Secondary School Curriculum

Effectiveness of Instructional Supervision by Quality Assurance Officers on Quality of Education in Secondary Schools in Nairobi and Machakos Counties, Kenya

2019-01-01T00:00:00Z

Effectiveness of Instructional Supervision by Quality Assurance Officers on Quality of Education in Secondary Schools in Nairobi and Machakos Counties, Kenya Mwaniki, Solomon Gitonga The concern of guaranteeing quality education provision in educational institutions has aroused scholarly interests globally. In Kenya, with the creation of the Directorate of Quality Assurance and Standards (DQAS) whose mandate is to act as the national custodian of standards and quality of education in basic education, there are concerns on whether instructional supervision of teachers by Quality Assurance and Standards Officers (QASOs) has improved their instructional capacity to offer quality education. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of instructional supervision by QASOs on provision of quality of education in Nairobi and Machakos Counties. The objectives of the study were: to seek the perceptions of teachers on the instructional supervisory competences of QASOs; to assess the instructional supervisory practices exercised by QASOs in schools; to examine the influences of QASOs instructional supervisory practices on the instructional competences of teachers; and to assess the utilization of the QASOs’ recommendations and reports in public secondary schools. The Collegial theory was selected to guide this study. The study adopted ex post facto survey design and employed both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Target population of this study was 1481(N) persons (365 school principal teachers, 17 SC-QASOs, 2 C-QASOs, 2 N-QASOs and 1095 HOD teachers; from which a sample of 460 (n-31%) respondents comprising of teachers (110 Principal teachers& 329 HOD teachers) and 21 QASOs were drawn. Purposive sampling was used to select the two counties where the study was conducted while stratified and simple random sampling was used to select the schools where the study was conducted. Respondents for the study were selected purposively because of their relevancy to the study. Data were collected using questionnaires and interview schedules. Content validity of the instruments was determined by seeking expert judgment from specialist in educational management. Reliability of the research instruments was ascertained through Cronbach technique. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically and presented via narration and verbatim while quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages and means and presented using figures, tables and charts. The major finding of this study was that effectiveness of QASOs in teachers’ instructional supervision was found to be inadequate. Specifically, the study established that teachers perceived QASOs as having partial technical and conceptual competences; they don’t do sufficient preparations for conducting instructional supervision in schools and spend most of the time for instructional supervision checking teachers’ professional records; they are unable to adequately enhance teachers’ pedagogy and instructional material utilization competences; and have not spearheaded optimal utilization of their instructional supervision recommendations and reports to enhance provision of quality education. The study recommends that: QASOs should be taken through intensive training in technical subject areas related to their areas of specialization; instructional supervision of schools should always be based on previous recommendations and reports; and QASOs instructional supervision findings should always inform agenda for QASOs’ organized teachers’ seminars and workshops. A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Award of Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Educational Management) in the School Of Education, Kenyatta University, April 2019

Interaction of Selected Social Cognitive Variables in Predicting Musical Creativity among Form Four Students in Nairobi City County, Kenya

2019-01-01T00:00:00Z

Interaction of Selected Social Cognitive Variables in Predicting Musical Creativity among Form Four Students in Nairobi City County, Kenya Lugo, Lucy Mawang The main objective of music education is enhancement of students’ musical creativity. However, over the last six years (2012 to 2017) there has been a declining trend in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education music performance. This is compounded with consistent underachievement in prime creative areas like composition, aural and harmony, which signifies a decline in musical creativity among students. Although studies have associated psychological factors with musical creativity, limited local studies have examined how social cognitive attributes within the students may predict musical creativity. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships among musical self-concept, achievement goal orientation and learning strategies, and musical creativity of secondary school music students in Kenya. The prediction equation of musical creativity given the three constructs was also established. Framed upon componential theory of creativity, musical self-concept theory and the (2 x 2) achievement goal orientation model, the study adopted an ex post facto research design. The study targeted all the year 2017 form four music students in Nairobi County. The study used purposive sampling and a census to select 201 participants (139 females and 62 males) with a mean age of 17.24 years (SD = .78). A pilot study involving 20 students was conducted. Quantitative data were collected by use of Musical Self-perception Inventory, Music Achievement Goal Questionnaire, Music Learning Strategies Questionnaire and Consensual Musical Creativity Assessment Scale. Data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics comprised of frequency distributions, percentages, measures of central tendency and variability. Inferential statistics including Pearson’s correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis were used in hypotheses testing. Results indicated a significant positive correlation (r(199) = .25, p < .01) between musical self-concept and musical creativity. A significant positive correlation (r(199) = .39, p < .01) was also observed between mastery-approach goal and musical creativity. In contrast, there were significant negative correlations (r(199) = -.19, p < .01) and (r(199) = -.28, p < .01) between performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals respectively, and musical creativity. The results also indicated a significant positive correlation (r(199) = .52, p < .01) between deep processing learning strategy and musical creativity, and a significant negative correlation (r(199) = -.24, p < .01) between surface processing learning strategy and musical creativity. However, nonsignificant correlations were revealed among persistence and peer learning strategies, and musical creativity. The equation for predicting musical creativity was significant (F(8,192) = 18.47, p ˂ .01). Deep processing learning strategy had the highest positive predictive value (β = .47, p ˂ .01) on participants’ musical creativity. The study recommended that parents and teachers should create conducive home and school environments, which fosters positive musical self-concept, mastery-approach goal orientation and deep processing learning, to enhance musical creativity among students. A Thesis Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Psychology of Kenyatta University, March 2019

Relationship between School Climate and Students’ Subject Choice in Public Secondary Schools in Nairobi County, Kenya

2017-01-01T00:00:00Z

Relationship between School Climate and Students’ Subject Choice in Public Secondary Schools in Nairobi County, Kenya Wambui, Mercy School climate is the collective characteristic of an organization-the overall atmosphere that one senses on entering a school. It is the quality of the character of school life based on patterns of students, parents and school administration. It has three essential dimensions, Physical, Social and Academic which all impacts on students’ subject choice. Subject choice is crucial in the life of students because the choice they make determine the career path they shall pursue in life. It is in a school that a learner acquires norms, values and expectations that enable them make the right choice. This is the essence of this study which sought to establish whether there is significant relationship between school climate and students’ subject choice in public secondary schools in Kenya. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. It was done in Nairobi County which had 79 public secondary schools, 79 principals, 316 Heads of academic department and 10,920 Form Three students. Out of this target population, 30 public secondary schools were sampled randomly to get 30 principals. Purposive sampling was used to select 120 Heads of academic department and 390 Form Three students. The instruments for data collection were questionnaires for principals, teachers and Form Three students and observation check list. Data collected was coded and computed with the help of SPSS version 18 to get means, frequencies, percentages and Standard Deviations for qualitative data. Analysis was done using Pearson’s Chi square test and One Way ANOVAs for quantitative data. The study revealed that there was significant relationship between school climate and students’ subject choice at a p-value of .041 which was less than the level of significance of .05. In view of the study findings, it was recommended that the Ministry of education should formulate follow up guidelines that would encourage instructional leaders to create positive school climate that would enhance wholesome development of students in secondary schools so that acquired skills of decision making can enable them to make informed decisions on subject choice. The study findings are additional knowledge in the field of Education. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Education in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies, Maasai Mara University, September 2017

Implementation of Integrated Environmental Education in the Secondary School Curriculum for Managing Environmental Degradation in Machakos Sub-County, Kenya

2018-01-01T00:00:00Z

Implementation of Integrated Environmental Education in the Secondary School Curriculum for Managing Environmental Degradation in Machakos Sub-County, Kenya Chikati, Timothy Mandila This study investigated implementation of integrated environmental education (IEE) in the secondary school curriculum for managing environmental degradation in Machakos Sub-County. The study was guided by the following research questions: To what extent is environmental education (EE) integrated in the secondary school curriculum in Machakos Sub-County? What are the teachers‘ and students‘ perceptions of IEE in the secondary school curriculum? What are the levels of environmental literacy of secondary school teachers and students? What support do teachers require to implement IEE related topics in the secondary school curriculum? What instructional approaches do secondary school teachers use to teach IEE topics in the secondary school curriculum? What challenges are faced in implementation of IEE in the secondary school curriculum and what strategies are suggested to address these challenges? This study operated within Fullan‘s change theory (2007) as a framework for examining the implementation of integrated environmental education in the school curriculum. The theory views curriculum implementation as a model of interactions between four change factors (need clarity, complexity, quality & practicality) as independent variables and teachers‘ and students‘ environmental literacy (awareness, knowledge, attitudes, skills, participation) as dependent variables. This study was guided by a conceptual framework that described the link between the stated variables. The study employed mixed methods approach. Both probability and non probability sampling designs were used in tandem with the mixed methods. The target population of the study consisted public secondary schools, public secondary school principals, teachers and form 4 students in Machakos Sub-County, in addition to Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) officers from Nairobi County. Questionnaires; interview guides; document analysis schedules and observation guides were used as research instruments for data collection. Frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations were used to analyse quantitative data while narrations were used to analyse qualitative data. Hypotheses were tested at a minimum of .05 level of significance using independent samples T-Test and one way ANOVA. Study findings demonstrated that EE topics in the secondary school curriculum were inadequate and inappropriately organized; both teachers‘ and students‘ perceptions of the integrated environmental education in the secondary school curriculum were generally weak; participants were not well prepared in environmental literacy; support to implement EE was inadequate; collegial cooperation among teachers was lacking; most teachers and students had not fully appreciated learner-centred approaches to EE and environment policy was lacking in schools. The study concluded that most teachers and students did not fully participate in reducing environmental degradation in Machakos Sub County; EE implementation faced specific challenges particularly heavy workload; lack of environmental policy; lack of time and high premium placed on national examinations. The study recommended that KICD should include at least 50% percent of EE topics in the curriculum; The Ministry of Education should prescribe and oversee implementation of environmental policies in schools. The study recommended for further studies on classroom teaching/learning practices to establish how EE pedagogies are employed in secondary schools in Machakos County. A Thesis Submitted to the Department of Post Graduate Studies in Education in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Curriculum Studies and Instruction of The Catholic University Of Eastern Africa Nairobi-Kenya October, 2018