Kennedy Nyeseh Ofori | University of Ghana (original) (raw)

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Papers by Kennedy Nyeseh Ofori

Educational objectives can be achieved successfully through gradual assessment of students and th... more Educational objectives can be achieved successfully through gradual assessment of students and the feedback used to instruct the students more effectively. This research was set forth to investigate how observational techniques can be used as assessment instruments to improve pupils' performance in learning at Nkawkaw in the Kwahu West Municipality of Ghana. It further assessed the extent of Junior High School teachers' knowledge of observational techniques and identifies some of the benefits and uses of the data gathered through the application of these techniques. The basic research designs used were descriptive statistics and participant observation among 250 respondents, who were selected through simple random sampling. The findings from the study showed that, teachers in the study area preferred employing unstructured observational technique,

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of indiscipline on the academic per... more The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of indiscipline on the academic performance of Junior High School Students (JHS) in the Fanteakwa District of Ghana. During the study, three hundred and sixty (360) participants made up students, headteachers and teachers were sampled. The students were sampled using random simple sampling technique while the headteachers and teachers were sampled purposively. The instruments used to gather all the necessary information about the problem was questionnaire. The study revealed that Indiscipline starts with the home because they are the children's first teachers. It was also found that the effects of indiscipline on academic performance included; students' inability to concentrate in class, loss of materials taught due to absenteeism and increase in rate of school drop-out. In order to minimize indiscipline behaviours, the study recommends that; discipline in the society should begin at the home. The home and the school must therefore interact and cooperate in instilling discipline. Also, providing a hearing process for students to present their side of the story and establishing an appeal processes to increase students and parents' perception of fairness.

This study was carried out to find out the effectiveness of Guidance services on pre-service teac... more This study was carried out to find out the effectiveness of Guidance services on pre-service teachers' problem solving ability at Wesley College of Education in Ghana. A survey research design was used, and the simple random sampling technique was employed to select 200 students. Data collected was processed using STATA 15. Research questions and hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Study habit was found as the most dominant problem encountered by the students. The results revealed a significant difference between pre-service teachers who had Guidance and Counselling and those who did not in their problem solving ability. The study also revealed that, there was no significant difference between male and female pre-service teachers who had Guidance and Counselling from those who did not in their problem solving ability. Recommendations were made and one of which was that, counsellors should focus on helping pre-service teachers develop good study habits.

Human Immune Virus/Acquired Humane Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a pandemic that has caused d... more Human Immune Virus/Acquired Humane Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a pandemic that has caused devastating effects on both infected and affected persons. However, with the discovery of Anti-Retroviral Therapy, early detection of HIV leads to timely treatment, which significantly leads to prolong life. This study aimed at predicting the HIV Testing and Counselling (HTC) behaviour of youth of selected rural communities in Ghana using the health belief model (HBM). This cross sectional study was conducted on 424 youth using a questionnaire. By applying the multi stage sampling technique, a dominantly rural district was first purposefully selected, and then the communities through simple random sampling, and lastly the individual youth were purposefully selected. Data was processed and analysed using SPSS version 22 software. Findings from the study revealed that, respondents' perceived susceptibility to HTC, perceived benefits and the level of awareness (cues to action) were high, however respondents perceived barriers to HTC was indifferent. It was also found that an increase in a person's perceived benefits was likely to affect one's perceived barriers to participate in HIV Testing and Counselling. This indicates a crucial need for formal educational programs to sensitize them regarding the benefits of HTC. Stakeholders in health should therefore focus HIV/AIDS educational programmes on the benefits of HIV screening behaviours to the youth.

This study was conducted to examine the factors that contribute to the utilization of HIV Testing... more This study was conducted to examine the factors that contribute to the utilization of HIV Testing and Counselling (HTC) among the youth in Ghana focusing on Fanteakwa District and Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality in light of the Health Belief Model. The study involved 424 youths between the ages of 15-24. The quantitative approach was used in the study. Multi-stage sampling technique was adopted for the study involving the purposive sampling which was used to select the two districts and then the simple random sampling method which was also used to select the communities and participants. A structured questionnaire made up of 30 items was administered to the respondents to collect data and processed using STATA 15. The results showed that majority of the respondents (over 80%) had heard about HTC and also knew where to go for HIV testing. Again, It was also revealed from the study that as little as 25% had ever taken HIV test at the time of the study with the males being in majority than the females. In addition, more than half of the respondents (57.6%) have been given pre-counselling service before the test and majority of them (67.3%) went back for their test results. It was also found that sex (p =-0.52854), place of residence (p =-0.67824) of respondents and perceived susceptibility (p =-0.07187) were significantly associated with HTC participation. It was recommended that social media should be used as a tool for disseminating information on HTC and also, the development and mass distribution of Self-test kits for HIV for the youth.

The teaching and learning of biology in the Senior High Schools has of late not been very effecti... more The teaching and learning of biology in the Senior High Schools has of late not been very effective since the practical aspect of the subject is seemingly neglected by many teachers. The main objective of this study was to investigate and compare how biology practical lessons were conducted in some well-endowed and less-endowed Senior High Schools in Ghana. The main instruments used for gathering the data for the study were questionnaires, document analysis and informal observation of some biology lessons. This enabled the Researchers to capture as closely as possible, the real picture of what happened during the observed lessons. The sampled population for the study consisted of 408 students and 24 biology teachers from twelve selected Senior High Schools in the Eastern and Central Regions of Ghana. Data collected were analyzed using frequency counts and percentages. The research findings showed that the time allotted to practical lessons in biology varied from one school to another, as 35.8% of students from well-endowed schools complained of insufficiency of time as against 78.9% of students from less-endowed schools. The study also found that the teaching strategies employed in the two categories of Senior High Schools were not different. However, students from the selected well-endowed schools tend to have a greater advantage than their counterparts from the less-endowed schools, as they were exposed to less lecture method 7.4% compared to 27.9% from the low-endowment schools. To ensure efficiency in the teaching of the practical aspect of biology in the Senior High Schools, the study recommends that the government and all other stakeholders in education must supply laboratories in all Senior High Schools with the necessary equipment, materials and chemicals to enable students to develop the necessary skills, attitudes, and interest in science.