PE-Gender and Inclusive Education (Equality)

Teachers’ and Caregivers’ Perceptions of Gender Differences in Educational Experiences of Children Affected by Parental AIDS in Western Kenya

2020-07-08T09:15:43Z

Teachers’ and Caregivers’ Perceptions of Gender Differences in Educational Experiences of Children Affected by Parental AIDS in Western Kenya Jepkemboi, Grace; Aldridge, Jerry The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe the perceptions of teachers and caregivers concerning gender differences in the educational experiences of children influenced by the HIV status of their parents or orphaned by AIDS in 7 orphanage schools of Western Kenya. 12 teachers and 8 caregivers participated in the study. Data were collected over 3 months using participant observation and individual interviews. Findings indicated that no gender differences in educational experiences were noted during preschool. However, during the elementary school years and beyond, participants described gender differences in terms of math, science, languages, and school attendance. Boys were perceived to do better at math and science, while girls were believed to do better in languages. Girls were also more likely to be kept out of school to assist with or take care of family needs when a parent became ill due to AIDS. An article published in Academic Journals

Influence of Teacher Pedagogical Competencies on Pupils Academic Performance in Public Primary Schools in Kenya

2020-08-07T15:20:28Z

Influence of Teacher Pedagogical Competencies on Pupils Academic Performance in Public Primary Schools in Kenya Teygong, Loice; Kapkiai, Moses; Oduor, Daniel Teachers have important influence on learners’ academic achievement. However, Chepkorio division in Elgeyo Marakwet County has witnessed average results in academic performance in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination. The study target population comprised of 521 teachers and 47 head teachers from Chepkorio Division. A sample size of 42 head teachers and 226 teachers were selected. The data was analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively using both descriptive and inferential statistics. It was found out that teachers utilized learner-centered approaches more as compared to teacher-centered ones; print media: textbooks and references books were commonly used as opposed to audio and video media in classrooms. The study recommends that; in-service training should be provided to teachers and head teachers should supervise teachers’ utilization of various instructional resources in classrooms. An article published in European Journal of Education Studies

Demographic Factors and Job Satisfaction: A Case of Teachers in Public Primary Schools in Bomet County, Kenya

2020-07-08T07:38:09Z

Demographic Factors and Job Satisfaction: A Case of Teachers in Public Primary Schools in Bomet County, Kenya Chirchir, Reuben The success of any school depends among others on the social capital including teachers, students, parents and other stakeholders who support the business of imparting knowledge. Satisfied and committed teachers impacts both on individual student performance and general academic standards of the school. The study explored job satisfaction among primary school teachers in relation to certain demographic variables. The objective of this study was therefore to examine the influence of demographic factors on job satisfaction of teachers in public primary schools in Bomet County, Kenya. This was done by conducting a survey using a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 848 teachers in 129 primary schools participated in the study. Descriptive and Inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. The overall finding was that teachers were ambivalent on job satisfaction, meaning that they were not sure whether they are satisfied with their jobs. However, teachers were satisfied with their colleague co-teachers and happy when assigned administrative duties. Teachers were more satisfied when authority is delegated to them. It is evident that school leadership need to improve on in ways of supervision, systems of reward, ways of communication and working conditions. It was further established that there was significant differences in the level satisfaction of male and female teachers for satisfaction with administrative duties (t = 2.645) and satisfaction with teaching (t= 2.448). It was also found that male teachers are more satisfied with administrative duties (m=3.2; s.d. = 1.05) than female teachers (m=2.91; s.d.= 1.18). Similarly, male teaches are more satisfied with teaching (m= 2.6; s.d.= 0.70) than female teachers (m= 2.5; s.d. = 0.79). This implies that female teachers are not keen on taking up additional administrative duties in the school. Overall, there was no significant difference between the levels of job satisfaction between male and female teachers. On the other hand, it was found that job satisfaction was positively correlated with the ‘age of respondent’ (r= 0.092; p<0.01) and ‘experience in teaching’ (r= 0.081; p<0.05). An article published in Journal of Education and Practice

Guiding and Counselling Pupils in Kenyan Public Primary Schools: Headteachers and Teacher Counsellors Role Perception and Experiences

2020-07-07T09:18:54Z

Guiding and Counselling Pupils in Kenyan Public Primary Schools: Headteachers and Teacher Counsellors Role Perception and Experiences Njoka, Evangeline Wanjira The purpose of this study was to determine the role perceptions of head teachers and the teacher counselors in the guidance and counseling of pupils in public primary schools of Embu District, Kenya as well as determining whether there were any qualitative different ways in which respondents (head teachers and teacher counselors) viewed and experienced these roles. In addition, the study established whether there were any significant differences between the respondents' role perceptions in guiding and counseling pupils and the selected demographic variables of age, sex, marital status, academic qualification, teaching experience, experience in management, training in guidance and counseling, school category and geographical location of school. The study also established if there existed any significant differences between head teachers' perceptions of teacher counselor’s role and the teacher counselors’ perceptions of their role. The study used a survey design with a multi-strategy research approach which provided both quantitative and qualitative data through questionnaires, interviews and observations. The data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The inferential statistics employed were t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), which were used to test the hypotheses of the study at significance level of 0.05. The interview data were analyzed phenomenographically. Both the head teachers and the teacher counselors had high levels of perception of their roles in the guidance and counseling of pupils (4.57 and 4.52 respectively out of a maximum of 5.0). The head teachers' level of perception of the teacher counselors’ role was 4.54. The results obtained after testing the hypotheses indicated that there were no significant differences between head teachers' role perceptions and the independent variables of age, gender, marital status, academic qualifications, training in guidance and counseling, administrative experience, teaching experience, school category and geographical location of school. There were also no significant differences between teacher counselors’ role perceptions and the independent variables of age, gender, marital status, academic qualifications, training in guidance and counseling, administrative experience, and school category. In addition, there was no significant difference between the head teachers perception of the teacher counselors’ role and the perception of the teacher counselors about their role. There was however a significant difference realized between teacher counselors’ role perceptions and the geographical location of school. Over half of the teacher counselors (55.6%) and the majority of the head teachers (71.4%) had not received any basic training in the guidance and counseling skills. Observations carried out revealed that 90.7% of schools had not time-tabled for guidance and counseling and was only done when need arose. The majority did not have guidance and counseling offices (93.3%), reference materials (79.0%) and training materials (76.5%). Counseling atmosphere in more than half (57.0%) of the counseling sessions was found to be either tense or suspicious. Phenomenographically analysis of data revealed that there were qualitative different ways in which the respondents viewed and experienced their roles in the guidance and counseling of pupils. The pupils who needed guidance and counseling in public schools had socio-cultural, socio-economic, and academic problems or needs. Drug abuse (socio-cultural) was ranked as the most serious with alcohol being most abused. Early pregnancies and marriages were the leading causes of girl school drop outs, while drug abuse and child labor were the leading causes of the boys drop outs. The majority of the teacher counselors (89.1%) and the head teachers (94.9%) missed out many functions despite having high role perceptions. Lack of support from the stakeholders; intensive poverty and widespread illiteracy; cultural/traditional practices; and negative media influence, were recorded as interfering with their role performance. Several suggestions to solve these problems were offered. Although the respondents listed several indicators of poor role performance in the guidance and counseling of their pupils, the majority still perceived their role performances to be either good or fair. The research findings have justified the need for change in the management of guidance and counseling and several recommendations have been put forward. Some suggestions for further research have also been included. A PHD Thesis submitted to Kenyatta University School of Education