Department of Planning and Curriculum

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    Physical Planning and Growth of Private Primary Schools in Kenya
    (Journal of Management and Business Education, 2020-11) Kiambati, Kellen; Njiri, Julius; Mbugua, Levi; Mwenja, Dominic
    In Kenya, the number of private schools has increased more than four times since the introduction of the Free Primary Education (FPE) policy in 2003. The number of children attending private primary schools increased from 4.6% in 2004 to 11.5% in 2007. With such increment, there has been challenges on the determinants of growth of education institutions. It is against this background that the study examined the influence of physical planning on the growth of private primary schools in Kenya. the study was anchored in the resource dependency view where the managers of institutions have the ability to acquire, Plan and maintain resources that are important to the growth of an organization. The target population in this study comprised of 7,418 private primary schools in all eight regions of Kenya. Cluster sampling technique was employed of 50% of the target regions were sampled, leading to four out of eight regions being selected. From these regions random sampling was then used to select 320 respondents who were either the principals’/Head teachers or deputy principal of the schools. A questionnaire was used to collect data and Structural Equation Modeling was used to analyse data. The study found a strong and significant correlation between physical planning and growth of primary schools. This study therefore recommended that physical planning was an important factor in determining growth of private schools. The study further recommends that owners of private primary schools should be aware of the facilities that are crucial and most important to students in the teaching and learning. This will intern influence the growth of the private primary schools in Kenya.
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    Influence of Principals’ Collaborative Practices on Students’ Performance in Secondary Schools in Murang’a and Kirinyaga Counties, Kenya
    (Journal of Education, 2019-11) Irungu, Cecilia; Kagema, Josphat; Gachahi, Michael
    Despite the fact that Kenyan children have more opportunities to attend school, there still remains large gaps in learning outcomes. This stagnation in learning is confirmed by results of national examinations including Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). According to KCSE examinations results analysis, performance in secondary schools in different parts of Kenya is still below expectations and this trend is worrying. The number of students in Murang’a and Kirinyaga Counties who have continuously scored grade D+ and below every year have consistently remained high compared to those attaining university minimum admission grade of C+ and above. This low performance has persisted despite most schools having adequate and well trained teachers as well as adequate facilities. This study examined the influence of principals’ collaborative practices on students’ performance in Murang’a and Kirinyaga Counties, Kenya. The study involved a sample of 205 principals and 367 teachers selected from 436 secondary schools in the two counties. The researchers used validated questionnaires and interview schedules to collect data from teachers and principals respectively. Data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study established that principals’ promotion of collaborative practices was higher in Kirinyaga than in Murang’a County. It was noted that secondary schools in Kirinyaga County post better results in KCSE than those in Murang’a County and the study concluded that collaborative practices enhanced academic performance. This study recommended that principals should promote collaborative practices in their schools. This can be done through engaging stakeholders in networking and linkages that promote collaboration and can lead to better academic performance.
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    Faculty Beliefs about Multilingualism and a Multilingual Pedagogical Approach
    (ERIC, 2019) Kiambati, Kellen; Meiramova, Saltanat
    Language skills are the ultimate 21st century social skill, linked to creativity, problem solving, and the ability to effectively communicate. Knowledge of teachers’ beliefs is central to understanding teachers’ decision-making in the classroom. In an interconnected and globalized world, foreign language is a global competency, and multilingualism is an essential social skill. Multilingualism plays a significant role in developing the intercultural skills necessary for global talent in a globalized workplace, for an effective and engaged cosmopolitan global citizen, and it is an essential tool in addressing complex global issues. In this study a sample of 151 faculty members participated in the study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect primary data. The secondary data were collected from the documents in the ministry of Education. Study revealed that faculty beliefs affect multilingualism. The value of R2 of .45 indicates that 45% of the variations in multilingualism in learning is explained by faculty beliefs in general. This means that the universities need to take into consideration the multilingualism while teaching in institutions of higher learning.
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    Relationship between the roles of Students’ Councils in Strikes Management Strategies: Case of Public Secondary Schools in Central Kenya
    (African Journal of Education, Science and Technology, 2019-09) Wanjohi, N. Esther; Kinyanjui, Josphat; Gitumu, Margaret
    The ministry of education has compelled public secondary schools to constitute students representative councils in order to involve learners in decision making process and to provide a forum for students’ voice in school management so as to effectively address students’ problems. However, despite the constitution of students’ councils and their representation in the schools’ Board of Management, school strikes continue unabated and the relationship between school administrators and students remains unenthusiastic in public secondary schools in Central Kenya. The purpose of this study was to find out the relationship between the role of students’ councils and students strikes in public secondary schools. The objectives of the study were to; establish the roles of the students’ council presidents and assess their attitudes towards strike management strategies used by administrators in secondary schools. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design and was guided by Maslow’s theory of hierarchy of needs. The target population consisted of 847 students` council presidents in public secondary schools. The researcher employed simple random sampling technique and Gay’s sampling formula of 10% was used to determine the sample size, therefore 10% of 847 yielded a sample size of 85 respondents. Data was collected using questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, aided by computer software SPSS version 21. Analyzed data revealed that the student council presidents were largely unaware of their functions relating to strike management strategies and that they felt left out in the strategies employed by their schools ( =3.30 on a scale of 1-5). The study further established that the student council presidents’ attitudes towards strike management strategies used by administrators were negative ( =1.71) on the scale used of 1-5. It had been hypothesized that there was no statistically significant relationship between strategies used in strike management and the role of SC presidents. To test the hypothesis, regression analysis was done, which yielded a coefficient of the role of student council presidents in strike management strategies was 0.106 and a tstatics of .330 with a p-value of 0.746. The null hypothesis was thus accepted and it was concluded that the role of student council presidents’ does not significantly influence strike management and thus has a non-significant positive relationship with strike management in schools. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that there is need to strengthen students’ councils and sensitize the presidents on their roles in strike management strategies in secondary schools. This implies the need to enforce adherence to the implementation of the student council policy with a view to compel schools to actualize the democratization of management practices in secondary schools in order to incorporate students concerns in decision making processes.
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    Access to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitary Facilities and Pupil Participation in Education in Public Primary Schools in Kenya: A Case of Gichugu Constituency, Kirinyaga County
    (African Journal of Education, Science and Technology, 2019) Mwaruvie, John; Gachahi, W. Michael; Githaka, W. Priscah
    Provision of safe water for consumption and appropriate sanitation facilities have variously been advocated as critical forerunners to pupil participation in primary school education. However, these facilities are not consistently provided, that in various schools, water and cleanliness services are in dilapidated condition and thus expose pupils to obvious health risk and unsafe learning environments. This study investigated the access to clean water for drinking and sanitary facilities and pupil participation in education in public primary schools in Gichugu Constituency, Kirinyaga County, Kenya. The objectives of the study were to; assess the relationship between availability to safe drinking, establish the provision of sanitation facilities and pupil participation in public primary schools. The research design used in this study was the descriptive survey and the theory that guided it was the Social Constructionist of Sahlin. The target population covered 75 head teachers in public primary schools in Gichugu Constituency. Krecjie and Morgans formula was used in sample size determination which yielded a sample of 63 respondents and simple random sampling to select the study sample. A self-scoring questionnaire administered to the sampled respondents was used to collect data. Descriptive statistics, namely frequencies and percentages were used in data analysis and was aided the computer software SPSS version 20. The findings were represented in form of frequency tables and narrations. The research revealed that most schools had hygienic and water for drinking available to the learners. The study also revealed that academic participation improved in schools where pupils had hygienic drinking water, while absence of clean water for drinking led to poor school. The study established that poor sanitation amenities led to occurrence of infections which affected learners’ participation in curricular activities. Lack of clean conveniences added to absenteeism and high occurrences of diseases among pupils in primary schools. In line with the findings, the study commends that the, National and County Governments and the local community should ensure that all public primary schools in Gichugu Constituency have been supplied with piped water in order to control infections that affect pupils’ attainment of education. Education stakeholders ought to underscore the provision of adequate sanitation facilities schools so as to advance pupils’ hygiene and participation in school.
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    Effectiveness of Counselors in Managing Discipline in Public Secondary Schools in Kenya: Case of Mt. Kenya East Selected Counties
    (African Journal of Education, Science and Technology, 2019-09) Njoka, N. Johannes; Kimotho, W. Flora; Gitumu, W. Margaret
    Various innovative approaches to shaping of students’ discipline have been introduced in schools since the banning of corporal punishment; one such strategy is the involvement of school counselors as an alternative to corporal punishments, unfortunately the effectiveness of such strategies have not been clearly documented. This study sought to analyze the effectiveness of school counselors in promoting learners’ discipline in public secondary schools in three Mt. Kenya East counties. The study was guided by the following research objectives, to analyze the prevalence of students’ indiscipline and evaluate the effectiveness of involvement of counselors in shaping discipline in public secondary schools. The hypothesis was that there was no relationship between the involvement of counselors and level of discipline. The target population comprised of 421 heads of counseling from all the 421 secondary schools from which a sample of 42 counselors were selected using the stratified random sampling. Questionnaires were used in data collection. Analysis of data was conducted using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results of the study indicated that counseling was minimally used to promote student discipline in secondary schools. The findings from the test of hypothesis revealed that there was no statistically significant difference in the involvement of counselors shaping students’ discipline in public secondary schools. In order to establish whether a significant statistical relationship existed between prevalence of indiscipline and use of counseling in controlling misbehavior among learners in secondary schools, Pearson r correlation was computed which yielded r = + .097, n = 42, p < .0005. The null hypothesis was thus accepted and it was concluded on the need to strengthen counseling to enhance discipline. The study recommends enhancement of counseling with a view to integrating counselors in school management and decisionmaking organs such as Boards of Management.
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    Challenges Facing Technical Training Institutes in Kenya: A Case of Nyeri, County
    (African Journal of Education, Science and Technology, 2019-09) Kagema, Josephat; Wanjohi, E. Waihura; Kimiti, Richard; Kimosop, Maurice
    Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) was deemed as a key ingredient for Kenyans Economic development by offering mid-level technical managers for industrial transformation. The purpose of this study was to assess the challenges facing Technical Training Institutions in Nyeri County, Kenya. The Context, Input, Process and Product (CIPP) Theory formed the major theoretical framer for this study. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The study targeted 330 respondents among them Heads of Applied Sciences Department, Field Intern Supervisors and 275 interns from TVET institutions in the County. The study employed a questionnaire and interview guide as data collection instruments. The questionnaire and the interview guide were piloted to test for reliability and validity. Data analysis employed both quantitative and qualitative procedures using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 19 computer programme. Qualitative data was categorised into themes, coded and entered into the computer for analysis. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics (Chi-Test). The study showed that majority of the Head of Departments (HoDs) and TVET interns noted that TVET training was regarded as low-class education by the public. The study found that the respondents agreed that the technical institutions have well organized programmes for learners. The study also concluded that the technical institutes were poorly equipped for the market demand and often resulted in training with obsolete equipment. The Ministry of Industrialization together with the Ministry of Education should allocate more funding to technical institutions since they prepare middle level employees who are the key pillars of Kenyan’s achievement of the Vision 2030.
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    Reactions of Schools’ Headteacher Toward Computer Use in Teaching and Learning in Secondary Schools in Tharaka-Nithi County in Kenya
    (International Journal of Information Science and Education, 2013) Mbugua, Zachariah Kariuki; Muthomi, Mercy Wanja; Githua, Bernard Nyingi
    Technology innovation has become a common-place phenomenon with widespread use of computers in society. The use of computer in Kenyan classrooms is still in its infancy and the perceptions and experience of head teachers do play an important role in promoting computer use in schools. However reactions of schools head teachers toward computer use in secondary schools has not been established. The purpose of the study was to investigate the reactions of schools head teachers toward computer use in teaching and learning in secondary schools in Tharaka-Nithi County. The study sought to find out the reactions of head teachers toward computer use in teaching and learning. The study employed descriptive survey research design. The research was carried out in 31 secondary schools in Tharaka-Nithi County. The subjects were head teachers in secondary schools that were randomly sampled. The sample size was 31 head teachers. The research instrument used was a questionnaire. The reliability coefficient of at least 0.7 was used in the study to test the degree of internal consistency of research instrument. The data obtained was scored, coded and analysed using descriptive statistics that included frequencies, percentages and graphics. From the study it was found out that the head teachers exhibit positive reactions toward computer use in teaching and learning. The findings of this study may help to reveal the significant role of the head teachers as technology leaders in meaningful integration of computers in teaching and learning.
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    TIVET Trainees Attitudes Towards Technical Training in TIVET in Nyeri County, Kenya
    (International Journal of Education and Research, 2016) Kagema, Josephat; Kimiti, Richard; Waihura, Wanjohi Erastus
    Technical, Industrial, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Institutions provide a major link in the Kenyan economy by providing technical skilled personnel who occupy the mid-level positions. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of graduates of technical training institutions in Nyeri County, Kenya. This study wanted to establish TIVET trainee’s attitudes towards technical training in TIVET. The research was based on Context, Input, Process and Product Theory which holds that obtaining information about a situation to decide on educational needs and to establish programme objectives. The study adopted a descriptive study design and was located in Nyeri County. The target population comprised of 10 heads of applied sciences department, 45 supervisors from the companies where the trainees were attached and 275 trainees. The sample size used in the study comprised of 10 HODs, 55 trainees and 8 supervisors. The study employed the questionnaire was the primary data collection instrument. The research instruments were piloted to test for reliability and validity. The Reliability Coefficient for the TIVET Heads of Department Questionnaire was 0.767 and the TIVET Graduates Questionnaire at 0.748. All the above Reliability Coefficients were between 0.6 and 1.0 showing that the three questionnaires were reliable. Data analysis procedures employed were both quantitative and qualitative procedures using SPSS computer program. The Study showed that majority (62.5%) of the HODs and trainees (58.3%) noted that TIVET training was regarded as low class education by the public. The study found out that majority (62.5%) of the HODs noted that TIVET was theory based training and as such the trainees were less exposed to the practical aspects of their training a view that was supported by majority (77.1%) of the trainees. Based on the premises of discussions of the above findings, the study concludes that the public has a perception towards TIVET training as being a lower class education.
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    Evaluating Principals’ Role in Curriculum Supervision through Effective Transformative Leadership
    (Journal of Pedagogical Sociology and Psychology, 2019-04) Kagema, Josphat
    This paper makes a critical examination of the role of school principals and managers in enhancing curriculum supervision and reinforcing prudent teaching practices. This is through a plethora of activities such as analyzing teacher’s performance, providing meaningful feedback, enhancing collegial approaches in the school and developing instructional strategies that will help to achieve the curriculum goals. The administrators and school management also need to provide the instructional resources required to achieve the learning outcomes. It therefore calls for collaborative efforts between the school and the community within. A focus therefore is made on the nature of leadership that can drive to broadly achieve the overall school’s goals. Effective leadership has been examined by scholars and the concurrence is that there are appendages to it ranging from instructional leadership, transformative leadership, moral leadership, participative, contingency and managerial. A school principal need to blend the six approaches so that they are geared to learner’s achievement, work ethics and values, democratic ideals and social justice. Finally, the paper looks at the emerging concepts and trends in school supervision and how they have shaped the delivery of curriculum goals and directions of schools. It proposes on the direction that educational policy makers should adopt in view of making bringing success to school leadership for effective curriculum delivery.
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