Journal of Advocacy, Research and Education

96-104

Authors: John Lawer Narh, Isaac Agyei-Boakye, John F.K. Ekpe

In the housing industry in Ghana, wood treatment is often done using water-borne preservatives. Common examples of preservatives include Acid Copper Chromate (ACC), Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA), and Chlorpyrifos (Dursban). It is important to know that good wood preservatives must be available on the market to ensure the quality of wood products in the Ghanaian housing industry. It is not enough that the preservative is efficient; it ought to be popular on the market. However, the popularity of a preservative may not necessarily portray its popularity. The main purpose of this study was to identify the most and least popular water-borne wood preservatives (Dursban, CCA, and ACC) in use and also determine any possible associations between woodworkers’ views concerning the most and least popular water-borne wood preservatives used in the housing industries and demographic status. An analytic sample of 199 participants was included in our study using a cross-sectional descriptive survey design. The results suggest that woodworkers rated Dursban as the most popular (65 %), CCA least popular (52 %), and ACC unsure (37 %). More specifically, young adults (74 %), secondary educated (84 %), carpentry speciality (86 %), and over two years experienced (88 %) woodworkers rated Dursban the most popular water-borne wood preservative used in the housing industry. However, young adults (56 %), secondary educated (59 %), carpentry specialists (59 %), and over two years experienced woodworkers (60 %) rated CCA the least popular water-borne wood preservative use in the housing industry. Further, we observed significant associations between participants’ education, profession, and experience with their perceptions of widespread water-borne wood preservatives used in the Ghanaian housing industry. Our study has implications for research, practice, and policy.

116-123

Authors: Dickson Okoree Mireku, Prosper Dzifa Dzamesi

This position paper aims to highlight some progressive steps by successive Ghana governments to patch the leaks in Ghana’s educational pipeline for training females for careers in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Documentary analysis techniques were employed to review the literature to follow the line of discussions on the topic. After the review, it was found that at the end of British rule in 1957, Ghana adopted various science and technology policies geared towards pushing it into the class of front-runners in modern science and technology. Adopting policies became necessary after Ghana assessed the pivotal roles that science and technology would play in its economic development agenda. The Gender Parity Index in the primary and secondary school enrollments in Ghana between 2011 to 2020 increased from 0.96 to 1.01, indicating that the differences in the rates at which males and females were admitted to reading STEM programmes closed up. Through the government of Ghana’s interventions, the gender gap was reduced, a situation that supported the stands of the authors against that of some social critics who were of the view that Ghana is among the countries that are still struggling to patch ‘leaks’ in its educational pipeline for promoting gender balance in STEM education.

65-77

Authors: Dorris Goodness Mathebula, Onoriode Collins Potokri

The study investigated barriers female teachers face when applying for promotional positions and their consequential impact on their teaching responsibilities. In this study, female and women are interchangeably used. The study was based on a qualitative multiple-case study research design and approach. Purposive sampling was used. In line with the design and approach, the sample consisted of five teachers from five different schools. An unstructured interview method was used to collect data, and the data collected were analysed by means of the thematic analysis method. The findings of this study revealed several barriers to management positions. These include domination by men, lack of leadership and management skills, lack of self-confidence, corruption in the schools, discrimination, and women not wanting to work far from their children or homes. These barriers burden women teachers because they become demoralised, demotivated, and bitter. Mitigation strategies that could help female teachers with their experience regarding promotional barriers also emerged as part of this study’s findings. Based on the findings, conclusions and recommendations were made.

86-92

Authors: Stephen Appiah, Charles Essiam

This quasi-experimental study explored the effectiveness of CAI in a Biology classroom at Adisadel College in Ghana. The study participants were 80 second-year Biology students who were conveniently sampled from the Green Track and the Gold Track of students in the school. The experimental group consisted of 40 students and was engaged in using CAI for five consecutive weeks. The students in the control group were taught by the conventional method. Students in both groups were exposed to the same content for the same period. The same pre-test and post-test were conducted on both groups, and the responses were analyzed using a t-test. A 10-item Likert-scale questionnaire was administered to the experimental group after the treatment to assess the impact of the CAI on their learning. The study’s findings revealed that students exposed to CAI performed significantly better than their counterparts taught with conventional instruction. The students also support the use of CAI in their classrooms. The Physics Education Technology (PhET) simulations used during the study improved students’ understanding of the concepts and thus reflected in their performance in the post-test. Science teachers are encouraged to employ PhET simulations in their teaching.

3-14

Authors: Ebenezer Kwarteng, Fred Nimoh, Enoch Kwame Tham-Agyekum, Robert Aidoo, James Osei Mensah, John-Eudes Andivi Bakang

The main idea behind this study was to ascertain the extent and factors that influence the adoption of improved cassava varieties in Mampong Municipality, Ashanti Region of Ghana. This is because, many years after implementing the Root and Tuber Improvement and Marketing Programme (RTIMP) in Ghana, little evidence exist regarding the extent of adoption and the factors that influence the adoption of improved cassava varieties in Ghana. The study was carried out in the Mampong Municipality in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The study employed a multi-stage sampling technique to select 250 cassava farmers. The Tobit and Multinomial Logistic Regression Models were used to analyse the dataset. Results show that the returns on the local varieties were higher than that of the improved cassava varieties. This might have accounted for the low adoption of the improved cassava varieties. The significant factors influencing the adoption of improved cassava varieties include access to extension services, access to credit, member of farmer associations and educational level. It is recommended that access to extension services should be enhanced, and credit opportunities should be made affordable to farmers. These are likely to increase the extent of adoption of the improved cassava varieties to enhance food security.

36-48

Authors: Chinaza Uleanya, Oluwatoyin Ayodele Ajani

Social justice is undeniably a significant pillar of democratic government, and it’s pertinent to measure the post-apartheid achievements of South African democratic governments. This study explores the efforts to make education available to all learners at universities of their choice to eradicate ostracism and exclusionary practices that had permeated the apartheid era. Critical Race Theory is used as a theoretical framework to underpin this discourse analysis, while the study adopted the review method. The researchers argue that inequalities exist between rural and urban universities, as well as between rural and urban learners. The study affirms that learners from rural areas experience inadequate access to education and lack opportunities to attend better-resourced urban universities. This paper views social justice in a democratic system as equal access to social benefits and resources among citizens. Hence, the limitations of rural learners to rural universities and inadequate resourcing of rural universities negate social justice. In accordance with the realities of social justice, the education system should be accessible to all learners of the same quality at any university of their choice and equity of learning resources should be enhanced at learners’ residences regardless of their human diversity.