PHD-Department of Educational Psychology

Permanent URI for this collection

https://repository.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/318

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 70

A causality and predictive validity study of o-level in relation to the performances in primary teachers' colleges in Kenya
(2011) Gatumu, Haniel Nyaga
The study was attempting to answer the following questions:- (i) How well does a-level predict the performance in Primary Teachers' Training Colleges? (ii) Is there any causal relationship between a-level grades with the performance in Primary Teachers' Training Colleges ? In attempt to answer these questions a large sample of 1622 subjects was obtained by method of cluster sampling. All the'Primary Te~chers Training Colleges in Kenya were considered as clusters and 5 cluster (colleges) were randomly selected. Thus 1622 subjects were from 5 different colleges. The independent variables were a-level grades. Dependent variables were scores of final year college examinations obtained from Kenya Examination Council. A predictive validity using both intercorrelation and multiple regression analyses was done for this sample, using path analysis a causality study was also done for the same sampl~, trying two models in the latter analysis., The findings were, a-level grades predict very well performance in final year college examination. It was also observed that definitely a-level grades have a causal relationship with performance in final year college examinations.
Maternal Employment and its Impact on Pre –adolescent Social Adjustment in Selected Primary Schools in Nairobi
(2011-05-01) Mugambi, Doyne Kageni; Tumuti, S. T.; Gatumu, H. N.
The main purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of maternal employment on preadolescent social adjustment in Nairobi. It also investigated whether there was any gender difference in pre- adolescent social adjustment between children of employed and non employed mothers. In addition, the study investigated the differences in social adjustment between pre-adolescents who were taken care of by specific caregivers. An ex - post facto research design was used for the study. The subjects of the study were 549 respondents. Specifically, 195 were boys and 228 were girls. All of them were from six schools. One hundred and twenty (120) mothers were used for the study whereby 60 were employed and 60 were non - employed. Six (6) class-teachers were used from the selected schools. To obtain the impact of maternal employment on pre-adolescent social adjustment, data was obtained from: - the Peer Nomination Behavioral Assessment, Peer Rating scale, the Teachers' Social Competence Scale, a Teacher-Child Rating Scale and a questionnaire for the mothers. The responses were scored after which data was computer analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Kruskal-Wallis Non Parametric ANOVA at 0.05 level of significance was used in the analysis to establish whether there were differences or not in the variables under study. There was a significant relationship between pre-adolescent social adjustment and maternal employment status at 0.05 level of significance. There was no significant difference in mother-child interaction between children of employed and non-employed mothers at 0.05 level of significance. There were significant gender differences in preadolescent social adjustment between children of employed and non-employed mothers at 0.05 level of significance. The Post Hoc test revealed that boys of non-employed mothers contributed to the significant difference. There was no significant difference in pre-adolescent social adjustment among children who are left under specific caregivers at 0.05 level of significance. There was no significant difference in pre-adolescent social adjustment between children who are in boarding schools and day schools at 0.05 level of significance. There was a significant relationship between pre-adolescent social adjustment and educational level of the mother at 0.05 level of significance. The Post Hoc test showed that children whose mothers attained secondary school level of education contributed to the significant relationship. In relation to these findings, it was recommended to the policy makers that there is need for developing training programmes for caregivers (current and potential) in order to build -their capacity for improved pre - adolescent social adjustment. In addition, there is need to develop policies to support such training programmes. Parents were hereby recommended to at least obtain house helps from recognized institutions. Teachers on their part were recommended to assist in training pupils in social skills that will assist them to adjust well to their school environment, including home. Further research was recommended with regard to finding out whether similar results would be found in other provinces in Kenya.
Quality of pedagogical ecology and its effect on cognitive development of children from community - based pre-schools in Kenya, Uganda and Zanzibar
(2011-05-01) Mwaura, P.A.M.; Gatumu, H. N.; Tumuti, S. T.
The aim of this study was to examine the quality of the teaching and learning environment (pedagogical ecology) in community-based preschools sampled in Kenya Coastal region, Uganda and Zanzibar, and how it influences the cognitive development of children. The quality of pedagogical ecology of 47 (25 MRC and 22 non-MRC) preschools (14 urban, 20 peri-urban and 13 rural) was assessed using Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS). At least one teacher of the participating children class in each year of follow-up was observed on their interaction, communication and participation with the children using teacher-child interaction rating scale (T-CIRS) adapted from Arnett (1989) care giver interaction scale (CIS). The preschool teacher's pedagogical beliefs were assessed through a teachers pedagogical beliefs rating scale (TPBS). A total of 563 children (291 from MRC and 272 from nonMRC) were tested on their cognitive attainment at three (pre-test, post test 1 and post test 2) time points during preschool (mean age points 4.2, 5.3 and 6.4). Using descriptive and correlation statistics, the status and quality of preschools pedagogical ecology, teacher-child interaction, and teacher's pedagogical beliefs were analysed. Considering the hierarchical and longitudinal nature of the cognitive data whereby time points are nested within children and nested within preschools multilevel regression analysis was conducted to find out the effects of the pedagogical ecology on the cognitive development of the preschool children. This study found that, 1) The quality of the teaching and learning environment in East Africa as indicated by the ECERS mean score of the 47 preschools observed is generally low (x=3.71, sd=1.29). Of the 47 preschool assessed, 15(31.9%) of them had less than ECERS mean score of 3 (the risk cut-off score) with only 9 (19.1%) scoring higher than 5 (good quality). The range of scores as indicated by ECERS is 1.58-6.09; with a wide variation of the quality of pedagogical ecology across types of preschools and preschool programmes; 2) rural preschool have better quality of pedagogical ecology compared to urban and peri-urban preschools; 3) the quality of teacher-child interaction is modest, however there are many preschool where negative forms of interaction is in practice. The positive teach-child interaction is positively and modestly correlated with the quality of teaching an learning environment (pedagogical ecology) while the negative styles of teacher-child interaction are negatively correlated with the quality of pedagogical ecology, 4) there is a no significant relationship between teachers pedagogical beliefs and the teacher-child-child centred instructional practices and 5) the quality of pedagogical ecology is a significant predictor of preschool children cognitive development though not invariantly across time. The study recommends among other things government and community increment of financial support, increased monitoring and evaluation of preschool teaching and learning environment and comprehensively robust research on the role of preshool quality in the development of children in East Africa undertaken.
Relationship between students' self-esteem, orphanhood and educational performance in Nyeri and Kirinyaga Counties, Kenya
(2011-05-01) Gitumu, Margaret Wanjiru
The aim of this study was to examine the quality of the teaching and learning environment (pedagogical ecology) in community-based preschools sampled in Kenya Coastal region, Uganda and Zanzibar, and how it influences the cognitive development of children. The quality of pedagogical ecology of 47 (25 MRC and 22 non-MRC) preschools (14 urban, 20 peri-urban and 13 rural) was assessed using Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS). At least one teacher of the participating children class in each year of follow-up was observed on their interaction, communication and participation with the children using teacher-child interaction rating scale (T-CIRS) adapted from Arnett (1989) care giver interaction scale (CIS). The preschool teacher's pedagogical beliefs were assessed through a teachers pedagogical beliefs rating scale (TPBS). A total of 563 children (291 from MRC and 272 from nonMRC) were tested on their cognitive attainment at three (pre-test, post test 1 and post test 2) time points during preschool (mean age points 4.2, 5.3 and 6.4). Using descriptive and correlation statistics, the status and quality of preschools pedagogical ecology, teacher-child interaction, and teacher's pedagogical beliefs were analysed. Considering the hierarchical and longitudinal nature of the cognitive data whereby time points are nested within children and nested within preschools multilevel regression analysis was conducted to find out the effects of the pedagogical ecology on the cognitive development of the preschool children. This study found that, 1) The quality of the teaching and learning environment in East Africa as indicated by the ECERS mean score of the 47 preschools observed is generally low (x=3.71, sd=1.29). Of the 47 preschool assessed, 15(31.9%) of them had less than ECERS mean score of 3 (the risk cut-off score) with only 9 (19.1%) scoring higher than 5 (good quality). The range of scores as indicated by ECERS is 1.58-6.09; with a wide variation of the quality of pedagogical ecology across types of preschools and preschool programmes; 2) rural preschool have better quality of pedagogical ecology compared to urban and peri-urban preschools; 3) the quality of teacher-child interaction is modest, however there are many preschool where negative forms of interaction is in practice. The positive teach-child interaction is positively and modestly correlated with the quality of teaching an learning environment (pedagogical ecology) while the negative styles of teacher-child interaction are negatively correlated with the quality of pedagogical ecology, 4) there is a no significant relationship between teachers pedagogical beliefs and the teacher-child-child centred instructional practices and 5) the quality of pedagogical ecology is a significant predictor of preschool children cognitive development though not invariantly across time. The study recommends among other things government and community increment of financial support, increased monitoring and evaluation of preschool teaching and learning environment and comprehensively robust research on the role of preshool quality in the development of children in East Africa undertaken.
Perceptions of students on the status of guidance and counselling in selected universities in Kenya for minimizing students riots
(2011-07-28) K'okul, S.A. Florence
Student riots have persisted in Kenyan universities since 1960s where lives have been lost and property destroyed despite the existence of guidance and counselling in the universities. The available literature shows that the government formed several commission committees to look into the causes of the riots and if possible come up with lasting solutions but such efforts have not yielded any positive results. It was for this reason this study was designed to establish students' perception on the causes of the riots and the status of guidance and couselling in two selected public universities in Kenya; the universities of Nairobi and Kenyatta and two private universities; the United States International University and Daystar University. This study employed a descriptive survey design. The independent variables were: Internal factors, external factors and student specific factors and riots, guidance and counselling services and other intervention measures in each university. The dependent variables were; the extent to which the factors influenced riots, previous riot experience and participation at university, change in student behaviour and level of riots. The target population for this study comprised 36,000 students from whom 358 respondents were sampled, (354 students and 4 university counsellors). The study areas were purposively sampled while simple random sampling was used to sample the subjects. A sample size of 200 respondents was sampled from the University of Nairobi's 5 campuses, 100 from Kenyatta and 29 from USIU and 29 from Daystar. The study used questionnaires, focus group discussion guide and observation checklist to collect data. The instruments were pre-tested at Jomo Kenyatta University of Technology and Catholic Universities respectively using a sample of 25 respondents (14 undergraduates, 9 post graduates and 2 university student counselors). The pilot study enabled the researcher to establish validity and reliability of the instrument. Respondents in the pilot study did not take part in the actual study. The purpose was only to refine the instruments. Spearman's rank order correlation was used to correlate the correlation coefficient while Spearman's Brown prophesy formula was used to test the content of the Interview schedule. The calculated value of rs was 0.768 while the reliability of the total test yielded a correlation coefficient value of 0.869. Quantitative data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social sciences (SPSS). Qualitative data applied thematic analysis while descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages and means were used. The study established student specific factors such as past riot experience, age and economic background; internal factors such as; financial constraints, examination stress and drug abuse, misunderstanding between the students and the university authority; external factors such as; Police harassment and influence by politicians. Riot persistence with no change in student's behaviour or attitude with the intervention measures used. Counselling services were offered in departmental offices and not given adequate support, career guidance and pastoral counselling were the most utilized services. The study recommends that guidance and counselling should be recognized, initiated and refined at pre-university and in universities for it to have a deeper impact on individual students. Pastoral counselling should be combined with other types of counselling and offered in a counselling centre with adequate facilities. Student `Barazas' Mentoring programmes, peer counselling, sports and games, dialogue be strengthened in universities. More professional counsellors be employed and counselling done on drug abuse and examination stress. Organized forums for dialogue between the students, the university authority, and the police.
An investigation into selected factors on academic self-concept among primary school pupils in Bondo district
(2011-10-27) Shieunda, Aswani Jacinta
The study investigated some factors that influence academic self-concept of primary school pupils, Specifically, absenteeism and class-retention patterns were investigated. Academic self-concept of. the pupils as influenced by absenteeism, class-retention, teacher ratings and academic achievement was studied. Further, it looked at how some home and pupil-related factors were associated with academic self- concept. It was a survey study that employed an ex-post-facto design. The study was guided by the Symbolic Interaction Theory (Mead 1934) The study was conducted in Bondo District of Nyanza Province, Kenya. Stratified sampling was used to come up with 5 schools used in the study. All the pupils in classes 2-4 and 6-8 participated in the study. The sample included S headtcachers, 29 teachers and 972 pupils (497 male and 475 female). The pupils' mean age was 11.9 years with a range of 6 to 20. Research instruments included- questionnaires; school records, academic self-concept ladders teacher rating scales and 2006 KCPE results records. The pupils' questionnaires and academic self-concept ladders were group-administered in the respective classes by the researcher with the assistance of the class-teachers. Teachers' questionnaires were dropped in their respective schools and collected after 2 weeks. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze quantitative data. All the hypotheses were tested at P < .05 level of significance. According to the findings, pupils in the sample had a high academic self-concept in the subjects tested. Pupils in the lower classes had signifignantly higher academic selfconcept than those in upper classes; class by class analysis indicated that girls tended to have higher self-concept that boys in lower classes but this changed as they moved to upper classes. Nonetheless, in the upper classes, the girls still maintained higher academic self-concept scores in languages than the boys who led in mathematics and science. Academic self-concept was found to be positively related to teacher ratings and negatively correlated to absenteeism and class-retention. A significant positive relationship between academic self-concept and academic achievement was observed only at standard 8. In other classes, there was no consistent pattern in the relationship. In a multiple correlation analysis to find out which of the variables in the study would be fitted into a model to predict academic academic-self concept, academic achievement emerged as the best positive predictor of academic self-concept. With age factor included, in the model, ago became a major negative predictor of academic self concept at standard seven. Absenteeism was found to be negatively correlated to academic self-concept (p < .05), teacher ratings and age (across the sample), and was positively correlated to classretention. There was a significant interaction effect between class-retention and grade. Comparing mean scores of retainees to non-retainees before and after retention revealed that classretention significantly improved the mean performance of the pupils in classes 7 &8 (p = .000) but had negligible effect in lower classes. Although there were class differences in retention rates, no gender differences were observed. Teacher ratings were positively related to academic self-concept and the relationship was strongest and significant academic self-concept in mathematics. On the whole, the findings of the study supported the guiding theory of the study - the Symbolic Interaction Theory. On the basis of the findings, a number of conclusions and recommendations for education policy makers and other stakeholders were made.
Guiding and counselling pupils in Kenyan public primary schools: headteachers and teacher counsellors role perception and experiences
(2011-11-08) Njoka, Evangeline Wanjira
The purpose of this study was to determine the role perceptions of headteachers and the teacher counsellors in the guidance and counselling of pupils in public primary schools of Embu District, Kenya as well as determining whether there were any qualitative different ways in which respondents (headteachers and teacher counsellors) viewed and experienced these roles. In addition, the study established whether there were any significant differences between the respondents' role perceptions in guiding and counselling pupils and the selected demographic variables of age, sex, marital status, academic qualification, teaching experience, experience in management, training in guidance and counselling, school category and geographical location of school. The study also established if there existed any significant differences between headteachers' perceptions of teacher counsellor's role and the teacher counsellors' perceptions of their role. The study used a survey design with a multi-strategy research approach which provided both quantitative and qualitative data through questionnaires, interviews and observations. The data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The inferential statistics employed were t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), which were used to test the hypotheses of the study at significance level of 0.05. The interview data were analysed phenomenographically. Both the headteachers and the teacher counsellors had high levels of perception of their roles in the guidance and counselling of pupils (4.57 and 4.52 respectively out of a maximum of 5.0). The headteachers' level of perception of the teacher counsellors' role was 4.54. The results obtained after testing the hypotheses indicated that there were no significant differences between headteachers' role perceptions and the independent variables of age, gender, marital status, academic qualifications, training in guidance and counselling, administrative experience, teaching experience, school category and geographical location of school. There were also no significant differences between teacher counsellors' role perceptions and the independent variables of age, gender, marital status, academic qualifications, training in guidance and counselling, administrative experience, and school category. In addition, there was no significant difference between the headteachers perception of the teacher counsellors' role and the perception of the teacher counsellors about their role. There was however a significant difference realised between teacher counsellors' role perceptions and the geographical location of school. Over half of the teacher counsellors (55.6%) and the majority of the headteachers (71.4%) had not received any basic training in the guidance and counselling skills. Observations carried out revealed that 90.7% of schools had not time-tabled for guidance and counselling and was only done when need arose. The majority did not have guidance and counselling offices (93.3%), reference materials (79.0%) and training materials (76.5%). Counselling atmosphere in more than half (57.0%) of the counselling sessions was found to be either tense or suspicious. Phenomenographic analysis of data revealed that there were qualitative different ways in which the respondents viewed and experienced their roles in the guidance and counselling of pupils. The pupils who needed guidance and counselling in public schools had socio-cultural, socio-economic, and academic problems or needs. Drug abuse (socio-cultural) was ranked as the most serious with alcohol being most abused. Early pregnancies and marriages were the leading causes of girl school drop outs, while drug abuse and child labour were the leading causes of the boys drop outs. The majority of the teacher counsellors (89.1%) and the headteachers (94.9%) missed out many functions despite having high role perceptions. Lack of support from the stakeholders; intensive poverty and widespread illiteracy; cultural/traditional practices; and negative media influence, were recorded as interfering with their role performance. Several suggestions to solve these problems . were offered. Although the respondents listed several indicators of poor role performance in the guidance and counselling of their pupils, the majority still perceived their role performances to be either good or fair. The research findings have justified the need for change in the management of guidance and counselling and several recommendations have been put forward. Some suggestions for further research have also been included.
Policy and practice in guidance and counselling in secondary schools in Kenya
(2011-12-16) Wango, Geoffrey Mbugua
This thesis explores the policy and practice of the secondary school guidance and counselling programme in Kenya in the context of the school. The study was conducted in three stages beginning with an initial survey at stage one and case studies at stage two. At the third stage of the study, discussions were held with various stakeholders including a focus group discussion with students. The theoretical framework for the study is based on prismatic society (Rigs, 1964; Harber and Davies, 1997), and Fullan's (2001) model of educational changes, using the person centred counselling approach as the background to counselling. Findings suggest that despite the emphasis on guidance and counselling in schools, the provision of guidance and counselling services is highly variable and somewhat fragmented in scope largely depending on individual schools. The main implication of the study is the need for more comprehensive guidance and counselling policy in this increasingly important area of education. These relate to the appointment of Counsellors, professional issues including a code of conduct for counsellors and the need for a more comprehensive programme that is learner friendly.
Cognitive correlates of English reading achievement among standard three pupils in the slums of Nairobi
(2012-03-01) Arasa, Josephine Nyaboke
This study aimed at finding out the relationship between English reading achievement (dependent variable) and Letter-sound knowledge, decoding abilities and speed of reading (independent variables). The study also investigated whether there were any significant gender differences in English reading achievement, Lettersound knowledge, decoding abilities and speed of reading. Differences between good and poor readers in all the variables were also examined. Finally teachers' views, opinions and perceptions on identification of poor readers, importance of reading, factors contributing to poor reading, help given to poor readers, suggestions on what could be done to improve on reading in the slums, whether time allocated to teaching reading was adequate and whether they felt they were well equipped to teach reading were explored. The sample for the study consisted of 78 (35 males and 43 females) standard three pupils from 5 selected schools in the slums of Nairobi whose ages ranged from 8-13 years with an average age of 10 years. The teachers who teach English to these children in class 3 together with the headteachers in each of the five schools also formed the sample. Data was collected by use of Letter-sound knowledge test, alphabetic process test logographic process test, teachers' and headteachers' questionnaires, students' questionnaires, report cards to obtain English reading achievement scores and a focused group discussion instrument for the teachers. Data was coded and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics to describe and summarize data, Pearson Product Moment correlation coefficients, multiple regression analysis test, t-tests and Analysis of variance (ANOVA) at P<_0.05 level of significance were used to analyze data. The following the results were obtained based on the hypotheses of the study: i) English reading achievement was positively and significantly correlated with Letter-sound knowledge (r = 0.36), decoding of Non-words (r = 0.48) and decoding of Familiar words (r = 0.54). ii) English reading achievement was negatively and significantly correlated with the speed of reading Letters (r = -0.36), speed of reading Non-words (r = - 0.40) and speed of reading Familiar words (r = -0.47). iii) There were significant and positive inter-correlations among Letter-sound knowledge and decoding of Non-words (r = 0.54) and with decoding of Familiar words (0.57). iv) When the independent variables were combined, they contributed significantly to English reading achievement (R` = 0.30). v) There were no significant gender differences in decoding of Non-words, decoding of Familiar words, speed of reading Letters, speed of reading Nonwords and speed of reading Familiar words. vi) There was a significant gender difference in Letter-sound knowledge. vii) Good and poor readers (grouping) differed significantly in English reading achievement and in letter- sound knowledge, decoding of Non-words and Familiar words, speed of reading Letters, Non-words and Familiar words. viii) One's gender and being a good or poor reader (grouping) did not interact significantly to influence performance in Letter-sound knowledge, decoding of Non-words, decoding of Familiar words and in speed of reading Letters, speed of reading Non-words and speed of reading Familiar words. Results from the teachers showed that the teachers could easily identify poor readers using a variety of methods, teachers knew the importance of knowing how to read, they used various methods to teach reading and they could explain factors that contribute to poor reading. The teachers used different approaches to help the poor readers to improve and they gave many suggestions on what they felt needed to be done to improve on reading achievements in the slums. Generally, the teachers felt that they lacked the necessary skills to teach reading; hence, they were not well equipped to teach reading. They also felt that the time allocated to teaching reading was inadequate. From the research, the following recommendations were made: i) There is need for early assessment and intervention to identify students deficient in reading skills (Letter- sound Knowledge and word decoding skills), followed by a one to one intervention. The children should be taught to attend to each letter and its relationship to sounds. The teachers should begin with common, useful letters and words to avoid confusion. Similar letters and letters with similar sounds should be separated. Teachers can use flash cards or word cards, pictorial aids or display high frequency words on the wall or bulletin boards. Reading easy books, repeated readings and choral reading should be used to facilitate ii) The teachers should provide a balanced and comprehensive program of instruction, which covers concepts about print, phonological, and phonetic awareness, letter name knowledge, letter sound knowledge, letter groups and sounds and sight words. The reading instructions should be appropriate for the students' level of performance. Extensive practice should be emphasized to integrate use of visual, contextual, and structural cue system. iii) During teaching, fluency and automaticity should be emphasized. iv) Poor readers require specialized methods of teaching as they lack the necessary skills and knowledge compared to the good readers, this will help them to improve on English reading achievement. This is likely to reduce the anxiety, frustration, high dropout, repetition, poor academic performance, negative attitudes towards school and other problems associated with being a poor or non-reader. v) There is need to provide individual attention and remediation to the poor readers. This can be done by having special classes for those who have not had any previous exposure to reading, those with minimal exposure and those with average skills. Then once they have acquired the necessary skills they can be taught together as a group. Many teachers recommended this grouping though they lack the time, resources, and competence. Remedial programmes should focus on the specific deficits or deficiencies that have been identified through assessment and diagnosis i.e. treat and focus on weaknesses to enhance strengths of the child. For example a priority should be given to teaching how letters correspond to sounds, reading and writing of Non-words by use of letter-sound knowledge vi) When teaching, there is need to distinguish between the letters of the alphabet and their usage to spoken names which contain sounds i.e. spoken Letter/sounds should be linked to written forms. (Many subjects had extreme difficulties linking letters to sounds). vii) There is need to help learners to recognize whole words (word learning). Many children did not perceive words as Familiar or Non-words and they were very slow• in their responses with some relying on Letter-sounding technique (reading letter by letter). Learners should be helped to use lettersound knowledge to read and pronounce Non-words. viii) More pre-primary or nursery schools should be set up in the slums and the parents encouraged to send their children to these schools instead of waiting until they are over age then send them to primary schools. Many teachers felt that this will help the children to acquire basic skills of reading early in life. (74% of the subjects had not attended nursery or pre-primary). ix) Adequate screening tests should be developed and teachers taught on how to diagnose reading problem. These tests can be prepared by specialists in the area of reading at KISE, Ministry of Education, Department of special Education at Kenyatta University and clinical child neuropsychologists to help identify poor readers. x) There is need for the government to provide interesting, varied and more reading materials to the slums now that there is free education. Many of these children cannot afford to buy even a single book xi) Success of any reading program depends on the knowledge and the skills of the teacher. The teacher should be well trained in a specific approach and supported in its implementation either through in-service or pre-service. These teachers need knowledge on word attack knowledge, skills and strategies to provide well-structured instructions to their students. xii) Teacher training colleges should offer courses that impart the necessary skills on teaching of reading and reading disabilities so that the teachers can confidently and competently deal with this problem of poor reading. The training should give the teachers first hand experience, knowledge, and skills on diversity of reading problems. The teachers should also be trained on identification, assessment, diagnosis, and intervention of reading disabilities. The training should also focus on methods of teaching reading, which have been proved effective through research. xiii) Adult education programmes for parents should be emphasized to reduce illiteracy so that the parents can get more involved with their children's schoolwork. xiv) Free medical clinics should be offered to check and help those children with speech, hearing and visual problems that interfere with learning to read (reading is an audio-visual process). xvi) There is need to create awareness to the slum community on the importance of education so that the community can work together with the teachers and administrator to reduce illiteracy and other problems in the slum. xvii) The teachers need to change their negative attitudes towards the slum community and more specifically towards these children. Some of the teachers during the focused group discussion sessions said "ignore them" "they can never make it in life" "we are here because Teachers Service Commission cannot transfer us elsewhere" among other negative comments. The teachers need to know that any child, given the right kind of physical and emotional support can learn and achieve. These children are just disadvantaged but not necessarily retarded intellectually. xviii) There is need for an in-depth study of the poor readers to identify specific features or characteristics associated with poor readers for purposes of remediation or intervention. xix) More research and other comparative studies should be carried out to find out other factors related to related to Kiswahili and English reading achievement since the present research variables accounted for only 30% of the variance in English reading achievement. Such factors include memory, phonological processing, audio-visual perception, home and school related factors among others. From the finding's it can be concluded that English reading achievement is significantly correlated with Letter-sound knowledge, decoding abilities and speed of reading. However, there is need for an in-depth study of the poor readers to identify specific features or characteristics associated with poor readers for purposes of remediation or intervention. More research should also be carried out to find out other factors related to English reading achievement since the present research variables accounted for only 30% of the variance in English reading achievement.
A study of Measures used in the identification of gifted and talented children in three district of Kenya
(2012-03-01) Kamau, Rachel Wanjiru
This was an exploratory study. The purpose was to investigate whether we can identify gifted and talented children in the two provinces of Kenya using the cognitive and non-cognitive measures. The study endeavoured to establish the validity and reliability of the parameters used with the hope of developing an indigenous identification instrument for the identification of the gifted and talented people of this country. In addition, the study was expected to provide baseline data to assist in the implementation of the recommendations of Kamunge (1988) and Koech (1999) Reports on Inquiry into the Educational System in Kenya. The significance of this research lies in the fact that it was meant to: assist in the establishment of programmes for the gifted and talented by facilitating the implementation of the recommendations of the Kamunge (1988) and Koech (1999) Reports on the need to identify the gifted and talented children in Kenya; promote public awareness on who these children are and what their needs entail and the repercussions to the society when we fail to identify them; encourage further studies on the development of a test and/or a procedure to be employed in the identification of the Kenyan gifted and talented children in future; and facilitate further research activities in the area of the gifted and talented. The study employed the survey research design. The subjects of the study were 429 pupils from Standard Three to Eight in fourteen purposefully selected primary schools from Central and Nairobi Provinces between the age ranges of 9 and 14 years. The identification instruments employed included: Rating and Observational checklists, Achievement Tests; Standardized Measures of intelligence namely, Raven's Progressive matrices (RPM), Intelligence and Developmental Tests for I Eastern Africa (IDEA). Analysis of variance, Chi-square, t-tests and frequency distribution were used in the data analysis and presentation. The results indicated that cognitive measures are more effective and appropriate in the identification of the gifted and talented as compared to non-cognitive measures. However, the results of non-cognitive measures correlated quite highly with those already recorded from other researches undertaken in USA, Germany. Canada. Finland, United Kingdom among other countries. In addition, demographic variables like parents occupations, family size, ordinal position of birth. number of brothers and number of sisters play a significant role in who becomes gifted and talented and those who are not. There was no age difference between those children who were gifted and talented and those who were not. However, the gifted and talented performed better than their peers who were not gifted and not talented. Furthermore, there was no significant . difference between the two genders with regards to the performance of cognitive tasks. Finally, there are recommendations and suggestions for further studies.
Cognitive strategy use for explicit and implicit text meaning by urban, peri-urban and rural primary school pupils in Kisumu municipality
(2012-04-03) Dinga, Jotham Ndolo; Gatumu, H. N.; Agnes Gathumbi
The study investigated two aspects of reading comprehension for the purpose of explaining some of the reasons for poor comprehension performance by primary school pupils. First, it investigated silent reading behaviors viewed to negatively affect comprehension. Secondly, it investigated gender, school level and home background differences in the use of cognitive strategies to construct explicit and implicit meaning from expository, narrative and documentary texts. An ex post facto design was used. Study subjects were 785 standard 5 and 7 pupils from three schools randomly selected, one each from an urban, peri-urban and rural area. Each school had 4 streams (2 in standard 5 and 2 in standard 7). From each stream, 6 pupils (3 girls and 3 boys) were randomly chosen for observation while silently reading text. The rest of the class did a group comprehension task testing implicit and explicit meaning from expository, narrative and documentary texts. Observation data was obtained using a checklist. Observed behaviors were categorized and reported as quantitative data in the form of frequencies and percentages. Some of the pupils showed the reading behaviors which negatively affect comprehension, such as not reading entire text before embarking on question-answering (42%), moving lips (61%), pointing at words (21%s), moving head (42%) and mumbling (33%). Gender and school level differences in using strategies for explicit and implicit meaning and for different types of texts were tested at .05 level of significance using Independent Samples 1 test. One way ANOVA was used to find out if there were home background differences in strategy use for explicit and implicit meaning, and also for different types of text. For explicit meaning, there was no significant gender difference (t (711) = -1.170,p >.05). For explicit meaning, there was a significant difference with Standard 5 performing better than Standard 7 (t (711) = 2.020, p < .05). Significant difference was also found for different home backgrounds (F (2, 710) 184.015, p -, .05), with urban doing best and rural doing worst. For implicit meaning, there was no gender difference in strategy use (t(711) = 1.25,p > .05). Significant difference was found for school level in the case of implicit meaning (I (711) = -14.690, p <.05) with Standard 7 performing better. In the case of home background, there was significant difference in strategy use for implicit meaning (F (2, 710) = 107.786, p < .05). Regarding the use of cognitive strategies for different types of text, no significant gender difference was found for expository text (I (711) == -.732, p > .05). For narrative text, also no significant gender difference was found in strategy use (I (711) = -.677, p > .05) Even for documentary texts, no significant gender difference was found (I (711) = -2.14, p > .05) Also eoncerning the different types of text, Standard 7 were sigriificantly better than Standard 5 in strategy use for expository text (I (711) = -7.675,p <.05). Standard 7 did not differ significantly from Standard 5 (I (711) = -.677, p > .05). Standard 7 also did significantly better for documentary text (I (711) = -2.014, p< .05). In the case of home background differences, urban children performed best followed by peri-urban, with rural performing worst at .05 level for all the three types of text. It was recommended that reading be introduced as a subject in primary teacher training colleges, parents be more involved in their children's learning, teachers stop giving comprehension exercises instead of teaching comprehension strategies and further research be done on teachers and how they teach reading.
Relationship between student achievement motivation, students' attitude towards school, parental education and parental involvement with their children's school work among slum children
(2012-05-02) Arasa, Josephine Nyaboke
The purpose of the study were: i. Look at the level of education attained by parents of slum children and parental interest or involvement with their children's schoolwork. ii. To investigate the attitudes towards school held by the subjects and their level of achievement motivation. iii. Find out whether there is any significant correlation among parental level of education parental involvement, students attitudes towards school and students achievement motivation. The sample consisted of 251 standard seven pupils from 4 primary school in the slums of Nairobi. The instruments used for data collection were: i. Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) to provide information on students’ achievement motivation. ii. Likert-type scale to measure students’ attitudes towards school. iii. Questionnaire to measure parental level of education and parental involvement with their children's schoolwork. For data analysis the following techniques were used: - i. Descriptive statistics to describe data. ii. Coefficient contingency to test strength of relationships. iii. Chi square test to test for significance of relationships. iv. Multiple regression analysis to establish contribution made by each variable on the other. The findings of the results indicated that there i. Was no significant relationship between students achievement motivation and a. Students attitudes towards school b. Parents level of education c. Parental involvement with their children’s schoolwork at p < 0.05 level of significance. ii. Was no significant relationship between students' attitudes towards school and a. Parental level of education b. Parental involvement with their children's schoolwork at p< 0.05, level of significance. iii. There is a significant relationship between parental level of involvement and parental level of education at p <0.05 level of significance. It was concluded therefore that parental level of education and parental level of involvement are not related to students' attitudes towards school nor to students' achievement motivation. There is need therefore to investigate the factors that are likely to influence students' attitudes towards school and students' achievement motivation among slum children.
Differential prediction of success in technical courses using the differential aptitude tests and Kenyan public examination grades
(2012-06-11) Kaheero-Katigo, Jokshan
The purpose of this research was to investigate the differential predictive validity of the Differential Aptitude Test (DAT), the Kenya Certificate of primary Education (KCPE) and the Kenya Certificate of Education (KCE) examination in the success of students in secondary level technical courses in Kenya. The predictive validities of the three batteries were compared in order to determine the subtests, which would predict technical performance best. The contention of the researcher was that both the K.C.P.E. and the K.C.E. were inadequate measures for purposes of selecting candidates for technical courses since they were academically biased. Academically biased mental tests are heavily loaded with verbal and numerical reasoning. They serve well in predicting for academic courses but not for technical courses which require spatial and mechanical reasoning abilities. The DAT contains both spatial and mechanical reasoning subtests and was therefore expected to be a better predictive tool for technical courses. The subjects were students enrolled in the technical institute of Kabete and Thika. They were categorized into two groups, namely; craftsmen (N=149) and artisans (N=61). The data included K.C.P.E. grades for the artisans, K.C.E. grades for the craftsmen, DAT scores and technical grades for both groups. The data analysis included frequency tabulations, correlational analysis, multiple regression and factor analysis. Correlational analysis revealed that certain public examination papers and DAT measures had high predictive validities for technical courses. For the craftsmen the most critical KCE papers were Mathematics, Geography, Biology, Physical Science and Technical courses. For the artisans, the most critical KCPE papers were Mathematics, Science and Agriculture, Technical Subjects, and the combined paper of Geography, History, Civics and Religious Education (GHCRE). The DAT tests with leading predictive validities were Numerical Ability, Abstract Reasoning, Mechanical Reasoning and Space Relations. Multiple Regression analysis was carried out for the purpose of determining the combination of predictor variables, which would maximize prediction of performance in technical courses. Various combinations of public examination papers and DAT tests emerged as potential multiple predictors of technical performance. The computed F ratio us revealed that the increments to predictable variance (R's) in technical performance attributed to inclusions of second and third order predictor variables were statistically significant. Latter additions tended to make minute contributions to predictable variance which reflected redundant measurement by the latter predictor variables. However, in many cases the accounted for variance was than 50per cent. Factor analysis was carried out with a view to identifying the constructs measures by the technical examination papers and as revealed in the intercorrelation matrices. It was observed that technical papers tended to load on a unique factor, which would have low correlation coefficients with the DAT and the public examination papers. On the basis of this study, it was recommended that the DAT should be incorporated into the selection procedures for technical institutes.
Factors determining commitment and non-commitment to teaching among primary school teachers in three districts: Keiyo-Marakwet, Nyeri, Kakamega - Kenya
(2012-06-14) Kimengi, Isaac Njuguna
The provision of a well education, keen, competent, respected and contented teaching force is by far one of the most important contribution the Government of Kenya can make to the schools. However, teaching a career has been viewed by students who aspire to join colleges and even teachers in the field as a peripheral profession. It may be hard to change this misconception of values, but one of the essential parts of any successful development of education in Africa today is a higher prestige and regard for teachers. For this reason, there is a great need to understand and discover the nature and even possible sources of commitment and non-commitment in the teaching profession. The task of this study was primarily to investigate the job factors, which may influence feelings of commitment to teaching among primary school teachers. The design for the study was descriptive and ex post factor. The population for this study was primary school teachers in three districts, namely: Nyeri, Kakamega and Keiyo-Marakwet. Ten primary schools that were present at the time when the researcher visited each school represented the sample of this study. Three hundred and seventy two teachers responded to the research instrument. Statistical package for the social science programme (SPSS) was used. The statistical tests employed in he study were chi-square (x2) and contingency coefficient. Hypotheses tested in the study were rejected or retained at 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that; (1) Almost half of the teachers in the sample would ideally prefer a career other than teaching. (2) Female teachers showed a more positive attitude towards a career in teaching than males. (3) The job factor of 'inadequate pay' was cited as the most crucial factor, which would make teachers to resign or leave teaching. (4) Majority of the teachers in the sample would continue being committed as long as they were teaching in primary schools, which were in their home areas. The job factors mostly cited as having influence on non-commitment were: (1) Slow process of ordering and supplying instructional materials; (2) Poor working conditions; (3) Poor housing arrangement; (4) Frustrations by the public and administration officials; and (5) External interference by public. Suggestions to solutions of some of these problems were given by respondents and have been incorporated in the study. The study had the following conclusions and recommendations: 1. Most teachers in the sample would opt to resign to leave teaching profession on economic grounds. The job factor of 'inadequate pay' was cited especially by male teachers as the one, which would influence their departure from teaching. Therefore, this finding implies that if the question of adequate pay is not seriously addressed to, the teaching profession may risk continued loss of manpower that is difficult to replace within a short time. Therefore, the educational planners should consider reviewing teachers' salaries structures with intent to increasing them. 2. Teachers are not contented with promotion opportunities that are available and the methods used in promoting teachers. This finding implies that lack of clear promotional prospects may lead to frustrations among teachers, which might result in seeking employment outside the teaching service as soon as opportunities arise. Hence there is need for the Ministry of Education to review the policies governing the methods of promotion of primary school teachers. 3. Poor working conditions and terms of service were described as depressing the public image of the teacher and the to relegate the profession to the lower status. This finding seems to imply that teaching profession will most likely continue losing qualified and committed teachers and also fail to recruit or attract younger and more diverse manpower for education. Therefore, it is imperative for the Ministry of Education to encourage strong parental and community support for the schools. Schools should be well-equipped and sufficient classrooms and permanent houses for teachers built. 4. A large proportion of the teachers in the sample would continue being committed to teaching because of three major job factors: 'Lack of alternatives'; 'chance to continue learning and job being close to home'. The findings imply that primary school teachers hope to advance themselves academically so that they may be able to secure jobs in other more lucrative fields. Therefore, teachers should not be allowed to stagnate or begin to look elsewhere for promotion and green pastures but could be encouraged to develop within the profession. Further, the findings suggest that teachers should be posted to their home districts immediately after training. Within the district, a teacher should be given the preference of teaching in the primary school closest to his or her home.
The effects of peer pressure on the educational achievement, educational aspirations and occupational aspirations of form four students in Kericho District
(2012-06-14) Rono, Ruthie Chepkoech
The study dealt with the effects of peer pressure on academic achievement, educational aspirations and occupational aspirations of secondary school students. The study examined the relationship (if any) between the perception of peer pressure and academic achievement in mock examination, peer pressure and educational aspirations, and peer pressure and occupational aspirations. The study further attempted to find out whether there are differences in the students' perceptions of peer pressure when the intervening variables of sex, school attended and residential status of students were taken into consideration. The sample included 484 students who were in form 4 in 1987. These students were randomly drawn from five secondary schools in Kericho District. All subjects were administered a questionnaire comprising a section of open-ended items and a section of items utilizing a Likert scale. The Likert scale was used to elicit the subjects’ perceptions of peer pressure on various academic, educational and occupational issues. The results showed statistically significant relationship between peer pressure and academic achievement when peer pressure to do homework and peer pressure to choose subjects were considered. No statistically significant relationship was obtained for the relationship between academic achievement and peer pressure to work hard for good marks and peer pressure not to miss classes. A statistically significant relationship was obtained for the perception of peer pressure and educational aspirations. For the relationship between peer pressure and occupational aspirations, statistically significant relationships were obtained for peer pressure to look for employment and peer pressure to look for professional training after completing Form 4. However, no statistically significant relationship was obtained for the relationship between peer pressure to choose an occupation and the occupational aspirations of students. The analysis further revealed that the sex of the student did not affect the perception of peer pressure towards academic achievement and educational aspirations. However, sex differences were obtained for occupational aspirations. The type of school attended was not significant for the perception of peer pressure on academic achievement. The school attended was significant in the perception of peer pressure on educational aspirations. The school attended was also found to be significant when occupational aspirations were considered. The residential status of the respondents had quite some interesting results when academic achievement was considered, significant differences were obtained for some academic situations and not for others. For example, significant differences were obtained for the perception of peer pressure to do homework and to work hard for good marks. However, no significant differences were obtained for choice of subjects and in the perception of peer pressure not to miss classes. Residential status was significant for educational aspirations except when it came to the issue of aiming towards university education, boarders and day scholars were homogeneous. Residential status was found to be significant for occupational aspirations except in the perception of peer pressure to seek after completing Form 4. The general conclusion emanating from this study was that first; peers exert some influence on the students’ decisions concerning academic activities and aspirational decisions. Secondly, the sex of the student determines the susceptibility to peer pressure in some areas while in other areas; sex does not make a difference. Thirdly, the type of school attended influences some aspects of academic and aspirational behaviour while in others, there is no clear-cut influence. In general therefore, the researcher concludes that the effect of peer pressure largely depends on the issues concerned and the sex, school and residential status of the students i.e. it is significant in short term decision and not significant in long term decisions. More research needs to be undertaken to compare parent and peer influence on all areas of adolescent behavior. Other factors like age, birth order, and economic and educational background of parents should be studied to determine their influence on adolescent susceptibility to peer pressure.
Assessment of effectiveness of "incredible years program" compared to the traditional program in behaviour modification among juvenile rehabilitees in Nairobi, Kenya
(2013-03-26) Cheseto, Nancy
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the 'Incredible Years Program' (IYP) in reducing juvenile delinquency in Kenya. Juvenile delinquency in Kenya is on the increase. The number of children in conflict with law has risen significantly from 483 in 2006 to 927 in 2010. This necessitated the assessment of the effectiveness of this program. There was therefore need to conduct a research to determine whether the 'Incredible Years' Program training for house-parents and teachers is effective in the rehabilitation of juveniles in Kenya. It is for this reason that the current research embarked on trying out the 'Incredible Years Program' with a hope that it will improve juvenile rehabilitation services in Kenya and reduce the tendency of children falling back into crime. The design in this study was Quasi-Experimental research design. The target population in the study composed of all the children, house-masters/mistresses and teachers of Kenyan Rehabilitation Schools. Purposive sampling design was used in sampling procedure. A sample of hundred and fifty (150) children from two (2) Rehabilitation Schools took part in the study. Seventy five (75) from Dagoretti Girls' Rehabilitation School and seventy five (75) from Kabete Boys' Rehabilitation School. Both Rehabilitation Schools are in Nairobi. The two Rehabilitation Schools cater for medium-risk children. Medium-risk offences include being in bad company, being in possession of drugs and stealing. Low-risk offences are non-criminogenic in nature like dropping out of school. High-risk child offenders come in with murder, robbery with violence, arson and- drug trafficking. Four House-parents and four teachers were also part of the sample, to make a total of 158. Two instruments were used to collect data. They included an adapted Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman, 1999) which was filled by house-parents and teachers and an Observation Schedule filled by the researcher. A pilot study was also conducted in order to validate the research instruments. Data was analyzed using frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviations. The study findings indicated that there was a significant relationship between the 'Incredible Years Program' and behaviour change among the rehabilitees. There were significant differences between 'Incredible Years Program' and the Traditional Rehabilitation Methods and there was no significant relationship between effect of 'Incredible Years Program' and gender of the rehabilitees. Concusively, results show that the 'Incredible Years Program' is effective in the rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents which was also indicated by other studies cited. This study has revealed salient features influencing rehabilitation outcomes that are amenable to change in terms of rehabilitation policy. If 'Incredible Year's Program' is introduced in Kenya, the policy makers should ensure that it is implemented fully. The researcher recommends the following for further research: study on the behavior of children in the Juvenile Remand Homes, The role of the family in influencing conduct problems and the type of learning climate and its impact on offending.
Relationship between Principals' Emotional Intelligence and Students' Learning Achievements in Public Secondary Schools in Nairobi County, Kenya.
(2013-09-25) Nzomo, Lydia Nkuene
Studies in the business field indicate a positive relationship between emotional intelligence of heads of institutions and performance of such institutions. Few studies though, have been conducted to examine the role of emotional intelligence in the field of education The main objective of this study was to establish the relationship between the principals‟ emotional intelligence and students‟ learning achievements in public secondary schools in Nairobi County, where learning achievements included performance in academic and co-curricular activities. A correlation design was used. The independent variable in the study was emotional intelligence of principals while the dependent variables were achievements in the academic and co-curricular activities of the students. Purposive sampling was used. The institutions sampled include national and county public schools in Nairobi. The sample of the study was 294, made up of 35 principals, 35 deputy principals and 224 heads of departments. Data was collected using adapted Emotional Competence Inventory questionnaire whose average reliability is .63 and has high validity. Students‟ performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education and co-curricular activities were collected from the sampled schools and verified with records from the Kenya National Examinations Council and the Ministry of Education, respectively. The data collected was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics such as standard deviations, t-test, Spearman correlation and Pearson product moment correlation. The findings of the study indicated that there is a statistically significant relationship between emotional intelligence of principals and students‟ academic achievements in national schools and in co-curricular activities. The other findings were that there is statistically significant relationship between emotional intelligence of principals and involvement of members of Board of Governors and parents in students‟ learning achievements. The findings did not show statistically significant relationship between emotional intelligence of principals and students‟ academic achievements in county secondary schools. In addition, the findings did not indicate statistically significant relationship between the emotional intelligence of principals and their gender, professional qualification and length of service. In conclusion, there were gaps identified in some emotional intelligence competencies of principals that need to be enhanced. Considering the inter-play between emotional intelligence of principals and learning achievements of students, the researcher recommends that the concept be incorporated in the in-service courses for serving and aspiring principals, criteria for identification of principals and deputy principals and in the school and post school curricular for all levels of education Further research is recommended in the area of emotional intelligence of principals and other stakeholders in schools
Determinants of paternal involvement in pupils’ education and academic achievement among primary school pupils in Nairobi County, Kenya
(2014) Bironga, Sophia Moraa
Many studies have been done on the importance of parental involvement in children‟s education, yet few studies have examined the individual contribution that fathers and mothers make to their children‟s academic achievement. Fathers‟ role in children‟s education is of a great deal of interest to many people. This interest comes from the fact that traditionally in Africa, fathers were the hidden parents. They were taught to be breadwinners of their families but of limited importance in non-financial aspects of children‟s development. The purpose of this study was to investigate; the relationship between paternal involvement in children‟s education and pupils‟ academic achievement. The study was guided by Parental Involvement Model by Palkovitz (1997), Role Identity Theory by Stryker (1987) and Cognitive Development Theory by Piaget (1970).The research design of this study was ex post facto. The study was carried out in Nairobi county because of it‟s diversity of the population in general and its metropolitan nature. One school was selected from each of the four districts through simple random sampling. Forty standard six pupils were purposively sampled from each selected school due to their performance from the teachers‟ assessment record. This gave rise to a sample size of 160 pupils. Fathers of the selected children were automatically part of the sample, giving a total of 320 participants in the study. Data were collected through a questionnaire which each participant filled concerning paternal involvement. Pilot study was carried to establish content validity and reliability. Reliability was established using Cronbach‟s alpha coefficient and both likert scales used had reliability of above 0.7. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was utilized to prepare and organize data for analysis and to test for significance. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were usedto analyze data. The results showed that there was a relationship between paternal involvement and pupils‟ academic achievement. Pearson Correlation had revealed that there was a relationship between fathers‟ involvement in pupils‟ education and pupils‟ academic achievement. The t-test revealed that there was no significant mean difference in the average scores of fathers‟ involvement in the education of boys and girls. ANOVA revealed that paternal involvement in pupils‟ education did not differ significantly by levels of education of the fathers. The results from (ANOVA) also revealed that paternal involvement in pupils‟ education did not differ significantly by the occupation of the fathers. Fathers were involved in activities like paying school fees, buying books and checking whether the children completed their homework. However, fathers were found to leave some duties like attending meetings and talking to teachers to their wives. It was concluded that fathers‟ involvement in their children‟s education influence their children‟s performance. It was recommended that there was need for school managers to encourage fathers to closely monitor and participate in their children‟s education.
Relationship between levels of exposure to mass media and students’ deviant behaviors in selected secondary schools, Nakuru county Kenya
(2014) Kimani, James Mwaura
The influence of the media on the psychosocial development of children and the youth is profound. Kenya has witnessed tremendous and rapid expansion of the mass media, whose large proportion of features is Western oriented. Most of this information focuses on violence, drugs, relationships and sexuality. The available literature shows that most young people are heavy consumers of both electronic and print media. This study was therefore designed to establish the relationship between levels of exposure to mass media and students‘ deviant behaviors in selected secondary schools within Nakuru County Kenya. Specifically, the study sought to establish the relationship between levels of exposure to mass media and students‘: drug abuse, aggression, sexual violence and physical violence. The study was guided by the Social Learning Theory pioneered by Albert Bandura with its principle of ―modeling‖ and operant conditioning theory by B.F Skinner. The study employed survey research design. In view of this, questionnaires were used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. The independent variable in the study was levels of exposure to mass media. The dependent variables were students‘ Drug abuse, aggression, Sexual violence and physical violence. The study was carried out in the 3 Sub-counties of Nakuru town, Molo and Nakuru North, within Nakuru County, Kenya. The sample size for this study was 482 sampled from a total student population of 12,300 from the 3 selected Sub-counties. The study areas were purposively sampled while stratified random sampling and simple random sampling were used to sample schools and students respectively. The study used 8 public secondary schools distributed as follows, 3 were Sub-county day and mixed, one provincial day and mixed, 2 provincial boarding and mixed, 1 national boys boarding and 1 national girls boarding. All form one, two and three students in the specified categories formed the accessible population of 482 students. The study used questionnaire to collect data. The instruments were pretested in 3 schools, randomly selected from the 3 Sub-counties. Each school had 20 students selected randomly. Quantitative data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 for Windows. Specifically, Chi square and Pearson correlation statistics were used to test the significance of the stated null hypotheses, set at α=0.05. Qualitative data applied thematic analysis while descriptive statistics such as percentages, frequencies and means were used to summarize data. The key findings indicated that levels of exposure to mass media influences students to drug abuse (P=0.007 that is <0.05). Test done proved that levels of exposure to mass media are related to students‘ Drug abuse, aggression, sexual violence and physical violence. The statistical test results showed that time spent watching TV or video has an influence on students‘ physical violence levels (P=0.029 which is <0.05). Moreover, the statistical test results showed that time spent watching TV or video has an influence on students‘ levels of risky sexual behavior(P=0.004 which is <0.05). It was recommended that government, teachers and parents undertake measure to control adverse effects of media consumption by students. Further research should also be done to enhance parental role in sex education of the youth.
Relationship between adolescents' perceptions of their Parents' behaviours and the teenagers' non-illegal and Minor- illegal delinquency in Nairobi county Secondary schools, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2014) Kariuki, Njeri Scolastica
This study investigated the relationship between adolescents' perceptions of their parents' behaviours and teenagers' involvement in non-illegal and minorillegal delinquency in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study was based on parenting styles theory by Baumrind, social control theory by Nye and ego identity versus role confusion theory by Erikson. The participants comprised 219 female and 191 male students selected through the use of stratified and simple random sampling. Data was collected using a researcher designed questionnaire and a self report behaviour checklist. The independent variables of study were adolescents' perceptions of parents' behaviours that included supportiveness, monitoring of the teenagers' conducts, punitive isciplining, conflicts and alcohol use. The dependent variables comprised adolescents' nonillegal noncompliance and truancy) and minor-illegal (violence, substance abuse and stealing) delinquent behaviours. A correlational survey design was employed and relationships were examined using correlation coefficient statistics. The findings indicate that 279 adolescents had perceptions that they were excessively supported, 74.9% were occasionally involved, 17.7% were persistently (frequently) involved and 7.5% were never involved in the nonillegal delinquent behaviours. Further, 13 adolescents reported that they had perceptions of inadequate parental supporti veness, 61.5% of them were involved occasionally and 35.5% were never involved in the minor-illegal delinquent behaviours. Parental supportiveness was not related at p > .0 I (two tailed test) to adolescents' non-illegal and minor-illegal delinquent behaviours. The adolescents who perceived excessive parental monitoring comprised the highest percentage of those who were involved in occasional non-illegal (77 .6%) and occasional minor-illegal (51.7%) delinquent behaviours. The highest percentage of the persistent non-illegal (17.5%) and persistent minorillegal (7.7%) delinquent behaviours were those who perceived excessive parental monitoring. The lowest percentage of the adolescents who were involved in occasional non-illegal (46.2%) and persistent non-illegal (7.7%) behaviours were those who perceived low parental monitoring. The results revealed a significant positive relationship between adolescents' perceptions of parental monitoring and non-illegal, and substance abuse delinquent behaviours at p < .01 (two tailed test). There was a significant positive relationship between perceptions of parental use of harsh words and adolescents' involvement in non-illegal delinquent behaviours. Perceived corporal punishment and adolescents' substance abuse were significantly positively related at p < .05 (two tailed test). Frequent perceptions of parental alcohol use were significantly positively related to non-illegal delinquent behaviours and generalised delinquency. Adolescents' perceptions of parental alcohol were positively related to their involvement in non-illegal and minorillegal delinquent behaviours at p < .01 (two tailed test). Parenting training and adolescents' counselling were recommended to alleviate the youths' involvement in non-illegal and minor-illegal delinquent behaviours. Adolescents' behaviour surveillance in schools was also recommended.

Browse

Browsing PHD-Department of Educational Psychology by Issue Date

Results Per Page

Sort Options