharan African context. We sampled 574 (54.4 % females, 45.6 % males) mental health workers from three Specialist Psychiatric Teaching Hospitals in Ghana. Initially, we collected data using adapted items from Edkins and Coakes’ 25-item Airline Safety Culture Index (ASCI). Consequently, we conducted a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) using the Diagonally Weighted Least Squares estimator. We also used the item reduction analysis (Gradual Response Model) to reduce the adapted 25-item scale to 11 items (Modified Safety Culture Index, MSCI- 11). Finally, we conducted reliability analyses (alpha and omega) for the MSCI-11. We observed that the data in the CFA showed adequate fit indices [χ2 (df = 44, N = 574) = 223.752, p < 0.001; CFI = 0.975; TLI = 0.968; RM- SEA = 0.084 (CI 90 % 0.074- 0.096); SRMR = 0.063]. The MSCI- 11 is parsimonious and has good reliability estimates [α = 0.853 (95 % CI 0.835 – 0.870) and ω = 0.853 (95 % CI 0.837- 0.087)]. Future studies should use additional cross-validation in other high-risk jobs to generalise the new scale

Safety behaviour and grit in sports performance among Ghanian university athletes

Grit is consistency of interest, perseverance and passion for long-term goal in a chosen activity, which normally translates into better acievements. Grittier athletes are assumed to be more safety conscious since they want to produce better performance in competitions. Therefore, this study explored the influence of university student-athletes’ perseverance and passion for long-term goal attainment and safety behaviour in sports performance. The Grit Scale and Safety Behaviour items were used to collect data from a sample of 644 university athletes who took part in the 2018 Ghana University Sports Association Games (2018 GUSA Games). Results indicate that 46% of these athletes had won at least a medal during the competition. However, about 10.4% either consumed alcohol, a mixture of alcohol and energy drink, smoked tobacco and/or took illicit drugs such as tramadol, marijuana, fentanyl, morphine, etc. at least once a day during the competition. Binomial logistic regression analysis indicates a significant prediction of sports performance (χ2 = 46.57, p = .001), with female athletes, those having higher grit scores and reporting health risk behaviours more likely being medal winners. However, female athletes with higher grit scores were less likely to engage in health risk behaviour, which could compromise the students’ sports performance and health status.Keywords: Grits, perseverance, consistency of interest, health, safety behaviour, athletes, performance

Improving Body Mass Index of School-Aged Children Using a Nine-Week Rope Skipping Training Intervention: A One-Group Pre-Test Post-Test Design

Studies examining the effectiveness of rope skipping training to improve the body mass index (BMI) of school children are scarce. Hence, this study examined the effectiveness of nine-week skipping training on the BMI of primary six school-aged children (n = 77). The participants underwent 30 min of skipping training three days per week over a nine-week period. The participants’ BMI was measured at the baseline and during weeks 3, 6 and 9. The results from a one-way ANOVA with repeated measures indicated a statistically significant difference in the BMI for both males [F(3,111) = 9.42, p ηp2 = 0.203] and females [F(3,114) = 7.35, p ηp2 = 0.162], suggesting an improvement in BMI. Post hoc comparisons with a Bonferroni adjustment revealed significant differences in BMI after nine weeks of intervention for males between the pre-test (M = 21.47, SD = 4.94) and the 9-week post-test (M = 20.15, SD = 4.36), and for females between the pre-test (M = 21.56, SD = 5.80) and the 9-week post-test (M = 20.68, SD = 5.32). This study demonstrated that regular participation in vigorous physical activity such as skipping training could promote child health by preventing the likelihood of young children being overweight. This result has implications for the inclusion of skipping training into the school life of school-aged children to help manage their BMI levels