Gender influences the perception of individual about a phenomenon based on the perceived benefits. The purpose of the study was to seek the understanding of the influence of Continuous Professional Development of senior high school heads on their performance as administrators of public SHS/ TVET in Greater Accra Region with respect to gender. A descriptive survey method was used. A questionnaire was administered to the Heads (Headmaster, Assistant Head-Administration and Assistant Head-Academic) of SHS/TVET in the Greater Accra Region. The accessible population for this study comprised the heads of SHS/TVET in the Greater Accra Region. The target population consisted of all heads of the public SHS/TVET in the Greater Accra Region. A census was used for the sampling and a self-designed questionnaire with a Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient of 0.85 used to for data collection. Means and Standard Deviations, and independent t test were used to analyze the data. It was found that CPD has positive effect on the performance of the heads. It was also revealed that there was no statistically significant gender difference in effect of CPD on performance of heads of public SHS/TVET. Therefore, recommendation was made to the Ministry of Education to make policies for sponsorships of Continuous Professional Development for senior high school heads in the management of the SHS/ TVET.

Education at every level is expected to affect behaviour of those who experience it.  This makes discipline very essential component in delivery of education. The study was a case study designed to examine students’ views on improving discipline in Colleges of Education. Data was collected from 244 respondents at Wesley College of Education in Ashanti Region, Ghana using a 4-point Likert and 5-point Likert scale questionnaire. The data were analysed using frequency and percentage. The study revealed that students viewed the concept of discipline as punishment which was generally perceived as severe. Punishment in the College included withdrawing students’ privileges, in-school suspension and out-of-school suspension among others. They regarded the causes of indiscipline to be the result of lack of students’ participation in the decision making process of the school, unclear rules. Students’ indiscipline was also attributed to bad training at home, students falling into bad company in school and lack of freedom for students. However disciplinary measures such as the use of guidance and counselling services, religious training, and parental involvement, had more positive responses.  Based on the findings, some recommendations were made to improve discipline in Colleges of Education. For instance, there should be clarity of rules, this will enable students to understand the rules and abide by them. In addition, Students of colleges should be taught the value of self-discipline. These will help the student teacher to learn more appropriate ways to ensure discipline when they go out to practice.

Background The Bluebelle Wound Healing Questionnaire (WHQ) is a universal-reporter outcome measure developed in the UK for remote detection of surgical-site infection after abdominal surgery. This study aimed to explore cross-cultural equivalence, acceptability, and content validity of the WHQ for use across low- and middle-income countries, and to make recommendations for its adaptation. Methods This was a mixed-methods study within a trial (SWAT) embedded in an international randomized trial, conducted according to best practice guidelines, and co-produced with community and patient partners (TALON-1). Structured interviews and focus groups were used to gather data regarding cross-cultural, cross-contextual equivalence of the individual items and scale, and conduct a translatability assessment. Translation was completed into five languages in accordance with Mapi recommendations. Next, data from a prospective cohort (SWAT) were interpreted using Rasch analysis to explore scaling and measurement properties of the WHQ. Finally, qualitative and quantitative data were triangulated using a modified, exploratory, instrumental design model. Results In the qualitative phase, 10 structured interviews and six focus groups took place with a total of 47 investigators across six countries. Themes related to comprehension, response mapping, retrieval, and judgement were identified with rich cross-cultural insights. In the quantitative phase, an exploratory Rasch model was fitted to data from 537 patients (369 excluding extremes). Owing to the number of extreme (floor) values, the overall level of power was low. The single WHQ scale satisfied tests of unidimensionality, indicating validity of the ordinal total WHQ score. There was significant overall model misfit of five items (5, 9, 14, 15, 16) and local dependency in 11 item pairs. The person separation index was estimated as 0.48 suggesting weak discrimination between classes, whereas Cronbach’s α was high at 0.86. Triangulation of qualitative data with the Rasch analysis supported recommendations for cross-cultural adaptation of the WHQ items 1 (redness), 3 (clear fluid), 7 (deep wound opening), 10 (pain), 11 (fever), 15 (antibiotics), 16 (debridement), 18 (drainage), and 19 (reoperation). Changes to three item response categories (1, not at all; 2, a little; 3, a lot) were adopted for symptom items 1 to 10, and two categories (0, no; 1, yes) for item 11 (fever). Conclusion This study made recommendations for cross-cultural adaptation of the WHQ for use in global surgical research and practice, using co-produced mixed-methods data from three continents. Translations are now available for implementation into remote wound assessment pathways.

Introduction: The use of technology has altered the appearance and operations of numerous professions, including that of the counsellor. However, cyber counselling, a recent form of counselling, is a relatively recent phenomenon in Ghana. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to measure the perspectives of students at the University of Cape Coast on the use cyber counselling. Methods: Using a sample of 600 undergraduates from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, a descriptive survey was conducted. The male to female ratio was 3:2. A questionnaire with a four-point Likert scale was utilised to collect the data. Means and standard deviations provided answers to the two study research questions that guided the survey. In addition, the two hypotheses were analysed using independent samples t-test. Results: The survey discovered that respondents had either positive and negative viewpoints or opinions regarding the use of cyber counselling. In addition, both males and females showed affinity to cyber counselling. However, males were somewhat more hostile towards cyber counselling than females. Recommendations: It was suggested that counsellors should increase their use of cyber therapy in their work with adolescents, as they have learned the skills and knowledge to utilise the internet and are comfortable with cyber counselling or e-counselling.

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