Amanfu, Sarah K.
(2022)
Education and Perceived Quality of Life in Ghana: A Gender Perspective Analysis.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Drawing on the literature and my own experience growing up and attending university in Ghana, I explore the overarching relationship between education and quality of life in Ghana, and, in the process, develop a conceptual framework to guide the data analysis. This dissertation is an exploratory study that examines the relationship between educational attainment and quality of life among Ghanaians. In this case, quality of life is defined as (a) subjective well-being (perceived and actual) and (b) political engagement (civic engagement and institutional trust). This study also examines whether obtaining higher levels of education is associated with increased perception of quality of life for persons who have lower levels of education. Further, the study also assesses whether the relationship between educational attainment and perceived quality of life in Ghana varies by gender. Finally, the study considers how quality of life differs among various social groupings.
The study uses survey data from the Afrobarometer Attitudes Project, Round 7 (administered in 2017, with a sample size of 1,710). Several types of data analysis are used, including descriptive statistics, bivariate correlation, bivariate chi-square test, and Ordinary Least Squared (OLS) regression and OLS interaction Effect Models. The findings suggest that (a) using micro indicators is relevant in determining the quality of life of Ghanaians, (b) people in Ghana tend to high levels of quality of life, especially regarding their subjective well-being and civic engagements, (c) the expected minimum of education attainment that most people acquire in Ghana is high school education, (d) Ghanaians with lower levels of education attainment are mostly women, the unemployed, the elderly, and rural dwellers, while Ghanaians with higher levels of education attainment are mostly men, the employed, Akan ethnic groups, urban dwellers, and Other Christians, (e) education attainment positively impacts quality of life in Ghana; thus, Ghanaian quality of life tends to increase with higher levels of education, (f) education is not the only factor driving quality of life in Ghana, and (g) there are no differences in quality of life among educated Ghanaian males and females. These findings are used to inform policies and practices.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| ETD Committee: |
|
| Date: |
31 August 2022 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
29 March 2022 |
| Approval Date: |
31 August 2022 |
| Submission Date: |
8 August 2022 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
320 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Education > Administrative and Policy Studies |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Quality of Life, Subjective wellbeing, Political Engagement, Educational Attainment, Gender Differences, Feminist Theory, Ghana |
| Date Deposited: |
31 Aug 2022 15:39 |
| Last Modified: |
31 Aug 2022 15:39 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/43430 |
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