Browsing by Author "Mwaura, Mercy Wambui"

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    Impact of church sponsorship on the management of secondary schools in Thika West and Gatundu North Districts in Kiambu County
    (2012-04-02) Mwaura, Mercy Wambui
    This research attempted to study and investigate the impact of church sponsorship on the management of secondary schools in the larger Thika District covering the current Thika West, and Gatundu North Districts. The study examined historical foundation of Western Education in the said region and the factors that influenced the development, the role of missionaries in relation to organization, management of schools, financial and physical support and the nature of mission-state partnership in the provision of education. This study identified schools using purposive sampling techniques basing itself on the categories of national, provincial and district schools. It also categorized them on the basis of church sponsors which were Catholic Church, Anglican Church of Kenya, Presbyterian Church of East Africa and Salvation Army. 18 (51 %) schools were sampled from which, the BoG chairpersons (18), principals (18), and 3 teachers per school (54) were selected to fill in the questionnaires. The District Education Officers of the two districts and the church representatives were interviewed, thus, 96 respondents. Data were collected using questionnaires and interviews. Researcher adopted descriptive survey research design. This is the process of collecting data to answer questions concerning the current status of church sponsors. The descriptive survey research design determines and reports the way things are and further attempts to describe people's-attitudes, opinions, possible behaviour values and characteristics. Before the actual data collection, pilot study was randomly done on 3 schools to determine the reliability and validity of the instruments. It was discovered that two questions on the BoGs questionnaire were vague, adjustments were made on the questionnaires. It also revealed that space given for answering questions was small in some areas; thus more space was provided. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the quantitative data obtained. These include frequencies and percentages. Qualitative analysis considered inferences that were made from the respondents' opinions. This analysis was thematically presented in narrative form and the results presented in frequency tables, bar graphs and pie charts. The study established the functional role of the Church sponsor, which includes, membership the B.O.G, consultation on the appointment of head teachers, maintains the religious traditions of the church in the schools and to provide moral and spiritual nourishment to the school community. The study further established that there are many conflicts that exist between the church sponsors and the school management boards. These conflicts impact negatively to the running of schools and also to curriculum instructions. Conflicts arise from sponsors' failure to play their role of maintaining religious traditions as stipulated in the Act, and instead, they overstep in the management. Others strongly felt they should be the managers of their sponsored schools which contradicts the Education Act cap 211 (1968). The study recommends that the Government works on a strategy to completely keep off the church from management of schools and to ensure that all laws are followed and the church takes it rightful place which is basically spiritual.
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    Principals’ management of instructional supervision as a determinant of students’ completion rates in public technical training institutions in Kiambu County, Kenya
    (Kenyatta University, 2024-01) Mwaura, Mercy Wambui
    Principals in technical training institutions are crucial for meeting educational objectives. However, completion rates of students in Kiambu County are alarmingly low. To address this issue, an investigation was conducted to evaluate the influence of principals' management of instructional supervision on scholars' completion rates in publicly funded technical training institutes in Kiambu County, Kenya. The investigation aimed to evaluate the influence of principals' classroom observation, student graduation rates are influenced by competent documentation oversight, managing time, and extracurricular activity administration. The experiment employed a mixed methods approach, including a contemporaneous triangulation method of investigation. The target population included 30 administrators, 578 instructors, and 600 students in leadership positions, for a total sample size of 16 administrators, 60 instructors, and 224 student representatives. Data from student leaders were acquired using questionnaires, while from principals and tutors, data were gathered through interview guides. A document analysis guide was used by the researcher. Piloting was conducted among 30 respondents from public technical training institutions in Kiambu County to check the comprehensiveness of instruments. Validity was determined by involving experts in educational management from the university. Reliability was established through split-half technique. Reliability index, r = 0.725, was established using Cronbach Alpha Method, which indicated high consistency. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically in line with objectives and presented in narrative forms. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze quantitative data and Pearson's Product Moment Correlation and Multiple Linear Regression Analysis was used for inferential analysis using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences, and the results were presented in tables. The study discovered that students' exit rates in technical colleges have been high, resulting in varying student completion rates. This is due to how administrators manage educational oversight. However, many principals rarely take time to undertake classroom observation activities owing to their busy schedules. They rarely create time to supervise whether tutors have professional documents. They rarely ensure that tutors adhere to time-tabling requirements and inadequate time is allocated to different tasks. Numerous school administrators are seldom engaged in the organization of co-curricular activities (CCAs), yet they acknowledge the significance of such endeavors in fostering the comprehensive growth and development of students. The research suggests that administrators should allocate time to regularly observe tutors in their classrooms. Additionally, principals should consistently oversee tutors' preparation of professional documents. Both principals and teachers should ensure that allocated time schedules are effectively utilized for delivering high-quality instruction, rather than solely focusing on monitoring punctuality. In order to enhance the infrastructure for CCAs, it is recommended that the Ministry of Education allocate additional resources. In addition, the Ministry of Education ought to establish a policy requiring principals to get training in the instructional oversight for instructional personnel.