Affects of Cocoa Farming in Wiamoase, Ghana on the Potential for Female Children's Continued Education:
A Field Studies Proposal
Part A: Purpose and Intent
My field study to Wiamoase, Ghana will be conducted for the purpose of doing research on whether family cocoa farming prevents female children from gaining a higher academic education. I will conduct this research during a 90 day period in Ghana, where I will use participatory observation, interviewing, and extensive writing of field notes as my methods of research. I hope to gain enough qualitative data necessary to write my senior thesis, and possibly a paper for publication. I will also present my findings at the Inquiry Conference in the fall. Additionally, it would be ideal if my research contributed to data supporting policy for positive social change within rural Ghana.
While in Ghana, I will attempt cultural immersion by doing all I can to learn from my host family, and the other Ghanaians I will be interacting with. My field study will result in a greater understanding of field research, ethnographic studies, and how to aptly relate with another culture. This will prepare me for my potential future graduate school studies relating to social anthropology and international development.
I feel these are worthy goals for any student hoping to enhance their academic experience. Developing skills to communicate and relate with various cultures is a vital endeavor for anyone invested in a better future. The world’s largest problems have risen from ignorance and misunderstanding regarding differing lifestyles and cultures, and from ethnocentricity among the more powerful nations. As a citizen of the United States fortunately born in to privilege and opportunity, I have an obligation to avoid narrow mindedness and learn about the surrounding word in order to better meet the needs of disenfranchised people worldwide. My field study to Ghana will assist with my progression towards this goal.
Part B: Background and Literature
My field study project is extremely applicable to the location and context in which I will be conducing it. Wiamoase is a rural village in Ghana that is home to cocoa famers, and even a cocoa production factory. Many of these farmers will be family cocoa farmers, providing me with the appropriate informants to aid my research in female child cocoa farmers, and their chances for academic success. Cocoa cultivation has a long and prominent history in Ghana, as does child labor, spawning from the early European colonization of West Africa. Many scholars have looked into this past, and connected colonial shaping of history to more contemporary issues surrounding cocoa farming, other agriculture, and economy in Ghana. These include issues concerning women and gender roles in agricultural production, social mobility within school systems that cater only to the urban and elite, and whether or not children should be encouraged to stay in the business of cocoa farming for the overall benefit of Ghana’s national economy. My project will contribute added research to the contemporary issues of gender and agriculture in Ghana, and hopefully provide insight as to what life styles are most beneficial to Ghanaian youth, specifically for girls.
Background
Cocoa has been cultivated since ancient times, originating in the Amazonian regions of South America, and spreading northwards. It was used by Native Americans to make a chocolate drink, which was then spread to Europe after the Spanish conquest. In the 16th century, the Spanish implemented large-scale production of cocoa in Central America, and the crop gained popularity throughout Britain, France, and the West Indies in the 17th century. By the 18th century, cocoa cultivation had spread to Brazil, and from there to the islands of Sao Tome and Fernando Po. Although records indicate that missionaries may have planted cocoa along the Gold Coast and in Aburi in the early and mid 1800s, cocoa was not largely cultivated in Ghana until Tetteh Quarshie, a blacksmith from Accra, smuggled cocoa pods from Fernando Po and started a cocoa farm at Akwapim Mampong in the Eastern Region in 1879. In 1886 the governor also brought pods over, and soon seeds were distributed to farmers and the widespread cultivation of cocoa commenced in Ghana. ("History of Cocoa and its Production in Ghana" ).
Cocoa farming today is largely linked to the chocolate industry in Europe – most famously, to Cadbury chocolate. Ghana is the world’s second largest cocoa producer. Cocoa is one of Ghana’s largest exports, second only to gold. Cocoa accounts for approximately one third of Ghana’s export earnings. ("Cadbury Cocoa Partnership benefits Ghana's cocoa farmers" 2012). Ghana’s economic stability largely relies on its cocoa exports, as the country invests in lucrative international deals directly related to its cocoa production, such as one from 2010 that included Stanbic Bank, and involved a $1.2 billion transaction. (Wooley 2012). Today, there are six areas for cocoa cultivation in Ghana: Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Eastern, Volta, Central region and Western region.
My project will be conducted in Wiamoase, Ghana, which is located in the Ashanti region. Wiamoase is a rural village, and its residents include Ghanaians actively involved in agriculture, including cocoa farming. This area will provide an appropriate context for my project, as I will be provided with direct access to cocoa farmers, as well as the schools children attend within the village. I will be able to carry out research at the grassroots, micro level, which will aid my project in being narrow yet effective, after such a short amount of time within the field.
Colonialism, Child Labor, and Cocoa
By the late 1800s, a colonial infrastructure had been set up by Europe in Ghana. Cocoa became a prominent export after gold, but increasingly gained steam, rising from 536 tons exported in 1900, to 176,000 tons exported in 1920. Cheap labor was needed for headloading cocoa, and by 1914 an abundance of children fulfilled this role, carrying cocoa bags far too heavy for their small frames. However, when policy was suggested to protect child laborers, colonists rejected it as inconvenient, and it was hoped that with the construction of new roads the practice would die out. However, child labor continued, and with the cocoa boom, many children who were apart of sharecropper families worked on the cocoa farms and were badly paid off along with the rest of their families. It was not until the 1930s that colonists were finally forced into paying some attention to child labor, especially after it was reported that children were being directly recruited to work on cocoa farms for pathetic wages. Legislation to combat child labor was officially introduced in the 1950s; however, child labor continued, as poor children would continually agree to bad conditions and wages to at least make a meager amount of money. (Van Hear 1982).
Issues with child labor have remained present in recent years, especially with the shocking discoveries of child trafficking in Cote d’Ivoire and West Africa in the 1990s, which sprung many to action in Europe since they are the principal enjoyers of the produce of cocoa farms. However, child labor was not only found conducted as external labor, many children have to work on labor-intensive farms for their families. Especially sharecropper farmers, who do not own most of their land and must often give 50% or more of their profit to landowners, must find ways to keep their costs low, therefore they use the labor of family members including small children. (“The Cocoa Industry in West Africa: A History of
Exploitation.") Although child labor may benefit the family financially, it can become dangerous, and in 2008 the International Cocoa Initiative reported, “In Ghana, 46.7 % of children had participated in at least one hazardous cocoa activity during the last cocoa farming season, and less than a quarter (23.2%) used protective clothing while working on the farm.” Additionally, laws that cover child labor do not apply to family farms, and children laboring on farms in isolated areas frequently have no access to schools.
However, I have found that there is at least one other source that disputes the demonizing of child labor on family cocoa farms in West Africa. It essentially argues that children are often better off working on family farms where they are at least protected by parental guidance, than they might be at schools, where children are frequently made to help farm plots of land to bring in revenue for the school, and are exposed to much harsher conditions. (Berlan 2009).
Contemporary Issues in Cocoa Farming
Since my project deals specifically with female children involved in family cocoa farming, it is important to look at women’s issues as they relate to cocoa farming and other agricultural and economic issues. Several articles that address female issues in these sectors discuss land ownership, prominent female roles in rural production, and female labor exploitation. In Ghana, females often carry out significant duties in agricultural production, although traditional gender roles may limit them from proportional land ownership or pay out. Researchers are beginning to realize that the unfair handling of Ghanaian women in agriculture could have national impact on the economy, because of their increasing role as dominant agricultural producers. (Mikell 1986, Oppong 1975).
Another issue that could possibly face the rural research subjects I will be observing in Ghana is the potential for bias within school systems that would work against rurally raised youth. Multiple articles reference the limited mobility within Ghana’s school systems in the recent past, according to one’s socioeconomic status. Westernized school systems have been observed to reinforce capitalistic methods of stratification that serve to keep wealth distribution in place across social classes. Issues include selective academic institutions being more prone to accept students who come from wealthier families and urban families, over those from poor, agricultural areas. Some believe that these institutions effectively block children who are not from the elite class from gaining the higher education needed to end up in higher occupational positions. (Hurd et al. 1967, Weis 1979).
There is also the debate about whether children involved in family cocoa farming should be encouraged to perpetuate family farming, or migrate to urban areas for different jobs or in pursuit of better education. Some sources, like Cadbury, state that cocoa production is integral to Ghana’s national economy, so children should be encouraged to stay on the farms and continue agricultural business. However, other sources praise gaining higher education, as a form of empowerment and route to more choices for poor agricultural workers, who face no prospects of social movement upward. Still, other sources show the benefits in cocoa farmers not completely abandoning their agricultural trade and thus contributing to the deagrarianisation of Ghana, and losing the bulk of their income, but in just diversifying their income by staying cocoa farmers but also finding ways to work in non-cocoa sectors. (Knudsen 2007).
Conclusion
The initial sources I have come across in my literary research into family cocoa farming, Ghanaian females in agriculture, child labor, and child education have illuminated some of the current debates and issues surrounding the cocoa industry in Ghana. They provide informative data, but direct one towards a variety of conclusions about what might be best for female child cocoa farmers in rural areas of Ghana. My research will attempt to add further enlightenment about female children’s potential for academic success and possibly socioeconomic movement by studying whether family cocoa farming prevents school attendance or success. My research location will provide for a well-suited context, as Wiamoase is a agricultural, rural village. My project will thus be able to contribute relevant thought and data to an active dialogue about contemporary issues in the rural cocoa sectors of Ghana.
Proposal Part C: Methodology
Plan for Field Study Site Entry
My field study will primarily be conducted in Wiamoase, Ghana. Upon arrival, I will move in with a host family. The woman who has made her home available has housed BYU students before, so I am hoping that prior positive experiences with them will allow me an opening to start building up good rapport with her and the other residents immediately. I will then use the skills I have learned in my field study prep class to also begin to build friendly relationships with others in the community. I will attempt to be as respectful as possible, by conducting myself according to Ghanaian etiquette. If I wish to interact with someone in order to gain data for my field study project, I will politely inform them about my studies and ask if they would be willing to help. On a daily basis, I will willingly participate in any chores, tasks, or other activities that will allow me to get to know the local community members better, and gain a reputation of being helpful, approachable, and willing to be friends.
Description of Informants/Plan for recruitment
The group of people I hope to represent within my research are Ghanaians familiar with Wiamoase, particularly the school systems or families who cocoa farm. This could include anyone from actual cocoa farmers, to their neighbors, to school administrators or teachers, to local leaders or authorities. Therefore, I will most likely recruit people from a broad range of occupations or societal positions to be included in my study.
After meeting or learning about an individual, I may decide to ask if they would consider being involved, if I discover that they fall into the group that I before mentioned. To recruit people, I will simply try to politely introduce myself or spend the appropriate amount of time with them, then inform them thoroughly about what it entails to be apart of my study, and gain their consent to participate if they are willing. Children under the age of 18 will be exempt form my methodology when it involves interviewing or direct questioning.
Since I will be in a rural location, many potential informants may not speak or understand English very well. In this case, I will need to recruit a translator. Hopefully, I will be able to get in contact with such a person through people I meet or know in Wiamoase. I will be prepared to provide some form of compensation after employing a translator for an interview. I will attempt to only use a translator when absolutely necessary, and each time I need to, I will try to use a different person. Translators can be great assets; however, my ignorance of the language can also make it very easy for me to not realize that I am receiving limited information or not conveying my questions correctly when using a translator.
Methods
One method I will use on a daily basis is participatory observation. If I am somewhere that could provide some insight or relevance to my project (e.g. a school, a cocoa farm factory, or local’s place of residence), I will record what I see or hear or how an activity has played out, through written notes. These will later be expanded, and analyzed for meaning and insight. A barrier to this may include that people may feel uneasy if I take notes while informally spending time with them. Therefore, I will ask their permission when I first meet them, if it is okay that I occasionally jot down notes for my project.
The other main method I will employ is interviewing. This will include some formal interviews, with rigid questions based on my research thesis, and other more informal and unstructured interview types. These might include more flexible questions, recorded conversations relevant to my study, or techniques such as free-listing or sorting. Any interview type will only occur if first oral consent is provided, which will layout in clear terms exactly what an informant is agreeing to do. My interviewing methods and questions will be highly alterable, and I will include in my interview process inquiry as to what questions informants think would be most significant or insightful for my project. Hopefully, this will allow me to hone and shape my questions to make them the most effective for my proposed study.
After gaining initial notes each day from either participant observation, interviewing, or both, I will expand my notes each night. This will include expanding my jottings while experiences are fresh in my mind, analyzing the data I have collected, and drawing insight and meaning from the same. I will transcribe interviews and collect significant quotes. Important quotes, insight, meanings, and themes will be coded. I will develop a system for categorization to make referencing specific topics or questions much easier.
D. Ethics
Any raw data that I collect in the field will be protected by lock or password. Anything written will be kept in a locked container, as well as any flashdrives, memory cards, or other devices that may have documents or audio/video recorded interviews. Any data that is stored on my laptop will be password protected. Raw data will not be shared with anyone, with the exception of my faculty mentor, Sheila Bibb. Additionally, I will keep name keys with my notes, that will allow me to change the names of people and possibly places, so that they will not be exposed in any papers or presentations I later produce from the raw data.
To gain informed consent I will approach people in a friendly, culturally appropriate way. I will present them with an oral consent form before actively inquiring at all about my research, if I have deemed it proper to ask them for research assistance. The form will be written in English, so if the informant has trouble understanding spoken English, I will employ a translator to provide aid. The consent form will fully and simply explain my purpose for interviewing, and state that any informant can end an interview or refuse to answer a question at any time. I will not pressure the informant to give consent nor contribute to my research; the informant will not be treated any differently by me if they refuse to participate.
My study is a minimal risk study; however, there are some small risks involved. For example, informants could possibly experience discomfort during certain interview questions about their family life or responsibilities. However, there will be tools in place, such as the consent forms to protect their privacy. While in the field I will try to maximize the benefits of my project, by respecting my informants’ culture, offering the appropriate thanks not through direct compensation, but through appropriate reciprocity. Also, I will try to behave in a way and conduct my project in a way to reflect on BYU and the field study program positively, by remain culturally aware, and treating others with respect.
E. Post Field Application
My research in the field will primarily be used for my senior thesis in the Sociocultural Anthropology major. However, my findings will hopefully be extensive enough to form an article to be potentially published in an academic journal. I will also apply to present my findings at the inquiry conference in the fall. Additionally, since I am an international development minor, and hope to go on to work with nonprofit organizations abroad with development projects, I hope that this field study will provide me with an introductory experience to help me become more familiar with social methodology and ethical practices of social research. My field studies experience will no doubt be an advantage for me as I begin to apply for graduate schools in the future, to programs where I will be hoping to become involved in more intensive field schools.
Not only will I be applying my experience in Ghana to academic related endeavors, but I will also be using the lessons I learned and growth I experienced as a practical lesson for my life as a whole. Hopefully I will have gained new and unique insight about cross-cultural relations, how my personality does in culture shock situations, and how new ethnographic contexts can broaden my understanding of academic theory and provide real-life, practical applications. Applying these post-field lessons will shape the way I behave as a social scientist and the way I conceptualize the world around me. If I can internalize these lessons, I will hopefully benefit the people I come into contact with daily by understanding the human experience in a slightly more unbiased, non-ethnocentric way.
F. Qualifications
I have taken several anthropology courses that are applicable to my proposed research. They are as follows: Sociocultural Anthropology (101), Intro to Archaeology (110), Theoretical Foundations of Anthropology (205), Biological Anthropology (300), and Language, Culture, and Society (309). I am currently taking three more anthropology classes, Contemporary Theory (206), Applied Anthropology (247), and Symbolic Anthropology (436). Furthermore, I have taken Current Social Problems and Racial and Minority Group Relations, two sociology classes that have taught significant principles to be applied to my project work.
This semester I am taking two preparation courses for field work. They are as follows: Ethnographic Field Methods (442), Field Studies Preparation Course (IAS 360R).
Specifically, my field study prep course, ethnographic skills course, and Twi language course, have been of direct assistance in qualifying me for a field experience in Ghana. All three courses have provided me with vital information about the local culture, and have increased my knowledge of cultural relativism, and how to show respect and function within a foreign setting. The prep course and ethnographic skills have instructed me extensively about methodology. I have had to practice participatory observation, structured and unstructured interviewing, scale inquiry, freelisting, and pile sorting. These two classes have also provided significant information about note-taking, including jotting and expanded notes. In addition, my Twi class has given me a beginner’s understanding of phrases in spoken Twi that will be helpful for building rapport in the field.
I have also had some practical experiences that help me qualify for this field study. I have been frequently exposed to culture shock within the United States, having lived in seven different states, in all but one region of the country. Also, I have had the experience of visiting both Peru and Japan. Japan I visited twice, and during the second visit I stayed for an extended time, about two months. Although all of these places differ greatly from Ghana, they have given me some preparatory education about the differences and physical, mental, and emotion difficulties one faces in a foreign culture.
My limitations include that I am an inexperienced ethnographic researcher in my first few years of a college education. Also, I am not proficient whatsoever in Twi, and only know a few phrases. Additionally, my study could be hampered by my own naïve cultural biases and ethnocentrism. My research will not be completely free of these imperfect filters.
However, these limitations will hopefully be compensated for by the fact that my study is a beginner’s study, and only three months long. As for Twi, I will attempt to use it to relate with the Ghanaian people; however, many of my informants will communicate in English with me, or I will employ translators to aid in this process. To combat my natural biases and ethnocentrism, I will actively attempt to employ the tactics and theory learned in my field studies preparatory class, which focused on cultural immersion. When conducting research and analyzing notes, I will try to remain objective and fair in my descriptions and conclusions.
G. Faculty Mentor and Coursework
Professor Sheila C. Bibb received her BA in Social Cultural Anthropology at Brigham Young University, and went on to the University of Oxford to obtain her MPhil degree in Medical Anthropology. She has vast experience in ethnographic methodology, and has completed extensive research of her own. While attending school she completed research in both Ghana and South Africa related to medical anthropology and belief systems, and has since developed interest in areas such as health, education, and globalization. Some of her current research involves the international spread of cocoa, and she presently teaches Anthropology courses at BYU.
I have taken two classes from Professor Bibb so far. The first was Applied Anthropology, and the second Anthropology of Development. The two courses correlated, and are applicable to my field study as they included extensive information about methodology, limitations, and roles in anthropological research projects and their applications. I have written countless papers and essays for her classes about readings from both Nolan and Escobar, and have completed two major practical projects. The first was an applied project where class members were assigned and methodology, and sent out to collect data about the BYU library and how it could better disseminate information about its provided resources. I had to do interviews, transcribe important quotes, and complete a full write up of extracted meaning, analysis, and proposed implementations from the study. The other project was a mock development project in Apamea, Syria. This included doing background research about the area and its developmental needs, completing an IRB application, and writing up a full project proposal as a final paper.
Since Professor Bibb has completed extensive research in Ghana, and teaches anthropological theory and practice at BYU, she is an ideal mentor for my study in Ghana, which is ultimately an ethnography and anthropology-based. My in-field courses will include the credits for field studies, which will help me experience cultural events and give me a more holistic outlook on the area I am studying in. My other credits will come form Anthropology 495, my ethnographic field project class. This is the class for my course contract with Professor Bibb. Its requirements are taxing, and include 150 hours of observation/interviewing while in the field, and at least 100 more hours for writing up field notes. I will have to reread texts about methodology and field work, and keep in contact with Professor Bibb by sending her reports of my periodic progress. Both this course and my field studies credit hours will facilitate cross-cultural interaction, academic practice in ethnographic study, and active participation with the host community and culture.
H. Schedule
| | |
| April 11, 2012 | Submit Project Proposal |
| Week 1 | Arrive in Ghana April 29, 2012. Become familiarized with surroundings, build rapport, reach out to community, participant observation |
| Week 2 | Become familiarized with surroundings, build rapport, reach out to community, participant observation, attempt to select likely informants |
| Week 3 | Participant observation, 2 interviews, daily write-up of field notes and coding, transcription |
| Week 4 | Participant observation, 2 interviews, daily write-up of field notes and coding, transcription |
| Week 5 | Participant observation, 2 interviews, daily write-up of field notes and coding, transcription |
| Week 6 | Participant observation, 2 interviews, daily write-up of field notes and coding, transcription |
| Week 7 | Mid-semester retreat (3-4 days), participant observation, possibly 1-2 interviews, write-up of field notes and coding, transcription |
| Week 8 | Participant observation, 2 interviews, daily write-up of field notes and coding, transcription |
| Week 9 | Participant observation, 2 interviews, daily write-up of field notes and coding, transcription |
| Week 10 | Participant observation, 2 interviews, daily write-up of field notes and coding, transcription |
| Week 11 | Participant observation, 2 interviews, daily write-up of field notes and coding, transcription |
| Week 12 | Participant observation, 2 interviews, daily write-up of field notes and coding, transcription |
| Week 13 | Prepare to return home, participant observation, possibly 1-2 interviews, consolidate notes, transcriptions, and any other research material |
| August 8, 2012 December 15, 2012 | Send Professor Bibb all wrap-up data Final Paper Submitted |
I. Budget
Program cost: $300
Air travel: $1620
Tuition: $2100
Immunizations/Pills: $400
Visa: $60
Host family rent: $495
Supplies (audio recorder, notebooks, sunscreen, etc): $100-200
The following are estimates to the best of my knowledge
In-field travel: $100-200
Food: $100
Translation fees: $25
Communication expenses: $25
Total: $5,525
J. Works Cited
1. Anne-Marie Wooley interview. “Financing Cocoa in Ghana.” How we Made it in
Africa. 25 September 2010.
2. Anti-Slavery International, "The Cocoa Industry in West Africa: A History of
Exploitation." Last modified 2004. Accessed February 22, 2012.
3. Berlan, Amanda. "Child labour and cocoa: whose voices prevail?"
International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Vol. 29 Iss: 3/4, pp.141 – 151 (2009).
4. Cadbury, "The Cadbury Cocoa Partnership benefits Ghana's cocoa farmers." Last
modified 2012. Accessed March 19, 2012.
5. Ghana Cocoa Board, "The History of Cocoa and its production in Ghana." Accessed
6. Hurd, G. E. and T. J. Johnson. “Education and Social Mobility in Ghana.” Sociology of
Education. 40. No. 1 (1967)
7. Knudsen, Michael Helt. "Making a living in the cocoa frontier, Western Ghana:
Diversifying incomes in a cocoa economy." Danish Journal of Geography. 107.
no. 2 (2007): 29-44.
8. Mikell, Gwendolyn. “Ghanaian Females, Rural Economy and National Stability.”
African Studies Review. 29. No. 3 (1986).
9. Oppong, Christine and Christine Okali and Beverley Houghton. “Woman Power.
Retrograde Steps in Ghana.” African Studies Review. 18. No. 3 (1975). 71-84.
10. Van Hear, Nick. “Child Labor and the Development of Capitalist Agriculture in
Ghana.” Development and Change. Vol. 13. 4. (1982): 499-514.
11. Weis, Lois. “Education and the Reproduction of Inequality. The Case of Ghana.”
Comparative Education Review. 23. No. 1 (1979).
K. Appendices
The following are included:
Appendix A: Primary Faculty Mentor Form
Appendix B: Course Contract Forms
Appendix C: Sample Interview Questions
Appendix D: Title and Address of Online Portfolio
Appendix E: Copy of IRB Approval Letter and Application
Appendix F: Method Practices
Appendix C: Sample Interview Questions
It is impossible to know exactly what questions I will be asking since my study is emergent and qualitative. However, possible interview/survey questions will be like the ones following:
1. How does cocoa farming provide for your family’s financial welfare, and how does it affect your family’s social status?
2. What specific roles do various family members fulfill in your household? How do these vary based on age or gender?
3. How often do your children attend school, and what are their plans for their academic future?
4. What makes getting an education here difficult? what makes it easier? Or what would make it easier?
5. How important would you say an academic education is? Which gender should be most desirous or interested in getting an education? Which gender will have the most difficult time getting an education?"
6. How much do you need male children and female children to help you with cocoa farming? How will these needs affect how they succeed in school?
7. Have you ever taken your children out of school to help on the cocoa farm?
8. Will your female children be provided with the opportunity for higher education?
9. Will your female children’s attendance at school prevent them from valuable lessons, skills, or opportunities learned on the cocoa farm?
10. Will your female children’s participation on the cocoa farm prevent
them from valuable lessons, skills, or opportunities learned at
school?
Appendix D:
“Let Your Love Grow Tall: Field Study to Ghana”
<http://anthroprep21.blogspot.com/>
Appendix F: Methods Practices
Methods Practice #1
Context: Supposed to be a study session at a girl’s apartment at Condo Row; however, a couple people were invited over by more than one person, and several people showed up of their own accord. Ended up being a large, loud social gathering in the living room. Sunday night, between 9 and 11 pm.
-There were 6 girls, 4 boys, all sitting in a circle on various seats (couches, chairs, on the floor)
-The seating was mixed between genders, although boys and girls who came in together sat by each other
-One boy brought cookies (chocolate/peanut butter), they were extremely chewy and became the butt of a joke repeated multiple time throughout the night (This was not apparently offensive to anyone, but taken in good humor with laughter)
-Conversation topics:
-Dating, marriage, setting others up on dates constituted more than half the conversation
- Other topics included finding mutual friends, planning where to live or throw birthday parties.
- Excessive joking/mocking, especially boys to girls
-Girls pretend to be offended, but really enjoyed the joking
- Multiple conversations were in full sway at once, thus the talking was very loud and hectic
-Surprisingly, barely any texting, although phones and laptops were used at least 3 times to share data/entertain
- No evidence of romantic affections among people; however, the sitting was casual/comfortable enough to involve sitting closely to one another, often where people touched each other
-When new people entered room, those who knew them would welcome them by yelling out heir name
-Those who did not know each other were promptly introduced, made small talk, established mutual friends
-When people left everyone yelled bye
-Old friends gave hugs when reuniting
-There was one interesting moment when one guy put his fingers in melted wax from a candle sitting on a candle warmer. This led to several of the other kids doing the same, laughing and commenting on how weird it felt
Methods Practice #2
Interview Jottings
1. Where did you live in Ghana, and how would you describe the particular dynamics and influences connected with this location?
o Adenta, Accra, developed, feels like here w/o white
2. What was your family structure like (size, ages, genders, etc)?
o Dad mom , little bro 17
o Dad 4 yrs older than mom
o Dad has mom, dad, stepdad
o Parents are close with extended, but not her
o Family social gatherings
3. Can you describe some of the basic gender roles that could be observed among your family and/or within your home?
o Mom and dad divided most work, kids did rest
o This was partially due to LDS home
o No differentiation between brother/sister
o Actually her dad makes her do “guy” stuff
o Ex of “girl” thing – cooking
o Ex of “guy” thing – picking wheat from grass
4. How do these roles compare with general gender roles you have perceived within Ghanaian society?
o Man bring money home, but does nothing else
o Woman is the homemaker, works while man sits (watches TV)
o Cities vs villages: Rural, having a lot of kids is beneficial
5. How was education valued within your family, and what types of education were valued?
o Education BIG deal in family – education = success
o Most families will push guys more, because providers
o Rural communities: priority might be rather to open business than invest in education, move to cities
6. Describe how one’s social class position might affect their daily life in Ghana?
o Extremes (very rich, very poor) and the middle
o Super rich will take kids to well-known school even if not that great \
o People show off what they have, help lower classes for show
7. What are some differences between an urban community and a rural
community?
o Very much more communal
o Neighbors would feed her
o Differs from American mindset
8. How do the chances of gaining higher education compare for urban children and rural children in Ghana?
o Highest education in village is high school
o Have to move to city
o May want to stay and help family
o Doesn’t help that a university is not in village
Extended Notes
Transcription of significant quotes:
“Sometimes it [Accra, Ghana] feels like here, without the white people.”
“[In] a normal Ghanaian family, the man is just supposed to bring money home, and practically do nothing, watch TV.”
“I would go to the kitchen and help my mom cook, but then my dad would call me and say I am going to get the wheat out of the grass, come help me…technically my brother should be doing it” [referring to “girl” versus “boy” tasks]
“When you go to the villages it’s more like the number of kids you have determines how easy things are going to be in the house; if you have a lot of kids they can perform the duties in the house.”
“Most people would rather push their sons to get education than the females, because guys marry the girls.”
“I think its like super rich, then average, then super poor.” [Regarding social class division]
“Say something happened and my family did not have money, and I couldn’t eat. I could just walk out of my house to my neighbor’s house, and my neighbor would treat me like I’m her daughter. She would give me food and make sure I have everything going for me, she would forget about that I have family too, she would see me as family.”
“After high school you decide if you want to go to the city to find a job or continue going to school…but if they are like, no I would rather stay here and help my family, the fact that there is no university in the village does not really help.” [Regarding chances for rural children to gain higher education]
Question #1:
Daniella described Adenta as “developed,” and it was a very urban area. Could this possibly point to Western influence? Developed = urbanized?
#2:
Father had a step-dad, could look further into acceptable family structure in Ghana – is divorce common?
Daniella’s interaction with extended family members was limited to family gatherings, did not have super close relationship on a regular basis without most extended family.
Urban family - only has two children.
#3:
Daniella still holds notions of what her general society deems as male versus female roles. However, she openly realized that her family was unique in its distribution of its roles due partially to their unique religion (LDS). Also, being the older child caused her to be placed with more responsibility than her brother, although he is only a few years younger.
#4:
The general society seems to have very distinct gender roles: provider versus homemaker. I find it ironic that her LDS religion caused her parents to split roles more evenly, although a cursory glance might make one think the LDS religion actually reinforces provider versus homemaker, and strict distinctions.
Family structure extremely different for urban versus rural. Having children is an actually survival strategy, more = more hands to do work. Urban kids can interact more with others outside their family.
#5:
Daniella’s dad will do anything to allow his kids to gain an education. He cannot leave them with a lot of money, thus they need a way to be successful. In general society, boys’ education is a higher priority. A family would rather invest in a son’s education, especially if they have limited money. Daniella’s take on rural families was interesting: they would rather make money fast, such as by opening a business in the city, instead of waiting to make money like one does in school.
#6:
To Daniella, the social system was simple – the two extremes of rich and poor, and then the average middle, not several layers in between. Its seems that it is important to the wealthy to appear wealthy and show their wealth. They do this by sending their kids to well-known and pricey schools, and by giving money to the less fortunate.
#7:
Daniella painted a picture very different from America. Americans are stereotypically capitalistic – each for their own. Their own hard work will benefit them and them alone. However, Daniella states that Ghanaians have a more communal outlook. She could go to her neighbors for food when she was lacking, and would be treated as a family member.
#8:
For rural children to gain a university education, they would have to migrate to the urban areas. This could be a problem if they want to stay near family to help. Having no universities nearby villages presents a problem.
Methods Practice #3
Jottings
Freelisting
-Make a list of all the types of education you can think of
[Very promptly started writing]
Asked: “Like, for example, high school?”
-Answered, anything that you think is appropriate
After a few moments asked: “How long do I have?”
-Answered, as long as you need
Said: “I probably could think of more…”
PROBE: Ok, list anymore you can think of
List:
o Preschool
o Elementary school
o Middle school
o High school
o Technical college
o Community college
o University
o Job training
o Piano/musical
o Raising a child
o Raising a family
o Church
o Instructed to do any task
o Observation
o Travel
o Any class
o Home school
o Home skills
Sentence Framing
-Is job training a type of education?
Answer: Yes, still learning, being taught anything is a form of receiving education
-Is travel a type of education?
Answer: Yes, learning about an environment is a form of education, also after traveling, one will spread what they learned and teach others an education
-Is observation a type of education?
Answer: Yes, example – she learned to dress better by observing how people dress on BYU campus
Triad
Three random selections: raising a child, job training, observation
-Two similar: job training, observation
-One different: rainsing a child
Why are they similar? Why is the other one different?
Answer: part of job training is to observe, so they are similar. But raising a child is more interactive – parents learn from child but also teach child – they gain experience as they go.
[This was hard for her to answer]
Pile Sorting
5 categories – 2 had only one item, one was by far the largest
-This one was named “Centers of Learning” by subject, because she said one has to actually go to that place specifically to learn – included, preschool, middle school, high school, university
Other categories were: “Within Home” “Experiences” “Instruction” and “Observation”
Paired Comparisons
1: Which is harder? Raising a family or university?
-Answer: Raising a family. Because – has to do with ethics, there are right and wrong choices, you get a one-time shot. University is planned/monotonous, you can retake classes
2: Which is more important? Observation or traveling?
-Answer: Observation. Travel is not necessary, you do not have to go somewhere you are not to learn. But, you need to be observant and learn from your present surroundings.
3: Which is more important? Home skills or church?
-Answer: Church. Because beliefs form foundations that guide actions, and are more significant than acquiring skills in the home.
[Very prompt and definite in answers]
Ranking
[Acted as if hard, was very hesitant]
Rank:
Church
Raising family
Raising child
Observation
Instruction to do task
Job training
Universities
Home skills
Any class
Technical college
Community college
High school
Home school
Middle school
Travel
Elementary
Preschool
Piano/music
When asked about her top rankings:
Everything you believe guides actions, LDS religion influences family value importance, legitimate education does not matter as much as just being willing to learn/observe
Expanded Notes
o Listed a variety of education, seemed to view education as any sensory intake that could include learning anything – did not have to be official or formal
o From the beginning with the triad test seemed to put family/church education at a higher significance, explained towards end of study that this had to do with LDS faith and its traditional family values
o Formal institutional schools were categorized together – reflected American experience of organized education institutions, very much monopolized thoughts about education
o Was very sure about comparison decisions, felt strongly about education that was most important or valuable
o Felt most strongly about learning through observation of surroundings, religious beliefs, and family values
o Surprisingly little significance placed on institutional education or travel and exposure to other places
