Browsing by Author "Wachira, Isaac Kiiru"

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    Effect of Teacher Support on Students' Discipline in Public Secondary School in Tharaka-Nithi County
    (EdinBurg Peer-Reviewed Journals and Books Publishers, 2025-12) Wachira, Isaac Kiiru; Muchanje, Peter Nyaga; Ndiritu, John
    Student indiscipline remains a persistent challenge in many public secondary schools in Tharaka-Nithi County, undermining academic progress, disrupting learning environments, and increasing the financial burden associated with repairing damaged school property. While multiple factors contribute to student behaviour, teacher support has increasingly been recognized as a critical determinant of learners’ discipline and overall school adjustment. This study examined the effect of teacher support on students’ discipline in public secondary schools in Tharaka-Nithi County. Guided by Invitational Theory, which emphasizes the role of supportive interpersonal relationships in shaping positive student outcomes, the study adopted a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. The target population comprised students, teachers, and principals from public secondary schools in the county, from which a sample was selected using stratified, systematic, and purposive sampling techniques. Data were collected using questionnaires for students and teachers and interview schedules for principals. The reliability coefficients for student and teacher questionnaires were 0.831 and 0.731, respectively, indicating high internal consistency. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and simple linear regression, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The findings revealed that teacher support had a statistically significant effect on students’ discipline, indicating that learners who perceive their teachers as caring, approachable, fair, and academically supportive are more likely to exhibit positive behaviour and comply with school rules. The study concludes that strengthened teacher–student relationships play a vital role in fostering disciplined learning environments. It recommends that schools invest in teacher mentorship programmes, continuous professional development on positive discipline strategies, and policies that promote supportive and empathetic teacher– student interactions to enhance discipline in public secondary schools
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    Effect of Teacher Support on Students' Discipline in Public Secondary School in Tharaka-Nithi County
    (EdinBurg Peer-ReviewedJournals and BooksPublishers, 2025-12) Wachira, Isaac Kiiru; Muchanje, Peter Nyaga; Ndiritu, John
    Student indiscipline remains a persistent challenge in many public secondary schools in Tharaka-Nithi County, undermining academic progress, disrupting learning environments, and increasing the financial burden associated with repairing damaged school property. While multiple factors contribute to student behaviour, teacher support has increasingly been recognized as a critical determinant of learners’ discipline and overall school adjustment. This study examined the effect of teacher support on students’ discipline in public secondary schools in Tharaka-Nithi County. Guided by Invitational Theory, which emphasizes the role of supportive interpersonal relationships in shaping positive student outcomes, the study adopted a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. The target population comprised students, teachers, and principals from public secondary schools in the county, from which a sample was selected using stratified, systematic, and purposive sampling techniques. Data were collected using questionnaires for students and teachers and interview schedules for principals. The reliability coefficients for student and teacher questionnaires were 0.831 and 0.731, respectively, indicating high internal consistency. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and simple linear regression, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The findings revealed that teacher support had a statistically significant effect on students’ discipline, indicating that learners who perceive their teachers as caring, approachable, fair, and academically supportive are more likely to exhibit positive behaviour and comply with school rules. The study concludes that strengthened teacher–student relationships play a vital role in fostering disciplined learning environments. It recommends that schools invest in teacher mentorship programmes, continuous professional development on positive discipline strategies, and policies that promote supportive and empathetic teacher– student interactions to enhance discipline in public secondary schools
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    Factors influencing students' choice of geography in public secondary schools in Murang'a South Sub-County
    (Kenyatta University, 2014-10-09) Wachira, Isaac Kiiru
    The Kenyan secondary school curriculum gives students freedom to make their selections from a range of subjects. Some of the subjects are compulsory for the students but, students are also given freedom to select from a number of elective subjects. In selecting the elective subjects, students usually have various reasons for doing so and other factors also influence their choices in selecting some subjects as their alternatives and in this case geography. This study therefore sought to explore factors influencing the choice of geography as an option subject. The study was guided by the following objectives: to identify the institutional reasons that influence the selection of geography subject by learners; to determine the influence of geography curriculum on the choice of the subject; to find out the influence of students' career aspirations on the choice of geography; and to determine the relationship between gender and choice of geography subject. The study was based on Social Cognitive Career Theory by Lent, Brown, & Hackett, (2002) and Lent, (2005). The study employed descriptive survey design to target 76 geography teachers, 30 HODs humanities and 2,253 students from 38 secondary schools. The researcher used stratified sampling method to select 12 schools to participate in the study. The 12 schools represented 31.6% of the target population. From each of the 12 sampled schools, simple random sampling was used to select 192 students while purposive sampling was used to select 24 geography teachers and 12 Heads of Departmentshumanities, giving a total of 228 respondents. A questionnaire for teachers and another one designed for students, and an interview schedule for HODs humanities were used for data collection. Prior to the actual analysis, the researcher conducted a pilot study in 3 schools which were not included in the final sample. The purpose of the pilot study was to enable the researcher to improve reliability of the instruments and familiarize himself with the data collection process. Data for the study were both qualitative and quantitative. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, percentages, means, and standard deviations. Qualitative analysis considered the inferences that were made from the opinions of the informants. This analysis was thematically presented in narrative form and where possible tabular form. The results of the analysis were then presented by use of frequency tables, pie charts and bar graphs. The study established that the major institutional factors influencing students during selection of geography subject were; teachers' attributes, adequacy of geography resources and school past performance in geography. The results indicated that most of the students like teaching methodologies employed by Geography teachers and the use of teaching aids. However, majority of them stated that lack of adequate geography resources and school's past performance in the subject negatively influenced them during subject selection. More so, majority of the students reported that some topics were too abstract to understand and also the syllabus is too wide to cover. In terms of career aspiration, the study revealed that majority of students taking Geography aspired to be surveyors, meteorologists, pilots and tour guides in future. This means that career aspiration had a great impact towards choice of the subject. In relation to gender, the study found out that both male and female students did not differ significantly in their perception towards geography curriculum. The study recommended that; Geography should be allocated more time in school time table to ensure coverage of the syllabus; schools should ensure that more funds are allocated to the department of humanities to cater for adequate teaching and learning resources and field trips for geography students
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    School Connectedness and Its Effects on Student’s Discipline in Public Secondry Schools in Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya
    (Kenyatta University, 2025-11) Wachira, Isaac Kiiru
    Schools are fundamentally designed to foster personal and social growth among students, yet this objective is often undermined by indiscipline which has become a major challenge in many public secondary schools in Tharaka-Nithi County. Persistent indiscipline has not only hindered academic achievement but has also led to significant financial burdens to families, stemming from both lost instructional time and damage to school infrastructure. This study set out to examine the effect of school connectedness on student discipline in public secondary schools in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. The investigation focused on four key dimensions: teacher support, peer group networks, commitment to education, and the physical school environment. The research was anchored in Invitational Theory, which posits that cultivating inviting and supportive school environments through people, places, programs, processes, and policies can meaningfully shape student outcomes. Employing a convergent-parallel mixed methods design, the study integrated both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The total population encompassed 51,363 students, 2,737 teachers, and 154 principals across the county’s public secondary schools. From this, a sample of 400 students, 200 teachers, and 40 principals was selected using systematic random, stratified, and purposive sampling techniques. Data collection instruments included questionnaires for students and teachers and structured interview schedules for principals. Cronbach’s Alpha showed strong reliability for both student (0.831) and teacher (0.731) tools. Quantitative results were processed through descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative input was thematically examined. All four school connectedness aspects were found to meaningfully shape student discipline. Specifically, teacher support (F(2, 389) = 5.694, p = .004), peer networks (F(2, 389) = 35.672, p = .000), commitment to education (F(2, 389) = 81.571, p = .000), and the physical environment (F(2, 389) = 141.691, p = .000) each emerged as significant predictor. Collectively, these factors explained 57.5% of the variance in student discipline (R² = 0.575, F = 130.93, p = .000), with the physical environment exerting the strongest influence. The study concludes that student discipline is closely linked to the degree of school connectedness. Supportive teachers, constructive peer relationships, strong student engagement, and an orderly school environment collectively foster positive behaviour and self-regulation. The research recommends that educational policymakers and school leaders prioritize teacher-student relationship building, implement peer mentoring initiatives, promote comprehensive student engagement, and maintain safe, friendly and inviting school environments. This study presents evidence on how various aspects of school connectedness affect discipline, offering a practical guide for nurturing well-managed and supportive school environments in Kenya.