Abstract/Overview The purpose of this study was to determine the validity of KCPE as a predictor of KCSE scores among public secondary school students in Kisii central Sub-county, Kenya. This study was guided by a conceptual framework where KCPE was the independent variable and KCSE the dependent variable. It adopted Correlational and Ex-post-facto research designs. The study population was 3,897 KCSE candidates from 55 public secondary schools. Stratified random sampling based on school ...
Abstract/Overview The purpose of this study was to determine school category differences in the predictive validity of KCPE among public secondary school students in Kisii central Sub-county, Kenya. The study adopted Correlational and Ex-post-facto research designs. The study population was 3,897 KCSE candidates from 55 public secondary schools. Stratified random sampling based on school type (day and boarding) was used to select 16 public secondary schools for the study. Saturated sampli...
Abstract/Overview Principals are professionally trained as teachers yet they carry out management roles of teachers employed by Board of Management (BoM) thus assume the role of human resource managers. Multiplicity of principals’ roles brings muddling of the whole process that presents with it numerous challenges. The purpose of this study was to examine challenges principals face in managing teachers employed by BoM in public secondary schools in Bondo sub-county, Kenya. The research ...
Abstract/Overview This study investigated the influence of teacher motivation to the academic performance of pupils in primary schools in Nyamira South Sub-County. The population of study was 147 head teachers and 836 teachers in Nyamira South Sub-County. Stratified sampling was used to get a sample of 84 teachers and 15 head teachers .A mixed method design was adopted for this study that used qualitative and quantitative approaches in collecting and analyzing data concurrently. A questio...
Abstract/Overview Giving feedback on journal entries in the context of teacher education programmes is a contested issue. While some educationists argue that it is necessary if Course Participants (CPs) have to conceptualise the complex process of reflective journaling, others argue that this has ethical implications that may curtail CPs from achieving critical analysis level of events, issues and situations leading to deeper reflections – one of the goals of feedback. This study sought...
Abstract/Overview Reflective practice through journal writing is among the concepts that are introduced to teachers by my institution during the six-month long Certificate in Education Programmes (CEPs). The objective is to enable teachers to develop professionally by learning from their own practice after completion of the programmes. However, this can only occur if teachers are able to critically analyse issues, events and situations within their practice. Over the years, it has been re...
Abstract/Overview This research was carried out to examine suitability of the regular school curriculum to learners with disabilities in inclusive classrooms in Kisumu County in Kenya. It has been observed that teachers teaching in inclusive classrooms encounter problems in trying to adapt the curriculum content to accommodate all learners since they respond differently. Although education systems the world over have for long provided special education and related services to students wit...
Abstract/Overview This paper is based on an action research carried out in two Kenyan Primary schools in Nairobi. The purpose was to implement group work and pair work to improve teaching and learning in large classes by creating interaction opportunities for learners. This was a mixed method study of dominant/less dominant design where interviews and structured and unstructured observations were used as methods of data collection.The study established that systematic incorporation of coo...
Abstract/Overview The nerve centre of this study was that despite the critical role played by the head teacher in secondary school management, students’ academic performance has persistently been poor. Factors leading to this dismal performance have not been adequately investigated and well understood in Nyamaiya Division hence the need for this study. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the leadership styles of the headteachers and their impact on the students’ acad...
Abstract/Overview There are many factors attributed to the poor performance of mathematics at high school level, for example, students‟ attitude to mathematics, low cognitive abilities, poor teacher-student relationships, poor study environments, poor usage of mathematical language as a tool for communication among others. This paper sets to investigate the use of mathematical language as a means of communicating mathematics being a core subject and the influence it has on academic achi...
Abstract/Overview Performance in mathematics in Masaba Sub-County, Kenya has been poor for many years. In 2010 the mean score was 3.2282, while in 2011 it had a mean score of 3.9528 and in 2012 it had a mean of 4.0660 which is far below the maximum mean of 12.00.The purpose of this study was to assess factors related to academic achievement in mathematics in Masaba South Sub County. The research objective of the study was to; establish the relationship between school factors and academic ...
Abstract/Overview The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of using concept mapping strategy in teaching physics on the attitude towards physics. Participants were (46) first year students from two classes enrolled to the course “Fundamentals of Physics I”, in Dhofar University, Oman. One of the classes was randomly selected as experimental group (23), while the other was a control group (23). The data was collected via the pre- and post attitude scale. The study was conduc...
Abstract/Overview The study investigated the relationship between meta-cognitive learning skills and academic performance among orphaned secondary school students of Kenya. The research was informed by Social Cognitive Theory. This study adopted an ex-post-facto research design with which a saturation sampling technique was employed. The study population constituted 300 secondary school going orphans and 23 principals. The sample of the study comprised 300 secondary school going orphans a...
Abstract/Overview The purpose of this study was to explore pre-school teachers’ attitudes towards identification of gifted and talented preschoolers. Objectives were to: find out attitude of preschool teachers on objective method of identification of Gifted and Talented (GT) preschoolers; determine the attitude of preschool teachers on subjective method of identification of GT preschoolers. The study used multiple intelligence theory. Concurrent triangulation design within the mixed met...
Abstract/Overview The kind of environment in early childhood classroom enhances multiple sources of stimulation which encourage development of physical, cognitive, emotional, and social skills needed by learners to master concepts in various activity areas. The physical environment is crucial when it comes to mastery of various activity concepts specifically number activity concept. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of physical classroom environment on preschool l...