Browsing by Author "Itolondo, Wilfrida"

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    Influence of Teachers’ Age, Gender, and Personality on Students’ Academic Achievement in Kiswahili: A Case of Public Secondary Schools in Murang’a and Kiambu Counties
    (EdinBurg, 2024-11) Munyaka, Lucy Wanjiru; Bunyi, Grace; Itolondo, Wilfrida
    Purpose: Teachers have a vital influence on students’ academic achievement. The steady decline in academic performance of secondary school students has generated a lot of interest among stakeholders in the education sector in Kenya. Despite efforts by teachers to improve their skills and technical expertise the performance of students in KCSE examinations and Kiswahili in particular has not been encouraging. In the year 2020, Murang’a and Kiambu posted the least mean scores of 4.3 and 4.4 respectively in comparison to neighboring counties Nyeri and Kirinyaga which had mean scores of 4.62 and 4.64 respectively. The purpose of this paper was to establish the nexus between Kiswahili teacher characteristics and students’ academic achievement in Kiswahili at the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination (KCSE) results in Kiambu and Murang,a counties. The objective of this paper was to establish the influence of teachers’ age, gender, and personality characteristics on students’ academic achievement in KCSE examination results. Methodology: A descriptive survey research design was utilised. The target population was 29,134 comprising 512 principals, 1,172 teachers, and 27,450 students across 512 secondary schools in Murang’a and Kiambu counties. A sample size of 103 schools through proportionate and 299 Kiswahili teachers, and 395 students was obtained through Yamane sampling formula. Purposive sampling criteria were used to obtain 103 principals across the 103 sampled schools. Data was collected using a questionnaire for principals, students, and teachers. Results: It was established that teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge, professional skills and academic achievement, and teachers’ characteristics positively influenced student academic achievement in Kiswahili at KCSE, (M = 4.0, SD = 1.1), (M = 3.9, SD = 0.8) and (M = 3.8, SD = 1.1) respectively. ANOVA test showed teachers characteristics in terms of gender was the only aspect which statistically, significantly differed with teachers’ response and the response from principals and students, p =. 000. These findings emphasized the complexity of teachers’ factors affecting students’ academic achievement. Conclusion: There is a nexus between teacher characteristics and students’ academic achievements as perceived by principals, teachers, and students. This is related to recommendations that every practicing teacher should enroll in a teacher performance development program initiated by TSC to enhance and update teacher pedagogical content knowledge in teaching for an impressive students’ academic achievement.
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    Parental Involvement in the Implementation of Competency-Based Curriculum
    (rsis international, 2024-09) Amagove, Brenda; Limboro, Charity; Itolondo, Wilfrida
    Numerous studies have been conducted on competency-based curriculum (CBC), but fewer have focused on parental involvement in its implementation. This study aimed to assess the roles of parents in CBC implementation, identifying barriers to effective involvement and proposing strategies for improvement. The research was guided by the following objectives: to examine parental provision of learning resources to children; to determine parental involvement in monitoring and guiding children to complete homework; and to ascertain whether parents provided a conducive atmosphere for learning to occur among children in primary schools in Kakamega county. A descriptive research design was employed in this study. The target population included 50 primary schools, 245 class teachers, 3190 grade six learners, and 245 parents in Kakamega County, Kenya. The sample size was 447, consisting of 8 primary schools, 49 class teachers, 341 grade six learners, and 49 parents. Respondents were sampled through simple random and stratified sampling procedures. The researcher created Likert scale questionnaires and interview schedules which were used for data collection. A pilot study was conducted in two schools. Content validity was used to determine the instruments' validity, while reliability was determined using Pearson product-moment correlation. Data were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively according to the research objectives. Quantitative analysis used descriptive statistics (frequencies and mean) to analyze data. The qualitative data, on the other hand, were examined thematically as per the study's objectives. The study's findings revealed that parental involvement in the CBC implementation in Kakamega County was significantly influenced by various factors. It was found that while some parents provided adequate learning resources and created conducive learning environments, others faced barriers such as limited financial resources and lack of awareness regarding their roles. Additionally, the study showed that parental guidance and monitoring of homework completion was consistent, with parents actively engaging in children’s studies. The conclusion drawn from the study indicated that for effective CBC implementation, there needed to be increased parental awareness and involvement, particularly in monitoring and providing learning resources. The study recommended the development of targeted sensitization programs to educate parents about their critical roles, the establishment of community support systems to address financial barriers, and regular workshops to equip parents with skills necessary for supporting their children's education. These strategies were deemed essential to enhance parental engagement and ensure the successful implementation of the CBC in primary schools.