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Abstract
The study sought to investigate the effects of social media on literacy development among pupils in junior high schools particularly on their perception about the nature of literacy, identifying major social media network sites and their mass usage among pupils as well as the effects of social media and social networking sites on pupils’ language learning and literacy development within the context of socio-cultural and social learning theories. To achieve the objectives of this study, a case study design was used which comprised the use of interviews to solicit pupils’ responses on the effects of social media on literacy development. The population of the study consisted of all JHS pupils in the Asante-Akim South District in the Ashanti region of Ghana. A purposive sampling technique was used to select 25 pupils (14 females, 11 males) from three junior high schools. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis (qualitative content and document analyses), table with description and data triangulation. The findings showed participants’ exposure to major social media tools and social networking sites such as Facebook, Short Message Services (SMS), WhatsApp, Twitter and You Tube likewise online practices such as chatting, blogging, watching movies, listening to audios, image sharing, and so on. The study in addition revealed that social media tools and online practices influence participants’ reading skills and habits, writing skills and speaking in every way. This research recommends the strict application of Ghana Education Service rules and parental guidance on electronic devices usage in schools, homes and the promotion of social media networks for educational purposes.

Abstract
As part of its wider social and democratic governance reforms, the Government of Ghana embarked on a process of education decentralisation in 1987 (GOG, 1996). The central focus of this policy was the prescription of community participation in the affairs of school in each locality (Essuman and Akyeampong, 2011). Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) policy recommends the formation of school management committees (SMCs), governing bodies and parent teacher associations (PTAs) by individual schools to work hand-in-hand with the head teacher and guide him/her in school policy formulation (GES, 2001). Capacity has become a topical issue in decentralisation discourse and critics of the latter have argued against the lack of technical and human resource availability at the local level (De Grauwe et al., (2005; Robinson, 2007) but unfortunately, research on capacity of formal governance bodies appears to have been less undertaken in poorer rural areas in Ghana. In recognition of this, the study sought to understand the nature and quality of capacity and how that impact on participation in school from the perspectives of SMCs in two rural school communities in Effutu Municipality. The study adopted qualitative methods of focus groups, supported by some initial documentary analysis to gain better understanding of school governance from key stakeholder perspectives. The findings revealed that although formal school governing bodies existed in the rural study communities, many of the SMC members lacked human and material resource to engage fully in school management. The study recommends capacity building and training programmes to enable participants upgrade their knowledge and skills in school governance. Keywords Education decentralization, community participation, School Management Committees (SMCs), capacity and school governance

Abstract
This study explores teacher involvement in basic education from the perspectives of community stakeholders in two school communities in rural Ghana. There has been relatively little previous research on teacher practices that affect parental involvement in school governance in Ghana generally and in poorer rural areas in particular to benefit children. In recognition of this, the study sought to understand the inter-relationship between teacher involvement and local school governance bodies but also the specific challenges within such context. In such context, teacher involvement are understood as contextually located and produced through intersecting spheres of influence between school, parents and community. It also recognises the importance of relational matters (Baquedano-Lopez, Alexander and Hernandez, 2013). The study adopted qualitative methods of focus groups to gain a better understanding of teacher involvement from key community stakeholder perspectives. The study findings identified tensions in the monitoring and supervision of teachers as well as issues of transparency and accountability in the administration of capitation grant in school governance. The study recommends that policies designed to encourage teacher involvement in school governance must not only reflect important contextual differences but also social dynamics between participants and structures in rural communities.

Abstract
The decentralized system of education delivery in Ghana through the Central government or the Ministry of Education has created space for understanding of how schools and communities should operate and how communities should assume an important role in schools but less on how informal bodies should be backed with the requisite support to be actively involved in their children’s education. This creates a policy and practice gap which is more pronounced in poor rural communities and Effutu Municipality is no exception. In recognition of this, the study sought to explore the role of the extended family in resource constraint communities from the perspectives of individual parents in two schools in a rural Ghana. The case study adopted a qualitative method of interviews with twelve parents to gain understanding of their involvement in children’s education including the socio-economic challenges within such context. Additional data were collected through interviews with teachers. The data were analysed through coding to identify themes. The study findings reveal that in rural communities, the notion of parents goes beyond the biological parent to wider family and community networks in part as a result of seasonal migration. It identified grandparents, mothers in particular as playing a vital role in children’s education. Consequently, the study recommends that policies on education decentralization should reflect the local factors which impact on extended family’s role in children’s education. Keywords: Extended family role, socio-economic challenges, community networks, and individual parents

Abstract
This study examined the effect of school culture on teachers’ job performance in private and public basic schools in the Ga South Municipality. Based on the work of Denison’s (2000) Framework of Organizational Culture and Teacher Job Performance, the study adopted a descriptive survey design through the quantitative approach where a structured questionnaire was developed and distributed to collect data from 46 teachers using the census sampling technique. With the aid of the Statistical Package for Service Solution version 20, descriptive (mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistics such as t-test, One-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression were used to analyze the data. The study revealed that adaptability culture was more dominant (M=4.30, SD=0.60) than involvement culture (M=4.16, SD=0.55), mission culture (M=4.06, SD=0.43), and consistency culture (M=3.82, SD=0.58), and that generally job performance of teachers was rated as very good (M=4.43, SD=0.26). Besides, the study indicated that school culture was a good predictor of teacher job performance. However, the study revealed that adaptability culture (P=0.785, p=0.000) and consistency culture (P=-.334, p=0.017) made significant unique contribution to teacher job performance whilst involvement culture (P=-.240, p=0.213) and mission culture did not contribute significantly to teacher job performance. It was therefore recommended that school administrators and teachers should be guided to strengthen the culture in their schools, especially the adaptability and consistency cultural traits since they contribute significantly to teacher job performance. Further, it was recommended that the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service should design and implement programmes to assist public basic schools to improve their culture and teacher job performance so as to attain educational goals. Keywords: job performance, organizational culture, and school culture