{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/113148"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/113148","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"The use of information and communications technology to continue instruction and professional development in rural Ghana during COVID-19 school lockdowns","abstract":"The COVID-19 global pandemic has caused significant disruption to the continuity of instruction in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (referred to as SSA throughout this dissertation) (Africa CDC, 2020). School closures that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated SSA’s acute problems with their education systems, especially access to the human and financial resources to effectively train teachers and make education accessible and equitable to all students. Education in SSA has been recognized by education researchers and policy makers as one of the world’s most significant problems (Asongu & Odhiambo, 2019; Dembélé & Lefoka, 2007; UNESCO, 2011). The continuation of education is a critical component of school emergency management, as these efforts provide a continuity of learning in circumstances that disrupt attendance for students (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Safe and Healthy Students, 2013). In a joint statement of the African Union (AU) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF, 2020) to the African education sector on the continuity of learning during COVID-19, the two organizations encouraged the development of digital connectivity throughout all regions in Africa, online learning, Internet safety, and the use of multiple modes of information and communications technology (ICT) including radio, television, podcasts, and e-learning, and teachers as facilitators and motivators of learning. This dissertation presents a case study based on my ongoing work with Semanhyia American School in rural Ghana as a teacher trainer, consultant, and mentor (the directors and staff at the school requested that I refer to the school by its name in this dissertation, as opposed to a pseudonym). This research study aims to identify key factors that influenced Semanhyia American School’s ongoing efforts to create viable solutions to continue curriculum planning, instructional delivery, and professional development during Ghana’s COVID-19 emergency school lockdowns using information and communications technology, including WhatsApp and local radio programming. A broader goal of this study is to recommend a course of action for viable emergency education protocols that can be initiated during future emergency and disaster situations and to influence policy to address the inequitable distribution of ICT resources in Ghana.","abstract_html":"The COVID-19 global pandemic has caused significant disruption to the continuity of instruction in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (referred to as SSA throughout this dissertation) (Africa CDC, 2020). School closures that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated SSA’s acute problems with their education systems, especially access to the human and financial resources to effectively train teachers and make education accessible and equitable to all students. Education in SSA has been recognized by education researchers and policy makers as one of the world’s most significant problems (Asongu & Odhiambo, 2019; Dembélé & Lefoka, 2007; UNESCO, 2011). The continuation of education is a critical component of school emergency management, as these efforts provide a continuity of learning in circumstances that disrupt attendance for students (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Safe and Healthy Students, 2013). In a joint statement of the African Union (AU) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF, 2020) to the African education sector on the continuity of learning during COVID-19, the two organizations encouraged the development of digital connectivity throughout all regions in Africa, online learning, Internet safety, and the use of multiple modes of information and communications technology (ICT) including radio, television, podcasts, and e-learning, and teachers as facilitators and motivators of learning. This dissertation presents a case study based on my ongoing work with Semanhyia American School in rural Ghana as a teacher trainer, consultant, and mentor (the directors and staff at the school requested that I refer to the school by its name in this dissertation, as opposed to a pseudonym). This research study aims to identify key factors that influenced Semanhyia American School’s ongoing efforts to create viable solutions to continue curriculum planning, instructional delivery, and professional development during Ghana’s COVID-19 emergency school lockdowns using information and communications technology, including WhatsApp and local radio programming. A broader goal of this study is to recommend a course of action for viable emergency education protocols that can be initiated during future emergency and disaster situations and to influence policy to address the inequitable distribution of ICT resources in Ghana.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Arrington, Angelina"],"institution":"University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"Ed.D.","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Davila , Liv","Pak, Yoon","Barro, Maimouna","Neville, Helen"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2022,"date_issued":"2022-01-12T22:35:03Z","date_published":"2022-01-12T22:35:03Z","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:53Z","subjects":["Emergency education","COVID-19","Sub-Saharan Africa","Ghana","ICT","radio education","WhatsApp learning","m-learning","disaster management","rural education"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright 2021 Angelina Arrington"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/2142/113148","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Davila , Liv","Pak, Yoon","Barro, Maimouna","Neville, Helen"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Arrington, Angelina"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2022-01-12T22:35:03Z","2024-01-12T22:35:30Z","2021-07-14","2021-08"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text","Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ed.D."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Emergency education","COVID-19","Sub-Saharan Africa","Ghana","ICT","radio education","WhatsApp learning","m-learning","disaster management","rural education"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2021 Angelina Arrington"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/2142/113148"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["The COVID-19 global pandemic has caused significant disruption to the continuity of instruction in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (referred to as SSA throughout this dissertation) (Africa CDC, 2020). School closures that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated SSA’s acute problems with their education systems, especially access to the human and financial resources to effectively train teachers and make education accessible and equitable to all students. Education in SSA has been recognized by education researchers and policy makers as one of the world’s most significant problems (Asongu & Odhiambo, 2019; Dembélé & Lefoka, 2007; UNESCO, 2011). The continuation of education is a critical component of school emergency management, as these efforts provide a continuity of learning in circumstances that disrupt attendance for students (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Safe and Healthy Students, 2013). In a joint statement of the African Union (AU) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF, 2020) to the African education sector on the continuity of learning during COVID-19, the two organizations encouraged the development of digital connectivity throughout all regions in Africa, online learning, Internet safety, and the use of multiple modes of information and communications technology (ICT) including radio, television, podcasts, and e-learning, and teachers as facilitators and motivators of learning. This dissertation presents a case study based on my ongoing work with Semanhyia American School in rural Ghana as a teacher trainer, consultant, and mentor (the directors and staff at the school requested that I refer to the school by its name in this dissertation, as opposed to a pseudonym). This research study aims to identify key factors that influenced Semanhyia American School’s ongoing efforts to create viable solutions to continue curriculum planning, instructional delivery, and professional development during Ghana’s COVID-19 emergency school lockdowns using information and communications technology, including WhatsApp and local radio programming. A broader goal of this study is to recommend a course of action for viable emergency education protocols that can be initiated during future emergency and disaster situations and to influence policy to address the inequitable distribution of ICT resources in Ghana.","Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2023-08-01","The student, Angelina Arrington, accepted the attached license on 2021-07-07 at 09:41.","The student, Angelina Arrington, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2021-07-07 at 10:46.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2021-07-14 at 12:36.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #16778 on 2022-01-12 at 12:53:41","Made available in DSpace on 2022-01-12T22:35:03Z (GMT). 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School closures that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated SSA’s acute problems with their education systems, especially access to the human and financial resources to effectively train teachers and make education accessible and equitable to all students. Education in SSA has been recognized by education researchers and policy makers as one of the world’s most significant problems (Asongu & Odhiambo, 2019; Dembélé & Lefoka, 2007; UNESCO, 2011). The continuation of education is a critical component of school emergency management, as these efforts provide a continuity of learning in circumstances that disrupt attendance for students (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Safe and Healthy Students, 2013). In a joint statement of the African Union (AU) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF, 2020) to the African education sector on the continuity of learning during COVID-19, the two organizations encouraged the development of digital connectivity throughout all regions in Africa, online learning, Internet safety, and the use of multiple modes of information and communications technology (ICT) including radio, television, podcasts, and e-learning, and teachers as facilitators and motivators of learning. This dissertation presents a case study based on my ongoing work with Semanhyia American School in rural Ghana as a teacher trainer, consultant, and mentor (the directors and staff at the school requested that I refer to the school by its name in this dissertation, as opposed to a pseudonym). This research study aims to identify key factors that influenced Semanhyia American School’s ongoing efforts to create viable solutions to continue curriculum planning, instructional delivery, and professional development during Ghana’s COVID-19 emergency school lockdowns using information and communications technology, including WhatsApp and local radio programming. A broader goal of this study is to recommend a course of action for viable emergency education protocols that can be initiated during future emergency and disaster situations and to influence policy to address the inequitable distribution of ICT resources in Ghana.","Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2023-08-01","The student, Angelina Arrington, accepted the attached license on 2021-07-07 at 09:41.","The student, Angelina Arrington, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2021-07-07 at 10:46.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2021-07-14 at 12:36.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #16778 on 2022-01-12 at 12:53:41","Made available in DSpace on 2022-01-12T22:35:03Z (GMT). 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