The WHO-5 well-being measure happens to be one of the most renowned measures of subjective well-being across the globe. Although the instrument has been calibrated in different countries, its psychometric properties and applicability in Africa, especially in Ghana, are not known. In this study, the WHO-5 well-being scale was validated among adolescents in Ghana by assessing the validity evidence of the measure based on the internal and external structure. In particular, the study examined the (1) dimensionality of the WHO-5 well-being scale, (2) quality of the items (including the scale functioning) for the measure, and (3) criterion validity of the well-being measure. Using a survey approach, 997 adolescents were recruited in secondary schools across the northern belt of Ghana. The study found a one-factor structure of the scale, which supports the factor solution of the original measure. The items were found to be of high quality, except for one item. The WHO-5 well-being measure was found to have sufficient evidence regarding convergent and divergent validity. The outcome of this validation study provides support for the validity and reliability of the WHO-5 well-being scale’s utility and use among adolescents in Ghana. The study encourages further validation studies to be conducted in Ghana to widen the reproducibility of the WHO-5 well-being measure.

Mathematics achievement in senior high schools (SHS) in Ghana is not encouraging and this has become a concern for major stakeholders. Several studies have been conducted to provide information to understand the issue of poor mathematics achievement. Of all the studies, areas regarding the joint influence of experience, pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and subject matter knowledge (SMK) have been less explored in Ghana. In this study, the interplay among these variables is examined in an attempt to explain the variances in students’ mathematics achievement. To achieve this purpose, 210 SHS teachers and 8,400 students in SHS across the country were surveyed and subsequently administered tasks on algebra taking into consideration the variables of interest. The study revealed that teacher knowledge and teaching experience significantly influenced students’ mathematics achievement. It was discovered that PCK had a significant indirect effect on students’ mathematics achievement through teachers’ SMK. The findings also showed that experience did not significantly moderate the relationship between teachers’ SMK and students’ mathematics achievement. The study, based on the outcome, made conclusions and recommendations for practice. Suggestions for the implementation of future studies were also highlighted.

Grade 9 pupils’ choice of a course to pursue in senior high school in Ghana is a decision made at a young age usually below 16 years. Therefore, these young pupils rely on other persons for help when making such a decision. Previous research found that instead of assisting, these social agents rather interfere with this decision-making process. This study explored the challenges grade 9 pupils face in choosing courses in their transition to senior high school by seeking the views of the pupils and their teachers/counsellors using a questionnaire and interview guide. The findings showed that fathers, mothers, siblings, finances and orientation at home were the major obstacles the pupils faced when selecting a course to pursue. Other challenges found in the school setting included teacher interferences and peer distractions. The study concluded that grade 9 pupils have a great challenge from their social milieu when choosing a course to pursue at the senior high school level. The study recommended that school counsellors/heads should educate parents, guardians and teachers on how to guide pupils in choosing a course to pursue at the SHS level.

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Globally, there is the quest to improve quality education as highlighted by the Sustainable Development Goal 4. One of the quintessential factors that could facilitate the attainment of this global goal is effective and adequate educational process factors. The study specifically sought to assess the state of educational process factors such as teacher use of instructional time, level of parental and community involvement, type of leadership, curriculum coverage among the urban, rural, public, and private junior high schools in the Central Region of Ghana. The descriptive survey design was used to carry out the study. Through stratified sampling technique, 1260 respondents comprising 126 head teachers, and 378 junior high school teachers were engaged in the study. Two sets of questionnaires were designed for the headteachers and teachers. Data gathered were analysed using frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations as well as chi-square test of association and independent samples t-test. It was found that educational process factors were generally better in urban schools as well as private schools. For rural schools and public schools, the educational process factors were poor, particularly, the percentage of syllabus coverage was low for English, Mathematics, and Integrated Science. It was concluded that deficit in educational process factors posed threat to the quality of education. It was suggested that the Ministry of Education, together with teachers should strive to enhance process variables in schools.