The School of Graduate Studies (SGS) has held a seminar for Graduate students of the University on the theme “Enhancing Capacity for Post Graduate Research”. The seminar, which is held annually, was organised in collaboration with the College of Education Studies, College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, College of Health and Allied Sciences and the Graduate Students Association of Ghana. Presenting on the topic “Developing Instruments for Scientific Research, Implications for Analysis”, Prof. Festus Annor-Frimpong from the Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, explained Scientific Research as the process of arriving at dependable solutions to a given problem through planned and systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of data. Prof. Annor-Frimpong continued, “In Science, we are talking about objectivity, control of bias, verification, assuring validity and reliability.” He defined Research Instrument as means, tool, device designed to measure variable(s) or information of interest. He explained that Research Instrument included questionnaires (tests, scales, ratings), interview schedule, Check list for Focus Group Discussion, and Observations. Prof. Annor- Frimpong mentioned “the search for relevant questions that might have already been developed by the investigators and related to your objectives, adopt if suitable to your objectives or use as guide in construction of the new instrument” as some of the guidelines in developing instruments for Scientific Research. Touching on Implications for Analysis, he defined analysis as the processes of organizing data for interpretation. Analysis involves coding, categorization of open-ended questions, transcribing of qualitative data (interviews), editing and checking, preparation of tables for statistical analysis, testing and presentation, Prof. Annor- Frimpong emphasised. He took participants through topics such as Scales and Implications for Analysis, Scale Measurement and Descriptive Statistics, Items on the Research Instruments, the Likert Scale or Response Format, amongst others. Resource persons for the one-day seminar, which was held at the School of Medical Sciences Auditorium, made presentations on topics such as “Ethical Issues in Research, Ethical Clearance and Application Process; Data Collection and Management Skills in Research; and Statistical Tools, their Underlying Assumptions and Presentation.” For his part, the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, Prof. Ernest Laryea Okorley, who chaired the seminar, stressed the need for graduate researchers to take research seriously. He added that SGS would ensure that its students produce quality dissertation/thesis and, thus, advised students to come out from the seminar with different mindset towards research.
