Street Level Bureaucracy and Implementation of Free Primary Education Policy in Public Primary Schools in Embu County, Kenya
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Date
2023-06
Authors
Mwaniki, Veronica Wambogo
Muna, Wilson
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
RJI
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of street-level bureaucracy on the implementation of
free primary education policy in Embu County, Kenya. The study used explanatory research design. The target
population for the study was 389 education stakeholders, namely; 384 head teachers, 1 Embu County Director
of Education and 4 Sub Counties Directors of Education. The study used census and simple random sampling
techniques to select 120 respondents to participate in the study. Questionnaires and interview schedules were
used to collect quantitative and qualitative data respectively. The researcher used content experts to establish
the validity of the instruments while Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.7 was used to establish the reliability of
the questionnaires. The researcher used SPSS version (21.0) to organize quantitative data which then was
analyzed using descriptive statistics, namely; percentages, frequencies, mean and standard deviation while
multiple regression analysis was used to answer the research questions. Data was presented in tables, bar
graphs and pie-charts. The study found that teacher autonomy, financial facilitation, coping mechanism and
teaching methods had a positive significant influence on the implementation of FPE policy in Embu County,
Kenya. The study found that teacher autonomy empowers teachers, supporting their work satisfaction and
professionalism. The text books and other learning materials were adequate. The school was free from both
internal and external wrangles, gender stereotype roles within the community affects the uptake of education in
my school and teachers work to accommodate each students’ needs, allowing for individual personal growth
and discovery amidst collaboration with others. The study concluded that teacher support for autonomy is
critical for augmenting appropriate outcomes, and it is deemed as a strong predictor of learners’ particular
resources along with their motivational styles and educational achievement. Allocation of funds affected the
implementation of the FPE as the amount allocated by the government was not adequate. The major copping
mechanism in the implementation of free primary education included hiring of extra teachers paid by parents
through school management committees. Proper application of teaching methods helps students achieve their
learning goals, increases student engagement in the classroom.
Description
Article
Keywords
Teachers Autonomy, Financial Facilitation, Coping Mechanisms, Teaching Methods, Educational Policy Reforms, Public Primary Schools in Kenya
Citation
MWANIKI, V. W., & MUNA, W. (2023). Street level bureaucracy and implementation of free primary education policy in public primary schools in Embu County, Kenya. Reviewed Journal of Social Science & Humanities, 4(1), 298-314.