https://kerd.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/168 2026-08-01T10:03:38Z https://kerd.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1328 IT Education and Workforce Participation: A New Era for Women in Kenya? Mbarika, Victor W. A.; Payton, Fay Cobb; Kvasny, Lynette; Amadi, Atieno While Sub-Saharan African women have historically assumed the roles of both housewives and subsistence farmers, they have had few opportunities to participate in the modern economies of the region. However, this trend is changing with the exponential growth of information and communications technologies (ICT), giving many Sub-Sahara African women access to computers, the Internet, and other related technologies. Based on the work of a four-member research team from Kenya and the United States, this article examines the integration of female college students into the formal ICT work sector in Kenya. We do so by examining major bottlenecks and enablers to such integration from historical and contemporary perspectives. Using an interpretive approach, we conducted 32 interviews with women in an ICT program offered by a university in Kenya. Our findings indicate that women were highly optimistic, embracing ICT as a practical mechanism for achieving entry into the labor market. However, they perceived significant structural barriers, such as public policies that failed to facilitate the develop- ment of the ICT sector, gender discrimination by employers, and training that provided them with insufficient technical skills to enable them to effectively perform in the workplace. These findings largely confirm the gendered perspectives found in similar studies conducted in other countries. However, what appear as global perspectives are informed by the local causes. A research article in The Information Society 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z https://kerd.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1327 Factors Influencing Students Career Choices among Secondary School students in Kisumu Municipality, Kenya Quinter, Migunde; Edwards, Kochung Career choice is a complex decision for students since it determines the kind of profession that they intend to pursue in life. As students try to make career choice while in secondary school, they face problem of matching their career choices with their abilities and school performance. In Kenya every year form four secondary school students make career choices before sitting for their final examination (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations) however, studies indicate that most students enter into careers that are totally different from the ones they chose while in secondary. The purpose of this study was to examine factors influencing career choice among form four secondary school students in Kisumu municipality, Kenya. The study was conducted using descriptive survey design with a population of 332 students. The data for this study was collected using questionnaire and interview schedules. The findings of this study indicate that availability of advancement opportunities and learning experiences are the most influential factors affecting career choices among students. While males reported learning experiences and career flexibility as the most influential factors, females however reported availability of advancement opportunity and opportunity to apply skills as the most influential factors. However, no variance was reported for persons influencing career choice by gender A research article in Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z https://kerd.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1320 Gender and Students’ Perceptions of Career Aspirations in Secondary schools Obura, Caroline Atieno; Ajowi, Jack Odongo Enrolment in courses leading to certain careers like engineering, architecture and technology in Kenya, revealed that female students were underrepresented in these courses. Males dominated inmost courses except in education, home economics, nursing and secretarial studies. It was hypothesized that career aspirations were gender related. The purpose of the study was to determine the career each male and female secondary school student in Kisumu Municipality aspires for. The findings of the study will hopefully contribute to knowledge in the area of gender studies and career guidance. The study used descriptive survey design. The study population consisted of 1596students in Kisumu Municipality. Purposive sampling was used to select 8 public secondary schools that were likely to have a combination of students with different abilities and therefore likely to have different career aspirations. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select a representative sample of 237 male, 238 female students and 8 teachers heading career guidance department in the selected schools. Data were collected using student questionnaires and interview schedules. Descriptive and chi-square statistics were used to analyze the relationships between the gender of the students and their career aspirations. Findings of the study indicated that there were gender disparities in career aspirations of secondary school students in Kisumu Municipality. The relationship between students’ career aspirations and their gender was found to be statistically significant. A research article in Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies 2012-11-01T00:00:00Z https://kerd.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1317 Attendance and Gender: Impact on Students’ Academic Achievement in Public Secondary Schools in Hamisi Sub-County, Kenya Livumbaze, Asige Geofrey; Achoka, S. K. Judith Students’ school attendance stands out as a major factor in student academic achievement. Sporadic attendance leads to transient knowledge retention hence dismal academic results manifested by poor/receding test scores. Similarly, some archaic gender stereotypes and gender bigotry plays to the disadvantage of students’ thus affecting their schooling. This study attempted to analyze the impact of students’ school attendance and gender on students’ academic achievement in public secondary schools in Hamisi sub-county, Kenya. The focus was put on the observed preceding academic achievement of students at secondary school’s KCSE with respect to their scores at primary-level schooling. The study was guided by the following objectives: 1. To determine the effect of students’ school attendance to academic achievement in secondary schools in Hamisi Sub-county and 2. Establish the effect of gender to students’ academic achievement in secondary schools in Hamisi Sub-county. The study employed descriptive survey research design. The target population was 4,295 consisting of 41 Principals, 428 teachers, 3826 students. Simple random sampling was used to select both the teachers and students. Stratified random sampling was used to classify and select schools hence 12 principals. The sample size was 523 respondents consisting of 12 principals, 128 teachers and 383 students. Data collection tools used were structured and unstructured questionnaires, interview schedules and document analysis. Content validity and test re-test techniques were used to validate and test instrument reliability respectively. A Pearson Correlation coefficient of 0.5 provided the benchmark for instrument reliability. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics. Quantitative data was presented using frequency counts, means and percentages with the aid of the SPSS Version 24.0. Thematic trends were used to analyze qualitative data with presentation done using frequency distribution tables, bar graphs, and pie charts. The study established that: The students’ school attendance was way below acceptable low. Boys’ participation in schooling was higher compared to that of girls. It was recommended that: Secondary schools in Hamisi sub-county should join their programs and routines in a manner that encourages students to attend school. The gender bigotry and stereotypes should be done away with. The government should put in place a clear policy framework to guard against issues that segregate against either gender both at home and school. More emphasis should be placed on the girl child so that they have equal opportunities in schooling with the boy child. A research article in The Journal of Middle East and North Africa Sciences 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z