Browsing by Author "Mweru, Maureen"

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    Challenges Facing Implementation of the Competency Based Curriculum in Kenya: An Urban View
    (International Journal of Education and Research, 2021-09) Isaboke, Harriet; Wambiri, Gladwell; Mweru, Maureen
    his paper explores challenges teachers face in implementation of the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) in public pre-primary schools in Nairobi City County. Kenya rolled out the CBC in pre-primary and primary schools in 2018 with the aim of equipping learners with competencies and skills to meet human resource aspirations of Kenya’s Vision 2030 blueprint for development. However, studies have reported minimal use of CBC teaching-learning approaches in public preprimary schools. Therefore, this study purposed to establish the challenges hindering effective implementation of the Curriculum in the schools. The study was based on the Concern-Based Adoption Model by Hall, Hord and Rutherford (2006) and targeted all the 225 public pre-primary schools in the Nairobi City County, with a population of 675 comprising of 450 pre-primary school teachers, 225 Early Childhood Development (ECD) Center Managers. A Questionnaire and an interview schedule were used to collect data from a sample size of 135, which consisted of 45 center managers and 90 pre-primary school teachers. The data was analyzed thematically, the findings showed that implementation of CBC is greatly challenged by lack of adequate learning facilities, lack of adequate training of teachers on how to implement the Curriculum, large class sizes, lack of adequate teachers, lack of adequate teaching-learning materials, ignorance and lack of cooperation from parents. The study concluded that pre-primary school teachers in public preprimary schools faced a lot of challenges which hindered effective implementation of the curriculum. Therefore, the study recommended that the Nairobi City County Government should construct more classrooms, employ more teachers and provide adequate teaching–learning materials to cater for the high enrollment in public pre-primary schools. In addition the County government in collaboration with the schools should sensitize parents to help them understand what CBC is all about and their role in the implementation process
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    Conceptualizing competency-based curriculum: A critical analysis of CBC implementation among pre-primary schools in rural Kenya
    (International Journal of Multidisciplinary Comprehensive Research, 2023) Ireri, Jeremiah Wanjau; Ouko, Hudson Ong’ang’a; Mweru, Maureen
    Competency-based curriculum is a new programme in Kenya whose implementation faces a myriad of challenges amid the posted successes. Competency-based curriculum was rolled out in the year 2017 and quite some successes have been posted. This is notwithstanding the various challenges it faces so far. This study examined teachers’ level of competencies as a precursor of effective implementation of the CBC. The study focused on all pre-primary school centres in Embu County. The key independent variable of the study was teachers’ competencies and preparedness. The study also investigated CBC implementation levels since its inception in 2017. The study was anchored on the theory of curriculum implementation (Gross, 1971). Purposive sampling was employed in identifying the study locale whereas simple random sampling was employed to draw a study sample size of 10%. Ex post facto research design was adopted since no manipulation of the study variables could be envisaged. Exploratory survey methodology was employed in collecting data. Data was collected using questionnaire, a check-list and an interview schedule. Data was analyzed using descriptive techniques with the help of the SPSS version 29. Results observed that there were low levels of CBC implementation associated and were significantly associated with low levels of teacher competencies. The study recommended to government to upscale teacher competencies and preparedness through training and retooling programmes.
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    Educational Psychology: Determinants of preschool teachers attitudes towards teaching
    (VDM Verlag Dr. Müller, 2010) Mweru, Maureen; Kinuthia, Florence; Kombo, Donald
    Pre-school teachers are largely demotivated. This is due to various reasons,such as, prevalence of low level training among them. The profession is still viewed as a job for women. They are unhappy with their salaries and many are not in welfare groups. This book contributes insights into this significant areas that greatly affect the provision of pre- school level education.It points out that immediate changes need to be put in place in order to give the profession a human face and to better motivate the teachers.
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    Gender stereotyping in the selection and use of play materials by children in selected Nairobi city council preschools
    (2012-02-28) Mweru, Maureen
    Gender socialization and societal expectations have an impact on children. Available literature shows that the type of socialization a child undergoes in childhood has a great impact on his/her later life, notably on his/her perceptions, personality, role definition and role performance. The early childhood years are very important in the life of every individual. Different types of activities assigned to children at this stage will determine how they come to perceive themselves as they do. Curriculum developers regard the activities that are assigned to children by parents, teachers or guardians as part of the hidden curriculum. Children learn from these activities what society expects them to learn and to be. Social pressures are borne, therefore, upon boys and girls to conform to masculine and feminine characteristics respectively. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate, therefore, gender stereotyping in the selection and use of play materials by pre-school children. Specifically, this study looked at gender and age differences in selection and use of play materials. It also investigated teachers' influence as a contributing factor to children’s selection and use of play materials. This study used a quasi-experimental research design with two experimental groups and no control group and with repeated measures. The children were presented with three kinds of play materials. These were: - Play materials considered appropriate for boys - play materials considered appropriate for girls - play materials considered as gender neutral. Frequency counts were then made as the children selected and used certain kinds of play materials. This study used a quasi-experimental research with two experimental grouped and no control group and with repeated measures. The children were presented with three kinds of plays materials. These were:  Play materials considered appropriate for boys  Play materials considered appropriate for girls  Play materials considered as gender-neutral Frequency counts were then made as the children selected and used certain kinds of play materials. The subject variables in this study were gender and age of the preschool children while the independent variables were the teachers' Behaviour, and the types of play materials. The dependent variables were:  The extent of selection of gender-appropriate use of play Materials.  Extent of gender-appropriate use of plays materials.  Extent of cross-gender selection of the play materials  Extent of cross-gender use of plays materials.  Extent of gender-neutral selection of the play materials.  Extent of gender-neutral use of the play materials. The population of the study was a children in City Council pre schools in Nairobi. The City Education Department classifies the preschools into three groups - that is, groups 'E', 'F', and 'G'. The sample was randomly drawn from three City Council preschools that were purposefully selected as representative of each of the three categories of Nairobi City Council preschools. Two researcher instruments were used in this study. These were an observation schedule and a questionnaire. The time sampling technique was used whereby the children and teachers were observed for a time period of 15 seconds after which the researchers noted down on their hands how the children selected and utilized the play materials and also how the teachers interacted with the children to influence them in selection and use of the play materials. This data was transferred left the classrooms. This procedure ensured that the observation Data Sheet did not district the children when the observation were taking place. Frequency counts were made of children selecting gender-appropriate, cross-gender of gender-neutral play materials. Frequency counts were also made of children using play materials in gender-appropriate, cross-gender or gender-neutral manner. The researchers also made frequency counts of teachers encouraging or discouraging children to sex-type the play materials. The t-test was used in data analysis to determine the significance of any differences and direction of the differences. The level of significance adopted was 0.05. The findings of the study showed that:  Preschool children selected gender-appropriate play materials significantly more than cross-gender and gender-neutral play materials.  Preschool children used play materials in a gender-appropriate manner significantly more than in a cross-gender and gender-neutral manner.  Preschool boys and girls were not significantly different in their selection of gender-appropriate use of play materials.  Preschool boys and preschool girls were not significantly different in gender-appropriate use of play materials.  Older preschoolers selected gender-appropriate play materials significantly more than younger preschoolers.  Older preschoolers used play materials in a gender-appropriate manner significantly more than younger preschoolers.  Preschool teachers influenced preschool children to select gender-appropriate play materials significantly more than cross-gender and gender-neutral materials.  Preschool teachers influenced preschool children to use play materials in a gender-appropriate manner significantly more than in a cross-gender and gender-neutral manner.  Preschool teachers influenced preschool boys significantly more than preschool girls in selection of play materials.  Preschool teachers influenced preschool boys significantly more than preschool girls in use of play materials. One of the interesting findings of this study was that although there was no significant difference in selection and use of gender-appropriate play materials between the preschool boys and preschool girls, the three year old girls selected and used more gender-appropriate play materials than the three year old boys while the five old boys selected and used more gender-appropriate play materials than the five year old girls. The findings of this study will prove useful to teachers, parents, curriculum developers, teachers’ trainers and material developers. This study has implications concerning the relationship between teachers and children because the teachers admitted that they directed more attention to the slow learners. This implies that slow learners received more attention than the other children. The teachers also reinforced gender-appropriate behaviour while ignoring cross-gender behaviour. This implies that the teachers reinforced behaviour they perceived as appropriate while they ignored the behaviour they considered to be inappropriate. Another implication of this study concerns teachers and parents in terms of the gender prejudices they hold and how they pass these prejudices on to young children. The study also has implications for materials developers in relation to the type of play materials they create and how teachers and children view the play materials. The findings of this study also imply that the present curriculum does not emphasize adequately the need to regard all play materials as gender-neutral. Therefore, some of the recommendations that have been made as a result of this study are:  Teachers and parents should try to adopt an androgynous gender role attitude and encourage the same in children.  more studies also need to be carried out to determine which groups of children receive the most attention from teachers.  Materials Developers should strive to create more gender-neutral play materials.  Curriculum Developers should encourage all play activities incorporated in the curriculum for learning purposes to be regarded as gender-neutral.  Other researchers should also try to adopt the methodology that was used in this study since this kind of methodology had not been tried out before.  Longitudinal studies also need to be carried out to determine if teachers is reinforcement for gender-appropriate behaviour while ignoring cross-gender behaviour.
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    Relationship between Teachers’ Demographic Characteristics and Levels of Utilization of Instructional Materials in Pre-Primary Schools in Kenya
    (East African Nature & Science Organisation, 2020) Waigera, Joseph K.; Mweru, Maureen; Ngige, Lucy
    Research indicates that children who obtain quality pre-primary education have a head start in life. It is also evident that early exposure and good use of instructional materials (IM) prepare children to be well adjusted later in life. Children are also well equipped with problem-solving skills that are important in Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE). Instructional materials are core to effective teaching and learning in the formative years. The purpose of this research was to establish whether there was a significant relationship between teachers’ demographic characteristics and levels of utilization of instructional materials in pre-primary schools in Kenya. The study adopted the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning Framework (CTML) and Ecological Systems Theory by Urie Bronfenbrenner. Besides, the study applied a cross-sectional survey research design. A random sample of 168 teachers comprising of 76.2% females and 23.8% males participated in the study. The Chi-Square test results indicated that gender (x2= 1.335; d.f. =1; p= 0.030), level of education (x2=8.165; d.f. =5; p=0.024) and professional training status (x2= 13.620; d.f. =5; p= 0.020) had a statistically significant linear relationship with the level of utilization of instructional materials. These results implied that female teachers were more likely to use instructional materials than their male counterparts and teachers who were more educated and highly trained were more likely to use instructional materials than their less trained counterparts. However, age, marital status, and duration of teaching experience had no statistically significant relationship with the utilization of instructional materials in pre-primary schools. It was concluded that professional training of pre-primary school teachers is critical for effective teaching and learning at the foundational level. It was recommended that teachers should promote the utilization of instructional materials in their classrooms for interactive and experiential learning of pupils.
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    Teachers’ Perceptions on the Relationship Between Teachers’ Working Conditions and Pupils’ Reading Ability in Pre-Primary Schools in Nakuru County, Kenya
    (International Knowledge Sharing Platform, 2019) Kimwomi, Mary M.; Wambiri, Gladwell; Mweru, Maureen
    One of the most important factors in realizing reading as a subject in pre-primary schools is teacher working conditions. Literature suggests that working conditions are crucial in teaching of reading and pupils’ reading ability. However, empirical studies that have examined pupils’ reading ability have not focused on the relationship between teacher working conditions and reading ability. Further, the few empirical studies that have examined the relationships have been conducted in primary and secondary schools. Whereas most pre-primary school teachers in Kenya work under unfavourable conditions, past studies have not examined the relationship between working conditions and reading ability of pre-primary school pupils in Kenya. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teacher working conditions and pupils’ reading ability. The study was based on Herzberg’s two factor theory. The study adopted a correlational research design. The target population for the study was 79 head teachers and 79 pre-primary 2 class teachers in public schools in Rongai Sub-County Nakuru. A stratified sample of pre-primary schools in the four zones in Rongai Sub-county was used for the study. The sample size comprised of 66 head teachers and 66 pre-primary 2 teachers. The questionnaires were used to collect data from respondents.. Data was summarized using descriptive statistics such as frequencies, means and standard deviations. To test the hypotheses, Pearson’s Product-moment correlation coefficient was used. The results revealed that there was a relationship between teacher workload, school leadership and pupils’ reading ability. The study concludes that teacher workload and school leadership affect the reading ability of preprimary school pupils. The study recommends that to improve reading ability, school management should provide effective school leadership and ensure that pre-primary school classes are of reasonable sizes so that teachers do not have a heavy workload.
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    Why Kenyan academics do not publish in international refereed journals
    (2010) Mweru, Maureen
    An examination of most of the highly ranked journals reveals that few, if any, articles are published byacademics from sub-Saharan African universities. This is the case even when the article’s main topicdirectly relates to issues relevant to sub-Saharan Africa. The study outlined here aimed at explaining whyAfrican, and specifically Kenyan, academics do not publish in international refereed journals, and at takinginto account academics’ own viewpoints on how to increase their number of publications in such journals.