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1 – 10 of 23Andrew Tetteh, Fred Awaah and Dorcas Addo
This study aims to investigate students’ perceptions regarding the causes and effects of cyberbullying among university students. The study also establishes whether or not there…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate students’ perceptions regarding the causes and effects of cyberbullying among university students. The study also establishes whether or not there would be statistically significant differences among cyberbullying victims, perpetrators, victim-perpetrators and bystanders in their thoughts on the causes and effects of cyberbullying on students’ social lives from a developing country perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses quantitative approach and cross-sectional survey design to collect primary data from 1,374 undergraduate students sampled from selected public universities in Ghana. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance analyses were carried out using statistical package for the social sciences.
Findings
The study reports popularity among friends, extortion, retaliation, stress, trauma and low self-esteem as causes of cyberbullying. Also, cyberbullying resulted in difficulty trusting people, low self-esteem and increased stress. The study also found statistically significant differences among cyberbullying victims, perpetrators, victim-perpetrators and bystanders in their thoughts on the causes and effects of cyberbullying on students’ social lives.
Practical implications
The study’s findings imply that cyberbullying has some fairly significant negative effects on students’ lives in Ghana and must be taken more seriously. Conditions must be created to ensure that perpetrators and victims are given the support needed to curb this menace. Detailed remediating measures are provided in the study.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the existing literature by studying cyberbullying perceptions among students from a relatively bully-tolerant culture.
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Fred Awaah, Andrew Tetteh and Dorcas Adomaa Addo
This study aims to examine the effects of cyberbullying on the academic lives of Ghanaian university students. It also establishes whether cyberbullying victims, perpetrators…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the effects of cyberbullying on the academic lives of Ghanaian university students. It also establishes whether cyberbullying victims, perpetrators, victim-perpetrators and bystanders differed in their thoughts on the effects of cyberbullying on students’ academic lives.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is anchored on Bandura’s theory of triadic reciprocal determinism and Abraham Maslow’s theory of needs. This study uses a cross-sectional survey design and quantitative approach to collect the data from 1,374 students from three public universities. The authors use descriptive statistics and ANOVA techniques to analyse the data.
Findings
The results show that the effects of cyberbullying on academic life are difficulty concentrating on studies, difficulty studying in groups and difficulty assessing important academic information online. There is also a statistically significant difference among cyberbullying victims, perpetrators, victim-perpetrators and bystanders in their thoughts on the effects of cyberbullying on students’ academic lives.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the literature on cyberbullying in the Ghanaian tertiary education environment. Even though the impact of cyberbullying on academics in Ghanaian universities may seem minimal, it is still imperative that it be checked, as it is significant enough to disrupt effective academic work. Thus, this study adds to the existing literature on cyberbullying from a developing country perspective.
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Michael Armah, Andrew Tetteh and Felicia Nkrumah
The study addresses the challenges of limited access to technology and gender inequality in Ghana's education system, particularly science, technology, engineering, and…
Abstract
Purpose
The study addresses the challenges of limited access to technology and gender inequality in Ghana's education system, particularly science, technology, engineering, and mathematics/information and communications technologies (STEM/ICT) education. It focuses on the culturo-techno-contextual approach (CTCA), which has been shown to improve student outcomes and reduce educational gender inequality in Africa. Thus, this study addressed two research objectives: whether the CTCA will improve basic school students’ understanding of ICT and reduce the gender gap without ICT facilities.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was conducted using a quantitative method and a quasi-experimental design. 120 participants (44 in the experimental group and 76 in the control group) were selected using purposive and random sampling techniques. Data were collected using the Windows Interface Achievement Test (WIAT) and analysed using ANCOVA analysis.
Findings
The study found that the CTCA improved students’ understanding of ICT without ICT resources. The study also found that using the CTCA, there were no differences between male and female students in their understanding of ICT without ICT resources.
Practical implications
Based on the study’s findings, the researchers recommend the use of the CTCA in teaching basic school ICT, particularly in rural areas where access to ICT resources is problematic.
Originality/value
Researchers typically experiment with alternate teaching strategies to overcome obstacles in learning issues. This study’s originality stems from applying an indigenous teaching method (CTCA) to break down learning difficulties in ICT education.
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This study proposes the theory of higher education learning (THEL). The theory argues that certain concepts are difficult to understand, so learners and instructors should…
Abstract
Purpose
This study proposes the theory of higher education learning (THEL). The theory argues that certain concepts are difficult to understand, so learners and instructors should consider common factors that will enhance learners’ understanding of key concepts that are difficult to comprehend across various fields of study. The components of this theory have been tested in three different fields (public administration, entrepreneurship and chemistry) in separate studies in Ghana, Nigeria and Burundi within a five-year span to validate their applicability to higher education learning.
Design/methodology/approach
The design covers empirical, philosophical and theoretical discussions and comparative studies of other researchers and the authors’ work and thinking.
Findings
This theory proposes five variables (gender, age, opportunity, instructor knowledge and instructor confidence) that address students’ difficulty in understanding concepts in higher education learning. These factors are premised on six assumptions: (1) gender orientation must be either male or female; (2) age must be consistent with the parameter set; (3) there must be learners’ desire to study the same subject after school; (4) there must be an institution offering further studies on the same subject; (5) the instructor might have understood the subject in his/her official training, experience or practice and (6) the instructor must demonstrate certainty, accuracy, verifiability and reliability in the transfer of knowledge to the learners. Given these assumptions, the uniqueness of this theory lies in its application of the five variables to solve challenges uniquely related to studies in higher education.
Originality/value
This theory will incite debate and provide further insights into higher education learning models. The novelty lies in the five prepositions proven to enhance effective teaching and learning in higher education. Specifically, it introduces an extension to Piaget’s cognitive constructivist theory by proposing higher age brackets for students at the university level, opportunity (for future studies) to close the gap in Ausubul’s theory of advance organizers and endogenous factors to bridge the gap in Okebukola’s culturo-techno-contextual approach.
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Fred Awaah, Peter Okebukola, Juma Shabani, Helen Arkorful and Dorcas Adomaa Addo
Students' career choices and programmes of study are perceived to influence student understanding of many courses. Yet, research attention is limited on entrepreneurship education…
Abstract
Purpose
Students' career choices and programmes of study are perceived to influence student understanding of many courses. Yet, research attention is limited on entrepreneurship education that is a panacea for unemployment. Thus, this paper aims to assess the influence of students' career interests on students' comprehension of the entrepreneurship curriculum from a developing economy perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopts a mixed-method approach and explanatory sequential design is used to collect the data from 575 student studying entrepreneurship course in Ghana.
Findings
The results show that there is no statistically significant relationship between students' career interests and students' comprehension levels in concepts taught in the entrepreneurship curriculum but a statistically significant relationship between students' programme of study and students' comprehension levels in concepts taught in the entrepreneurship curriculum in Ghanaian universities.
Practical implications
The findings imply that the entrepreneurship course should be taught practically. This can be accomplished by creating a virtual enterprise modelled after a successful enterprise. This will help students understand the concepts being taught. Second, students who study different programmes should be taught using different methods. Lastly, students who study non-business-related programmes should be taught using methods that emphasise the basic ideas to aid students' understanding.
Originality/value
This study has made significant contribution by successful adopting the Piaget's cognitive constructivism to the learning of entrepreneurship from a developing country perspective and establish that no statistical relationship exist between students' career interests and students' comprehension levels in entrepreneurship education.
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This study aims to present a step-by-step implementation of the culturo–techno-contextual approach (CTCA) in a university classroom to teach industry and competitive analysis in…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to present a step-by-step implementation of the culturo–techno-contextual approach (CTCA) in a university classroom to teach industry and competitive analysis in the Ghanaian undergraduate entrepreneurship development curriculum. It further investigates the efficacy of the CTCA in breaking difficulties related to the study of industry and competitive analysis as a difficult concept in the Ghanaian entrepreneurship development curriculum. In doing this, the CTCA is compared with the lecture method.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopts a quantitative approach. A quasi-experimental design is employed to gather data from 215 level 400 (4th-year undergraduate students) entrepreneurship development students at a Ghanaian public university. The experimental group was taught with CTCA, while the control group used the lecture method. The data was collected using the industry and competitive analysis achievement test (ICAAT). As random assignment to experimental and control groups were not possible, the data were subjected to an analysis of covariance approach with pre-test scores added as a covariate.
Findings
The results show that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group. The results further indicate the efficacy of CTCA in improving undergraduate students’ performance in complex concepts of entrepreneurship.
Originality/value
Researchers usually test alternative teaching methods to break down barriers to study difficulties. The study’s uniqueness stems from the CTCA’s ground-breaking application to the study of entrepreneurship development in a Ghanaian public university.
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Mariyam Abdulhadi, Fred Awaah, Deborah Agbanimu, Emmanuel Okyere Ekwam and Emmanuella Sefiamor Heloo
The lecture method has been compared with teaching methods such as flip learning, cooperative learning and simulations to establish which holds the key to students' understanding…
Abstract
Purpose
The lecture method has been compared with teaching methods such as flip learning, cooperative learning and simulations to establish which holds the key to students' understanding of concepts. What is bereft in the education literature is its comparative efficiency with the culturo-techno contextual approach (CTCA) in the teaching of computer science education.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted the quasi-experimental design to determine the efficacy of the CTCA in breaking difficulties related to the study of spreadsheets as a difficult concept in the Nigerian computer science education curriculum. Junior high school students studying computer science education participated in the study. The control group had 30 students, with 35 students in the experimental group. The experimental group was taught using CTCA, while the control group used the lecture method. The spread sheet achievement test, which had 40 items on spreadsheet, was used to collect data.
Findings
The results showed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group [F (1,60) = 41.89; p < 0.05]. The findings showed the potential of CTCA in improving students' performance in spreadsheets in the computer science education curriculum.
Originality/value
The originality of this study is hinged on its ground-breaking test of the CTCA to the study of the spreadsheet. The findings of this study indicate its efficacy in improving students' understanding of spreadsheet and computer science education.
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The study examines the relationship between the interaction of indigenous–foreign cultures and public employee performance (PEP) in the Ghanaian public sector due to the perceived…
Abstract
Purpose
The study examines the relationship between the interaction of indigenous–foreign cultures and public employee performance (PEP) in the Ghanaian public sector due to the perceived unproductive cultures in the public sector.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employs a quantitative approach, where cross-sectional survey design is used to collect the data from Ghanaian public employees. The analysis is done using correlation and hierarchical regression techniques.
Findings
The results reveal that both indigenous and foreign cultures are pervasive in the Ghanaian public sector, with high power distance and individualism being dominant cultures. Furthermore, while the indigenous cultures have negative significant relationship with PEP, the foreign cultures have positive significant relationship with PEP. The foreign cultures effectively control the relationship between the indigenous cultures and PEP but insignificantly moderate such relationship.
Practical implications
The findings imply that deliberate attempts should be made to encourage the foreign cultures with attractive reward packages to induce workers. This will indirectly control the practice of the inimical cultures and ultimately reduce their negative effect on PEP.
Originality/value
The study contributes significantly to the extant literature by providing empirical evidence of the indigenous–foreign culture fit and PEP from a developing country, Ghana.
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Andrew Goddard and Siasa Issa Mzenzi
This paper examines accounting practices and legitimacy in Tanzanian Local Government Authorities (LGAs).
Abstract
Purpose
This paper examines accounting practices and legitimacy in Tanzanian Local Government Authorities (LGAs).
Methodology/approach
It uses data from multiple sources, including interviews, observations and documents, to provide theoretical and practical understanding on how accounting has been practiced and the conditions which sustain its undertaking. It applies a grounded theory method to develop a theory systematically from the raw data.
Findings
The principal research findings from the data concern the central phenomenon of ‘manipulating legitimacy’. This involved the purposeful and deliberate use of accounting techniques to influence and control (and sometimes even to falsify) the perceived reasonableness of the Councils’ operations. The paper revealed that the effective operations of the Tanzanian LGAs were highly constrained by their context. This had forced the LGAs’ officials to use important accounting practices such as budgeting, financial reporting, auditing and performance measurement, to manipulate the organisational legitimacy, a process which ensured the availability of resources to both LGAs and the individual officials.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation of the research is that the data was collected from a limited number of local authorities in just one developing country. It is hoped that future research in other developing countries will be undertaken to broaden and deepen our understanding.
Originality/value
The paper identifies the importance of manipulating legitimacy in understanding accounting practices in local government.
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Lerato Aghimien, Clinton Ohis Aigbavboa and Douglas Aghimien
The importance of humans to the successful delivery of construction projects has led to the emergence of research attention on construction workforce management. As such, this…
Abstract
The importance of humans to the successful delivery of construction projects has led to the emergence of research attention on construction workforce management. As such, this chapter uncovers emotional intelligence (EI) and the external environment as critical aspects of workforce management practices that have not gained substantial attention in past workforce management studies. While some theories and models (existing outside the construction domain) have considered the external environment, none of these models is specific to the construction industry. Furthermore, EI has received less attention within existing workforce management models. Through a review of related studies and theories, this chapter noted that the EI of construction workers and their senior management is crucial to the performance of these workers and the ultimate performance of their organisations. In the same vein, since construction organisations do not operate in silos, the external environment significantly influences the operations of organisations in the construction industry. The environment exact pressures that can influence workforce management practices and technological innovations construction organisations adopt.
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