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.

Though several studies have established the effect of gender and age on the sense of coherence (SoC) and subjective well-being (SWB) among diverse populations, findings have been varied and inconclusive. These inconsistencies have been attributed to the differences in sample characteristics, methodological and cultural disparities. Thus, the present study assessed the following: (1) gender and age effect on SoC, (2) gender and age effect on SWB, and (3) moderating roles of gender and age in the link between SoC and SWB. Through a stratified sampling technique, 724 selected high school students from secondary schools in Northern Ghana completed the World Health Organization-5 Well-Being and Sense of Coherence instruments. The results showed that female students exhibited higher levels of SoC compared to their male counterparts. Whereas younger male and female students showed no significant difference in SWB levels, older female students, compared to older males, exhibited high levels of SWB. Age significantly moderated the relationship between SoC and SWB. With the same level of SoC, younger students were more likely to exhibit higher SWB compared to older ones. The findings call for sustainable gender- and age-based interventions because students subjectively develop SoC mechanisms for improving their well-being.

Testing is an inevitable issue in educational and psychological measurement and assessment. Over the years, several tests and testing mechanisms have been developed to assess different latent traits of learners or examinees. Of these testing forms, standardized achievement, aptitude and attitude testing have taken the forefronts in education, psychology, and research. Whereas these concepts are distinct, they, however, play similar roles which have been misconceived by many, especially those without expertise in educational assessment and measurement. The aim of this paper is to compare standardized achievement testing, aptitude testing, and attitude testing, using a narrative literature review approach. The paper provides a synthesis of gathered information that delineates conditions necessary for the utilization of each testing approach.

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.

The purpose of this study was to examine the determinants of students’ choice of programme at the Senior High School (SHS) level in the Gomoa East District of the Central Region of Ghana. It was a quantitative study underpinned by the positivist paradigm. The descriptive survey design was employed for the study. A self-developed questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 229 for the study. Multiple linear regression was used to analyse the data. The study found that students’ general academic performance was the best predictor of students’ choice of programme followed by advice from colleagues or peers of students. The study, therefore, recommended that the Ghana Education Service (GES) and Management of the Senior High Schools (SHSs), should work on equipping students with learning and research skills to enable them to enhance their self-efficacies and general academic performance.

The internationalization of postgraduate education has heightened issues about the quality, efficiency, and equity of supervision as the key factors affecting success and completion rates of students. This study sought to establish how quality, efficiency, and equity in postgraduate supervision affect student success and supervision outcomes among MPhil Education students at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. The study was based on the Social Cognitive Theory and examined the direct impact of the characteristics of supervision on student achievement and supervision outcomes, and finally examined the success as an intervening variable (operationalised as the mediating mechanism of research self-efficacy, skill mastery, and scholarly identity formation through which supervisory characteristics are theorised to shape supervision outcomes) in these relationships. Data were drawn from a census of 123 MPhil Education students at a Ghanaian public university, using a cross-sectional survey design analysed through partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The model explained 67.2% of the variance in success and 51.1% in supervision outcomes, with acceptable predictive relevance on both. Quality was the dominant predictor throughout the model, but its effect ran opposite to theoretical expectation: higher perceived quality was associated with lower success (β = -.564, p < .001) and less favourable supervision outcomes (β = -.603, p < .001). Efficiency similarly reduced success (β = -.254, p = .018) but had no relationship with supervision outcomes, and equity predicted neither. Success did not mediate any of the three supervisory dimensions' relationships with supervision outcomes, so the hypothesised mediation was not supported. The negative quality and efficiency paths are interpreted cautiously: they may reflect genuine expectation-disconfirmation among more discerning students, but discriminant-validity checks also show quality and success are not cleanly separated in this dataset, so a measurement artefact cannot be ruled out. The study recommends against revising supervision policy on the strength of these results alone, and instead calls for routine, validated monitoring of supervision, structured supervisor training in feedback practice, continued attention to equitable access, and qualitative or longitudinal follow-up to clarify the mechanisms involved.