PT-School of Education

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Effects of teachers adversity quotient on secondary school students’ academic performance in KCSE in Kiambu and Nairobi Counties, Kenya.
(Kenyatta University, 2016) Mwivanda, Marycasta
The aim of this study is to examine “effects of teachers’ adversity quotient on secondary school student’s academic performance in KCSE. Schools in Kenya are facing many adversities today (in the 21st century) unlike decades ago, such as drug addictions, early pregnancy, rape, parental problems, bullying, educational reforms and discipline cases that seem to affect the quality of academic performance in secondary schools across the country. In addition to the fore mentioned adversities are advances and changes in technology, ethnic clashes, and terrorism all which forms complicated adversities in education today. All this challenges seem to weigh heavily on secondary school teachers who are charged with the mandate of implanting the curriculum and caring for the students under them. Many secondary schools are now finding themselves under increasing pressure from all the stakeholders to improve/maintain high scores/mean grades in KCSE amidst these challenges facing schools today; the teacher’s role now in school today goes beyond the subject content. This has resulted into a conflict between the educators and the stakeholders who are focused more on academic test scores specially KCSE results. Studies have shown that adversity quotient is an inner ability that enables an individual to turn their adverse situations into life changing advantage. The way a teacher responds to adversity in their lives in general is most likely to affect his/her students’ way of responding to adversity and hence have some effects on the students’ academic performance. This study will be examining the effects of teachers’ adversity quotient (which is the measure of resilience to adversity) on students’ academic performance in KCSE. The locale of the study is Kiambu and Nairobi Counties in Kenya. The two counties border each other and interact frequently with each other hence they experience spillover effects from one another. The target population of this study is secondary school teachers in the two counties. Stratified and random sampling techniques will be used to select 85 schools from which a sample of 447 teachers will be drawn through simple random sampling to ensure that all subjects that make up the population under study stand equal chance of taking part in the study. The tools for data collection will be adversity response profile questionnaire; a self administered questionnaire for teachers and an interview schedule is designed to be administered to some 8 principals one from each school category. KCSE results for the schools in the study for the last two years will be used as the standardized measure for students’ performance which will be correlated with the teachers AQ. Descriptive-comparative survey design will be used in this study and data analysis will be both qualitative and quantitative .Descriptive statistics of frequencies and percentages will be presented in tables, pie charts or graphs. Inferential statistics of Pearson correlation moment will be used to test correlations of AQ of principals and teachers, while ANOVA and t-test will be used to test for significant differences between schools and between students’ performance in KCSE and teachers AQ respectively. The results of this research will be important to teachers’ curriculum developers, teacher training colleges and universities as well as the principals and their teachers in understanding how adversity quotient can be used to increase students’ academic performance. Adversity quotient can be learned and therefore may become an important tool of increasing students’ performance in schools.
Determinants of information and communication technologies integration in instruction in early childhood teacher education in selected universities in Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2016) Mwololo, Josephat Nzika
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) is relatively a new innovation which has been embedded in nearly all sectors. A number of studies have pointed out ICT to play a critical role when integrated in instruction. However, some teachers have been reported to integrate ICT in instruction while others do not. Different studies have reported several factors that influence teachers’ integration of ICT in instruction. Those teachers reported to integrate ICT in instruction have been found to have both trained to integrate ICT in instruction and observed other teachers integrate ICT in instruction. Most of the studies on ICT integration in instruction have been done majorly in the developed countries. However, researches on ICT integration in instruction in Early Childhood Teacher Education (ECTE) in Kenya have been done in educational levels other than universities. This study aims at finding out what determines ICT integration in instruction in university early childhood teacher education. Specifically the study shall focus on ICT perceived abilities, perceived usefulness of ICT in teacher education, and leadership support on ICT integration in instruction. How each of the independent variables affects the dependent variable – level of ICT integration in instruction in university early childhood teacher education shall be determined. Ex post facto research design is found to be the most suitable to be used in this study since perception is a natural phenomenon which the researcher cannot manipulate. Two theories will guide this study: Diffusion of Innovations theory by Rogers and Technology Adaption Model theory by Davis. In order to accurately determine how each of the independent variables influences the level of lecturers’ ICT integration in instruction, this study will use three tools: questionnaire, interview schedule, and observation checklist to collect data from the respondents. The study sample will be purposely selected public and private universities in Kenya that offer early childhood teacher education. Stratified sampling will be used to pick the universities to be included. The study target population will be all the university lecturers teaching early childhood teacher education and all will be included in the study. In descriptive statistics means, standard deviations and percentages will be calculated. Independent samples t-test and Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient are the inferential statistics to be used to test the level of significance at alpha value 0.05. The research results will be analysed and tabulated. Conclusion and recommendations will be clearly stated.
School related factors contributing to geography performance among form three and four students in public secondary schools: Vihiga sub-county
(Kenyatta University, 2016) Kisato, Nancy Mijide
The purpose of the study is to find out the school related factors affecting Geography performance among form three and four students in public secondary schools in Vihiga Sub County. It has been noted clearly that geography subject has been declining over the years which in turn has led to low enrollment of students in geography classes. The researcher has been prompted to carry out a research which will be guided with three objectives which are; teacher competence, the availability and utilization of teaching and learning resources and the students’ attitude towards geography subject. Major areas to be investigated will include; utilization of available teaching and learning resources by students and teachers, teachers’ qualifications, teachers’ teaching experience, preparation of schemes of work, lesson plan and notes, preparation of teachers through in-service training, attitude of students towards geography subject and contribution of principals towards enhancing students’ performance in Geography. The study will be conducted in a sample of 10 schools out of the 25 schools in the sub county. A sample of 10 principals, 10 HOD’s, 40 teachers and 200 students will be selected for the study. Descriptive research survey design will be employed for the study. The researcher will collect the data personally from the principals using interview schedule while questionnaires will be used to collect data from the, HOD’s, teachers and students. The data collected will be analyzed using statistical package of social science (SPSS) and presented using descriptive statistics including frequency counts, percentages and tabulations. Conclusions will later be drawn from the findings.
Relationship between teacher factors and job satisfaction among pre-school teachers in Nyali constituency, Mombasa County
(Kenyatta University, 2016) Jumba, Vivian Kavuyenzi
Pre-school teacher job satisfaction is important from the perspective of maintain and retaining the appropriate employees within the early childhood sector for quality childcare. In Kenya, pre-schools are owned and run by public, private and local communities. The teachers work on different terms according to the employers or management. The key purpose of this study will be to establish the relationship between teacher factors and job satisfaction among pre-school teachers in Nyali constituency, Mombasa County. Specifically, the study will establish whether pre-school teacher’s job satisfaction varies according to their attitude, teaching experience, gender and teacher training. The study will be guided by Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Motivation Theory using the survey research method. Multistage sampling technique will be employed to get a study sample of 45 pre-schools out of the 127 targeted registered, their head teachers and 90 teachers out of 300.A questionnaire for teachers and interview for head teachers will be used for data collection. A pilot study will be conducted in 6pre-schools to determine the validity strictly following the study objectives. Content and face validity of the questionnaires will be determined. The split half method will be used to ensure reliability and a coefficient (alpha) of 0.7 or higher will be considered reliable. Qualitative data will be analyzed based on the thematic areas and the trends as well as patterns related to the contributory factors of teachers’ job satisfaction in pre-school discussed in narrative form. Quantitative data will be coded and analysed descriptively using means, percentages with the help of computer statistical package for social science.The results will be presented in tables, graphs and charts. For inferential data, the chi square test will be used to test HA1- HA4 that seek the relationship between pre-school teachers’ attitude, teaching experience, gender and teacher training in relation to their job satisfaction. From the analyzed data, conclusion will be drawn and appropriate recommendations made to the key stakeholders to provide satisfactory conditions to promote effective working environment for pre-school teachers.
Parental involvement’s influence on access-transition rate from pre-primary to primary education in Kakamega Central sub county, Kakamega County, Kenya.
(Kenyatta University, 2016) Waswa, Polycarp Sisa
The principal problem of this study is to determine the influence of parental involvement on children access rate to pre primary education transition rate to standard one in Kakamega central sub county, Kakamega County. Despite the fact that Kenya has ratified the Jomtien Education for all declaration in March 1990 and Kenya declaring free primary education in 2003, the pre-primary school education access is still at 40% and more worse in Kakamega central which is at 39% ( Uwezo Kenya learning assessment 2010). Many reasons just to mention family size, family structure, parent’s perception on Early Childhood development and Education, lack of fees and other educational materials and where children live Ajila &Alutola (2000), have been raised but parental involvement has not been mentioned and given a great weight as a reason. Kenya as a county, a great deal has been achieved in the Early childhood sector through Ministry of Education, Kenya institute of curriculum development, other development partners, churches and parents at large. Parents have also played a major role in the provision of ECDE, primary, Secondary, tertiary and higher education, but children enrolling in pre- primary schools have remained low. Parental involvement has not been fully investigated especially in areas related to children’s education at pre- primary level. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of parental involvement in children accessing ECD education, completion and transition to standard one in Kakamega central sub county. The objectives of the study will include; examine the rate of access to pre-school education, determine ways of parental involvement in pre-school education, establish the rate of transition from pre-school to primary education, compare parental involvement and transition rate and find out factors influencing parental involvement in Kakamega central sub county, Kakamega county Kenya. The Study will be based on both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. The data for the study will be obtained from the school records, well administered questionnaires, interviews and observations. Questionnaires will be administered to 45 respondents comprising of pre-school teachers. Interviews will be conducted to 45 Parents of 45 pre-schools which will be purposely selected from 2 divisions of Kakamega central sub county. The data will be analyzed using simple percentages and frequency distribution tables to answer the questions that shall be posed by the researcher. The study shall then establish if there is a low access and transition rate of children in Early childhood Education Institutions in Kakamega central sub county due to some highlighted factors on parental involvement.
Home-based, school-based and socio-cultural factors influencing girls’ and boys’ KCSE examination performance in Murang’a Public mixed day secondary Schools, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2016-02) Mwangi, Pauline Muthoni
Gender parity in education is much treasured by many countries around the world, thus its realization is high on the agenda of many governments, Kenya included. Despite the Kenya government’s immense effort to eliminate gender disparity in education, girls in Murang’a South sub-county continue to perform poorer than boys. This study will investigate the factors influencing girls’ and boys’ performance of KCSE examination in public mixed day secondary schools in Murang’a South sub-county. The purpose of the study is to investigate and establish factors that lead to gender disparity in performance of KCSE examination in public mixed day secondary schools in Murang’a South sub-county. Specifically, the objectives of the study are to establish the school-based factors that influence girls’ and boys’ KCSE performance in public mixed day secondary schools in Murang’a South sub-county, to establish the home-based factors that influence girls’ and boys’ KCSE performance in public mixed day secondary schools in Murang’a South sub-county , to determine the socio-cultural factors that influence girls’ and boys’ KCSE performance in public mixed day secondary schools in Murang’a South sub-county, as well as to establish the interventions schools put in place to address the gender disparity. The study will adopt a descriptive survey design and will be conducted in Murang’a South sub-county. The target population will be the 32 principals of the 32 public mixed day secondary schools in the sub-county, the 543 teachers and the 4,200 students. Stratified sampling will be used to divide the schools into 3 strata i.e. three-streamed, double-streamed and single-streamed schools, and proportional allocation will be used to select the samples from the strata. Purposive sampling will be done to select the principals as well as the form 3 and 4 classes. Systematic sampling will be done to select the boys and girls, according to their admission numbers. Teachers will be selected through simple random sampling. The study will use one questionnaire for the principals, another one for teachers and another for students. Descriptive statistics will be used to analyze the collected data using means, modes and percentages. The SPSS computer program will be used to do this analysis.
Parental involvement, in their lower primary pupils’ homework, in Laikipia East Sub County Laikipia County, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2016) Mwenda, Catherine M .
Over time educators have often indicated that the critical responsibility carried out by the home and family environment determines the academic success of the child. The earlier parental involvement begins therefore, the more effective it becomes. While research indicates that parental involvement in children homework has many benefits like improving children’s academic achievement, fostering school–home feedback, fostering learners’ initiative, cultivating parental responsibility, as well as increasing learner’s skill, there is evidence that parental involvement in homework is low internationally and nationally. Locally, studies have not given much attention to the level of parental involvement in children’s homework mainly at the lower primary school level which forms part of ECDE. This study therefore will seek to identify the ways in which parents get involved in their lower primary pupils’ homework. It will also explore the factors that might influence this involvement including, parental occupation, educational level and parental gender although there exists other factors that influence parental involvement in homework. The study will target parents from public schools in the sub county. Two schools out of 43 schools will be sampled and twenty parents purposively selected to form the study sample. The study will be guided by Joyce Epstein’s theory of overlapping spheres of influence which recounts that most effective families and schools work have common characteristics. The study will adopt an exploratory approach using a descriptive survey design to gather information from parents. The aim of this research is to make recommendations for the formation of effectiveprograms on parental involvement in homework of their ECDE children suited to Kenyan public primary schools so that pupils, teachers and parents will derive the greatest benefits from the study. The study will adopt qualitative approach methodology and use interview schedules as data collecting instruments. Data will be analyzed using descriptivestatistics such as frequencies, mean, variances and standard deviation and the findings will be presentedbyuse of graphs and tables and pie charts.
Relationship between teacher education and preschoolers’ acquisition of numeracy skills in Hananasif Ward, Kinondoni District, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
(Kenyatta University, 2016) Mburu, Veronicah Njambi
The relationship that exists between teacher-related factors and the acquisition of the numeracy skills is very important because of the role that is played by the teacher in that process. This is the reason why this study seeks to investigate this relationship and attempts to put into perspective the impacts teacher education has on the acquisition of the numeracy skills in the preschoolers. The purpose this study is to examine the existence of a relationship between teacher education and the acquisition of numeracy skills in preschoolers. This target population will be all the preschoolers in private and public preschools in the 160 schools in Hananasif Ward. Each preschool have a population of approximately 30-40 preschoolers with 1-2 teachers in the class. Their teachers will mainly be the key participants in this study in the quest of finding out their education status and how it impacts on the practice while teaching and assessing numeracy skills to preschoolers. Only 16 schools will be sampled in this study and 32 preschool teachers. Correlational research design will be used to conduct this study due to its nature. This study is bivariate and the variables under study are teacher education on the acquisition of numeracy skills. Simple random sampling technique will be used to ensure all the participants have equal chances of taking part in the study. Observation checklists, achievement tests and questionnaires are some of the research instruments that this study will use. In terms of the methodology, observation and questionnaire methods will be used. Data analysis will involve tabulation and computation of correlation coefficient between the two variables. Pearson product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r) will be used to find the correlation because it gives the direction and the strength of the relationship between variables. Qualitative data analysis using thematic approaches will also be used. Graphs, pie charts, frequency polygons and tables will be used to present the findings of this study. The results and findings of this study will be useful to various stakeholders in the education sector in the district. These findings and recommendations could be used to review their theory and improve on their practice. Eventually, having the preschooler’s access the best learning experiences in their early years of life and have high achievement in their numeracy skills.
Capacity building for teacher effectiveness and students’ performance in public secondary schools in Embu and Tharaka Nithi Counties, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2016) Munyi, Monica Werimba
The purpose of this study is to assess and critically examine capacity building in relation to teacher effectiveness and students’ performance in public secondary schools in Embu, and Tharaka-Nithi Counties. Capacity building is about complex learning, adaptation and attitudinal change at the individual, group, organizational and even societal levels. People at these levels have to assume new responsibilities and slowly devise new collective solutions to common problems. The review of literature will be done as per objectives and will be based on the concept of capacity building and education, challenges facing capacity building in schools, capacity building and teacher effectiveness, impact of capacity building in secondary schools’ improvement, internal capacity building in sub-saharan Africa. The location of the study will Embu and Tharaka Nithi counties. The study will find out the types of capacity building and teacher effectiveness, determine the challenges faced in capacity building, establish the impact of capacity building to teacher effectiveness in relation to students’ performance and identify the strategies used for improving capacity building for teacher effectiveness and students’ performance. The research will employ a descriptive survey study design. The study will adopt the theory of the Latent Capacity Release Model by Taylor (1995) which influences the activities in an organization like a school. The Self-Determination Theory (SDT) will also be used. These are theories of human motivation in the ‘organismic’ or humanistic tradition. A pilot study will be carried out before the actual study. The population will consist of 304 public secondary schools in Embu and Tharaka Nithi counties of which Tharaka Nithi has 134 schools, 134 principals and 2400 teachers while Embu has 170 schools, 170 principals and 1484 teachers making a target population of 4188. The sampling method will be simple random sampling and purposive sampling. The sample size will be 152 principals and 1942 teachers making a total of 2094 respondents. Each category comprises of not less than 30% of the target population. Data collection will be done in phases. The reliability of the instruments will be sought. Data will be obtained and analyzed by use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer package. This will be done as per the objectives. The logistical and ethical consideration, human relations and legal issues will be strictly adhered to. Both qualitative and quantitative data analysis will be used to analyze the data collected. Responses from questionnaire will be organized according to pertinent aspects of the study. The findings will be presented through descriptive statistics by use of frequencies, tables, graphs and pie-charts. Further research will be recommended upon finishing this study on capacity building for teacher effectiveness and students’ performance.
Causes of school dropout among male students in public secondary schools of Embu County Kenya.
(Kenyatta University, 2016) Njeri, Ireri Daisy
Education is a very important aspect in the development of a complete human being. This is due to its whole process of empowering individuals in the improvement of their well being. Addi-tionally, it enables them to participate in national building of the country. However, student drop out is a great threat to the benefits of education in the country regardless of the government’s stress on basic education for all the children in the country. In Embu County, the problem is more pronounced among the boys than girls in secondary schools. In the County not all the boys who enroll at form one in secondary school complete this level of education. Hence this study focuses on the factors that are affecting the boy child’s secondary education completion. The objectives of this study are as follows: to interrogate the school based factors that cause boys to drop out of school in Embu County; to examine the family based factors that cause boys to drop out of school in Embu County; to examine the community based factors that cause boys to drop out of school in Embu County; to examine the student issues that cause the boys to drop out of school in Embu County and to examine the strategies used to combat the issue of dropout among boys in secondary schools of Embu County. The study adopted a descriptive survey design to collect the data from a varied range of respondents on the causes of dropout among the boys in secondary schools of Embu County. The target population for this study was the boys and girls attending public secondary schools in Embu County because the girls interact with the boys have the information on the reasons why boys drop out of school. Students who have dropped out, the parents of the students who have dropped out, teachers, head teachers and education standards and quality assurance officers in Embu County were also targeted. The target population was sampled using simple random sampling, purposive sampling and convenient sampling. Random sampling was used to Select 350 students who are in school, 27 teachers and 20 parents of the students in school. Purposive sampling was used to select 19 head teachers and 5 ESQAS and convenient sampling for the15 drop outs and their respective parents. The study employed questionnaires, interview schedule as the research instruments. The collected data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics and organized using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). The analyzed data is presented in frequency distribution tables, pie charts, bar graphs and percentages. The study found that the boys were more affected by dropout in the county than the girls. The major causes of dropout were; drug and substances abuse, negative attitude to education by the parents, indiscipline among the students, the socioeconomic activities in the county, peer influence and poverty. As a strategy to curb dropout, the government, parents, the learners and key education stakeholders should all work together in or-der to ensure that the learners complete their education. The study recommends that the govern-ment comes up with policies to ensure that all the school going boys are in school, the govern-ment should increase its funding to secondary schools and ensure that there is equality and fair-ness in terms of the fees that is charged to the students, the education stakeholders, the parents and the religious community should embrace guidance and causing of the boys in and out of school and act as good role models to be emulated by the learners
Influencing Performance In Mathematics In Kenya Certificate Of Primary Education Examination Of learners With Hearing Impairment In Meru County, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2016) Muguongo, Grace k.
The purpose of the study was to analyze the factors influencing learner’s poor performance in mathematics in Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination for learners with hearing impairment in Meru County. Despite efforts made by the Ministry of Education to offer Education to the learners with hearing impairment, these learners continue to perform poorly in Mathematics in KCPE examination. The study specifically sought to: examine teaching strategies used by teachers in the selected primary schools for Hearing Impairment, determine perceptions of teachers towards hearing impaired learners and their education. The study also sought to establish the auxiliary services offered to learners with HI to be able to benefit from education in the selected schools and lastly identify the resources available to facilitate education for learners with HI in the selected schools for learners with hearing impairment in Meru County. There are two schools for hearing impaired in Meru County. The study was carried out in the two primary schools for learners with hearing impairment. These are Njia and Kaaga School for Hearing Impaired. The two schools were selected for the study because the schools are a representative group for learners with hearing impairment in Kenya. Through purposive sampling, respondents were selected to respond to the research instruments. Questionnaires and interview guides were administered by the researcher. Piloting of the instruments was done in Isiolo Primary School for learners with hearing impairment that was not included in the final sample. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics which included frequencies, percentages and categories. The study established that all teachers in special education schools in Meru County had attained some training on special education and they were conversant with sign language. It was also revealed that Mathematics teachers used a combination of more than three teaching strategies in implementing curriculum among learners with hearing impairment in primary schools for HI in Meru County. Some of these strategies included illustrations, demonstrations, group work and question and answers among others. The most commonly used strategy was question and answer followed by group work both of which encourage comprehensive learner participation hence likely to impact positively in their performance. It was also shown that most mathematics teachers had positive attitudes towards the learners with hearing impairment. Teachers cared about what the learners did at school and were very willing to help them both in academic work and general welfare matters. Provision of auxiliary services including hearing aids, sign language interpretation, speech therapy, and psychological and medical support were inadequate. Resources such as trained staff members who were conversant with sign language, school nurses, library, resource room, classrooms and assistive devices were inadequately provided. This study recommended that the government, NGOs and other stakeholders should offer more to support SE systems through monetary and material support in order to ensure that learners with HI are well empowered by putting in place the necessary resources and facilities to better their learning. Campaign on attitude change should be intensified to change teachers who have negative attitudes and perceptions towards the HI learners. The sign language curriculum should be moderated to suit the intellectual capabilities of learners with HI and more dictionaries provided. The responsible organs should address the issue of understaffing and further seek to mitigate the challenges faced by educators in the SE. The study suggests that further research is required with other forms of disabilities or impairments since this study dealt with only hearing impairment.
Impact of self-efficacy on Mathematics performance among learners with dyscalculia in public secondary schools in Muranga County, Kenya.
(Kenyatta University, 2016) Mariera, Nicholas Matunda
The purpose of the study is to establish the impact of self-efficacy on mathematics performance among learners with dyscalculia in public secondary schools in Muranga, Kenya. The objectives of the study include; to establish the prevalence of learners with dyscalculia in public secondary schools in Muranga County, determine the learners' mathematics efficacy, to find out common areas of mathematics difficulties of learners with dyscalculia and to examine learner’s self-efficacy for mathematics. The study will mainly concentrate on mathematics performance in Continuous Assessment Tests (CAT).It will use a descriptive research design. The population for study will be 54 Public secondary schools in Kandara Sub-County, out of the 54 targeted schools 7 public secondary schools will be sampled for the study. The target respondents will be 7 principals, 7 teachers of mathematics, 1 from each school and 125 learners will be sampled for dyscalculia screening. Research instruments will include; questionnaire for teachers of mathematics and learners with dyscalculia, interview schedule for the principal, dyscalculia screening instrument and documentary analysis. The study will use stratified random sampling and purposive sampling to select the schools, teachers and students with dyscalculia respectively. Pilot study will be conducted in Gaichanjiru Mixed and Kenyoho Secondary school in Kandara Sub-County, Muranga County. Pilot will help to establish validity and reliability of the research instruments. Data from the research instruments will be analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively(Mixed method reseach). Quantitative data will be analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) while qualitative analysis will be done by organizing variables into themes.
The Critical Thinking Educational Policies And Its Implementation Mismatch In Primary Teacher Education
(Kenyatta University, 2016) Mikwa, Paul Matombi
The ultimate goals of education in Kenya is to equip children with quality knowledge and skills to enable then analyse and evaluate issues in life. The schools and colleges being implementers of curriculum are therefore mandated to produce future leaders. , teachers and manpower who can think critically and creatively at every issue to enhance country’s development (Paul1995) The major problem to be addressed in this study is to analyse the perceived mismatch between the documented educational policy on critical and creative thinking and its implementation in the teacher education program in Kenya. Kenya, through her education system and various government policies has expressed her concern about developing critical thinker. However, my observation is that teacher training colleges are neither challenging students to think critically about academic subjects nor helping them develop abilities to deal with problems. As an educator the lack of critical thinking among in-service teachers and student is of personal and professional concern, therefore this has prompted me to investigate the educational policies on critical and creative thinking in Kenya educational system to evaluate its implementation and recommend the way forward.
Influence Of Smase Projection The Teaching And Learning Of Physics In Naivasha Subcounty County, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2016) Kuria, Paul Kahiro
Physics help students to develop a holistic view of the relation of science. Kenya Vision 2030 for the education sector is to have globally competitive quality education, training and research for sustainable development. Strengthening of Mathematics and Science Education (SMASE) project is a joint venture between the Kenya Government through Ministry of Education, and the Government of Japan through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) with the aim to provide quality In-Service Training (INSET) for teachers in order to enhance teaching and learning, in mathematics and sciences. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of Strengthening of Mathematics and Science Education (SMASE) project on teaching and learning physics in Naivasha Sub-County, Kenya. Specific objectives of the study were: To evaluate teachers’ attitudes towards the teaching of physics using SMASE project skills. Establish learners’ attitudes towards teaching and learning of physics. To assess the availability and adequacy of teaching and learning resources for physics and. To determine challenges teachers face in their implementation of SMASE project skills in teaching and learning physics. Review of literature covered aspects of the objectives of the study. Descriptive survey design was used for this study whose target population was 1,400 subjects among them two physics SMASE district trainers, six Heads of Department (HOD), 12 physics teachers and 1380 students. Schools were stratified according to boarding and day schools. Simple random sampling was used to select 20 students in Form three from each school, nine physics teachers, and purposive sampling technique was used to select nine science HODs and two physics SMASE district trainers. A total sample of 200 respondents from nine secondary schools participated in the study. Questionnaires, interview schedules were used to collect data. Pilot study was conducted in one school to determine the reliability of the instruments. Instrument validity was determined through consultation with my supervisors. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer software and presented using simple descriptive statistics such as tables and figures. Interview data were reviewed, transcribed, organized into coherent categories and coded then analyzed and presented. The findings were that SMASE project has greatly influenced the way teachers handle lessons, teachers showing appreciation to new methods of teaching, learners attitudes also have been affected positively. Resources for sciences in schools were found not to be adequate. The study recommends that principals of secondary schools should support physics teachers especially in lesson study and also improve SMASE curriculum to include new methodologies especially to those teachers who have been in the field for long.
Effects of teacher turnover on students’ academic performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) in public and private secondary schools in Lamu County, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2017) Kiunga, Bernard Mwenda
This research focused on the effects of teachers’ turnover on students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Lamu County. The study was prompted by the overwhelming teacher turnover in most private and public secondary schools in the county. According to Sogomo, in his report, Private secondary schools have higher teacher turnover than public schools of which, private secondary schools constitute a significant percentage of secondary schools in Kenya (Sogomo B 2002). As indicated in Lamu County Annual Education Report (2010), almost 50% of private secondary schools staff leaves within the first five years and this obviously has consequences on students’ academic performance. This study therefore sought to investigate the effect of teacher turnover on students’ academic performance, the possible factors responsible for teacher turnover in secondary schools in Lamu County and the possible permanent remedy to this. The researcher used both Hertzberg’s Motivational and Expectancy Theories to provide a theoretical foundation for factors affecting teacher turnover which is likely to lead to poor students’ academic performance. The study was conducted using descriptive research design; specifically cross-sectional survey design using both the quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. The study population was 134 respondents of which they comprised of students, teachers and head teachers of some selected secondary schools, TSC and MoE officials in Lamu County. Simple random sampling was used to select the respondents who comprised: 10 school Principals out of 20 secondary school, 2 TSC Officials, 2 MoE Officials, 20 teachers and 100 students. The researcher collected data himself through the use of questionnaires, interview guide and observation schedule as research tools. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. SPSS (v21.0) was used in organizing the quantitative data. The qualitative data was used in explaining and clarifying the quantitative data from questionnaires. Frequencies and percentages were used to summarize the data and the findings were presented using frequency distribution tables and a multiple regression model was applied. The researcher found evidence that turnover costs, although difficult to quantify, are significant at both the county, Sub County and the school level. It was also found that teachers who leave the schools to other areas, left high minority and low performing schools at significantly higher risks. This has implications for the differential impact of teacher turnover on high-need schools. The relationship between teacher turnover in public schools and private schools varied across the schools in the county.
Socio-environmental factors influencing language of instruction policy’s implementation in early childhood classrooms within lower primary schools in kasarani sub-county, kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2016) Omweri, Martha Nyaboke
The purpose of the study was to investigate the socio-environmental factors influencing the implementation of the language of instruction policy in early childhood classrooms in lower primary schools in Kasarani Sub-county, Nairobi County, Kenya. The need to carry out the study arose from the growing concern by various researchers that using the language of the catchment area (LOCA) or mother tongue (MT) as a medium of instruction in lower primary classes has been displaced by English. This is in spite of the research findings that language of the catchment area is crucial to the learning process. The specific objectives of the study were to: Determine the influence of socio-environmental factors such as teaching/learning materials, teachers’ competence, teachers and parents’ attitude on the implementation of language of instruction policy in early childhood classrooms in lower primary and suggest interventions to enhance its implementation. The study was guided by two theories: the Interdependence Hypothesis by Cummins (1978) published in1979 and that of Reasoned Action by Ajzen (1991).The researcher adopted a descriptive research design, using the survey method. All the l50 lower primary schools within the division, their head teachers/directors, 600 class teachers and 9000 parents formed the target population of the study. The research was carried out on a sample of 45 (30%) primary schools which were randomly selected according to strata, their head teachers, 90 teachers and a similar number of parents. Data was collected using questionnaires and interview schedules. Questionnaires for teachers and interview schedule were used to collect data. Prior to the study, piloting was conducted in five schools (two public and three private). Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used to analyze data. Specifically, quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive analysis and data exploration. Preliminary reports and conclusions were based on descriptive statistics mainly frequency counts and percentages and presented using bar graphs, pie charts and frequency tables. Qualitative data were organized in themes and reported according to the research questions. Inferential statistics were used to analyze HO1-HO5 and tested using one-way Anova. This study was justified because despite the language of instruction policy stating that language of the catchment area should be used in early childhood classrooms in urban areas it had not been fully implemented. The study revealed that although majority of head teachers and teachers were aware of the language policy and supported the use of language of catchment area for instruction, teachers found it boring and challenging to use it to teach all subjects. Head teachers also found its use unnecessary and instead preferred utilization of English. Most parents also showed bias towards English because they similarly preferred their children being instructed in English than Kiswahili (language of the catchment area). The findings also reflected that teachers were not competent in the use of the language of the catchment area for instruction. In addition, instructional and learning resources were also not available for use by teachers in classes. Some of the suggestions made for intervention included: stepping up awareness of this policy to parents and teachers, training of teachers and in-servicing those already trained on the use of language of the catchment area (Kiswahili) for instruction and provision of teaching and learning resources written in the language of the catchment area.
The relationship between student’s mathematics achievement and career aspirations in Kandara Sub-county, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2016) Kogu, Zipporah Nyacomba
The study examined if a direct relationship exists between students’ mathematics achievement and their career aspiration. This research was conducted in Kenya among sampled secondary schools in Kandara Sub-county. Career aspirations of form one and form three students were examined in the study. The study was guided by four objectives, namely, establish the extent to which student’s mathematics performance influence their career aspiration, examine if the gender difference in mathematics performance affects career aspirations, establish whether career aspirations of students are influenced by the type of school they are in and to find out if age of a student influences their choice of career. It also tested six hypotheses that were based on the objectives. This research follows both descriptive and causal comparative designs. The target population included all form one and form three students and career guidance teachers in public schools in Kandara Sub-County. The research was conducted on 300 secondary students of which 150 were females and 150 males drawn from six schools (12%) out of 50 schools in the sub-County. A questionnaire was used to collect data from the students. The researcher interviewed Career masters/mistresses .Cronbach’s alpha of each variable was used as an internal consistency measure. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze .The study used tables and percentages for descriptive interpretation of the data; means to identify the aspirations of the respondents while analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to assess gender variation. The results showed that students had much confidence in choice of subjects, mathematics was positively correlated with career aspirations, gender of students showed positive association with career aspirations of students, age of students study showed positive association but not significant association with career aspirations and type of schools influenced career aspiration in public secondary schools. The study concluded that mathematics achievement greatly influenced the career aspirations of students in public secondary schools. The study recommendations are: guidance and counseling departments to popularize mathematics amongst the girls in girls and mixed schools, more efforts by schools are needed to improve performance in mathematics in mixed day schools, universities to lower cluster points for girls interested with mathematics related courses, schools to invest more in facilities that may enhance teaching and learning of mathematics in public secondary schools and incentives should be promised to students who excelled in mathematics and especially the girls.
Influence of peer group affiliation on indisciplined behavior among secondary school students in Nyahururu Sub-county, Laikipia County, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2016) Ombasa, Andama Edwin
This research intends to investigate the influence of peer group affiliation on indisciplined behavior among secondary school students in Nyahururu Sub-county. It will be guided by four objectives: To establish how peer pressure influences secondary school students into drug and substance abuse, to determine the influence of peer pressure on students’ involvement in pre-marital sexual relationships, to examine the influence of peer pressure on truant behavior among secondary school students and finally to suggest recommendations on how indisciplined behavior among secondary school students in Nyahururu Sub-county can be managed. The Social Learning Theory of Bandura and Walters (1963) will be used for the study due to its strong emphasis on the role of the social environment in shaping human behavior. Following this tenet therefore, the researcher intends to establish whether indisciplined behavior among secondary school students is as a result of the social interactions they make while in their peer groups both in school and at home. This will be achieved by relying on a descriptive survey methodology. Three sampling techniques will be used at different stages of sampling- stratified random sampling, purposive sampling and simple random sampling. The research sample will comprise of 376 students, 4 deputy principals and 4 heads of guidance and counseling department. With this sample, questionnaires, focus group discussions and an interview guide will be used to gather both qualitative and quantitative data. Prior to the actual study, a pilot study involving participants from 2 schools which will not be included in the actual study will be done in order to ascertain the validity and reliability of the research instruments. After data collection, qualitative data will be organized into themes, get coded and reported descriptively in line with the study objectives. On the other hand, quantitative data will be analyzed and expressed statistically through means, modes, frequencies, pie charts, bar graphs and percentages. Thereafter, findings of the study will be compared to pre-existing theory, conclusions and recommendations made.
Free day secondary education and quality of education in Murang’a County, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2016) Mwaniki, Wilson
Free Day Secondary Education has been riddled with numerous challenges ranging from inadequate instructional materials, school facilities and low staffing levels to cater for the influx of students. As such the quality of FDSE has been wanting and compromised. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to examine the impact of FDSE on academic performance of secondary school students in Murang’a County with focus on instructional resources, school facilities and staffing levels. The study will be reviewed along these variables and identify research gaps which the study will seek to fill. The study will adopt both quantitative and qualitative methods since it will involve collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. Questionnaires will be used to collect data from secondary school principals whereas interview schedules will be used to collect data from teachers and PTA Representatives. This study will employ a descriptive survey research design. Descriptive survey research designs are used in preliminary and exploratory studies to allow researchers to gather information, summarize, present and interpret for the purpose of clarification. Murang’a County has 292 public secondary schools. Therefore, the target population for this study will comprise 292 principals, 3206 teachers and 3504 PTA Representatives all totaling to 7002. Using The Central Limit Theorem, a sample of 30 secondary schools, that is, 30% of the targeted 292 secondary schools and 350 respondents, that is, 5% of 7002, will be selected Stratified sampling will be applied to create 8 strata based on the number of sub-counties in the County. From each sub-county, 4 principals, 22 teachers and 23 PTA Representatives will be selected using simple random sampling. This sampling procedure will finally enable the researcher to realize a sample of 30 principals, 140 teachers and 180 PTA Representatives. Analysis of data obtained from the instruments will be done through identifying common themes from the respondents’ description of their experiences. The information will be broken into phrases or sentences, which reflect a single, specific thought. The responses will be assigned codes and labels. Frequency counts of the responses will then be obtained to generate information about the respondents who will participate in the study and to illustrate the general trend of findings on the various variables that are under investigation. Qualitative data will be analyzed descriptively and thematically along the study objectives whereas the basic quantitative data will be analyzed using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation for objectives one and three Chi-Square for objective two in Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS version 21). The findings of the study will be presented using percentages, tables and charts since they summarize large quantities of data.
Alcohol related parental behaviour disorders and their effects on learner’s academic achievement in public primary schools in Marmanet, Laikipia County, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2016-02) Kamau, Anne N.
The purpose of the study was to establish alcohol related parental behavior disorders and their effects on children’s academic achievement. Alcoholism has been a major challenge not only in our country but globally. No matter the type of alcohol consumed, when taken excessively, the user and the significant others get affected. This study investigated the effects of alcohol related parental behavior disorders on academic achievement among learners in public primary schools. The study was guided by the social learning theory (SLT) and parental acceptance and rejection (PAR) theory. The target population was 1376 persons consisting of head teachers, teachers and learners in class 6 and 7 in the nine public primary schools in Marmanet zone. This is because pre-adolescent and adolescent children are the most prone as they go through the physical, emotional and psychological changes of this stage. They are also maturing up and become aware of the happenings at home. In each school, the study sampled 10% of the population in each class using stratified and systematic random sampling. The researcher purposively selected two class teachers in each school. All the head teachers in the schools selected participated in the study. The data was collected using questionnaires which were later coded and analyzed with the aid of SPSS computer program. The quantitative data was organized in frequency tables, graphs and pie charts. The study established that most of the parents in Marmanet zone take alcohol. It is readily accessible in homes, shopping centers and in rare cases has been brought to school .Due to this rampant parental alcoholic disorder, the parents have neglected their children hence denying them the much needed support for achievement of academic grades. This neglect was manifested in children lacking basic needs, being unkept, carelessness in their academic assignments, lack of concentration in class, chronic absenteeism, truancy, deviancy and antisocial behavior. The effects of this neglect cause the children to perceive rejection and therefore, are unable to achieve their full potential in academic work. The study recommended that there was need to enforce the liquor laws as given out in the Kenyan law. The fight against illegal ‘second generation’ alcohol should be maintained until it is fully eradicated .Also the learners, teachers and parents should be counseled and be made fully aware of the effects of alcohol and coping skills for alcoholics. Children of alcoholics (COAs) should also be empowered on coping mechanisms.

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