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This collections contains bibliographic information and abstracts of PHD theses and dissertation in the School of Education held in Kenyatta University Library
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Item An evaluation of high school home science curriculum in Kenya(1987) Sigot, Asenath Jerotich; Marangu Leah T.; Olembo J.For the last two decades, home science teachers, students and professionals have expressed a need for improvement of the high school home science curriculum. The major purpose of this study was to; 1) investigate the extent to whichfue present curriculum meets the aims and objectives of home science education; 2) find out whether home science curriculum in high school was relevant to t~e needs of the students and the Kenyan society; 3) find out the extent to which the home science curriculum was integrated to cater for all round competencies or skills required by students; and 4) giv suggestions and recommendations towards the improvement of home science curriculum. The following null hypotheses, HO (X) were tested: HO (1) There will be no significant difference between the perceptions 'of teachers and students in the ranking of home science courses for their usefulness. HO (2) There will be no significant difference in the mean scores of teachers and students in their ratings of curriculum items. Thenull hypotheis HO~) was answered by using the speannan's RankDifference correlation methcxi(rho), whereas, the null hypothesis HO(2) was answeredby using the t test. Data was collected by meansof ~ questionnaires supplementedby interviews. The construction of the questionnai.ces was guided by the aims, objectives and suggested content outlined in the secondary school curriculum guide as well as the secondary school homescience syllabus provided by the KenyaNational Examinations Council. The questionnaire was divided into three parts. Part 1 had 12 i terns that sought for selected background infonnation about the respondents and homescience courses. Part II consisted of 49 curriculum items arranged into the following curriculum ccxnponents;six i terns on the general aims of horne science; six items on balance in curriculUm; seven Ltemson .curriculum objectives; nine items on content; seven items on learning activities; eight items on examinations and six iteTs on curriculum construction. Curriculum items were rated on a five-point degree of satisfaction scale.. 'Ihe highest po.int, Ln the scale indicated a high satisfaction and was assigned figure 4 while the lCMestpoint indicated lack of that SPecific curriculUm item and was assigned zero (0). 'Ihe last part of the questionnaire had ten items that sought for the strengths, weaknesses and suggestions for improvementin homescience curriculum. The questionnaires and interview guides were deveIoped and pretested for content validity and reliability. xvii The population of the study corrpri.sed of 53 hare science teach8rs, 866 hare-science students, 40 former high school hare science students and-15 secondary school administrators. Atotal of 50 stratified and randomlyselected high schools were visited in the study. Analysis of data indicated that teachers and students ranked hare managementfirst in usefulness. The other courses L.'1 descending order of their usefulness were, foods and nutrition, clothing and textiles and science :in the home. The follaving courses not extensively taught were ranked in descending order of usefulness by both the teachers and students : family life education, child development, consumereducation, homefurrii.shi.nqs and l:ousehold equipment. The Spearmans Coefficient of - Agreementindicated that both teachers and ~tudents agreed in their order of ranking hare science courses for their usefulness. '!he null hypothesis HO(1) was accepted at the P< .05 level. Curriculum items with a meanscore of 3.50 were considered as being very satisfactorily achieved but none of themreceived that score. Those with meanscores of 2.50 to 3.49 were considered as being achieved to a satisfactory degree and there were altogether 13 and 37 on the teacher and student ratings, respectively. CUrriculumitems with a meanscore below2.50 were considered as being unsatisfactorily achieved. The teachers' ratings indicated 36 curriculUm items as being unsatisfactorily achieved whereas the students' ratings indicated 12 curriculum items. Thus, the students ratings Here slightly higher than those of the-teachers. Examinationof the subject content involved in those curriculum items rated e.s being satisfactorily achieved (Ms= 2.50 -- 3.,49) included the objectives dealing with personal qualit-ies of students, knowledgein one core area of hane science, improvementof the standard of living and family life, and acquisition of sane basic skills useful for self reliance. The subject content in those curriculum items with mean scores below 2.50 indicated that they were related to the specific needs and problemsof adolescents and their role in the ccmrruntyi , basic skills in all core areas of homescience, developmentof students' artistic values and encouragerrentof originality, adaptation to societal changes and challenges of daily living. The t t~t revealed that the student and the teacher - respondents had significant differences in the meanscores of 19 curriculum items out of 49. This indicated that the ~ grouI?s did not statistically differ in their ratings of 30 curriculum i.tems, the level of significance being P< .05. Hence, the null hypothesis HO(2) was accepted on the 30 curriculum items with the meanscores that did not statistically differ. However,the xix same hypothesis HO (2) was rejected on the 19 curriculum items that had significant differences in the meanscores. '!he findings of the present study suggested that the respondents perce.ived the present curriculum as achieving its general aims (Ms= 2.50 and above) however, they felt that the specific objectives \~e not being satisfactorily achieved . . . (!is = below 2.50). l'-'urtherIt'Ore,evidence fran Lowmeanscores (unsatisfactory) of 12 curriculum items related to relevance in homescience suggested that the ?resent curriculum was not relevant to the needs of the students and the society. The majority (75%)of fonner hone science students indicated that some parts of hare science curriculum were not relevant to the student and society. Based on the findings, it has been concluded therefore, that (1) the present curriculum has met tne objectives of those students whoare likely to proceed on for further studies in hare science but not for those whosehigh school education is terminal; (2) the present curriculum is too SPecialized and the findings called for a need to generalize the hane science curriculum in high school. Recanmendationsbased on the findings included the need for bane scfence curriculum improvementthrough an introduction of a general hare science curriculum, clarificatj on of curriculum Objectives, revision of content, emphas.i.son hane assignments, inservice ti:'aining, a closer interaction between administrators, University lecturers, hare science teachers and students, and further research studies reiated to th~ needs of individual students, their families, and their comnunitiesItem The harmony between ethnic and national feelings as a philosophical foundation for unity in education(Kenyatta University, 1987-09) Mburu, James NdunguThere has been in Kenya a continued call to enhance national spirit, namely, that feeling which override2 all tribal loyalties. This call entails a paradox in that every Kenyan is a member of a nation and, at the same time f a member of a tribe. He has two polar identities and two subsequent feelings, one towards the nation and the other towards the tribe. This thesis is meant to offer a solution to this paradox. I have started by portraying the ethnic feeling. To this effect, I have identified and examined four cardinal virtues that characterize this feeling. These are concern, courage, respect, and gratitude. The four virtues are identified and examined as practised by the four ethnic communities: concern as practised by the Kikuyu; courage, by the Nandi i respect, by the Samburu and gratitude, by the Giriama. , The four communities have been chosen due to these two reasons. First, they portray a wide coverage in that they are located at different parts of Kenya: at the central, at the west, at the north, and at the south. They thus give a more representative and detailed picture of Kenya. Second, they portray a cultural variety in that each of them uses a different language; observes different customs; and exhibits a different world-view. This variety contributes to a deeper understanding of the ethnic feeling. I have then come to portray the national feeling. Out of the four phenomena of the tribal feeling, I have come to establish a common element. This element is that of a will, namely, an orientation to a world that; is more concerned, more courageous, more respectful, and more grateful. After portraying the tW0 feelings, I have come to establish their relation. I have proved that there exists a dialectic relation, that is, a dialogue between them. The will, previously established, forms the principle of this dialogue. First, the will distinguishes the two feelings by making them separate and specific. Second, the will harmonizes the two feelings by making them united and complementary. Third, the will pervades the two feelings by making them alternate with each other. This metaphysical will as the principle of the dialogue is then utilized for the understanding of unity as an aim of education in Kenya. Unity as an aim of education in Kenya is fraught with contradictions and inconsistencies in that at one time nation is given as the ultimate principle and at another time tribe is given as the ultimate principle. It is the contention of the thesis that this principle has not yet been clarified, justified, and established. I have taken it my duty to clarify, justify, and establish it. I have done this in two areas. The first in that of unity in its aspect of national unity and the second is that of unity in its aspect of personal unity. As regards the first, I have taken one of the educational policy documents, namely, the Ominde Report (1964-65). I have identified the principle for unity in education as given in this document. This principle is that of 'the psychological basis of nationhood'. I have gone to clarify, justify, and establish this basis against the background of the metaphysical will. As regards the second area, I have taken another educational policy document, namely, the Gacathi Report (1976). I have identified the principle for the unity in education as given in this document. This principle is that of 'return to the tradition'. I have gone to clarify, justify, and establish this basis against the background of the metaphysical will. 'The thesis then concludes by .identifying a relation between the nation and various ethnic communities in the country. This relation rejects absolutism which extols national feeling at the expense of the ethnic feeling. This relation also rejects sectionalism which extols the ethnic feeling at the expense of the national feeling. Nationa1 unity, consists in the unity, namely, harmony' of these two feelings.Item The vocational rehabilitation programme in Kenya: An examination of its effectiveness as an agency providing training and employment for disabled persons(Kenyatta University, 1990-07) Ayodo, Theodore Mordecai OsanoThe study sets out to examine the economic viability of training and resettling disabled persons in self-employment as carried out by the Vocational Rehabilitation Programme in the Ministry of Culture and Social Services in Kenya. The training of residual capacities of disabled persons with the aim of making them economically productive and socially self-supporting and integrated in the mainstream of the community is discussed in the light of human capital theory as an illustration of a programme designed to develop human resources in an overall effort in promoting national development. Conceptual justification is attempted with the use literary citations, and technical terms used in vocational rehabilitation are defined before narrowing down to discussion or Kenya is proqramme. The thesis, thus, addresses the concern of Economics of Education, which in the case is the viability of expending scarce resources in the literature review, the rationale of linking training and education with employment, prov1slon of vocational education and, finally, research, efficiency and evaluation in vocational Rehabilitation, is surveyed at the global and Kenyan level. The sampling and follow-up procedure of the self-employed graduates of Rural Vocational Rehabilitation Centre’s is explained and the data is analysed using percentages calculations. The conclusions and recommendations outlined at the end of the thesis support the argument throughout the study that it is remunerating both economically and socially for the Kenya Government to engage in the training and subsequent self-employment of disabled persons. The private and social rates of return on investment in the programme are extremely high as compared to other projects (55% and 26.3% respectively. Implications for further research in the Kenyan Vocational Rehabilitation Programme are indicated at the end of the study. A bibliography covering works and publications consulted is compiled and the questionnaire used in the follow-up of the disabled ex-trainees together with the International Labour Organization's Recommendation Number 168 of 1983 on the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment of Disabled Persons are attached as appendices.Item A Philosophical Examination of Epistemological and Moral Bases of African Indigenous Education with Particular Reference to the Luo of Kenya(Kenyatta University, 1993) Ogeno, Jackton Ojwan'g; Gerard A.F.J. Bennaars; James E. OtiendeThis study is an effort to examine the philosophical foundations of African Indigenous Education with particular reference to the Luo of Kenya. This is an area assumed by many scholars while others acknowledge its debatability. Basic conceptual issues that have been problematic to the understanding of education have been elucidated. The study is presented in six chapters, viz: Introduction, Co~ceptual Scheme, African Epistemological Assumptions, African Moral Assumptions, Philosophy and Education (African perspective), Recapitulation and Conclusion. One cannot legislate feelings or emotions but ~ in this study, thinking and feeling were the two prerequisites to the discussions of the philosophical problems. The sagacious views which formed the raw philosophical texts are appended to the study. These views were garnered through dialogical encounters with the sages from the Luo of Kenya. Terminologies included in this study were solely for the establishment of a common basis of communication between those using them. However, these are explained in the glossary. KENYATTA UN'VE~t~T~liBRARY ..x The study of Philosophy of Education in Africa is diverse. This diversity demands an adoption of a combination of philosophical approaches. In our adoption of the foregoing, we were able to focus directly on the complex nature of Philosophy of Education in the African context. In this study, it is assumed that most traditional settings do ~isualise the task of philosophy of educatio~ as a body of thought that entails ethical principles for justifying educational goals; a metaphysics on which the psychological and sociological aspects of education are based, and an epistemology that justifies certain methods of teach~ng, learning and human ability to know the truth of educational thought. Hence, the assumption that a meaningful education cannot do without a human con- " cern to justify educational efforts..Thus, an educationwithout justifiablea:imsmistbe a confused form of education. The search for and an examination of a philOsophical justification of education in this study is directed more on the African epistemological and moral a$sumptions together with certain metaphysical notions, in so far as they are assumed to affect the theory and practice of African Indigenous Education. Thus, Chapter Five discusses issues that try to link the disciplines of philosophy and of education. Again, the issues raised in Chapters Three and Four are examined in Cbapter Five in order to demonstrate their plausible connection with education. However, such issues are found to ultimately rest on certain metaphysical notions, thereby leaving the problem of the "philosophical bases" open-ended. To arrive at a better understanding, the expression "philosophical bases" assumes an existence of principles that are not only basic but unquestionable assumptions, that serve as the bases for reasoning and ultimately act as guides for action. In this study, metaphysical principles are regarded as more fundamental than social principles and may therefore, require no proof either because they are self-evident truth or analytical truth. However, the mode of conceptualization in which fundamental social principles are regarded as unque- . stionable is seen to amounting to "ethnophilosophy", a term used to refer to "philosophy" implicitly. Owing to our concern for an explicit philosophy of education, we find the analytical and phenomenological interpretation of Dholuo, sagacious views, and the work of scholars like H. Oruka, A-B-C Ocholla-Ayayo and P. Erny quite relevant alternative approach to the understanding of African systems of thought. Thus, the conclusion that the child who is xii at the central nerve of education in the African context, cannot be fully explained simply in terms of the interplay of social super-imposition and the biological cycle, since it transcends both. Therefore, we have arrived at the understanding that visualises the child as somebody possessing a supplementary dimension, born with ready made personality, an intelligemce and will that education is ~ supposed to improve upon. As it is pointed out, the child is more than a tabula rasa since it has certain form of potentiality to be actualized. ~ Unfortunately, the above view of the child is not well-catered for in certain educational , theories and activities. While the explicit philosophy of education does recognise the child as an individual, a personality and authentic being, the practice of certain education accentuates social activities that later plung the child into the sea of the society. Accordingly, this study raises concern for lack of harmony between the philosophical and prac- ~ tical aspects of education in Africa. In this light, we assert that though the bases of African Indigenous education find plausible expIanations in the African epistemological and moral assumptions, its ultimate basis rests not only on certain metaxiii physical notions,but ~ on a philosophical anthropology, a philosophy that understands "man" both in empirical and metaphysical terms. It is this sort of philosophy that ought to provide guiding principles to the practice of education in Africa.Item Processes influencing gender differences in access to post secondary institutions in Uganda(Kenyatta University, 1996) Kasente, Deborah HopeThis study was conducted in Uganda, among a sample of 40 (21F/19M) primary school Teacher Trainees, 30 (22F/8M) School of Nursing trainees, 98 (40F/58M) Secondary School students, 98 (52F/46M) University undergraduates and 11 parents of some of the informants. The major concerns of the study were to identify factors responsible for maintenance of gender disparity in higher education and to describe the processes through which such factors operate. Research Methods: The following research methods were used: (i) Interview schedules (ii) A structured questionnaire and (iii) A Classroom observation checklist adopted from Flanders (1987) interaction analysis categories. Types of data collected: 1. Qualitative data consisting of taped (i) intensive interviews of life histories of 11 informants sampled from each category of students (ii) intensive interviews of parents/ guardians of the 11 informants. 2. Quantitative data collected by questionnaire with 87 items to determine current perceptions of factors and processes responsible for keeping some students in the education system and getting others out prematurely. 3. Classroom interaction data collected to ascertain the nature of social processes that take place during the teaching/learning processes and any gender concerns arising. Data Analysis: 1. Qualitative data and classroom interaction data were transcribed into narrative and analyzed using ETHNOGRAPH, a computer program that facilitated in reducing the data to series of categories. 2. Quantitative data was processed with SPSS/PC+ to give percentages and absolute scores. 3. Data from all three data sources was triangulated and condensed into three types of influences, in line with the conceptual framework, namely: societal factors; school factors and individual factors. Results: The following factors were indicated as having an influence in the creation and perpetuation of disparity between females' and males' access to post secondary institutions: Macro level factors: societal level 1. Mother's support: mothers' financial capacity to meet educational requirements and their being available to offer effective guidance are reflected by results from respondent's life histories as contributing factors towards females continuing with education. 2. Stereo-typed views of women's role: the views held by most females and males indicated that the women's place is still generally seen as being in the houses, although some women thought that this is unfair 89.4 percent of the respondents indicated that females in their homes performed in-door chores like child-minding, cooking and cleaning while males mainly performed out out-door chores. 3. Number of children: Coming from large families (9 children and above appeared to reduce chances of both males and females for higher education, mainly through parents' failure to afford educational costs for all children. 4. Position in sibling hierarchy: being high in the sibling hierarchy was reflected to enhance chances for continuing with education. Having other highly educated siblings enhanced chances of higher education for both females and males. 5. Household income: Lack of schools fees was a limiting factor to both females and males, especially those from polygamous homes with many children. Many parents complained that their household income was no longer adequate to support their children's education beyond primary school. Macro level factors: the school environment. 1. Classroom dialogue: evidence from classroom observation indicated that males received more academic attention than females, while both female and make teachers criticized both female and male students more than they offered encouragement. 1. Subtle sexual harassment of female students: use of provocative language and body language by some male teachers disadvantaged female students by making them uncomfortable in class. Females' vulnerability to sexual harassment; both within and outside school, was also pointed out by most parents as contributing greatly to their dropping out of school (see Tables 7 for parents' detailed responses). One female parent analysed the girls' problem as follows: "for a girl once she gets breast, she has an extra burden always. Either she spends a lot of her time in relations with males or she spends time fighting them away - education is an agenda she adds to this one". 3. Hostility between teachers and students: subtle hostility between female students and female teachers was reflected through authoritarian behavior and nasty comments, on part of the teachers while the pupils protested through refusal to participate in classroom dialogue and rude conduct. This was evident in classroom observation and casual comments over heard in school premises. Micro level: individual gender factors. 1. Moral support and confidence from family members: content analysis of in-depth interviews revealed that females depended more on family members' moral support to stay in school than males. Females were likely to stay in school not to disappoint parents and older siblings who had "pushed, loved and encouraged" them. 2. Perceptions of the purpose of education: Interview results indicated that males perceived the purpose of higher education as an assurance for their future well being while for many females, higher education was seen as leading mostly to their being recognised as important. Many females also indicated that they were likely to remain in higher education to gain skills for employment and avoid negative experiences resulting from dependency on males. 3. Role models: The role models of females who did not continue to post secondary education are other unsuccessful females with qualities such as kindness, conforming behavior and command of respect. Role models of females in post-secondary institutions are professional males with qualities such as hard working, ambition, courage, professionalism, popularity and commitment to work. There is a similar pattern of role models among males who continued to university and whose who did not. They all look up to successful, professional men or national and international male leaders. 4. Self esteem: Comparing school dropouts and students in post secondary education; all females displayed low self-esteem and depended on others, especially family members for encouragement and confidence. Males of all categories, however, had a positive self image and valued financial rather than emotional support from their family members.Item The Role of the Christian Church in Curriculum Development in Kenya: A Case Study of Cisret and Create Inservice Teacher Education Programs(Kenyatta University, 1997) Malusu, Joseph MasinguleIntroduction of the Primary Christian Religious Education (1980) Syllabus into schools in ] 981 and in 1985 following the national implementation of the 8:4:4 System of Education in Kenya faced many curriculum problems connected with lack of resources; deployment of unqualified teachers, a new ecumenical Christian approach to the teaching of Christian Religious Education as opposed to past specific church approach. Teachers were equally confused with the many fast changes in the Primary Christian Religious Education. Some teachers felt inadequate to teach the Programs of Pastoral Instruction which were part of the new Christian Religious Education Syllabus. The Christian Church responded to the problems of teaching the Primary Christian Religious Education (1980) Syllabus by launching lnservice Education Programs in1981 (CISRET) and 1982 (CREATE) for Catholic and Protestant teachers of Primary Christian Religious Education respectively. However, since the Inservice Programs were launched, no independent objective study had been carried out to determine the worth of the Programs in meeting the needs of teachers for the implementation of the Primary Christian Religious Education The purpose of the study was to investigate the role of the Christian Church in curriculum development in Kenya with specific reference to the contribution of CISRET and CREATE Inservice Teacher Education Programs to the teaching of Christian Religious Education in Primary Schools. The study was focused on analysis of the Programs in relation to the implementation of the Primary Christian Religious Education curriculum in Kenya in order to establish their worth. Specific objectives,research questions were formulated and assumptions made on the basis of Lewy's (1977) curriculum rationale for Inservice Teacher Education Programs to guide in the investigation. The study sample was composed of two hundred and ninety-six graduates of the CISRET and CREATE Inservice Programs who were selected through quota sampling method; two sponsors; six trainers; two Directors of the lnservice Programs, and ten Field Officers, who were all selected through purposive sampling. Information relating to the purpose of the study was collected through questionnaires, interviews and observation checklists which were constructed to answer specific research questions and discussed with experts in the field of study before using them. The collected data was then categorized, coded and summarized using both quantitative and qualitative descriptions, according to the following three major themes that emerged in the study in relation to the research questions: Needs assessment of the Graduates of CISRET and CREATE Curriculum Activities of the Graduates of CISRET and CREATE Curriculum Design and Implementation of CISRET and CREATE The findings indicated that the main objective of the Inservice Education Programs, that of providing the trainees with new knowledge, attitudes and skills to implement the Primary Christian Religious Education curriculum, has been sufficiently achieved. The conclusions reached show the importance of Continuous Inservice Education for Teachers (INSET) Programs [or curriculum implementation.Item A survey of productive musicianship: The interface between music literacy and expressiveness among Secondary School Music Teachers in Kenya(Kenyatta University, 2004) Wanjala, Henry NamsyuleA general observation m Kenyan schools today reveals tendencies of musicianship that is more theoretically oriented to the detriment of expressive and inventive qualities. Research sources also show that in spite of the practical music assessment at the end of the KCSE course, the graduates of the system end up with a lot of information about music but lacking in skills that would enable them to benefit from the music education. More fundamentally however is the absence of a strong "Musician Model" which could enable students to display more vibrant musicianship. This study was undertaken to establish teachers' involvement in music beyond the classroom, taking into account their level of commitment in music making and the extent they modeled musicianship for students' sake. The assumption was that the divergent ways through which teachers ventured into music were a reflection of their musicianship. The researcher therefore sought to study the prevailing trends of musicianship among secondary school music teachers, factors that influence their musical disposition as well as the association between levels of training and music productivity. The focus of the study was to investigate the Interface between Music Literacy and Expressiveness to establish the missing links in the teachers' musical disposition. The conceptual theory of complementary relationship in musical experiences based on Swanwick's (1979) outlook of musicianship through the variables of Composition, Literature studies, Audition, Skill acquisition and Performance (CLASP) was employed in identifying teachers' productive initiatives in music. To facilitate the inquiry, the researcher utilized the illustrative conceptual model of music productivity generated from CLASP to bring into focus the perception of Productive Musicianship, the basic understanding being that Thought and Expressiveness were fundamental to any art and music was no exception. The target population for the study was secondary school music teachers. Nairobi and Western Provinces were purposively identified to be the research locales. Data collected through questionnaires, interviews and observation during the inter-house music festival was subjected to content analysis through descriptive method. Associations of variables related to Kenya Music Festival were tested through Chi Square and inferences made to facilitate the examination of the study objectives. The Participation Index in KMF and the features observed during the Inter-house Music Competition were crucial as they helped to establish teachers' commitment level and involvement in music. These aspects were also used to describe teachers' musical profiles and productivity. Analysis of data revealed disparities in basic performance skills among music teachers, in particular instrumental utility and the skill of playing. Teachers' commitment levels in composition were also found to be low. In terms of enterprising through music, it was noted that music education had apparently not reached the milestone of entrepreneurship, an observation that was confmned by lack of initiatives and interest toward gainful music making activities. It was learnt that teachers' musical profiles are generally sensitive to the regional, socio-economic and cultural influences, a revelation that helped to explain the diametric manifestation of interests and tendencies in the teachers' musicianship. On the gap between knowledge and practical competence, this study noted that opportunities for exposure to expression when demonstrated with the dynamic participation of the music teacher enhanced the spirit and quality of musicianship in the students. In as far as professional growth in music was concerned, most promotions were found to be based on partial merit and generally lacked a follow up programme to strengthen the knowledge base of teachers. As part of recommendation therefore, expedition of teachers' promotion needed a balanced criteria and a follow up program for knowledge base refinement and updating of musical competence. The study also advocates for a review of training strategies in music with a view to making teachers more innovative and practically enterprising. With educational and economic trends that are increasingly becoming market oriented, it was necessary that the music teachers view their musicianship not only in light of teaching the subject matter, but also more essentially in terms of how they can increase the practicability of their music knowledge to face the social challenges.Item Learner competencies and proficiency in English listening comprehension in Selected Secondary Schools in Kenya(Kenyatta University, 2007) Adelheid, Marie BwireThis study aimed at measuring leamers' listening comprehension proficiency in order to establish their weaknesses and strengths in this area. It also sought to analyse the listening materials leamers were exposed to and the extent to which listening skills were taught Factors affecting listening comprehension proficiency were also explored. A stratified sample of 520 students, 56 teachers and 8 heads of department English section from 15 schools in two districts were involved. An audio- based test was used to measure students' listening comprehension proficiency. Content analysis of the Integrated English Book 3 (1992) was done to assess the quantity and quality of listening materials and tasks. A questionnaire for teachers of English was used to get information about the teaching of listening comprehension. This was complemented by interviews with heads of department and Kenya Institute of Education English curriculum head. Instruments were refined through a pilot study. Data were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. Procedures used for data analysis were frequencies, means, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and correlations. Inferential statistics (the t- test) were used to explain observed differences and address the factors determining listening competencies. Results indicated that English language course books had negligible provision for materials and tasks that promote listening and that teachers were not guided on teaching listening skills yet they wholly depended on the same course books for teaching the same. The majority of students (89.6%) performed poorly on listening comprehension skills. Further, students scored better on explicit items than on inferential items. Performance was poorest on skills that tested competence in listening to dialogue, drawing inferences, inferring meanings of unfamiliar words, paraphrasing and predicting outcomes. These were also the students' areas of weakness among the micro-skills tested. Areas of relative strength were found to be those that demanded competence in listening for specifics and details. Urban school students performed better on listening comprehension skills than those in rural schools and students in boarding schools performed better than those in day schools on the same. Mixed day schools recorded the poorest performance. There was no consistent relationship between girls' and boys' performance on the listening comprehension test: girls' scores in mixed schools were significantly (at 0.05 level) lower than those of boys in the same schools. Boys in rural schools performed significantly better than the girls in the rural schools. Although, the boys in urban schools performed better than the girls, there was generally no significant difference between their performance on the listening comprehension test. Among the main conclusions made were: teaching of listening skills was not given its due emphasis; type of school affected leamers' listening comprehension abilities; boarding environment gave students better cognitive disposition; gender did not make a difference in performance in listening comprehension, test material type and task were significant in ESL listening and students were more inclined to listen with understanding to continuous prose than to dialogue. ,.Item A study of the effective implementation of Ministry of education policy guidelines for Free primary education in Lugari District, Western Province, Kenya(Kenyatta University, 2009-08) Waudo, Dayana JosphineFrom independence in 1963 to 1987, the Government subsidized primary education but in 1988 cost sharing was introduced. In 2003 the government reintroduced the policy of funding most of the cost for primary education to fulfill International Agreements such as the World Conference in Jomtein (1990) which emphasized development of education in countries. From 2003 Free Primary Education has been implemented through specific MoE policy guidelines. These include unconditional admission of learners into public primary schools; government funding of the teaching-learning resources; empowering more of head teachers as AIE holders; enhanced in-service courses for teachers to handle all learners; empowering more of SMCs and SIMSCs on management of schools resources and monitoring of school activities by QASOs and auditors. This study therefore set out to evaluate the effective utilization of MoE guidelines in FPE implementation in Lugari District between 2003 and 2006. The literature review focused on research findings on the effective management of the human, financial, physical facilities, teaching-Ieaming resources and time and then linked the findings to gaps in the strategies of FPE implementation in Lugari District. The study used random sampling to obtain 34 (30 %) of the 114 public primary schools in Lugari District and chairpersons of SMCs of the schools respectively. In addition, purposive sampling was used to sample the 284 (18.8%) teachers including the head teachers from a total population of 1508 and the 14 (100%) educational supervisory staff in Lugari District. All the respondents in the study were 332. The study used questionnaires, interview schedules and a document checklist to collect data. The data was analyzed using quantitative and qualitati ve data analysis methods. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 10.0 computer programme was also used. The analyzed data was presented in frequency tables, percentages, pie charts, bar graphs, line graphs and correlation tables. Some of the major findings of the study were that the teachers used Alternative Teaching Approaches such as Multi-Shift to address understaffing and inadequate physical facilities; the involvement of SMC and SIMSC in resource management in the schools had led to effective utilization of the available resources; promotion of discipline in the schools was mostly done through guidance and counseling; the course content of the in-service courses organized for head teachers on effective finance management were inadequate and the monitoring of school activities by QASOs and auditors was still inadequate. From the research findings, the researcher drew a conclusion that most of the strategies for the implementation of FPE in Lugari District were effectively articulated save for the enhancement of head teachers as AIE holders and the monitoring of school activities by most officials. Some of the recommendations made were that in-service courses on resource management should be of longer duration; parents should be encouraged to support government efforts in the FPE programme and the monitoring of school activities by QASOs and auditors should be enhanced.Item Paternal involvement in children's education: An implication of children's performance at preschool in Gucha District Kenya(Kenyatta University, 2009-10) Mwoma, Teresa BitengoExtensive research exists on the importance of parental involvement in children's education, yet relatively few studies have examined the individual contributions that mothers and fathers make to their children's schooling. There is a great deal of interest however, in the role of fathers in children's lives. This interest stems from the fact that traditionally in Africa fathers were the hidden parent. They were assumed to be the breadwinners of their families, but of limited importance in non-financial aspects of children's well-being and development. The purpose of this study was to establish the level of fathers' involvement in their children's education in relation to children's performance at preschool with a special focus on the factors that influence this involvement. The study was carried out in Gucha District because of its continued poor performance in the KCPE exams. Two divisions were purposively selected, one to represent the urban set up, and the other to represent a rural set up. Sixteen preschools were purposively selected from the two divisions to represent the public and private and the rural and urban pre schools. Ample size of 160 preschool children was purposively selected from the 16 preschool due to their performance level in their preschool activities according to their teachers' assessment. Further, a sample size of 160 fathers to the selected children from the two divisions was given the questionnaire to fill on their involvement in their children's education. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was utilized to prepare and organize data for analysis to test the significance levels between variables at O.OS. Pearson Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient, ANOV A and Chi Square were utilized to establish whether there were any significant relationships or differences in means between variables. Findings revealed that fathers' involvement in their children's education was significantly related to children's performance at preschool where r=0.19 with a 'p' value of 0.029. There was a significant difference in means of father involvement between fathers of different academic levels where f=2S.149 at 2 degrees of freedom with a 'p' value of 0.000. There was a significant difference in means of father involvement between fathers of different occupations where 'f=6.291 at S degrees of freedom with a 'p' value of 0.000. Fathers' involvement in their children's education was also significantly related to the type of school the child attended where X2=2S.330 at 2 degrees of freedom and a 'p' value of 0.000. Sex of the child and fatPers' area of residence were not found to be significantly related to fathers' involvement in their children's education where X2=2.213 at 2 degrees of freedom with a 'p' value of 0.392 and X2=1.444 at 2 degrees of freedom with a 'p' value of 0.846 respectively. It was therefore concluded that, fathers' involvement in their children's education influence children's performance at preschool. Factors that were found to influence fathers' involvement included; fathers' academic level, their occupation and the type of preschool the child attended. It was recommended that there is need for school managers and administrators to find ways of introducing programmes to ensure that fathers closely monitor and participate in assisting their children with school work and attending school functions.Item Factors influencing early childhood development teachers’ motivation in Thika district, Kenya(SPREAD Corporation, 2010) Ndani, M.N.; Kimani, ElishibaEarly Childhood Development (ECD) centres comprise one of the immediate social and physical environments influencing children’s development, that Bronfenbrenner (1986, 1989) terms Microsystems. The Microsystems are made up of personal qualities of the people therein (particularly teachers) and the physical environments. In order for ECD centres to provide the necessary conditions for children’s holistic development, teachers should be well motivated and physical facilities conducive for working and learning. The sample of the study was comprised of 40 ECD centres and 46 ECD teachers. Preschool Teachers’ Motivation Questionnaire and an observation checklist were used to collect the primary data. Secondary data were obtained from various records in the ECD centres. Among the key findings was the revelation that the motivation levels of more than 50% of the teachers were below average. The study recommended that the Ministry of Education and communities work together to improve ECD teachers’ terms and conditions of service as well as the learning/teaching environmentItem A causality and predictive validity study of o-level in relation to the performances in primary teachers' colleges in Kenya(2011) Gatumu, Haniel NyagaThe 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.Item 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.Item Equity dimensions in public university education in Kenya: an analysis of parallel and regular undergraduate platforms(2011-05-01) Otieno, Mary Akinyi; Gravenir, F. Q.; Jothan Olembo ObisiThe rapid expansion of university education in Kenya has necessitated inevitable reconfigurations and innovations in access and finance issues. Part of this is evident in the high demand for university education that has seen the mounting of alternative platforms variously called parallel, self-sponsored or module 11. As of necessity, such developments come with inevitable consequences, including altering the pattern of access by socio-economic groups as well as gender, in as much as they engender institutional differentiation manifested in the appropriation of private funds, occasioned by differential enrolment of paying students. The dualistic admission policy has the potential of engendering inequalities among social groups, gender and between institutions, principally because, by `liberalising' education, it opens up university admission to those students able to pay the fees. This poses a threat to equitable distribution of education opportunities in public universities. It is for this reason that the current study investigated the equity issues in Kenya's public university system since the mounting of the parallel platform, to identify equity dimensions evident in the provision of public university education in the parallel and regular undergraduate degree platforms on the basis of socio-economic status, gender equity, degree programmes equity and institutional equity. The study was carried out in three public universities namely: University of Nairobi, Kenyatta University and Moi University. The target population was 61,115 and the sample size was 748. The sample size was derived from Krejcie and Morgan's (1970) Tables for determining appropriate sample size given a specified population. Purposive sampling was used to select 40 university administrative staff and another 8 respondents from eight organisations referred to in this study as (education experts/policy makers). Two types of research instruments were used: interview guide and questionnaires. Questionnaires were administered to public university students and academic staff while interview guide was administered to the education policy makers (education experts) as university administrators, CHE, MoEST, JAB staff, World Bank, KIPPRA, Rockefeller, IPAR and Ford Foundation. Data analysis for this study was done both quantitatively and qualitatively. Chi Square statistical analysis was used in this study to compare frequencies occurring in different groups such as students, public university administrative and academic staff, including policy makers and education experts in university education on the four variables for the study. In line with the study objectives, six hypotheses were designed for this study and the results generated made the study findings, viz; Five objectives were investigated and the results indicated that there were differences in enrolment across gender by platform, that distributions of regular students by gender in the three public universities in the two (MI & MII) study platforms differed significantly, that students from the more affluent families (middle and high SES) dominated positions on the MII platforms, that irrespective of gender, the students' presence in any platform is determined by their parents/guardian/family SES, however gender on its own cannot determine a student's presence in either MI or MIL Furthermore, being female from lower SES diminished a student's chances of participating in pure science based programmes in public university education. While the socio-economic status of a female student's family would influence preference of the degree programme pursued, the same conclusion is not true for male students. The study concludes that there is a persistent gap in university education participation, between students from richer and poorer family backgrounds and recommends instituting gender equity structures by JAB and the government of KenyaItem Identification of cognitive maturity among 5-6 year olds using selected psychological tests in westlands division, of Nairobi(2011-05-01) Okeng'o, Lynette NChildren who enter school not ready to learn because of immaturity have difficulties later in their school life. This study set out to investigate the factors that underlie cognitive maturity and as well as its reliable and valid assessment using analogical thinking tasks and human figure drawings. Using Multi-stage sampling, 96 children were selected for the study and data was collected during the third term of the last year of pre-school. While significant differences in cognitive maturity were found on account of differences in age, SES and teaching methods, none were found as a result of differences in gender. Using known groups of maturity, t-tests revealed that mature children differed significantly from the immature children in both the DAP and the CATM tests. Further evidence of validity was provided by the significant correlation coefficients obtained by the Cronbach-alfa for the DAP and CMB scores (0.53Item Challenges and opportunities faced by women educational entrepreneurs in the management of private schools in Himo district, Tanzania(2011-05-01) Namkari, Grace David MsangiThe purpose of the study was to investigate the challenges and opportunities faced by women entrepreneurs in the management and operation of independent private schools in Tanzania. The objectives of the study were to describe the situational analysis of independent private schools operated by women entrepreneurs in Tanzania, and to establish the challenges and opportunities they faced in selected case schools. The research study was qualitative in nature and data were collected through a case study approach, direct observations, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and content analysis of school records. Multiple data sources were used to enrich the study including school owners, teachers, parents and community leaders. The data collected was then triangulated and analyzed qualitatively by examining patterns and themes associated with challenges and opportunities in school management. The findings of this study showed that there were three general categories of challenges and opportunities facing the school entrepreneurs namely: a) Educational and professional factors; b) Economic and political factors; and c) Social-cultural factors. The economic and political challenges included inadequate capital, limited physical facilities and tax burdens. Educational and professional challenges comprised of the demand for quality education complemented by English-medium curriculum and high expectations of students' academic performance. Social-cultural challenges including the burden of providing education and care for orphans and vulnerable children, and the lack of community care structures for needy children. The following opportunities for private schools were identified: great demand for quality education and an increased school enrollment, creation of employment opportunities for trained teachers, and demand for boarding school at the primary and secondary levels which ensured sustainability of these educational businesses. Recommendations to provide an enabling environment for private school entrepreneurs included provision of credit facilities to enable them expand their businesses, consideration for tax exemptions for teaching and learning materials, and development of training programmes to enhance their managerial skills and service delivery. In conclusion, despite the myriad challenges facing women educational entrepreneurs in the management and operation of independent private schools in Tanzania, there were opportunities available for their survival, growth and developmentItem The contributions of parents to the cost of upper primary education and its implications for free primary education; a case of South Nyanza, Kenya(2011-05-01) Ogeta O. NorbertDue to the large enrolments, rising costs of education and the demands of the other sectors of the economy, in sessional paper No. 1 of 1986, the government legitimized cost-sharing policy in which parents were given more responsibilities of providing more funds for meeting the costs of primary education. The purpose of this study was to investigate the adequacy of parents' contribution to the cot of upper primary education. More specifically the study sought to find out whether parents' contributions were actually adequate or sufficient in meeting the cost of upper primary education. A descriptive survey design was used in this study. The sample of the study comprised 496 parents and 124 headteachers . A total of 120 head teachers and 450 parents responded to the questionnaires and the interview schedules respectively. An interview schedule for parents and a questionnaire for head teachers were the two instruments used for data collection. In analyzing the collected data, percentages, means, standard deviation, t-tests were used. The level of testing the hypothesis was set at 0.05 level of confidence. The findings showed that parents had low financial abilities in meeting the costs of upper primary education because of their low income. It was also due to unreliability of the various occupations they were engaged in as sources of income for providing funds to meet the cost of upper primary education. Even though parents were found to be unable to effectively meet the cost of upper primary education because their low income, their contributions were necessary due to the inability of the government to meet the primary schools' financial needs. It was therefore recommended that school authorities should come up with some strategies for mobilizing funds from the parents and other possible sources of funding education. It was therefore recommended that school authorities should consider soliciting funds for schools by engaging school children in income generating activities such as agriculture, keeping poultry and any other which they are capable of undertaking as a way of raising funds. Funds should also be solicited from community members, foundation bodies ( like religious organizations, commercial firms), cost-saving measures and through costsharing activities by setting benchmarks for various educational costs and ensuring that such benchmarks are not changed. The study recommended that it was necessary for school authorities to liase with the local leaders such as the local chiefs who were in better position to mobilize community groups to participate effectively in school projects like fundraising for individual schools. The study concluded that married male parents who were engaged in 12 occupations were more economically able to meet the costs of upper primary education for their children than those parents who were engaged in six occupations. It was recommended that further research be carried out on ways and means of controlling the prices of basic facilities and resources which were required for learning in upper primary education to enable parents to effectively meet the costs of upper primary education. i.e setting benchmarksItem 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.Item Relationship between community participation and preschool microsystems in Thika district, Kenya(2011-05-01) Ndani, M.N.Contemporary communities use Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres to secure children's right to conditions of living necessary for holistic development. These centres comprise one of the immediate social and physical environments (Bronfenbrenner's, 1986/1989 microsystems) that influence children's development. To motivate teachers and improve the physical learning environments communities are expected to participate in provision of the necessary inputs. Research findings in Kenyan preschools, however, reveal low teacher motivation as well as worker and learner unfriendly physical environments. This implies low community participation. In contrast, communities reportedly provide better environments for the less vulnerable lower primary school children. This study, therefore aimed at investigating factors that influence community participation, the modes and levels of that participation, and the relationship between participation and, teacher motivation and suitability of learning environments. The study was guided by Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory, Epstein's Parent Involvement Model and Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory of Motivation. Ex-post-facto research design was used in the study. To test for factors influencing motivation, independent subject and contextual variables were correlated against levels of participation. The levels of participation were also correlated against teacher motivation and physical environments to establish their relationships. The sample comprised of 40 preschools, 46 teachers, 240 community members and 15 committees. Preschool Physical Environment Checklist, Preschool Teachers' Motivation Questionnaire, Community Members' Participation Interview Schedule and a Preschool Committee Focus Group Discussion Guide were used to collect data. To prepare quantitative data for analysis, the SPSS was used. Frequencies, standardized Z scores and Pearson's Chi-Square tests were then utilized in analysis at the critical value of p=0.05. The study found that the motivation levels of more than 50% teachers were low. The teachers were de-motivated by delayed and irregular salaries, poor working conditions, heavy demands at work and lack of clear terms and conditions of service. Good interpersonal relationships, adequate physical environments, timely payment of salary, payment during school holidays and housing were given as their motivators. Additionally, in 55% of the cases, the suitability of the physical environment was below average. Further, the study found 63.2% of community members' participation to be low, though not significantly associated to either the levels of teacher motivation or the suitability of physical environments. Members in rural areas and those from private schools participated more. The members' participation was also motivated by sense of ownership of the preschool, friendliness of teachers and management, invitation to participate, proximity to the school, availability and membership in school committees. Factors found to hinder participation were lack of invitation, lack of awareness on the need and areas in which to participate, poverty and dependency. Since teachers were de-motivated by factors that require community action, the study recommended that communities, policy makers, NACECE, and ECD trainers' employ different strategies to raise levels of participation including, training on management, promoting education and empowering women economically