Bagabaga College of Education

Purpose Public and private universities keep facilitating knowledge transfer and sharing within academic institutions. Multiple factors have been investigated to strengthen the infrastructure of these universities; however, the researchers have always been trying to explore the best one. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of academic supports on motivation to learn (MTL) and transfer, in turn, influence transfer of training (TOT). Interestingly, the sector (i.e. public or private universities) unveils TOT to see whether the public sector has best practices or private. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts valid measurement instruments from the literature studies. This study pretests the validity and reliability of the instruments. This study administers the designed survey questionnaire among the faculty members of both public and private universities. This study uses a convenient sampling approach using a quantitative research method. By applying Smart partial least square (PLS) 3.3.3, this study uses structural equation modeling. Findings This study supports that organization, supervisor and peer support significantly and positively influence TOT. Additionally, MTL and motivation to transfer (MTT) significantly and positively mediate the link between TOT and organizational, supervisor and peer support. MTL also significantly and positively influences MTT. Most interestingly, the sector significantly and positively moderates the link between TOT and organizational, supervisor and peer support, MTL and transfer. Practical implications The results support the public and private universities that they should develop the infrastructure containing learning motivation and transfer for easy TOT. This would be more effective if the in higher educational institutions (HEIs) follow research findings. Originality/value This study empirically tests the impacts of academic supports on MTL and transfer, which boosts the TOT. The novelty of the research can be implemented in HEIs’ rules and regulations.

This paper examines the security issues on electronic commerce websites in Ghana using technical and nontechnical procedures. The study assessed e-commerce websites for the security tools employed to protect user data and other related privacy issues on the websites. It also analyzed e-commerce websites for encryption security tools that protect customer data and test e-commerce websites for the presence of security vulnerabilities that could threaten the security of the sites and their users using w3af. The study used a combination of three methods; web content analysis, information security audit and testing of the websites using w3af, a vulnerability assessment tool. Web application attack and audit framework (w3af) was used to test and identify possible vulnerabilities on the e-commerce websites that could be used by malicious users to steal customer data for fraudulent intent. The research focused to reveal the security vulnerabilities present on e-commerce websites that could affect the trust of clients, the satisfaction of clients, and patronage of e-commerce services by customers. The study found credit card number disclosures, full path disclosures vulnerabilities, cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities and social security number exposures of clients on the e-commerce websites. These security weaknesses in these e-commerce websites have been highlighted as findings in the study that would inform policy direction on electronic data collection, protection and use in the e-commerce industry in Ghana. The findings will also inform industry players in the e-commerce sector on the need to strengthen security on their websites and caution customers to be security conscious on all e-commerce websites. The major significance of the study is the fact that majority of the electronic commerce websites have a lot of vulnerabilities making them unsecure for customers to trust their private data into their care. This study as such informs the customer society and the electronic commerce industry of these security weaknesses and the urgent need to get them fixed. Some solutions have been suggested in the paper to assist in fixing these security vulnerabilities. These solutions have provided the best results. A diligent application of these methods in addressing the vulnerabilities would provide a more secure and less vulnerable e-commerce websites for users. The precautions suggested could assist protect customers and reduce cyber threats during online shopping.

The study was a Quasi-experimental research project conducted to investigate on using problem-based learning to enhance the understanding of Junior High School students at Winneba University Practice Junior High School, Unipra, Winneba-Ghana on linear equation word problems solving. Two form 3 intact classes of 3A and 3B were used for the study and were assigned as control and experimental groups. The control group consists of thirty-two students and the experimental group thirty-eight students. Data was collected through pre-test and post-test essay typed questions and a questionnaire on students’ attitude to linear equations word problems. The questionnaire contained twenty likert-type questions. The independent samples t-test was used to find the differences between the groups. The experimental group differed statistically significantly on post-test scores from the control group. This study identified that problem-based learning improved students problem-solving abilities and increased students’ confidence in doing linear equation word problems because the felt more competent in working word problems in linear equations. The study also explored students’ attitude to linear equations word problems through the use of a Likert-type questionnaire. The findings showed that students’ attitude toward word problems in linear equations were generally positive. It is therefore recommended that Ghana Education Service should provide in-service training for Mathematics teachers on the use of Problem-Based learning and Mathematics teachers should also integrate problem-based learning approach in their students. Keywords : Problem-Based Learning, Attitude DOI : 10.7176/JEP/10-3-14

This paper deals with the effect of Problem-Based Learning on Colleges of Education students’ achievement in, and attitude toward Probability in Tamale Metropolitan of Ghana. The research design was quasi-experimental pre-test post-test two-group design. Convenience and simple random sampling techniques were employed to obtain a sample of 100 students which comprised of 51 students in the control group and 49 in the experimental group. Tests, questionnaire and semi-structured interview were the instruments used for data gathering. Descriptive, Independent samples t-test, ANCOVA and paired samples t-test were used in analysing data. The results indicated that there was a statistically significant difference between students of the experimental group exposed to Problem-Based Learning approach and control group exposed to Traditional Method. Problem-Based Learning developed students critical thinking, good problem solvers and self-directed learners which would lead to life-long memory of Probability concepts and its applications to real-life situations.

This paper examines the privacy and security issues on electronic commerce websites in Ghana. Ghana is reported to have an Internet users" rate of 27.8% and a mobile Internet subscription of 14% in 2017. The study assessed e-commerce websites for privacy policies that are meant to guide and inform website users on the collection of customer data, data use, protection and other related privacy issues on personal data. The study also analyzed e-commerce websites for encryption security tools that protect customer data and test e-commerce websites for the presence of security vulnerabilities that could threaten the sites and their users. The study used a combination of three methods; web content analysis, information security audit and testing of the websites using penetration testing tools for data collection and analysis. Nmap was used to test and identify possible vulnerabilities on the e-commerce websites that could be used by malicious users to steal customer data for fraudulent intent. The research revealed the presence or otherwise of privacy policies on e-commerce websites. The security weaknesses in these e-commerce websites have been highlighted as findings in the study. The findings of the study will inform policy direction on electronic data collection, protection and use in the ecommerce industry in Ghana is on areas that bother on privacy and security of the customer could be given attention. The findings will also inform industry players in the e-commerce sector on the need to strengthen security on their websites.

This research proposes developing an expert system to assist businesses in financial decision making. It is a more technological means of storing and using the knowledge of the human expert. This helps in minimizing cost and inconveniences in hiring experts. No business can survive without effective and efficient management. The major activity in management is decision making. The efficiency of management in decision making is based on speed, accuracy and how easy it is for the decisions to be implemented. This is a herculean task for an average expert. As an exploratory research, the responses of all the fifteen (15) managers were carefully analyzed to get a solution to the problem. With a target of using one day in making a decision, only sixty percent (60%) of human decisions were accurate whiles hundred percent (100%) of the decisions on expert systems were accurate. The speed of the human expert is one (1) decision for every seven (7) days representing 0.14 decisions per day whiles that of the expert system is one (1) decision per day. Only two (2) decisions out of every five (5) decision of the human decision were easy to implement while all the five (5) decisions were easy to implement using the expert system due to the clarity and consistency in its results. The cost of hiring the human expert and the bureaucracy in decision making can be eliminated if an expert system is used. Also, interoperability (systems developed to pick data automatically from other systems) minimizes the errors in data entry.

Research background: Adoption of improved rice varieties remain paramount in fighting food and nutrition insecurity across sub-Sahara Africa (SSA). A lot has been done in the space of the adoption of agricultural innovations and food and nutrition insecurity. However, studies on the drivers of improved rice variety adoption and its effect on rice output, considering time and location-specific factors, are limited. Purpose of the article: This study estimated and examined the drivers and effect of improved rice variety adoption on rice output in the northern region of Ghana. Methods: A multistage sampling technique was employed to select 404 rice farm households in the northern region of Ghana. Propensity Score Matching (PSM) approach was used to analyse the data.

The attempt to integrate ICTs into the education system in Ghana has existed close to two decades following the adoption of the ICT for Accelerated Development (ICTAD) policy in 2003. However, empirical quantitative studies to analyse the access of basic schools to electricity, which is the major power of technology devices, over the period appear non-existent. This article is a descriptive quantitative analysis of basic school access to electricity for the academic years 2010 / 2011 to 2017/2018 using secondary data obtained from the Educational Management and Information System (EMIS) through the lens of Access Theory. The study was undertaken using secondary educational statistical data and document reviews as data sources. The results of the data analysis indicate a low electricity access rate in basic schools in the Northern Region of the country. The study concludes that the gap between the ICT in education policy rhetoric and the reality in ICT for education (ICT4E) at the Ghanaian basic school level appears unhealthy and requires stakeholders’ immediate attention to realize the desired impact of ICT in education policy if the goal of the country to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 10 need to be success. The findings of these studies provide valuable insights for policymakers and education stakeholders in designing effective policies and interventions to improve access to electricity and promote the integration of ICT in basic education.

Purpose of the study: This research aims to find out whether there is a value of responsible character education in the Sibali-Sipatambak culture in the people of Batetannga Village, Binuang subdistrict, Polewali Mandar Regency, to find out what factors influence changes in the social characteristics of the Sibali-Sipatambak culture towards society.
 Methodology: This type of research is qualitative. The data source used is information originating from direct observation at the research location. Data collection was carried out using field research through centralized observation and interviews.
 Main Findings: The results of this research show that there is a value of responsible character education in the sibali-sipatambak culture in Batetannga Village. Sibali-sipatambak is mutual cooperation in Batetannga Village in lightening the workload based on the abilities and abilities of each individual, which is based on the principles of togetherness, cohesiveness, kinship and humanity are so deep in order to lighten the burden carried together. The factors that influence changes in the socio-cultural characteristics of Sibali-Sipatambak influenced by cultural factors, modern technology, the increasing economic needs of the community and increasingly difficult life challenges.
 Novelty/Originality of this study: The novelty of this research is that there is still little research that specifically explores the relationship between the value of responsible character education and the Sibali-Sipatambak culture in Batetannga, Binuang District Village, Polewali Mandar Regency. Therefore, there is a description of knowledge that needs to be filled in to understand how the values ​​of responsible character education are practiced in the Sibali-Sipatambak cultural context, as well as their impact on the formation of a society with environmental character.

This paper proposes an algorithm that enhances the speed of transmission and secure images that are transmitted over internet or a network. The proposed cryptosystem uses a modified k-shuffling technique to scramble pixels of images and further decomposes them using Residue Number System. Simulations are done using two moduli sets with the modified k-shuffle technique. Analyses of results showed that both simulations could secure images without any loss of information and also the time taken for a complete encryption/decryption process is dependent on the moduli set. Among the chosen moduli sets, the even moduli set optimizes and completes execution using less time as compared to the traditional moduli set. The proposed scheme also showed resistance to statistical attacks (histogram, ciphertext, correlation attacks) and a significant reduction in the size of cipher images which enhances the speed of transmission over network.

Pupils with intellectual disabilities have personal, social and communication challenges as stated in DSM-5 (APA, 2013) and ICD-10 (WHO, 1992). As such, their cognition in general and language acquisition in particular are difficulties they struggle with in school. As a result, teaching them becomes cumbersome for teachers and caregivers. However, theories in the literature aver that art can be used as a tool to enhance teaching and learning of English language to pupils in the general population and pupils with intellectual disabilities in particular. The purpose of this study was to integrate drawing in teaching and learning of English Language at Yumba Special School for children with intellectual disabilities. The special school is situated in Tamale, the capital of Northern Region of Ghana. The study employed action research method where topics in English Language were taught by making pupils draw in the classroom. The researchers used six weeks to conduct the action research. Researchers observed that integrating drawing in teaching English Language do not only make learning enjoyable and interesting but also drawing gained and sustained pupils attention as they were actively involved in the learning process, even though children with intellectual disabilities are symptomatic of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). Therefore educators should adopt drawing integration in teaching English Language in intellectual disability learning environment.

The study was set up to determine the causes of poor academic achievement in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the Sagnarigu Municipality in Tamale, Northern Region, Ghana. The study sought to identify the contributing causes of such subpar learning outcomes and to provide some policy interventions to address them. For the study, two research questions were established. Data collection and analysis were done using a qualitative approach. In relation to the basic schools in the Sagnarigu Municipality, the study's accessible population included students, head teachers, teachers, parents, and municipal examination officers. As data sources, interviews and historical records were used. The researcher used the case study technique because he wanted to clearly understand why Sagnarigu Municipality students perform poorly on the BECE examination. Twenty (20) Junior High Schools were chosen purposively from the Municipality. The sample size was also chosen using a random sampling technique and included (10) head teachers, (20) teachers, (20) parents, (20) students, and (2) municipal education examination officers, making a total of (72) participants. The study discovered that the low academic accomplishment in the BECE was mostly caused by all inputs and processes, including teachers, the school environment, parents, and the students themselves. The highlighted school environmental problems included a dearth of teachers with advanced degrees, a lack of suitable physical and material resources to support teaching and learning, and teachers abusing their time spent in direct contact with students. Instances of routine tardiness and absenteeism to school, inability to complete the curriculum and inadequate exercises, assignments, and projects given to students, as well as low/inadequate motivation and pay from the employer, were found to be teacher factors that contributed to the low academic achievement. The student traits that I considered relevant included instances of tardiness and absenteeism, lack of parental or guardian support for homework at home, involvement in vices like internet fraud also known as "yahoo" or "game guys", going to movie theaters and dance clubs, and drug usage. Parents' inability to offer reading materials like textbooks and supplemental readers, their lack of engagement with their children's instructors, and their lack of participation in PTA activities were all factors in the home that affected students' academic performance. Given the foregoing, the study came to the conclusion that all stakeholders—including the government, nongovernmental organizations, teachers, parents, and students—must play their respective parts in addressing the causes of low achievement in the basic schools under consideration in the Sagnarigu Municipality.

Many people in Ghana have some negative perception about indigenous African Healing. They think that any spiritual activity associated with African practices is devilish. Hypocritically, the same people seek assistance from these sources in times of serious illness. The academic works on this subject are mostly anthropological, which seem to generalize the African situation. However, what is less well known is that the Dagomba healing practices are not widely documented. This paper seeks to do two things, first, who are the Dagomba in Ghana and second, what is the African traditional worldview of the Dagomba people in relation to their religious belief. The outline provided here would give a better impetus for one to precisely highlight the healing process of the people. This paper also examines the nature of Dagomba religious healing practices, as have been observed over the years. Some recent contacts with elders and the practitioners in the form of oral interview are also brought to bear. The paper asserts that the Dagomba healing practices are intertwined with their everyday life style. It further asserts the need for complementary health practices on both indigenous and modern health.

The decision to use either Cloud Computing (CC) applications or Traditional Information Technology Outsourcing (Traditional ITO) environments is a function of the security evaluations of these two options. Hackers are constantly nosing around websites and other computer networks for compromised computers that have some vulnerabilities to exploit them. Vulnerabilities in cloud computing and Traditional ITO environments are leading causes of recent data breaches. These breaches provide opportunities to hackers to attack and gain access to customer information such as credit cards and contact information, passwords, sending of malicious codes to website users or making users computer potential candidates of botnets and to hijack the sessions of authentic users to make unapproved purchases on their behalf. In this paper, security penetration tools have been employed to evaluate the security vulnerabilities of cloud-based solutions and Traditional ITO to discover possible vulnerabilities, their causes and mitigation strategies to securing web applications from the discovered vulnerabilities. Some web applications and a Traditional ITO network were ethically hacked to discover vulnerabilities in them. Analyses of the results obtained through the ZAP scan flagged Remote File Inclusion (RFI) alert were high priority alert. In all, RFI constitutes the most serious potential threat and it needs the fullest attention of CC service providers. Nmap disclosed opened ports in Traditional ITO Virtual Private Network which can make the server of the provider accessible to hackers leading to a considerable disclosure of information to unauthorized users.

The research looked into the misconceptions held by Physics students about some selected heat and temperature concepts. The research design employed in this study was a diagnostic-descriptive research design. A sample of 56 Senior High School (SHS) two (2) students, drawn from Berekum Senior School in the Berekum Municipality, Ghana, were used for the study. An instrument known as the Two-Tier Test Instrument of Heat and Temperature Concepts (HTCT) was employed in data gathering. Mean score, standard deviation, frequencies, percentage were used to answer research questions one and two, while one-way multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and correlational analysis was used to answer research question three. Results indicated that students used for this study hold misconceptions, lack understanding, and have difficulties explaining the selected heat and temperature concepts used in the HTCT instrument. The results also revealed that misconceptions about heat and temperature concepts non-significantly interact with student age (F .545 = .463, p > .05), but significantly interact with students' gender (F 4.541 = .038, p < .05). Based on the results obtained, the researchers recommended the use of two-tier test instruments and advanced organisers to identify students’ misconceptions of scientific concepts.

Soybean productivity in sub-Saharan Africa is often constrained by low soil fertility and limited biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). This study evaluated the effects of different rhizobial inoculant rates (0, 5, 7.5, 10, and 12.5 g kg−1 seed) on growth, yield, and biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) of three soybean varieties, Afayak, Favor, and Jenguma, using a split-plot design with variety as the main plot and inoculant rate as the subplot. Significant effects of variety and inoculant rate were observed for key agronomic traits. Compared to the uninoculated control, grain yield increased (p < 0.001) in 2023 by 27.3%, 78.8%, 45.9%, and 146.5%, and in 2024 by 47.6%, 54.2%, 87.9%, and 180.6% at 5, 7.5, 10, and 12.5 g kg−1 seed, respectively. The 10 g kg−1 rate yielded the highest nitrogen fixation, at 51.5 kg ha−1 in 2023 and 56.4 kg ha−1 in 2024. Jenguma responded best to inoculation, followed by Afayak and Favor. Economic analysis, using partial budgeting and the marginal rate of return (MRR), identified the most profitable rates as exceeding a 100% MRR threshold. Regression analysis revealed a curvilinear yield response to inoculant rate, with an optimum of about 1.9 g per plot, equivalent to 10 g kg−1 seed for yield stability or 7.5 g kg−1 for a more economical option. Results underscore the importance of variety-specific inoculation strategies to enhance nitrogen use efficiency and sustainable soybean production in the region.

An experiment of 18-week feeding trial was conducted to assess the effect of four different types of blend of blood and cassava meal, hereafter referred to as BBLOCAM, to partially replace maize on the growth performance and economics of production of guinea fowls. Two hundred and eighty five, five-week old local keets with a mean weight of 85.2g were randomly allocated to five dietary treatments in a Completely Randomized Design. Each treatment was replicated three times, with 19 guinea keets per replicate. The dietary treatments consisted of T1 (the control diet), which contained maize as the main energy source; T2 (BBLOCAM II, 25 units blood: 100 units cassava flour:100 units water), T3 (BBLOCAM III, 50 units blood: 100 units cassava flour 100 units water), T4 (BBLOCAM IV, 75 units blood: 100 units cassava flour: 100 units water) and T5 (BBLOCAM V, 100 units blood: 100 units cassava flour: 100 units water). Feed and water were provided ad libitum. The mean feed consumption values per bird for the 18-week period were 5.38, 5.50, 5.48, 5.46 and 5.39 Kg for T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 diets respectively with a corresponding mean daily feed intakes of 42.63g (T1), 43.56g (T2), 43.50g (T3), 43.33g (T4) and 42.69g (T5). There were no significant (P>0.05) differences among treatment means for body weight gain. The mean body weight gain was 0.996 Kg, 0.958 Kg, 0.983 Kg, 0.965 Kg and 0.943 Kg for the dietary treatments of T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 respectively. The feed conversion ratio, gastrointestinal tract, liver, gizzard with exception of carcass weight were statistically (P>0.05) similar among treatment means. The results indicated that, using BBLOCAM-base diets could result in economic savings up to GH¢ 70.00 per metric tonne and could lead to increase production of guinea fowls making the prices of guinea fowls and their products more affordable to the ordinary Ghanaian.

Culturally responsive teaching and learning in schools creates an engaging and accessible learning environment that ensures continuity in the traditions of the people. One of the aspects of culture which engages students effectively in the learning process is music and dance. However, the instructional delivery of Music and Dance in Tamale International School scarcely includes the indigenous music content to a broader perspective. The paper was an investigation to find out how music and dance was taught in Tamale International School. It also highlights the attitudes of students towards the teaching and learning of Music and Dance. Using the cultural theory of Education as the theoretical framework, and a case study research design, participants were drawn from the pupils, the music teacher as well as the headteacher of the school. Interview and observation were the main instruments for the data collection. It was revealed that teaching of music and dance in the Tamale International School was a problem due to the fact that the school is one of the Western colonized schools with much historical orientation on Western music thereby relegating African music to the background. Attitudes of pupils towards the study of African music component of the music and dance syllabus being negative due to their religious background and the orientation received from their parents. Situated within the cultural education theory, the paper concludes that when students are given the opportunity to learn traditional music very often at school, it will help them to know theirs as Africans and embrace it in spite of their orientations from their religious background.

One way of achieving a sustained interest in vegetable production in a catchment area is to identify the most popular vegetable with high demand. The present study determined the Popular Indigenous leafy vegetables in the Tamale Metropolis in the Northern region of Ghana. A structured questionnaire was used to access the requisite data. The items were divided into sections. Most of the items were close-ended questions with few open-ended ones to make room for more different opinions. The questionnaire covered the bio data of leafy vegetable marketers and consumers, buying and selling volumes of leafy vegetables, Leafy vegetable marketers and prospective leafy vegetable consumers were the target population. The population of 60 marketers of leafy vegetables and 274 consumers in the Tamale Metropolis were considered. Respondents (consumers) were chosen as they came to buy leafy vegetables at the market. The data obtained was subjected to one way analysis of variance (ANOVA), using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 16.0). Amaranthus dubius, Corchorus olitorius, and Hibiscus sabdariffa were rated the most popular leafy vegetables.

How employees feel and behave in an organisation is very important in determining how they will perform any assigned task. As such, employee attitude has been at the centre stage of human resource management strategies as a means to improving their performance and commitment to their job and by extension the performance of the organisation. In this regard, this study examined the causality between the attitude and job performance of senior staff of University of Cape Coast. Due to the large number of staff and demands of the research objectives, a quantitative approach was adopted using a descriptive research design. A sample size of 308 was derived from a population of 1,532 using Krejcie and Morgan (1970). Questionnaire was used to randomly collect data from 308 senior staff. SPSS was used to code and capture the data besides performing factors analysis on the challenges that impede management’s ability to improve the attitude of senior staff. Smart PLS 3 was used to perform partial least square regression analysis on the link between attitude and performance of the staff. The results show that about 43% of changes in senior staff’s job performance can be attributed to changes in their attitude. Also, the attitude of the senior staff can predict about 26% of how they will perform their job. Stimulating innovations and change, improving ethical behaviour and total quality management are the main challenges that impedes management’s ability to improve the attitude of the senior staff in relation to their job performance. For policy implications management should also dedicate resources to mitigating jealousy among staff.