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Institutional Repository of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

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Investigating the Impact of Pentecostalism and Charismatism on the Enchi Circuit of the Methodist Church Ghana
(KNUST, 2023-01) Gyeni, Isaac
ABSTRACT A cursory look at the activities in the Methodist Church suggests identifiable traits of Pentecostalism and Charismatism in the Church, and more specifically Methodist Church Ghana (MCG). From the research finding, it has been discovered that some members of the MCG are not comfortable with certain religious tendencies in the Church. While attempting to discover the form and content of the Church’s current spirituality, there is, therefore, the need to identify the influence of Pentecostalism and Charismatism on Methodism. The problem this study sought to investigate was the perception that Pentecostalism and Charismatism are greatly influencing the Enchi Circuit of the Methodist Church Ghana. Thus, some activities of the traditional Enchi Circuit of the Methodist Church Ghana has been questioned. The study investigated the impact of Pentecostalism and Charismatism on the Enchi Circuit of the Methodist Church Ghana. The study employed simple random and purposeful sampling to select forty (40) respondents from the Circuit. Hence, semi-structured interview was employed to gather data for the study. The study is useful in the sense that the findings of the study would contribute to the literature on the impact of Pentecostalism and Charismatics on the Methodist Church Ghana. The field findings showed that several reasons have accounted for the Pentecostal and Charismatic influences in the Enchi Circuit of the Methodist Church Ghana, namely dullness and lack of spiritual fulfillment in the church, speaking in tongues, spiritual warfare, divine healing, gifts of the Holy Spirit, and interest in and enjoyment of the traditional Pentecostal and 5 6 Charismatic worship. The field findings indicated that some aspects of the teachings and practices of the Enchi Circuit of the Methodist Church Ghana are closely linked to key characteristics of Pentecostalism and Charismatism. It was, furthermore, found out that Pentecostalism and Charismatism have both positive and negative impact on the Circuit. Based on the findings of the study it is recommended that: A key to understanding the growth of the Enchi Circuit of the Methodist Church Ghana is the use of ‘lay’ individuals by ministers; awareness should be made among members concerning the dangers of seeing all spiritual manifestations as coming from the Spirit of God; attention gradually should not be shifted from the main focus of the vision and mission of the Methodist Church Ghana to things of secondary importance; spontaneity should give way to structure; and the Enchi Circuit of the Methodist Church Ghana should not lose its lay orientation. On the basis of the findings of the field survey the thesis concludes that in spite of the influence of Pentecostalism and Charismatism on the Enchi Circuit of the Methodist Church Ghana, the church should not deviate from the traditional Methodist beliefs and practices, and members of the Circuit should not lose their identity as Methodists. Members should conform to the traditional teachings and practices of the Methodist Church Ghana. They should be “responsible Methodists”.
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Our Past, Our Guide: A Study of the Performance of Apoↄ Festival Songs of the People of Techiman in the Bono East Region of Ghana
(KNUST, 2023-03) Nyarko-Takyi, Gertrude
ABSTRACT This study examined the content of songs performed at traditional festivals in Ghana. The song texts are information source mostly forsaken in the study of traditions and cultures, yet, they hold a significant part of oral history. This paper specifically analyses the song texts of Apoɔ festival songs which is performed by the people of Techiman. Apoɔ song texts are enriched with ethical and moral values. This study examines how these positive values are used to control the behaviour of the indigenes of Techiman. The paper relies on primary data gathered through personal interviews conducted with citizens of Techiman, songs recorded through participant observation and their transcription. The study also examines Apoɔ songs from the perspective of performance drawing on the major theories of Richard Bauman. Some of the findings are that despite the incursion of foreign culture and modern methods of controlling the society, Apoɔ festival songs are still used as a medium for social control in the Techiman Municipality. It is concluded that the society has got its own in-built mechanism for morality. Chiefs and policy makers must therefore work assiduously to help sustain our rich heritage which seems to be diminishing in recent times. Apoɔ festival songs reveal the virtues and vices, as well as project the culture, customs and traditions of the people of Techiman.
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Reporting Verb Usage in Academic Discourse: A Study of the English, Mathematics and the Agricultural Disciplines
(KNUST, 2023-01) Owusu, Collins Junior
ABSTRACT This research work analyzes the categories of reporting verbs employed in the literature review chapters of scholarly writings in master of philosophy theses in Agriculture, English and Mathematics departments in the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. The mixed method technique was employed for data collection. The sample was selected with the help of the simple random sampling method with a purpose. Forty-five (45) master of philosophy theses made up the study‟s entire sample. The first research question was analyzed using a quantitative approach to data analysis, and results were given as numbers and percentages. The second and third research questions underwent qualitative analysis. The organization of the data for analysis typically employed the descriptive, content, and inductive analysis. According to the study, the literature review chapters of master of philosophy theses in Agriculture, English and Mathematics employed the discourse, research and cognitive acts verbs. They employed them in varying degrees. In all, discourse acts verbs were the highest with respects to number of occurrences. This was followed by research act and cognitive act verbs respectively. The results indicate that in the English data, discourse acts were the highest followed by research and cognitive act verbs. As far as mathematics data is concerned, research acts were the highest followed by discourse and cognitive acts. In the agriculture thesis, discourse act was the highest followed by research act and cognitive act verbs. According to the analysis, the usage of reporting verbs in the literature review chapters of the theses in Agriculture, Mathematics and English serves a variety of purposes, including the statement of findings, countering of fact, statement of procedures, indication of writer‟s opinion about a proposition, and others. The study identified that point of view, institutional culture and aim of the writing all affect how reporting are employed when writing theses.
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Theological response to Open Defecation in Asokore Mampong Municipality.
(KNUST, 2023-02) Polley-Johnston, Stephen
ABSTRACT Inadequate environmental sanitation and open defecation has been recognized as a public health hazard worldwide. In some Ghanaian communities, living with waste and defecating in gutters as part of the natural environment has become a way of life. This study is to identify the theological response on sanitary condition of urban communities in Asokore Mampong Municipality. The study uses a cross sectional survey design for a sample population of 6,770 household head of four communities in the municipal. Simple random sampling technique as well as purposive sampling was used in selecting 350 inhabitant/household head in these communities and structured questionnaire was used for data collection, both primary and secondary data were also considered in the study. Data was analysed using frequencies, percentages and Cronbach Alpha. Result of the findings shows that, both communities were beset with extremely poor waste management practices. Large volumes of waste were observed in almost every open space with the few poorly maintained gutters being clogged by waste. Improved toilet facilities coverage was extremely low (2.8% for Aboabo number 1, 4.8% for Aboabo number 2, 1.4% for Aboabo Extention and 8.9% for Asawase) leading to an average number 227 representing 64.9% of households patronizing the few public toilet facilities in the communities. Majority of the private toilets were also shared by more than three households. High levels of indiscriminate disposal of children‘s excreta on open plots, streets, gutters and dump sites were observed as well as the practice of open defecation. Due to this, high levels of water related diseases, particularly diarrhoea (12.7%, 16.2%, 24.4% and 11.6 respectively) were high in children under five years in both communities. The study also reveals the various unsatisfactory personal, domestic and environmental hygiene practices, contributing to various diseases in the communities. These findings could be used by residents and city authorities for planning and effective management of the sanitation sector in order to protect public health and ensure good environmental quality. Therefore, to enhance the sanitary condition and open defecation in these communities, the government should establish and enforce a more robust environmental sanitation approach and health education.
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Homosexuality and the youth in the catholic church: A case study in the Ejisu municipality
(KNUST, 2023-02) Bassuah, Betty
ABSTRACT Homosexuality is gradually becoming a controversial issue in Ghana today. Homosexuals are demanding to be given equal rights and treatment as heterosexuals in the Ghanaian society. Human rights organisations are claiming that all laws that discriminate against people on the basis of their sexual orientation, violates human rights. However, many nations globally, including Ghana, still maintain laws that discriminate against homosexual acts. In Ghana today, homosexuality is an illegal and ethical subject is attracting diverse opinions. Whilst some Western countries recognize homosexuality as legal and provide free movement as well as resident permits for same-sex couples, homosexuality is repressed, criminalized and forbidden in Ghana. A bill to criminate homosexuality in Ghana is before the Ghanaian Parliament for consideration. However, there has been an intense debate among Ghanaians on whether to legalize homosexuality or not. Homosexuality is common among the youth especially in boarding schools. Meanwhile most of them are Christians with some belonging to the Roman Catholic Church. As already mentioned, homosexual acts are illegal in Ghana for now, hence their acts are hidden and it is a problem to deal with especially, among the youth as peer pressure plays very important role in their decision making. This study aims at exploring the attitude of the youth in the Roman Catholic Church in the Ejisu Juaben Municipality towards homosexuality. A qualitative study is employed to investigate why the youth, engage in homosexuality, the Church’s pastoral role towards the youth in the Church concerning homosexuality and also to assess the views of the youth on the effects of homosexuality. The study further contributes to the current debate on homosexuality from the reactions of the Ghanaian youth in particular in relation to the global dimension.
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The use of modal auxiliaries: a comparative study of commencement speeches from Ashesi University and the United States of America
(KNUST, 2023-02) Duku, Berengar Irene
ABSTRACT The uses of modal auxiliaries in research papers and political speeches have been well established. The commencement speech, however, remains a green area as far as exploring modal auxiliary usage is concerned. This study explores the semantic contribution of modal auxiliaries in commencement speeches and their link to the speech act theory. To achieve this aim, commencement speeches from Ashesi University and selected speeches from the United States of America have served as the data for this study, with a total corpus size of 51,447 words. The study used AntConc 4.0 to generate the total frequencies of the modal auxiliaries as well as their instances of usage in the commencement speeches. Leech’s (2004) theory of modal auxiliary meaning and Searle’s (1969) speech act theory were employed to identify modal meanings and speech acts performed per their instances of usage, respectively in the commencement speeches. The results indicate that the American commencement speeches employed more modal auxiliaries than the Ashesi University commencement speeches. It was also established that the most frequent modal auxiliaries were ‘will’ and ‘can’ while the lest used modal auxiliary was ‘shall’ Again, it was established that modal auxiliaries tend to carry the import of the message being communicated i.e., the ability of graduands, a prediction of the future, the obligation, the possibilities etc. The study therefore contributes to a deeper understanding of modal auxiliaries and speech act in commencement speeches within the Ghanaian and the American contexts.
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The dark side of galamsey: depiction of the effects of galamsey on the environment using metal sculpture
(KNUST, 2020-06) Tawiah-Quashie, Reynold
ABSTRACT Illegal small-scale mining, popularly referred to in Ghana as ‘Galamsey’ has been a serious menace to the society. Due to the fact that gold is one of the most valuable natural mineral resources in the country, and legal mining is accompanied by a lot of rules and regulations, a lot of individuals in a bid to get rich quick find dubious means to dig for it. The government in efforts to combat the adage has implemented polices and a task forces (Operation Vanguard) whereas media houses have stressed on the effects of galamsey on the environment but it has however not made much impact. This study was focused on constructing a metal sculpture to depicts the negative effect of galamsey on the environment. Studio-based research method under the qualitative research methodology was used for the study, where a detailed written and photographic account of the process of designing and fabricating the work was laid down. The arc welding technic and the use of washers, metals rods and sheet metal were used in constructing the metal pieces. The project was successful and the results were analysed under the social, philosophical, artistic and intellectual contexts. Some of the major findings of the project were that, mining is never a problem until it is not registered, galamsey accounts for one of the leading causes of water pollution in the country and apart from its aesthetic qualities, art can be used as a strong tool for communicating social issues. The finished work was titled “ℇnkum yℇn wiase”, an Akan expression which means “Don’t destroy Our World”.