Browsing by Author "Onacha, Catherine"

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    School Administrative Strategies Influencing Transition to Secondary Schools in Public Primary Schools, Machakos County, Kenya
    (Kenyatta University, 2025-11) Onacha, Catherine
    The transition from primary to secondary school is one of the most crucial periods for any student. During this time, the student must deal with the initial stages of their secondary education, and also sociologically and psychologically adjust to the challenges of adolescence. Unfortunately, many public primary school students suffer from the poor transition system leading to unfulfilled academic potential, high dropout rates, and poor adjustment. This study focused on the school administration's primary public transition system to secondary schools in Machakos County, Kenya. Specifically, the school administration focused on the transition rates from primary to secondary school in Machakos County from the perspective of parents, peer school mentorship programmes, school practices of the adult to student disciplinary model, school practices on tracing and controlling dropouts, and exit. This study made use of the New Public Governance theory. The study followed a descriptive survey research design. The study was carried out in Machakos County. The study targeted Machakos County's 707 public primary schools. The target population included 707 head teachers and 10908 teachers from Machakos County. A sample size of 376 respondents was used. A pilot was done to evaluate the clarity of questions and the accuracy of the tools. Subject matter experts' verdicts were used to establish content validity. Cronbach's alpha (α) was utilized to assess the reliability of the study instrument. The study's quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed with SPSS Version 27. Descriptive statistics, such as frequencies, percentages, averages, and standard deviation, can be used to easily comprehend and present quantitative data in the form of tables or graphs. The study found that the responsibility of enhancing discipline and transition is carried out by a trained guidance and counselling teacher and that peer counseling improves the rapport among learners leading to better discipline and a smoother transition and that tracing of dropouts and supporting them through mentorship programs was critical for effectively addressing challenges in student transition (mean=3.971). The study finds that when parents attend school meetings, communicate via digital platforms, and visit the school, it positively impacts student success. As a result, the study proposes that schools focus on the organization of frequent meetings. This frequency of meetings would help sustain communication between educators and parents, thus allowing parents to be apprised of their children’s academic performance, behaviour, and related challenges.