A study of some of the factors affecting the level of group cohesiveness in secondary school science clubs in Machakos District.
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Date
1987
Authors
Kivilu, Joseph Mbithi
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
The success of a group a measured by its outcome is determined by how cohesive the group is in perusing its goals. The cohesiveness of a group is influenced by various group properties or processes and certain characteristics of the members. There has been little research done locally on the various factors which influence group cohesiveness in school clubs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the existence of relationships between the levels of group cohesiveness and those of some of the factors which influence it, such as, interpersonal attraction, risk taking
and the instrumental value of the group to its members. The study also tried to establish whether
there were differences among the three types of clubs as regards the levels of group cohesiveness, interpersonal attraction, risk-taking and the instrumental value of the club to its members. Responses on a questionnaire administered to 309 science club members from 8 secondary schools in Machakos District provided the data for the study. Various statistical techniques used to analyses the data revealed that there were statistically significant relationships between the levels of group cohesiveness and the three factors. It was also shown that there
existed significant differences among the three types of clubs as concerns the levels of cohesiveness and instrumental value among the three school categories. However, no significant differences were found to exist among the types of clubs as concerns the levels of interpersonal attraction and risk-taking. From these results, it was suggested that the level of group cohesiveness could be improved through the creation of conditions which could enhance the degree of interpersonal attraction, risk-taking and instrumental value. Secondly, the sex composition of the club should be taken into consideration when creating these conditions. Recommendations were made hoping that, with the findings of the study, they might be of value to educators and school administrators in improving the calibre of the educational services offered to the youth of this country. It was also hoped that, the findings would give directions for further research in the forces operating in school groups.
Description
A Thesis Submitted in Partial fulfilment for the Degree of Master of Arts (Education) in Kenyatta University.