The main purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influence female teacher-trainees’ non-participation in physical activity and sports in Colleges of Education in Ashanti Region of Ghana. Descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. A sample size of 351 was randomly selected from a population of 2,911 for the study. Questionnaire was the main instrument used for data collection. Descriptive statistics (Frequency, percentages, mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (multiple regressions) were used in analysing and discussing the results. The study revealed that female teacher-trainees’ have a strong negative attitude (M=2.78, SD=1.43) towards participation in the physical activities and sports. Female teachertrainees’ have low participation in Physical Activity (78%). Religion (59.8%), misconception (98.8%), social role (98.8%), facilities and equipment (60.1%), sport skills foundation (99.1%), Motivation (96.6%) and academic loads (98.6%) are significant factors influencing female teacher-trainees’ non-participation in physical activities and sport in the colleges of education in the Ashanti Region, Ghana. It is recommended that Ministry of Education (MOE) and Curriculum Research Development Division (CRDD) should ensure that Physical education curriculum in Ghana is reorganised to enable students obtain necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes towards participation in physical activities and sports. The government and other stakeholders need to provide and supply modern facilities and equipment for physical activities and sports in the colleges.

Background. Despite the relevance of cold chain management in maintaining the potency of vaccines, gaps still exist in the ability of healthcare practitioners to maintain the cold chain system effectively. Thus, the current study sought to assess healthcare providers’ knowledge, attitudes, practices, and challenges regarding cold chain management. Methods. A concurrent mixed methods study was conducted at twelve facilities in the Sekyere Central District of Ghana. Eighty-six (86) participants took part in a survey that assessed their “cold chain management” knowledge and attitudes. Twelve (12) cold chain sites within the district were also observed in respect of their cold chain management practices. Eleven key informants were additionally interviewed to explore their challenges on cold chain management. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive (frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, ranges) and inferential statistics (Spearman’s rho correlation). Qualitative data were inductively analyzed into themes which described participants’ challenges on cold chain management. Results. Majority of the participants scored ≥70% on knowledge (68.6%) and attitudes (67.4%) toward cold chain management. However, there was a very weak positive and statistically insignificant relationship between participant’s knowledge and attitudes toward cold chain management ( r = 0.109 , p = 0.317 ). Regarding cold chain management practices, majority of the facilities had their vaccine vial monitors attached to the vaccines (8/12, 66.7%), had functional fridge tags (8/12, 66.7%), and an appropriate refrigerator to store vaccines (7/12, 58.3%). However, the study observed that 91.7% (11/12) of the facilities did not have policies and guidelines on cold chain management while all 12 facilities (100%) did not have a contingency plan in place for equipment. With regards to the cold chain management challenges, participants raised concerns about inadequate personnel, erratic power supply, logistical constraints, and transportation difficulties. Conclusion. Although majority of the participants had good knowledge and attitude towards cold chain management, there was a weak association between them. This implies that good knowledge may not necessarily influence good attitudes towards cold chain management and vice versa. The extent to which facilities support cold chain management practices was suboptimal. Participants encountered a number of challenges which prevented them from managing the vaccine cold chain system effectively. We recommend continual professional education for cold chain practitioners, provision of adequate human and material resources for cold chain management, and enhanced monitoring and evaluation of cold chain activities. Future studies should quantitatively measure individual participants’ knowledge, attitudes, practices, and challenges on cold chain management so that we can establish the relationships that exist between these components.

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This research was carried out to examine the relationship between selected physical fitness characteristics and shooting accuracy among high school basketball players in the Cape Coast Metropolis. Preliminary investigation revealed that the shooting accuracy of basketball players in the metropolis was not good compared to the standards set for players of their age category. Forty (40) basketball players comprising twenty (20) male and twenty (20) female, male with a mean age of 17.15, weight of 73.20, height of 1.79, and female also with a mean age of 17.15, a weight of 68.65 and height of 1.64 were randomly sampled and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups, respectively. The experimental group was taken through drills to improve on selected fitness variables while the control group went through a mini-clinic on passing and dribbling. The mini-clinic was used to occupy the control group for the period of training at a different venue as the experimental group went through specific drills intended to improve on selected physical fitness characteristics which were used as the bases for assessing improvement in shooting accuracy. Because the mini-clinic focused on passing and dribbling, it did not have any influence on their shooting hence difference was identified. Physical fitness tests were conducted using standardized tests; agility was tested with the Illinois agility test, balance with the flamingo test, coordination with the alternate hand wall toss test, power (upper body) was tested with the seated medicine ball toss test, power (lower body) with the standing broad jump, reaction time with the ruler test, and speed with the 40m dash. For shooting accuracy, the researchers adapted the tests used by Pojsic, Separovic, and Uzicanin which are static free throw, dynamic free throw, static two points, and dynamic two points. A dependent sample t-test and Pearson’s correlation were used for analysis. Overall results showed no statistically significant difference between the experimental and control group for both sexes for the physical fitness and shooting accuracy tests at the pretest but at the posttest, there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups. There was also a strong positive relationship between physical fitness and shooting accuracy among high school basketball players in the Cape Coast metropolis. The problem of shooting accuracy among high school basketball players in Cape Coast metropolis can be improved with a planned programme to improve on their selected game-related physical fitness variables.

Teachers who are employed to teach in the basic schools in Ghana, either ply their trade in the primary schools or the junior high schools (JHS). The primary classes comprise of classes 1-6, and the junior high schools are made up of JHS 1-3. The primary school teachers are termed as “classroom teachers”, because a teacher is allotted a particular class and he or she is responsible for teaching all the subjects on the time table to the pupils throughout the duration the class is assigned to that teacher. In the case of JHS teachers, they are termed subject teachers because they don’t have permanent classes they stick to throughout the year, but rather move from class to class, teaching their specialized subjects to various classes and levels in the school. The writer’s concern in this paper is whether pupils in the primary schools are better off with the classroom teacher policy, or assigning them with subject teachers will be an improvement on the current policy of the Ghana Education Service. Considering the kind of training student-teachers receive during their formation periods in the Colleges of Education, are they better off with the current policy, or will be better off with the subject teaching option. Dose the curricula of Physical Education in particular and other core subjects in general in their present form at the colleges of education, favour the classroom arrangement over the subject teacher option after completion of the training of the newly trained teacher? The advantages and disadvantages of the two polices is discussed in this paper.. The way forward on the issue under discussion so far as Physical Education as a subject is concerned is also assessed in this paper. The interdisciplinary approach of learning is also discussed as one of the ways forward in addressing the classroom/subject teacher dilemma.