https://kerd.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/104 Sun, 02 Aug 2026 18:45:27 GMT 2026-08-02T18:45:27Z https://kerd.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1257 Group Polarization in Decision Making: A Study of Selected Secondary School Disciplinary Panels in Rongo District of Kenya Aloka, Peter J. O. Behaviour problems have been on the rise in Kenyan schools for some time now. Various maladaptive behaviours found among school children include bullying, vandalism, stealing, alcohol and drug abuse, truancy, not completing homework assignments and other forms of problem behaviours. These problem behaviours impact negatively on the teaching and learning enterprises of schools as well as on the safety and security of the school environment. As consequence, schools have to develop student behaviour management practices aimed at addressing student problem behaviours. Corporal punishment was a major means by which schools dealt with students’ problem behaviours. However, because of the human rights abuses associated with corporal punishment, the Kenyan Ministry of Education had to abolish corporal punishment in 2001 and instructed schools to evolve more effective student behaviour management practices with strong emphasis on positive student behaviour development. Schools’ student behaviour management practices including policies on student behaviour expectations, school rules and regulations as well as counselling services are all to be coordinated by each School Disciplinary Panel. A School Disciplinary Panel is to be composed of small group of teachers as a way of emphasizing the latter’s roles in student behaviour development and not just student academic or educational development. The central concern of this study was to investigate the Kenyan schools’ behaviour management practices as being implemented by School Disciplinary Panels especially in the latter’s responses to students’ problem behaviours. The study investigated processes of decision making by Kenyan secondary school disciplinary panels for the management of student behaviours and the contribution of this to student behaviour development. Mixed methods research design was adopted for the study. The adoption of both quantitative and qualitative approaches was to ensure the collection of comprehensive information for better understanding of the behaviour management practices of Kenyan schools. The population for the study comprised all Kenyan schools with behaviour management practices and School Disciplinary Panels. Rongo District, one of the largest education districts in Kenya was chosen for the study. Ten of the schools in this district were actually involved in the study. The selection of the schools took into consideration the three different types of schools in Kenya (Girls’ Only, Boys’ Only and Co-educational schools) as well as other variables of particular interest to the study. Seventy-eight (78) disciplinary panel members from the ten selected schools were the participants of the study. Data collection was by use of questionnaire method (the Modified Choice Dilemma Questionnaire, MCDQ) and interview protocol. The findings of the study revealed the existence of the phenomenon of group polarization in decision making processes of disciplinary hearings conducted by the School Disciplinary Panels. Study findings also revealed that the nature of information shared during disciplinary hearings, group members’ motivation for approval of others and their concern for their status in the group as well as the personality characteristics of the members of the disciplinary panels (including gender, age, teaching experiences and school affiliation) were the major influences responsible for the existence of group polarization in the disciplinary processes of the Kenyan secondary school disciplinary panels. Since group polarization is about consensus decisions with characteristics of being collective decisions as well as greater support and acceptance for the decisions the conclusion of the study is that good quality decisions of Kenyan secondary school disciplinary panels have great potentials for effective management of student behaviours and for positive behavioural development of students as an important objective of education and or the schools. A PhD thesis submitted to University of the Western Cape Mon, 01 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT https://kerd.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1257 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z https://kerd.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1209 Influence of Safety Standards and Guidelines Implementation on Security Management in Public Boarding Secondary Schools in Kitui County, Kenya Kimanthi, Moses Munyau Globally the issue of security is pertinent. There is a current concern on the increasing cases of disasters in secondary schools in Kenya which calls for an urgent need to investigate the schools security systems. The purpose of this study was to look on the influence of safety standards and guidelines implementation of security management in public boarding secondary schools in kitui county. The objectives were: to determine the influence of safety training implementation on security management, to find out the influence of physical infrastructure safety implementation on security management, to establish the influence of student abuse protection implementation on security management, to find out the influence of transportation safety implementation on security management and to establish the influence of safety monitoring and evaluation implementation on security management. The importance of security in schools administration was the rationale and the contribution was the significance of the study. This study was guided by the securitization and disaster management theories. The research adopted mixed methodology approach and the concurrent triangulation design. The target population was 16,875 which included 1,940 teachers and 14,903 students, 16 education officers and 16 senior police officers. The total sample was 650 from 20 stratified sample schools, 240 teachers and 400 students were used. From the education officers and police officers, 5participants were used in each category. Stratified sampling was used to get 5 schools from each of the 8 constituencies; the n random sampling was used to get 20 schools. Principals and deputies were purposively sampled. Teachers and students were randomly sampled while education officers and police officers were purposively sampled. Questionnaires with Likert scales were used for teachers and students. Interview schedules were used for education officers, police officers and an observation checklist was also used. The research instruments were piloted in 2 public boarding secondary schools in the same county which were excluded from the final research sample. In each pilot school, the principal, deputy,10 teachers and 20 form four students participated in the exercise representing 10% of the sample. The researcher asked experts to scrutinize instruments for validity. For reliability, test retest method was used. Cronbach`s coeffiecient Alpha was used to establish the reliability of the tools. Alpha value of 0.800 was achieved and the tools were judged reliable. Concurrent triangulation was used to ensure credibility. An in-depth interview was used to test dependability of qualitative instruments. Quantitative data was analyzed in differential and inferential statistics using tables, frequencies, percentages and chi-square test. Qualitative data was presented through thematic analysis in narrative form. The study established that training on disaster management was insufficient. There was a degree of congestion in the dorms and classes and the visitors were not screened using electronic gadgets. Sexual abuse and corporal punishment existed in schools and students were not protected when travelling between the schools and homes. Students were not using safety belts adequately while on trips. Monitoring and evaluation of safety was not well-organized. It was recommended that the government put in place curriculum for disaster training and schools use modern equipment to screen visitors and the manual should include terrorism safety. Further research was recommended in security in higher institutions of learning. A Research Submitted in Partial Fulfillment in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Educational Management Leadership and Administration Tue, 01 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT https://kerd.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1209 2019-01-01T00:00:00Z https://kerd.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1194 Evaluation of the Restructuring of Teacher Placement in Public Secondary Schools in Nakuru County, Kenya: Implications on Policy Formulation and Implantation. Ojwan’g, Millicent Adhiambo The purpose of this study was to evaluate the restructuring of teacher placement in public secondary schools in Kenya which addressed the following dependent variables: teacher distribution, gender distribution, and teacher retention. This study was informed and guided by the theory of change and discrepancy evaluation model. The study used concurrent mixed methods research design. The study employed a combination of inclusive criterion, purposive, and simple random sampling techniques to select seven districts and thirty seven schools understudy. The findings showed that the TSC policy guidelines had been fully implanted: there was equitable teacher distribution although schools experienced teacher shortages; female teachers were under represented (42.9%); and the restructuring of teacher placement had contributed to staff stability. The challenges included a restrictive TSC score guide; most selection panelists had low level of education and were not trained on interviewing skills; and that corruption, nepotism, and political interference marred teacher placement. The study concluded that there is efficiency in service delivery6 because TSC policy has been fully implemented; there is equity in teacher distribution; gender disparity; and stability in teacher retention. The study recommended that TSC score guide be revised. Suggested further research studies were: more gender disaggregated data on effects of restructuring teacher placement on male and female teachers is called for, an investigation on how gender distribution would affect implementation of restructuring teacher placement in public secondary schools In Kenya ; and replication of this study in all counties of Kenya for comparative analysi A doctoral thesis submitted in the department of educational administration, curriculum and teaching school of education university of Eastern Africa Baraton in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of doctor of philosophy in education Wed, 01 Jul 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://kerd.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1194 2015-07-01T00:00:00Z https://kerd.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1129 Influence of Teacher Participation in Decision-Making on Job Motivation in Public Secondary Schools in Nyeri, Nairobi and Kajiado Counties, Kenya Migwi, Christophe Mugambi The extent to which teachers participate in decision-making is a determining factor on their job motivation. The way principals relate with teachers is important in management of schools. Shared governance is identical to participative decisionmaking and it affects the stability of the school. The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of secondary school teachers‘ participation in decision-making on their job motivation in Nyeri, Nairobi and Kajiado counties. Study objectives were to find out the decision-making styles used by principals, examine extent to which secondary school teachers are involved in decision-making, determine the level of teachers job motivation and determine the relationship of teachers participation in decision-making and their job motivation. Shared decision-making theory and motivation-hygiene theory were employed to explain influence of participation decision-making on job motivation. The study used descriptive design which embraced both quantitative and qualitative approach. The target population consisted of 277 principals and 9,108 teachers totaling to 9385. A sample size of 496 respondents comprising of 111 principals and 385 teachers were used in the study. This study population represented 5.3% of the target population. Study schools were stratified, and then random sampling with proportional allocation was employed to select the respondents. A semi structured decision-making questionnaire for teachers and interview guide for principals were used to collect data on participatory decision-making styles and level of motivation. This followed piloting which was done to test the tools and necessary adjustments made to achieve objectives of the study. Cranbach‘s alpha was used to ascertain reliability of instruments while content validity of instruments was determined by specialists in Education Administration. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics which included generating frequencies, percentages, weighted mean. Meanwhile, inferential statistics included independent sample t-test was used to determine the relationship between teacher participation in decision-making and their job motivation levels. Qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis. Finding of the study revealed that public secondary schools in the study Counties practiced participatory decision-making moderately. The dominant common decision-making area that teachers were involved was student‘s affair. The study recommended that teachers should be actively involved in decision-making in their schools and principals should establish collaborative relationship with teachers. Research thesis submitted in to the school of education in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the degree of doctor of philosophy in educational management of Kenyatta University october, 2018 Mon, 01 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT https://kerd.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1129 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z