Department of Interdisciplinary Studies
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- ItemUniversity–Community Relations in Ghana: Traditional Authority as a Stakeholder(Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, 2021)This article examines the levels and forms of engagement between universities in Ghana and traditional authority. The article is based on an in-depth study of five public universities and their neighbouring communities. Stakeholder theory was used for analysis. Findings from the study indicate that there is a growing awareness among public universities in Ghana of the need to engage the traditional authority of their immediate surrounding communities to enhance university–community relations and coexistence, in order to address the socio-economic and developmental aspirations of the communities and to help achieve the institutional goals of the universities. However, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) appears to have a more comprehensive engagement model than the others
- ItemAfrican migrants in Japan: Social capital and economic integrationAfrican migrants in Japan: Social capital and economic integration(Asian and Pacific Migration Journa, 2015)This study examines the strategies that African migrants in Japan adopt to build networks and utilize the social capital derived from the networks to achieve socio-economic integration and mobility in Japanese society. It is based on a field study conducted within the Tokyo metropolitan area in 2012. The study shows that in spite of racial prejudice, the African migrants in Japan build and draw heavily on bridging and linking social networks to promote economic integration. They develop these cross-cultural networks and capital through intermarriage with Japanese women, friendship and business ties with African Americans, Japanese youth and Japan’s business community. For some migrants, their high educational background facilitated their economic integration in Japanese society.
- ItemConnecting Return Intentions and Home Investment: the Case of Ghanaian Migrants in Southern Europe(2015-05-17)In this paper, we analyse the return intentions and home investment of Ghanaian migrants living in Italy and Spain. We show that the migrants’ intention to resettle in Ghana is a strong motivation for them to invest there. Home construction is the primary investment activity that those who desire to return undertake, followed by setting up an income generating venture (retail shop, bakery, hairdressing salon, cash crop and poultry farms). However, in spite of high return intentions, actual return is largely dependent on economic success than failure. Moreover, the migrants’ desire to educate their children in the West, keep their European residence rights, and difficult socio-economic conditions in Ghana constitute key constraints to return. Consequently, the migrants prefer to establish a permanent home in Europe, with the hope to return home when their children grow up or after their labour market activity is over; and while those in Italy desire to move onward, those in Spain prefer to stay there. In this paper, we analyse the return intentions and home investment of Ghanaian migrants living in Italy and Spain. We show that the migrants’ intention to resettle in Ghana is a strong motivation for them to invest there. Home construction is the primary investment activity that those who desire to return undertake, followed by setting up an income generating venture (retail shop, bakery, hairdressing salon, cash crop and poultry farms). However, in spite of high return intentions, actual return is largely dependent on economic success than failure. Moreover, the migrants’ desire to educate their children in the West, keep their European residence rights, and difficult socio-economic conditions in Ghana constitute key constraints to return. Consequently, the migrants prefer to establish a permanent home in Europe, with the hope to return home when their children grow up or after their labour market activity is over; and while those in Italy desire to move onward, those in Spain prefer to stay there.
- ItemThe influence of demographic variables on self-efficacy beliefs of senior high school teachers in Kumasi metropolis(African Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2015)The paper explored the influence of age, gender, educational qualification, school type and teaching experience on sense of self-efficacy beliefs among Senior High School (SHS) teachers in Kumasi metropolis of Ghana. Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) developed by Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk Hoy (2001) was personally administered to collect data from 437 respondents who were randomly selected for the study. From the Spearman correlation analysis, it was revealed that teachers’ age, educational qualification and school type significantly correlated with their self efficacy beliefs. Moreover, regression analysis conducted shown that the 5 demographic variables when taken together had significant effects on the teachers’ sense of efficacy; however teachers’ educational qualification made the strongest significant contribution to their self-efficacy beliefs. Among other things, it was recommended that longitudinal studies should be conducted to track the changes in teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs over time.
- ItemPerception of Pre-Service Teachers’ Towards the Teaching Practice Programme in College of Technology Education, University of Education, Winneba(Journal of Education and Practice, 2017)The descriptive survey design was used to find out the perception of pre-service teachers on teaching practice (on-campus) as an initial teacher preparation programme in University of Education, Winneba. A simple random sampling was used to select 226 pre-service teachers from the College of Technology Education, Kumasi. Data for the study were collected using questionnaire and were analysed through the use of both descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings among others revealed that on-campus teaching practice equip entrants with requisite teaching knowledge, skills, experience, efficacy, professional development and support their learning. Lack of teaching aids, inadequate time, poor planning, lack of administrative support, and lack of proper orientation on the role of on-campus teaching practice were some of challenges identified. In spite of these challenges, the programme was rated to be good by the pre-service teachers. It was among others recommended that adequate time and material resources should be provided in addition to effective planning and orientation on the programme