R&P Entries
Conferences/Workshop/Symposia/Seminar with Presentations
Akayuure, P.
OCCE 2021 Digital transformation of Education and learning (DTEL): past, present and future. Tampere University, Finland 16-20 August 2021
Paper presented:
Use of vclass in mathematics education delivery: The UEW experience
Abstract
The advent of the Coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19) has rapidly influenced every domain of human existence and drifted human undertakings to a new normal in which social distancing becomes the norm. With the emergence of the new normal, educational institutions worldwide are beset with teaching, assessment and learning sustainability crises. These crises compelled many educational managers and lecturers to rethink about educational access and delivery while students strive to adjust to new learning systems external to the orthodox face-to-face mode. The questions of which and how learning platforms can be used for educational delivery remain unsettled. In spite of this, institutions of higher learning are quickly adapting to the crises. In developing countries like Ghana, new and emerging digital learning platforms, assessment modalities and delivery modes are being experimented in schools without prior evidences of their effectiveness, successes and shortfalls. For the past one and half years for example, there has been unprecedented push to online teaching, learning and assessment with commercial digital learning platform providers also on the rush to provide support and solutions to educational delivery, sometimes for free. The University of Education Winneba (UEW) trains competent professional teachers for all levels of education in Ghana and the West African sub-region. When Ghana recorded its first case of the Covid-19 in March 12, 2020, culminating to lockdowns and closure of all institutions, the academic calendar was disrupted. UEW was then compelled to device innovative ways of using Learning Management Systems (LMS) called vclass to enable students learn amidst the pandemic to bring the 2019/2020 academic year to a successful close. Following this, the struggle to sustain the new innovation of using the UEWvclass for educational delivery in UEW comes with new dilemmas and contextual issues of ICT infrastructures, faculty capacity and students’ support and welfare. This paper mirrors students and their lecturers’ experiences in the use of UEWvclass platform to learn various courses in mathematics education in UEW. Notwithstanding a number of exciting experiences conveyed as first time users of vclass, users are challenges with online course creation, online lesson delivery, e-assessment, digital skills and network connectivity. As a result of the covid-19 pandemic and digital experiences, UEW plans to emphasize, consolidate and serve as a pace setter of hybrid/blended instructional delivery for its regular, sandwich and distance modes beyond the Covid-19 era. Keywords: Covid-19, Mathematics education, LMS, UEW vclass experience.
The advent of the Coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19) has rapidly influenced every domain of human existence and drifted human undertakings to a new normal in which social distancing becomes the norm. With the emergence of the new normal, educational institutions worldwide are beset with teaching, assessment and learning sustainability crises. These crises compelled many educational managers and lecturers to rethink about educational access and delivery while students strive to adjust to new learning systems external to the orthodox face-to-face mode. The questions of which and how learning platforms can be used for educational delivery remain unsettled. In spite of this, institutions of higher learning are quickly adapting to the crises. In developing countries like Ghana, new and emerging digital learning platforms, assessment modalities and delivery modes are being experimented in schools without prior evidences of their effectiveness, successes and shortfalls. For the past one and half years for example, there has been unprecedented push to online teaching, learning and assessment with commercial digital learning platform providers also on the rush to provide support and solutions to educational delivery, sometimes for free. The University of Education Winneba (UEW) trains competent professional teachers for all levels of education in Ghana and the West African sub-region. When Ghana recorded its first case of the Covid-19 in March 12, 2020, culminating to lockdowns and closure of all institutions, the academic calendar was disrupted. UEW was then compelled to device innovative ways of using Learning Management Systems (LMS) called vclass to enable students learn amidst the pandemic to bring the 2019/2020 academic year to a successful close. Following this, the struggle to sustain the new innovation of using the UEWvclass for educational delivery in UEW comes with new dilemmas and contextual issues of ICT infrastructures, faculty capacity and students’ support and welfare. This paper mirrors students and their lecturers’ experiences in the use of UEWvclass platform to learn various courses in mathematics education in UEW. Notwithstanding a number of exciting experiences conveyed as first time users of vclass, users are challenges with online course creation, online lesson delivery, e-assessment, digital skills and network connectivity. As a result of the covid-19 pandemic and digital experiences, UEW plans to emphasize, consolidate and serve as a pace setter of hybrid/blended instructional delivery for its regular, sandwich and distance modes beyond the Covid-19 era. Keywords: Covid-19, Mathematics education, LMS, UEW vclass experience.
Danso-Wiredu, E. Y.
Dislocating Urban Studies Workshop 2 - Section presented: places “off the map”: bringing to light the hidden locations of urbanization. Organize by the Institute of Urban Research (IUR). University of Helsinki/Virtual 18th to 19th March
Paper presented:
How the Urban Poor Define Preferred Places, Accra’s Old Fadama Slum Dwellers Case
Abstract
The inability of the Ghana government to provide homes for its low-income citizens have forced many urban dwellers to rent ‘cheap’ homes in poor communities or become care takers of uncompleted houses. Old Fadama, the largest squatter-slum community in Ghana is an example of a poor community which accommodate most migrants in Accra, especially those migrating from Northern Ghana. The paper explores Old Fadama as a preferred space of urban dwelling in Accra for most poor people despites its ‘slummic’ nature. It is an alternative dwelling to the normal dwelling spaces for the average urban dweller in Accra and this is evidenced in this case as not a matter of choice, but rather one of necessity. The influx of rural migrants from the North produced a housing scarcity in Accra which has yet to be adequately addressed by state actors at either urban or national levels. The poor migrants need shelter and when they found the formal housing market to be inaccessible, they had to look elsewhere. The vacant, waterlogged tract of land now known as Old Fadama is one of the places the poor immigrants can access. Deprived of even the most basic services and infrastructures, residents are not only neglected but also vilified as squatters and parasites by state authorities and media alike. Instead of sinking into complete chaos, however, the slum has gradually been transformed into a self-governing community existing and evolving in spite of formal neglect and vilification. The paper makes a contribution to knowledge in that the urban poor largely settle on their preffered places not because of amenities and good housing conditiond but to them, any place they can ‘get-by’ regardless of the environment is readily preffered by them. A key finding of the paper is how local associations directly influence access to general housing resources.
The inability of the Ghana government to provide homes for its low-income citizens have forced many urban dwellers to rent ‘cheap’ homes in poor communities or become care takers of uncompleted houses. Old Fadama, the largest squatter-slum community in Ghana is an example of a poor community which accommodate most migrants in Accra, especially those migrating from Northern Ghana. The paper explores Old Fadama as a preferred space of urban dwelling in Accra for most poor people despites its ‘slummic’ nature. It is an alternative dwelling to the normal dwelling spaces for the average urban dweller in Accra and this is evidenced in this case as not a matter of choice, but rather one of necessity. The influx of rural migrants from the North produced a housing scarcity in Accra which has yet to be adequately addressed by state actors at either urban or national levels. The poor migrants need shelter and when they found the formal housing market to be inaccessible, they had to look elsewhere. The vacant, waterlogged tract of land now known as Old Fadama is one of the places the poor immigrants can access. Deprived of even the most basic services and infrastructures, residents are not only neglected but also vilified as squatters and parasites by state authorities and media alike. Instead of sinking into complete chaos, however, the slum has gradually been transformed into a self-governing community existing and evolving in spite of formal neglect and vilification. The paper makes a contribution to knowledge in that the urban poor largely settle on their preffered places not because of amenities and good housing conditiond but to them, any place they can ‘get-by’ regardless of the environment is readily preffered by them. A key finding of the paper is how local associations directly influence access to general housing resources.
Danso-Wiredu, E. Y.
2021 American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting. Real Estate, Finance and Urban Development (2): The Housing Financialization/Affordability Nexus. University of North Alabama/Virtual 7th to 11th April
Paper presented:
Conceptualising the injustices in the Ghanaian Housing Rental System
Abstract
Policy-makers globally are concerned about severe housing challenges experience in cities of the developing world. This paper examines the rental housing situation in Ghana and how it reflects an aspect of urban social and economic injustices. Housing shortages for the masses in Ghana is widely published in the literature. Also, widely discussed in the literature is the issue of high amount of advance payment of rents in the country. The amount demanded by landlords/ladies as advanced rent payment usually does not base on any theoretical or empirical bases and justification in relation to people’s income. Severe rental housing pressures and conflicting relations between tenants and property owners is rooted in asymmetrical perceptions regarding the rental system in Ghana. This is reflected in a World Bank report in 1999 to the effect that Ghana has the highest house-price to income ratio among selected Third-World countries it conducted a study on rent payments. The research therefore, focuses on the sources of funding for the high advanced rent payments made by tenants in Ghana and the struggles thereof tenants regularly undergo to pay their rents. The study uses examples from different tenants across the country through a survey conducted using a semi-structured interview guide sent to respondents on virtual group platforms. It uses the mixed method approach to analyze the findings and to conceptualize rental struggles in Ghana and its role in deepening social and economic injustices in Ghanaian Cities.
Policy-makers globally are concerned about severe housing challenges experience in cities of the developing world. This paper examines the rental housing situation in Ghana and how it reflects an aspect of urban social and economic injustices. Housing shortages for the masses in Ghana is widely published in the literature. Also, widely discussed in the literature is the issue of high amount of advance payment of rents in the country. The amount demanded by landlords/ladies as advanced rent payment usually does not base on any theoretical or empirical bases and justification in relation to people’s income. Severe rental housing pressures and conflicting relations between tenants and property owners is rooted in asymmetrical perceptions regarding the rental system in Ghana. This is reflected in a World Bank report in 1999 to the effect that Ghana has the highest house-price to income ratio among selected Third-World countries it conducted a study on rent payments. The research therefore, focuses on the sources of funding for the high advanced rent payments made by tenants in Ghana and the struggles thereof tenants regularly undergo to pay their rents. The study uses examples from different tenants across the country through a survey conducted using a semi-structured interview guide sent to respondents on virtual group platforms. It uses the mixed method approach to analyze the findings and to conceptualize rental struggles in Ghana and its role in deepening social and economic injustices in Ghanaian Cities.
Daniel Tackie-Aboi and Esther Yeboah Danso-Wiredu
Regions in Recovering: The Future of Urban Sustainability in Sub-Saharan Africa. Virtual 2nd to 18th June, 2021
Paper presented:
Transforming Livelihoods and Land Cover Depletion in Peri-urban Ghana. A Case of Ga Central Municipality
Abstract
The work of human activities and its rapid effects on the land and the environment especially in neighbouring districts around cities like Accra cannot be overlooked. The purpose of the study was to assess the transforming livelihood strategies of residents of Ablekuma, Agape and Gonse. The study also ascertained the effects of the livelihood strategies changes on the extent of land cover changes. The sustainable livelihood and human-environment system concepts were combined to study assets and livelihood strategies changes residents relied on for survival in their communities. A mixed-method approach to research using the cross-sectional and case study designs was applied in the study. Three hundred and nine respondents answered questionnaires and 40 key informants, interviewed in the communities. The main findings of the study were that the dominant land cover in the three communities had gone through changes over the years, from 1991 to 2018. The study concluded that, the shift to other economic activities other than Agriculture is predominant in the study communities. The study policy recommendation is that local assemblies should encourage residents to plant in their homes, a required minimum number of trees to improve the biodiversity of the environment.
The work of human activities and its rapid effects on the land and the environment especially in neighbouring districts around cities like Accra cannot be overlooked. The purpose of the study was to assess the transforming livelihood strategies of residents of Ablekuma, Agape and Gonse. The study also ascertained the effects of the livelihood strategies changes on the extent of land cover changes. The sustainable livelihood and human-environment system concepts were combined to study assets and livelihood strategies changes residents relied on for survival in their communities. A mixed-method approach to research using the cross-sectional and case study designs was applied in the study. Three hundred and nine respondents answered questionnaires and 40 key informants, interviewed in the communities. The main findings of the study were that the dominant land cover in the three communities had gone through changes over the years, from 1991 to 2018. The study concluded that, the shift to other economic activities other than Agriculture is predominant in the study communities. The study policy recommendation is that local assemblies should encourage residents to plant in their homes, a required minimum number of trees to improve the biodiversity of the environment.
Sam, E. F.
VREF Mobility in African Cities (MAC) Research Forum 2021. Virtual 19 May 2021
Paper presented:
Towards a disability-inclusive urban transport system in Accra and Nairobi: a policy-practice agenda
Abstract
The proposed project aims at a comparative analysis of the daily mobility patterns, needs, experiences and challenges of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in accessing urban transport systems in Accra, Ghana and Nairobi, Kenya. Premised on urban mobility concepts, disability theories and social inclusion of PWDs, the project also intends to explore the implications of these mobility challenges for their social inclusion and ability to function independently in society. There is a lack of proper guidelines to ensure the design and provision of inclusive infrastructure and services that meet the requirements of PWDs. There are also capacity gaps for key institutions dealing with issues of PWDs in creating awareness and implementing structures for their rights and under the international obligations such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of 2006, Article 29 of the Constitution of Ghana (1992), and Article 54 of the Constitution of Kenya (2010) which advocate for inclusivity. These factors among others have been ascertained to negatively affect the travel patterns and general livelihood of PWDs.
The proposed project aims at a comparative analysis of the daily mobility patterns, needs, experiences and challenges of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in accessing urban transport systems in Accra, Ghana and Nairobi, Kenya. Premised on urban mobility concepts, disability theories and social inclusion of PWDs, the project also intends to explore the implications of these mobility challenges for their social inclusion and ability to function independently in society. There is a lack of proper guidelines to ensure the design and provision of inclusive infrastructure and services that meet the requirements of PWDs. There are also capacity gaps for key institutions dealing with issues of PWDs in creating awareness and implementing structures for their rights and under the international obligations such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of 2006, Article 29 of the Constitution of Ghana (1992), and Article 54 of the Constitution of Kenya (2010) which advocate for inclusivity. These factors among others have been ascertained to negatively affect the travel patterns and general livelihood of PWDs.
Adomako, K.; A. Agoswin Musah, Atibiri A. Sandow & Reginald A. Duah
12th Linguistics Association of Ghana (LAG) Conference. Paa Grant University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Ghana 31st July, - 2nd August, 2019
Paper presented:
• Kusaal and Akan as dialects of the same language? A comparative analysis of some peculiar lexical items
Abstract
Kpodo, P.; Adomako, K.; & Amoh, S.
12th Linguistics Association of Ghana (LAG) Conference. Paa Grant University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Ghana 31st July, - 2nd August, 2019
Paper presented:
Some morphophonological processes in the adaptation of Akan personal day-names in Ewe
Abstract
Tomekyin, C., Adomako, K. & Nyame, J.
50th Annual Conference on African Linguistics (ACAL). University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada 22nd May, - 25th May, 2019
Paper presented:
The phonology of compounds in Nzema
Abstract
This paper examines some phonological processes that are observed in the formation of some compounds in Nzema, a Niger-Congo (Kwa, Bia) language spoken mainly in the Western Region of Ghana and Ivory Coast. The paper focuses on some phonological rules that ensue at morpheme juncture processes in the process of the formation of some compounds in Nzema. The compound types discussed in the present paper include noun-noun, noun-adjective, noun-verb, pronominal-noun, and pronominal-verb. In this paper, we consider mainly elision that targets the final V of the first and initial V of the second morphemes at the morpheme boundary. We show that, inter alia, in Nzema, morpheme2-initial Vs (i.e. V2) are mostly targeted for deletion as compared to the elision of the first vowel, V1. At morpheme juncture in V1#V2, it is the V2 that is systematically targeted for deletion irrespective of its quality. Moreover, in a context of V1#V2 where the two vowels are of same quality, tone is crucial in determining the target for the deletion process, however, it is the V2 that consistently give in to elision irrespective of tone.
This paper examines some phonological processes that are observed in the formation of some compounds in Nzema, a Niger-Congo (Kwa, Bia) language spoken mainly in the Western Region of Ghana and Ivory Coast. The paper focuses on some phonological rules that ensue at morpheme juncture processes in the process of the formation of some compounds in Nzema. The compound types discussed in the present paper include noun-noun, noun-adjective, noun-verb, pronominal-noun, and pronominal-verb. In this paper, we consider mainly elision that targets the final V of the first and initial V of the second morphemes at the morpheme boundary. We show that, inter alia, in Nzema, morpheme2-initial Vs (i.e. V2) are mostly targeted for deletion as compared to the elision of the first vowel, V1. At morpheme juncture in V1#V2, it is the V2 that is systematically targeted for deletion irrespective of its quality. Moreover, in a context of V1#V2 where the two vowels are of same quality, tone is crucial in determining the target for the deletion process, however, it is the V2 that consistently give in to elision irrespective of tone.
Owusu, S.
12th Linguistics Association of Ghana Annual Conference (LAG 2018). University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa July 31 to Aug. 2, 2019
Paper presented:
Idioms as a Measure of Proficiency Level of Ghanaian ESL Learners
Abstract
The idiom is defined as a habitual unit of language, the meaning of which cannot be deduced by summing up the meanings of its individual components. Instead, idioms are fixed phraseological units by their long usage and have to be learned as a whole. It is said that if natural language had been designed by a logician, idioms would not exist. L2 learners’ ability to use idioms appropriately in the written and the spoken discourse is considered as a sign of communicative competence. What this means is that there is a close correlation between idiomatic knowledge and second language proficiency and that like proverbs, idioms can be used to measure one’s proficiency level. The objective of the paper was to use English idioms to measure the proficiency level of the first year students of English at the University of Education, Winneba. Convenience sampling was used to select 110 level 100 students of English, to whom the researcher was teaching Introduction to Linguistics. The respondents were tasked to answer a questionnaire involving ten common idioms in English. Findings showed that the respondents were found to be fairly proficient in their acquisition of the English idioms selected for the study. The results of this study could have important implications for the design of appropriate courses geared at helping the students to improve on their level of proficiency.
The idiom is defined as a habitual unit of language, the meaning of which cannot be deduced by summing up the meanings of its individual components. Instead, idioms are fixed phraseological units by their long usage and have to be learned as a whole. It is said that if natural language had been designed by a logician, idioms would not exist. L2 learners’ ability to use idioms appropriately in the written and the spoken discourse is considered as a sign of communicative competence. What this means is that there is a close correlation between idiomatic knowledge and second language proficiency and that like proverbs, idioms can be used to measure one’s proficiency level. The objective of the paper was to use English idioms to measure the proficiency level of the first year students of English at the University of Education, Winneba. Convenience sampling was used to select 110 level 100 students of English, to whom the researcher was teaching Introduction to Linguistics. The respondents were tasked to answer a questionnaire involving ten common idioms in English. Findings showed that the respondents were found to be fairly proficient in their acquisition of the English idioms selected for the study. The results of this study could have important implications for the design of appropriate courses geared at helping the students to improve on their level of proficiency.
Owusu, S.
1st South African Association for Language Teaching (SAALT) and Southern African Linguistics and Applied Linguistics Association (SALALS) Joint Annual Conference 2019. University of Pretoria, Groenkloof Campus, South Africa June 30 to July 4, 2019
Paper presented:
Evaluating the Content Validity of High-Stakes ESL Tests in Ghana
Abstract
A good test should have content validity, that is, it should reflect the objectives and the content of the curriculum, so that the test would be representative, relevant, and comprehensive. It is said that for a test to promote positive washback, it should reflect the course objectives upon which the test content is based. The high-stakes English language tests in Ghana should therefore reflect the objectives of the English language curriculum. The objective of this paper was to find out whether or not the high-stakes English language tests in Ghana cover the objectives and the content of the English language curriculum. The paper makes use of the data gathered through questionnaires and document analysis to provide answers to the research question: To what extent are the high-stakes English language tests in Ghana aligned with the English language curriculum? The English language syllabus and past questions from 2010 to 2017 were analysed to establish the relationship between the test items and the prescribed English language syllabus. Again, a questionnaire was conducted with 24 English language teachers from 4 junior high schools and 8 eight senior high schools. Analysis of data revealed that the high-stakes English language tests in Ghana lacked washback validity. This means that the objectives of the English language curriculum were not fully reflected in the tests, since some topics or areas in the English language syllabus were not examined. This gap between the objectives of English language curriculum and the focus of the high-stakes tests encouraged the teachers to teach to the test, thereby concentrating on only the areas that were examined in the high-stakes tests. The teachers concentrated on grammatical structure, reading comprehension, and essay writing which were tested in the high-stakes tests. In effect, the results of this research work could have important implications for high-stakes English language test system reform, and the roles high-stakes language tests play in shaping ESL classroom practices in Ghanaian schools.
A good test should have content validity, that is, it should reflect the objectives and the content of the curriculum, so that the test would be representative, relevant, and comprehensive. It is said that for a test to promote positive washback, it should reflect the course objectives upon which the test content is based. The high-stakes English language tests in Ghana should therefore reflect the objectives of the English language curriculum. The objective of this paper was to find out whether or not the high-stakes English language tests in Ghana cover the objectives and the content of the English language curriculum. The paper makes use of the data gathered through questionnaires and document analysis to provide answers to the research question: To what extent are the high-stakes English language tests in Ghana aligned with the English language curriculum? The English language syllabus and past questions from 2010 to 2017 were analysed to establish the relationship between the test items and the prescribed English language syllabus. Again, a questionnaire was conducted with 24 English language teachers from 4 junior high schools and 8 eight senior high schools. Analysis of data revealed that the high-stakes English language tests in Ghana lacked washback validity. This means that the objectives of the English language curriculum were not fully reflected in the tests, since some topics or areas in the English language syllabus were not examined. This gap between the objectives of English language curriculum and the focus of the high-stakes tests encouraged the teachers to teach to the test, thereby concentrating on only the areas that were examined in the high-stakes tests. The teachers concentrated on grammatical structure, reading comprehension, and essay writing which were tested in the high-stakes tests. In effect, the results of this research work could have important implications for high-stakes English language test system reform, and the roles high-stakes language tests play in shaping ESL classroom practices in Ghanaian schools.
