An enhanced multifactor decision making framework for equitable and efficient school placement in Ghana

An enhanced multifactor decision making framework for equitable and efficient school placement in Ghana | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article An enhanced multifactor decision making framework for equitable and efficient school placement in Ghana Mathias Adawurah, Charles Buabeng-Andoh, Felix Buabeng-Andoh This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8459469/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 11 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The expansion of Ghana’s Free Senior High School (SHS) policy has increased access to secondary education, but systemic enrollment challenges remain within the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS). While the CSSPS was introduced to automate fairness and efficiency in placements, persistent gaps such as inequitable access to preferred schools, limited use of student data, and weak feedback mechanisms undermine its effectiveness. This study analyzes these challenges through a quantitative survey of 267 SHS students and develops an Enhanced Smart Placement Frameworkthat integrates principles of equity, systems optimization, and e-governance. The proposed model incorporates multi-factor student profiling, a Deferred Acceptance Algorithm (DAA) for iterative matching, decentralized decision-making, and real-time feedback mechanisms. Results from multiple regression analysis reveal that feedback clarity, data utilization, decentralized processes, preference consideration, and policy adjustments significantly predict enrollment success. By reframing CSSPS as an interactive, technology-enabled governance system, this study contributes both theoretically and practically to smart education reforms. The framework offers transferable insights for other countries employing ICT-based placement systems, highlighting how interactive technologies can improve equity, efficiency, and stakeholder trust in large-scale educational decision-making. Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) Enrollment placement Ghana Education Service (GES) and Ghana National Association of Private Schools Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 12 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 07 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 28 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 28 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 11 Feb, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 11 Feb, 2026 Editor invited by journal 13 Jan, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 12 Jan, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 12 Jan, 2026 First submitted to journal 12 Jan, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8459469","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":590861311,"identity":"7829a37d-7fb7-408a-81af-38ddd4229a38","order_by":0,"name":"Mathias Adawurah","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"University of Education, Winneba","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mathias","middleName":"","lastName":"Adawurah","suffix":""},{"id":590861319,"identity":"0aab214a-bc2f-4e10-8d71-158d240abc9b","order_by":1,"name":"Charles Buabeng-Andoh","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Education, Winneba","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Charles","middleName":"","lastName":"Buabeng-Andoh","suffix":""},{"id":590861324,"identity":"15ddcbde-f217-40a2-9a03-a6591ff4d28d","order_by":2,"name":"Felix Buabeng-Andoh","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Tomas Bata University in Zlín","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Felix","middleName":"","lastName":"Buabeng-Andoh","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-12-27 07:53:15","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8459469/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8459469/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":102962638,"identity":"b86fba0b-634c-4642-8f4e-4a958f62a85b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-19 04:10:14","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":732603,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"AnonymysedCSSPS.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8459469/v1_covered_2478f3f7-f817-4448-91ab-e80c799eada1.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"An enhanced multifactor decision making framework for equitable and efficient school placement in Ghana","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-education","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"diedu","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Education](https://www.springer.com/journal/44217)","snPcode":"44217","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/44217/3","title":"Discover Education","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), Enrollment, placement, Ghana Education Service (GES), and Ghana National Association of Private Schools","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8459469/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8459469/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe expansion of Ghana’s Free Senior High School (SHS) policy has increased access to secondary education, but systemic enrollment challenges remain within the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS). While the CSSPS was introduced to automate fairness and efficiency in placements, persistent gaps such as inequitable access to preferred schools, limited use of student data, and weak feedback mechanisms undermine its effectiveness. This study analyzes these challenges through a quantitative survey of 267 SHS students and develops an Enhanced Smart Placement Frameworkthat integrates principles of equity, systems optimization, and e-governance. The proposed model incorporates multi-factor student profiling, a Deferred Acceptance Algorithm (DAA) for iterative matching, decentralized decision-making, and real-time feedback mechanisms. Results from multiple regression analysis reveal that feedback clarity, data utilization, decentralized processes, preference consideration, and policy adjustments significantly predict enrollment success. 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