Bia Lamplighter College of Education

There is no need or point to testing of knowledge, attributes, traits, behaviours or abilities of an individual if information obtained from the test is inaccurate. However, by and large, it seems the estimation of psychometric properties of test items in classroomshas been completely ignored otherwise dying slowly in most testing environments. In the quest to obtain sound and efficient test results, it is imperative that assessorsrely on somepsychometric properties to make informed classrooms decisions. These psychometric properties can be estimated using Kuder-Richardson20 Formula. In this study, 30 multiple-choice items were administered and used for the study. The strength of each item was analysed by looking at their difficulty level and how theydiscriminated among the students. Reliability tests were also conducted in addition to the item analysis to observe the quality of the test as a whole. With lucid prose, KR-20 was used to estimate the psychometric properties of 30 set integrated science test items (which werescored dichotomously)to serve as a primer for assessorsin higher institutions.The procedure produced coefficient value of 0.6915which is approximately 0.7 implying that the reliability of the test was high.The procedure we used to arrive at the obtained coefficient is extensively outlined in the paper. We concluded thatthe suggested procedure (KR-20) for estimating psychometric properties may have a paradigm shift in classroom testing situations where it will communicate to teachers on the efficiency and process of teachermade tests. In essence, this could enhance the quest of obtaining the real knowledge, attributes, traits, behaviours or abilities of students by using test items that are reliable and dependable.

Curriculum reform is a significant approach to prepare schools to be effective in meeting contemporary societal needs and imperatives. Several countries around the world, therefore, engage in curriculum reform to enable schools to prepare children with the knowledge, skills, and competencies needed in the present and future society, but implementing change following a curriculum reform is often complex. In our study, we sought to understand how teachers respond to curriculum implementation following the introduction of the national pre-tertiary education curriculum framework (NPECF) in Ghana. We employed a concurrent, nested, mixed-design strategy (embedded design) using a sample of 352 randomly selected basic school teachers from six regions in Ghana. Data from surveys and interviews reveal that teachers consider the NPECF as relevant for Ghanaian educational fortunes; however, a myriad of classroom challenges come with the implementation process. We concluded that these challenges could affect the realization of the relevance of the NPECF if schools and teachers are not well resourced. We call the attention of duty bearers to the need to provide the necessary resources for the seamless implementation of the NPECF in Ghana. For policy adjustment, we recommended and proposed improvisation as an approach for teachers to utilize and exert autonomy and independence in the design and delivery of classroom instruction to sustain the NPECF in primary schools. Again, our study calls for coordination and collaboration among parents, civic society, and individuals across political divides to remain united to provide a solid foundation for education in Ghana.

With the introduction of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education, teachers and students can now engage in teaching and learning in new ways. It has given schools the ability to ensure that teachers and students have access to instructional resources both in and out of the classroom. The goal of this article is to look into how music tutors and student teachers in Ghana used ICT technologies in music sessions, as well as the problems that virtual teaching and learning encountered during the Covid-19 pandemic. With a case study as the research design, a mixed method research paradigm was applied Data was gathered using methods such as interviews and questionnaires. Scheduled phone calls and Google forms were used to collect data. The study found that ICT methods were the best way to keep teaching and learning going during the covid 19 pandemic, when schools were temporarily locked down, but there were significant problems. As a result, it was suggested that all music tutors and student teachers receive some training in the use of ICT tools. At addition, authorities in Ghana's colleges of education should make virtual interaction a part of the educational process to eliminate distance as a barrier to learning.

Ethics is an essential ingredient of leadership qualifications, and for every first-time leader in an organization to be successful, ethical leadership cannot be overemphasized. An organization can be seen as two or more people coming together with a common goal to embark on a venture that will certainly yield a positive result to benefit each one of them. There is a need for such organizations to exhibit transparency and accountability by all involved in the organization so that any resources invested in do not go to waste. Since ethical leadership remains important in every organization, no matter the high standards of the moral lives of members within an organization, there are first-time leaders who, in one way or the other, exhibit misconduct, mistrust, frustration, discrimination, racism, and absenteeism, which are characteristics of unethical leadership and contrary to the nature of ethical leadership. Therefore, achieving transformational leadership becomes a challenge for a first-time leader.

Background: Test score pollution explains how multifaceted factors affect the truthfulness of a test score interpretation. The pressure to raise test scores has resulted in practices which pollute the inferences we make from these scores. Issues of accurate testing remains relevant in the space of any testing environment in Ghana and beyond. This study explored the different sources of test score pollution considered test preparation practices (teacher factor), test administration situations (testing environment), and external factors (parents and community pressure). Methods: The study was nested into the quantitative approach using descriptive survey. Basic school teachers (n=353) and parents (n=123) were selected from three districts (South, North and Central Tongu) in the Volta region using G*Power software. A validated and standardized instrument (with alpha coefficient of .783 and correlation coefficient of .823) was used to obtain the data. The obtained data was analyzed using SPSS v.25 and interpreted with linear multiple regression after the data had met all the required assumptions. Findings: The results revealed that all the predictive factors that is test preparation practices (t=4.73, Sig.=.007, CI95%), test administration situations (t=4.20, Sig.=.006, CI95%) and parents and community pressure (t=2.69, Sig.=.000, CI95%) predicted test score pollution in the selected districts. However, among all the predictor variables, test administration situations (testing environment or conditions) were identified as having much influence on test score pollutions in the districts (R2 =.652, 65.2%, Sig.=.000, ꞵ=.616, CI95%). Conclusion: The study concluded that due to test score pollution, most test practices in Ghana are not at its optimal best. Clearly, the demand and the pressure to raise test scores results pollute and contaminate the interpretations, inferences and decisions that are made from these test scores.

The study was carried out to create awareness of the destruction we can cause to ourselves as human beings, if we continue to contribute, by our actions to the natural causes of climate change. The problem is the visible destructions all over the world due to climate change; especially when the focus is on the areas of heavy pollutions, the changes in rain pattern, making farmers vulnerable. Increase in temperatures also lead to global warming. The type of research used is descriptive and that deals with qualitative approaches. Data collection involved both primary and secondary sources. The natural causes of climate change include volcanic activity, solar output, Forest Fires, Permafrost, Sunspots, Water Vapor, Man’s Best Friend. Those caused by human are burning of fossil fuels and the conversion of land from forestry to irresponsible agricultural practices. Gases emission from landfills; overpopulation; irresponsible mining; misapplication of fertilizers and other agrochemicals; meat consumption. Evidence of climate change includes change in rainfall pattern, increase in temperatures, extreme drought, change in harmattan pattern. Low production of fruits by trees in the wild; eroded arable lands; annual drying of dams that never dried in decades and also the shortening of lifespan of living things. Effects of climate change include desertification of the world’s arable land, persistent droughts, locally and abroad, unprecedented damage to infrastructure due to acid rain, volcanic eruption, earth quake, coastal erosion, unpredictable farming seasons, extinction threat on the wildlife, marine life extinction, flooding of coastal cities and island nations. Human being is a facilitator of the naturally occurring climate change. Those who mine natural resource without recourse to the laws of the land they occupy, should be dealt with legally.

The dominant mode of instructional delivery in Ghanaian Colleges of Education has been the conventional face-to-face. However, the second semester of the 2019/2020 academic year teaching had to be done via an emergency remote online teaching mode due to the novel covid-19 pandemic. In a cross-sectional survey, the online mathematics learning experienced of 497 students sampled from three Colleges of education in Ghana were explored using the adapted community of inquiry survey instrument. It was observed from the study that students’ online mathematics learning experiences were low. Further observation showed that while class cohesion and resolution dimensions were absent, teaching presence, exploration, affective expression, and triggering event dimensions of students’ online mathematics learning experiences were present. Additionally, the results showed that the difference in the magnitude of means in gender was partly dependent on the category of internet use before the remote online mathematics teaching was observed in the dimension of lack of class cohesion. Besides, the students were generally indifferent in their learning experiences regarding genders but significantly in terms of their internet use before the remote online mathematics teaching. Based on the results, implications of the state of the college of education (CoE) students’ online mathematics learning experiences and suggestions for improvement have been proposed.

Ethics is an essential ingredient of leadership qualifications, and for every first-time leader in an organization to be successful, ethical leadership cannot be overemphasized. An organization can be seen as two or more people coming together with a common goal to embark on a venture that will certainly yield a positive result to benefit each one of them. There is a need for such organizations to exhibit transparency and accountability by all involved in the organization so that any resources invested in do not go to waste. Since ethical leadership remains important in every organization, no matter the high standards of the moral lives of members within an organization, there are first-time leaders who, in one way or the other, exhibit misconduct, mistrust, frustration, discrimination, racism, and absenteeism, which are characteristics of unethical leadership and contrary to the nature of ethical leadership. Therefore, achieving transformational leadership becomes a challenge for a first-time leader.

Cassava (<i>Manihot esculenta Crantz</i>.) a staple food assumes a significant role in solving food security issues in Africa. The various uses of the root include the production of starch, cassava chips, gari, flour, and ethanol. A few days after harvest, the roots begin to decay as a result of wounds or microbial contaminations. Because of the high perishability nature of the crop, a few techniques have been employed over the ages to prolong the crop shelf life. This paper surveys the postharvest storage of fresh cassava roots by delving into techniques such as In–field storage, Heap storage, Clamp storage, and Box storage. In present-day time peeled cassava can likewise be cold stored in a deep freezer. The in-field storage technique stores the root for an extra one year yet anyway diminishes the profitability of the land as it cannot be utilized for new harvests. Heap storage under shade trees normally balances the temperature happening during the day and along these lines shielding the tubers from overheating. Notwithstanding, stacking of the produce brings about poor ventilation thereby resulting in a fast spread of decays among the roots. For effective clamp storage, thicker soil cover might be utilized to decrease the temperature in the clamp during hot - dry conditions while care ought to be taken from keeping the roots from getting wet inside the clamp during the wet seasons. For successful box storage, the packing material ought to be moist to maintain high humidity yet not wet as this could produce microbial and mold development.

The purpose of the study was to examine technological pedagogical content knowledge of teachers and their formative assessment practices in Social Studies lessons in the Junior High Schools in the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abirem (K.E.E.A) Municipality of Ghana. With a mixed method approach, the study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population for the study included all Social Studies teachers at the public junior high schools in the in the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abirem Municipality. Purposive sampling technique was used to select all the seventy-four (74) public Junior High Schools and the Social Studies teachers for the study. The purposive sampling technique was used to sample the respondents because they constitute expert knowledge in the subject area and having the same characteristics. The two main instruments used to gather data for the study were questionnaire and observation. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study indicated that the assessment practices of teachers during Social Studies lessons were on the average. There was disparity between theory and practice as far as the dictates of the profile dimensions are concerned. Teachers mostly assess the cognitive aspect of the child with little attention to the affective domain. The study also concluded that there was a significant positive relationship between TPACK of teachers and their formative assessment practices at 0.05 level of significance. It is recommended that Ministry of Education, National Teaching Council, Ghana Education Service should organize professional development workshop for teachers on their formative classroom assessment practices in Social Studies lessons. It is also recommended that, in order to ensure effective formative assessment practices, Ghana Education Service should collaborate with Colleges of Education and Universities training teachers to develop appropriate TPACK for teachers to improve on their formative assessment practices in the classroom.

The study employed qualitative paradigm with descriptive research design. A sample size of thirty-one (31) participants were selected from three schools using purposive sampling techniques. It included Visual Arts Students, Teachers, Heads of department and an official from the municipal education directorate in the study area. The study adopted interview, observation and review of documents as data collection instruments. Data collected were analyzed using simple illustrative examples. It was found that studio facilities and teaching methodologies have some influence on students’ learning. It is recommended that the identified academic inadequacies in the schools have to be resolved through adequate resourcing, infrastructure, teacher competency, good BECE entry grades, allowing students to choose their preferred subject base on their interests and also making available the National Teaching Standard for Ghana book for the teachers. Article visualizations:

The study investigated the music backgrounds of primary school classroom teachers who teach the music component of the Creative Arts in selected primary schools in Winneba, Ghana. Data were collected and analysed qualitatively with a case study as a design. Interview and observation were used as research instruments which enabled the researcher to identify and describe the actual music education background of teachers in the selected primary schools. This study revealed that there were virtually few specialist trained music teachers in the primary schools. As a result, most of the teachers in the selected schools did not teach the music aspect of the Creative Arts subject because they lack the skills and the knowledge for it. The evidence conclusively pointed to the fact that the teaching and learning of the music component of Creative Arts in the primary schools was ineffective and left in the hands of teachers who did not have adequate knowledge and skills and did not make enough effort to teach it. It is suggested that, Colleges of Education should therefore train specialist teachers for all the aspects of Creative Arts in the primary schools, especially Music.

Apart from improving the ranking of the individual and his/her institution, research publications are also known to make important contributions to the advancement of knowledge and formulation of government policies, thus enhancing institutional, sector and/or national and global development. The study explored challenges that College of Education tutors face in line with publishing research papers and other scholarly materials. Utilizing concurrent nested mixed method design, tutors of all Colleges of Education institutions in Ghana were targeted, however, 190 tutors were drawn from the five Colleges of Education zones in Ghana to participate in the study. A checklist of .72 internal consistency reliability was used to gather the quantitative data while interview schedule was used to gather qualitative data about challenges that affect academic staff publishing of research products. Data to answer research question one was analyzed using descriptive statistics, specifically, percentages and frequencies. However, data to answer research question two were analyzed using Braun and Clarke thematic analysis approach. Findings revealed that college tutors used in the study had awareness and knowledge about how research articles and abstracts are produced but not for other research products such as monograph, book chapters and so on. The study findings further showed that, weaker foundational knowledge and skills in research methodology, lack of writing experience, deficient information technology skills and lack of mentorship constituted the challenges that affected frequent publishing of research products among college tutors. Regular workshops of research methodology and production of research papers should be organized for college tutors by college management. The study further recommends that the Ministry of Education in collaboration with Ghana Education Trust Fund (GetFund) as a matter of priority should work on improving and building more infrastructure, specifically, offices for academic staff and technological infrastructure to enhance more research-based activities within the Colleges.

The purpose of the study was to examine factors associated with low female participation in colleges of education sports. The population of the study was made up of female colleges of education athletes from Central, Western and Western North Regions of Ghana. Purposive and simple random techniques were used to the colleges of education and the respondents for the study. All the all the six colleges of education were purposively sampled and sampling technique was used to select the one hundred and eighty (180) participants who participate in the College of Education Sports Association (CoESA) games and in the Central, Western and Western North Regions of Ghana were used for the study. The main instrument for the study was a self-structured questionnaire (r= 0.92) containing items based on a five-point Likert scale was used for data collection. The data was analyzed using frequencies, percentages and Chi-square test to determine the relationship among the factors. The study revealed that there is the need for college authorities and female coaches in the colleges of education to take care of female athletes and make adequate provision for more modern sports facilities and equipment to sustain their interest in sports participation. The study recommended that, that the coaches should be mindful of their approach to prospective sportswomen. It is also recommended that, various colleges of education should make a concerted effort to organize programmes and seminars regularly to educate females in the colleges on the career benefits of sports participation and iron out their misconceptions.

This study examined the influence of Career Self-Efficacy, Gender Stereotyping and Career Self-Concept on Sex-Typed career choices of students in the Asante Akim North Municipality. The descriptive, survey design using the quantitative approach was adopted for the study. Eight hundred (800) final year Senior High School Students (five hundred) (500) males and three hundred (300) females from the Asante Akim North Municipality were selected for the study using opportunistic and purposive sampling methods. Data were analyzed using various analytical techniques including multiple regression and t-tests. Among the present study’ findings were that Career Self-Efficacy was found to have more influence on the students’ Choice of Sex-Typed Career than Gender Stereotyping and Career Self-Concept. The present findings also suggested that the female students chose significantly more female-dominated Careers than their male counterparts. Similarly, students from female-dominated families chose more female-denominated careers than those from male-dominated families. Among the recommendations was that since it was found that students in the present study appeared to sex-stereotype careers, more guidance and counselling co-ordinators should be trained in order to counsel students to choose career according to their abilities and not their sex. The findings are discussed in relation to pervious findings and recommendations made based on the present findings.

People with high achievement motives will act in ways that will help them to outperform others, meet or surpass some standards of excellence, or do something unique. Several variables have been suggested in the literature to significantly contribute to students’ achievement motivation. As the principal aim, the study sought to investigate whether or not resilience and academic self-concept significantly contribute to students’ achievement motivation. A cross-sectional research design was employed to sample 327 first year college students from five College of Education institutions in Ghana using proportionate stratified sampling procedure. Three instruments (i.e., resilience scale, academic self-concept scale and achievement motivation scale) were adapted and used for the study. Findings of the study showed that students’ sampled were resilient and had high academic self-concept. The results further showed that resilience and academic self-concept variables were significant predictors of achievement motivation. The study recommends that academic counseling within Colleges of Education in Ghana should be made a priority in order to address issues of self-doubt and that of learned helplessness, particularly to maintain or improve individual resilience and achievement motivation. Other implications are discussed.

The study focuses on how AI may help with visual searches and personalised suggestions for online buying. To provide personalised apparel suggestions based on individual tastes, AI systems may analyse customer data and behaviour. Customers may use photographs as search queries to locate comparable fashion goods thanks to visual search capabilities driven by AI, which makes online shopping more effective and practical. The ethical and societal ramifications of AI in the fashion business are also covered in the research. In light of the volume of personal data that AI systems gather, it examines privacy and data security issues. It also examines the influence of AI algorithms' inclusion and prejudice on fashion suggestions. The study also looks at how AI may affect the workforce and traditional retail occupations, considering the automation of some processes and the demand for new skill sets. Another important component of background research is comprehending customer impressions of the adoption of AI in the fashion business. By accomplishing these objectives, the study intends to provide a comprehensive understanding of the role of AI in transforming the physical and online shopping experience of clothes and fashion products, including its benefits, challenges, and implications for consumers and the fashion industry as a whole. To evaluate whether AI systems can improve the shopping experience, researchers may create proof-of-concept models or prototypes. Virtual stylists, individualised product suggestions, virtual changing rooms, and tools for analyzing fashion trends based on AI are a few examples of these prototypes. research limitations highlight the complexities and evolving nature of studying the role of AI in transforming the shopping experience of clothes and fashion products. Researchers must acknowledge and address these limitations to provide meaningful and actionable insights for the industry. Researchers can improve the development and responsible application of AI technologies in the fashion sector by focusing on these areas, which will ultimately improve customers' overall purchasing experiences.

This study aimed to investigate the underlying fundamental causes of trainees’ poor performance in organic chemistry. For the study, a descriptive survey design was employed. In all, 182 level 300 science students from four Colleges of Education in the Ashanti, Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions which constitute the ASHBA zone were purposively selected. Participants in the study were given a set of self-created questionnaires to fill out in order to get their opinions on the perceived causes of trainees’ poor performance in organic chemistry. The data collected were analyzed quantitatively using factor analysis. The results from the study showed that teacher factors, student factors and school related factors affect trainee’s low performance in organic chemistry. It was therefore recommended that colleges must provide a conducive environment and teaching learning materials for teachers to use appropriate teaching methodology to help trainees enhance their performance.

In Ghana, private pre-senior high schools contribute to a larger number of student intake by state senior high schools and as such investigating teachers' instructional practices is of equal importance to stakeholders, and government. One of the effective ways of improving students’ mathematics learning outcomes is through technology integration. This study adopted the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) model to predict private school mathematics facilitators’ intentions and behaviour of technology integration in pre-senior high school levels in Ghana. A quantitative study based on 105 participants with a regression analysis was deployed to explores the predictive ability of perceived behavioural control (PBC), social norm (SN), and attitude (ATT) and on participants’ behavioural intention (BI) to use instructional technology as well as the predictive ability of BI on user’s behaviour (UB). The results show that BI was favourably and significantly predicted by the linear combination of ATT, SN, and PBC. However, PBC was revealed as the strongest predictor of teacher’s BI to use instructional technology. BI also predicted UB significantly. We recommend that administrators or school heads should focus on providing resources needed for technology integration, create workshops to train teachers, and reduce instructional constraints that might prevent teachers from using technology. The Ghanaian government can equally support private schools through the One Techer One Laptop initiative which was only meant for public schools.

This article discusses the role of Campus Traditional Councils found in some Colleges of Education in Ghana, the case of Bia Lamplighter and Dambai Colleges of Education. Data were collected and analyzed qualitatively with a descriptive case study as a design. Interview and observation were used as research instruments which enabled the researchers to identify and describe the actual impact of the Campus Traditional Council on student teachers and the learning communities. It came to light that most of the student teachers in Bia Lamplighter and Dambai Colleges of Education before coming to College, had not had the opportunity to participate in some cultural activities in their locality as a result of religious conversion, migration, modernization and busy family schedules. The evidence conclusively pointed to the fact that, about 80% of the students had inadequate knowledge about their own cultural practices and those of other ethnic groups in Ghana with their significance they stand to derive from participation.  However, this study revealed that the institution of Campus Traditional Councils in Bia Lamplighter and Dambai Colleges of Education contributed in training holistic student teachers by instilling discipline deviant students as they are referred to the council for “arbitration” and educating the student teachers about some basic cultural practices that cut across most cultures in Ghana and their significance. It is suggested that this institution be regularize and resourced very well, to enlighten students more about numerous cultural practices and their implications which will inculcate respect for their own culture and those of others so as to aid cultural continuity among Ghanaian teachers.