Factors contributing to spatial inequality in academic achievement in Ghana: Analysis of district-level factors using geographically weighted regression

Abstract

a b s t r a c tLike most Sub-Saharan African countries, Ghana's basic educational system continues to undergo reform, receiving substantial investment to ensure all citizens have access to quality educational opportunities regardless of where they live. Although the reforms have markedly improved access to education at the junior high school level, the overall level of academic achievement among Ghana's population remains low, especially in deprived areas of the country. The low rate of achievement warrants examination because the lack of education hampers social mobility and constrains the ability of pupils from deprived communities to progress up the academic ladder. This study uses spatial modeling tools and district-level data to examine spatial variability in rates of academic achievement among districts in Ghana, and to investigate the differential effects of macro-level factors on academic achievement. Analysis reveals two key findings: (a) the existing pattern of spatial inequality primarily favors academic achievement of students in the Middle and Southern Belt regions of Ghana; and (b) factors contributing to academic achievement vary spatially, with the significance level, magnitude, and direction of relationship varying from one district to another. The study demonstrates the quintessence of an approach to educational development that emphasizes decentralization, thereby allowing educational investments and interventions to be tailored to local needs.

Revisiting global development frameworks and research on universal basic education in Ghana and Sub‐Saharan Africa: a review of evidence and gaps for future research

“…Within the dominant quantitative methods, scholars such as Akyeampong (2006, 2009), Ansong et al (2015a), Lewin and Sabates (2011), Nishimura (2008), Spaull and Taylor (2012, 2014) have employed cross‐sectional designs to observe patterns and characteristics of basic education access and outcomes among various groups of children in Ghana and SSA. Others, for example, Ansong et al (2015b), Lewin (2009), and Maliti (2018) have used longitudinal methods to trace and observe levels of inequality and educational outcomes among various groups of children. Beyond these studies, international, bilateral, and multilateral organisations like the World Bank, UNICEF, UNESCO, and USAID produce volumes of empirical studies and reports on educational access in SSA that rely on analysis of existing indicator‐based datasets to produce macro‐level results (Burns et al , 2003; Birger and Craissati, 2009; UNESCO, 2015).…”

“…The above results show that the current global practice of defining UBE, largely through enrolment statistics, remains an insufficient indicator for determining progress or success in the field of basic education, especially in the SSA context. Unlike many developed regions where children largely have access to equal opportunities and resources to complete basic education, the basic education process in Ghana and SSA is experienced differentially depending on factors such as location, socio‐economic status, and to some extent gender (Dabalen et al , 2015; Ansong et al , 2015b). The need to widen the ‘brackets’ of access and redefine how it is operationalised therefore remains a prudent goal in the search for equity and justice in basic education access for all children in the SSA region.…”

Understanding the spatial patterns of tanker accidents in Nigeria using geographically weighted regression

“…GWR is becoming a more commonly used technique in spatial analysis. For example, it has been applied to investigate commuting patterns (Lloyd and Shuttleworth, 2005), spatial distribution and determinant of bank branches (Ansong et al, 2015b), voters apathy in presidential election (Taiwo and Ahmed, 2015), spatial inequality in academic achievement (Ansong et al, 2015a), and spatial patterns of fire density (Oliveira et al, 2014). These studies demonstrated that spatial phenomenon can be better analysed by accounting for the spatial effects (local dependence and spatial heterogeneity) using GWR (Li et al, 2009).…”

Educational attainment and adult literacy

“…The continued reliance on educational attainment data to estimate adult literacy rates is surprising, especially in light of mounting evidence from school-based studies in Asia and Africa that many students in advanced grades lack academic proficiency ( Zhang 2006 ). In fact, there is growing interest in identifying the causes and consequences of students' underachievement ( Ahmed and Arends-Kuenning 2006 ; Ansong et al 2015 ; Dembélé and Lefoka 2007 ; Fehrler, Michaelowa, and Wechtler 2009 ; Glick and Sahn 2000 ; Kasirye 2009 ). Yet, despite recognition that many students do not acquire academic skills, the assumption prevails that adults who went to primary school - in some instances many decades ago - learned how to read and have maintained the skill through adulthood.…”