Use of Mother Tongue As A Language Of Instruction In Early Years Of School To Preserve The Kenyan Culture

In many communities in Kenya, mother tongue was the language of instruction used to impart indigenous education in children. It was also used to transmit and preserve culture from generation to generation. Language policy states that mother tongue should be used as language of instruction in early years of school to preserve the Kenyan culture and to ensure smooth transition from home to school. Despite the policy being in place, it is yet to be implemented in many schools due to several factors. This paper presents results from a study that was conducted in three rural districts in Kenya to establish whether mother tongue was being used as the language of instruction in early years of school and the key factors affecting its use. Key Words: Mother tongue, language policy, language of instruction, preserving culture       

Reforming the Approach to Alternative Dispute Resolution in Kenyan Industrial Disputes: A Comparative Analysis

Dispute resolution plays an important role in industrial relations. This is because conflicts are an inherent part in any relationship and industrial relationships are not exempt from this. To this end it is important to have a dispute resolution system that ensures efficient and effective resolution of disputes that arise in the course of industrial relationships. Efficient and effective dispute resolution is particularly important in the industrial relations arena as industrial relations attract various stakeholders, some who may not necessarily be a part of the dispute that arises, but who might inadvertently be affected in the situation of an unresolved dispute. Traditionally litigation has been the most commonly utilized medium of resolution of industrial disputes, with disputants rather choosing to take the dispute to the courts of law for adjudication and determination. However with the advent of alternative means of dispute resolution such as negotiation, mediation and arbitration, it has become paramount that these alternative dispute resolution methods be promoted for the reasons of expediency and efficiency. Regardless of the advent of such methods of dispute resolution, courts have still exercised some form of control and oversight of the dispute processes, and such oversight can be easily misused to defeat the main intention of having the alternative dispute resolution processes in the first place. This thesis discusses reforming the approach to alternative dispute resolution in Kenyan industrial disputes, so as to achieve maximum efficiency of the system. In doing this, the thesis does a comparative analysis of the systems of South Africa and Australia respectively

Does Faculty Perceived ICT Abilities Influence Integration of Information and Communication Technologies in Instruction? A Case of University Early Childhood Education Programmes in Kenya

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based instruction provide opportunities whereby the teacher is a facilitator and learners are active participants. ICT has tended to make learners effectively connect theory and practice. For ICT to be successfully utilised in instruction teachers need to possess the prerequisite ICT abilities. This study aimed at evaluating integration of ICT in instruction in Early Childhood Education (ECE) programmes in universities in Kenya and how faculty perceived ICT abilities related to ICT integration in instruction. A sample of 88 lecturers purposely drawn from public and private universities that were ECE pioneers and offered ECE programmes formed the study subjects. Questionnaire, observation checklist and document analysis were used to collect data. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were the methods of data analysis employed. Results from data analysed revealed that faculty were integrating basic ICT tools in instruction. It was also revealed that there was no significant difference in ICT integration in instruction by faculty in public and in private universities. The relationship between faculty perceived ICT abilities and ICT integration in instruction was highly significant at alpha value 0.05. It was recommended that there was need for university administration to organize in-service training for faculty to adequately learn how to integrate advanced ICT tools in instruction

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCHOOL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND PUPILS’ PERFORMANCE IN MATHEMATICS IN NAIROBI COUNTY, KENYA

Mathematics for young children lays a foundation of basic concepts and skills on which future learning is built. However, despite the role it plays in an individual and society, in Kenya it has continued to be poorly performed by students in national examinations. The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between school learning environment and pupils’ performance in mathematics. Ecological model by Urie Bronfenbrenner was used to guide the study. The study used descriptive research design. Dependent variable was pupils’ performance in mathematics; while independent variable was school learning environment. The target population was standard three pupils and teachers in Dandora Zone, in Nairobi County. Purposive and stratified random sampling techniques were employed to select the sample of the study. Questionnaire, achievement proforma and observation schedules were used to collect data. Quantitative and Qualitative methods were used to analyse data and results presented using tables and text.  Article visualizations

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARENTS’ SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AND SATISFACTION WITH QUALITY OF SERVICES OFFERED IN PRE-PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN MAKADARA SUB-COUNTY, KENYA

Parents are important stakeholders in preprimary education sector and the essence of finding out how they perceive the quality of services in schools was imperative. Thus, the need to investigate how parents’ socioeconomic status influenced their satisfaction with quality of services offered in preprimary schools was crucial. The study was premised on the Expectancy-Disconfirmation Theory of Customer Satisfaction and Interactive School Polls’ Conceptual Model of Parents’ School Satisfaction. The study employed correlation research design. Parents with children aged 3 to 6 years attending pre-primary schools constituted the study population. Data was collected by use of questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.   Article visualizations

ERA Metamodel of the Analytical Hierarchy Process and Risk Matrix

This paper has been motivated by the project Ivanscica for a better tomorrow which was supported by the European Commission funds. The main goal of the project was to build a dialogue between the City of Zlatar and the City of Ivanec. To achieve that, several alternatives were proposed, and decision has been made by using the AHP. To successfully implement the decision, risk analysis was done. This integrated approach applied on the project became a trigger to propose general framework of integration of those two methods – which is the main goal of this paper. In general, after a specific strategic decision has been made, the process of its implementation starts. However, before the implementation of the strategic decision, it is recommended to conduct a risk analysis. First, this is necessary for predicting possible risks, that is, situations or events that might threaten the process of implementation and the decision effects. Second, the classification of risks in terms of two variables must be done. Those two variables are the probability of risk occurrence and the strength of the risk’s negative effect on the implementation process. Last, the activities of risk management must be defined. In this paper, after providing a theoretical background, we present an entity-relationships-attributes (ERA) model of two complementary methods: the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method (used for strategic multi-criteria decision-making) and a risk matrix (used for risk management). In the practical part, we provide an overview of how those two methods have been used in the case mentioned project

QUALITY OF PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT IN PRESCHOOLS IN INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY IN KENYA: IMPLICATIONS ON CHILDREN’S DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION

The quality of the physical environment in a school for young children enhances their development and education. This is because it makes them feel safe, comfortable, increases their concentration, reduces absenteeism and leads to better child health. The Kenya Basic Education Act of 2013 and Early Childhood Development Service Standard guidelines of 2006 state that there should be appropriate facilities in educational institutions for young children. The policy documents further provide that facilities in early childhood programmes should meet standards such as adequacy, durability, safety and userfriendliness in order to enhance children’s development and education. Despite the policies being in place, the provisions are yet to be fully implemented in preschools in informal settlements. This paper presents results from a study conducted in preschools in informal settlements in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The preschools offer alternative care and education for children who cannot access public preschools, complementing the effort of the county government in providing early childhood education. The study aimed to explore the quality of physical environment in preschools in the informal settlements and pinpoint implications on children’s development and education. It was a qualitative study conducted across 54 preschools. Managers of the preschools were interviewed, and observation of physical facilities in the schools were carried out. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to analyse data, and the results indicated that the quality of physical environment in most of the preschools was not conducive for children’s development and education due to inadequate space and facilities. It is recommended that stakeholders collaborate with management of the preschools to improve the quality of physical environment in order to enhance children’s development and education

INFLUENCE OF DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS AND TYPE OF SCHOOL ON PARENTS SATISFACTION WITH THE QUALITY OF PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION IN DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA

This study attempted to examine the differences of selected demographic factors (gender, education) and type school on the parents’ satisfaction with the quality of pre-primary education. The study was premised on the ecological systems theory. A descriptive survey research design using a sample of 772 parents with children aged 5 to 6 years in pre-primary schools was used to execute the study. Data was collected using a four point Likert scale questionnaire. Findings revealed that parents were more satisfied with process quality than structural quality of pre-primary education. Results also indicated that parents who were females, more educated and had children in private pre-primary schools were more satisfied with the quality of pre-primary education. The study, therefore, recommends that, the Ministry of Education and school managers should take appropriate measures to improve pre-primary education and allocate resources to meet parents’ demands. Moreover, school heads and managers should strengthen parent-teacher partnerships.  Article visualizations

Correlation between Class Size and Pupils’ Acquisition of Early Mathematics Competencies: A Case of Kericho County, Kenya

Mathematics is one of the core subjects in the Basic Education Curriculum in Kenya. It means that all pupils are required to have a strong grounding in the subject which depends on the level of their early mathematics competencies. The purpose of the study was therefore to establish the level of pupils’ acquisition of early mathematics competencies. The study was also to determine how class size was related to pupils’ acquisition of early mathematics competencies. The study was guided by Social Development Theory by Lev Vygotsky. The study adopted a correlation research design and a mixed research method approach. The dependent variable was pupils’ acquisition of early mathematics competencies while the independent variable was class size. The results from data analysis revealed that majority of the pupils had acquired early mathematics competencies and there was a difference in pupils’ acquisition of early mathematics competencies between grade three pupils in public and those in private primary schools. The relationship between class size and pupils’ acquisition of early mathematics competencies was significant at p<0.05 level of significance. Keywords: Class Size; Pupils; Acquisition of Early Mathematics Competencies; Kericho County; Kenya DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-21-23 Publication date:July 31st 202

STRATEGIES USED IN TEACHING MATHEMATICS: AN IMPLICATION OF GRADE THREE PUPILS’ ACQUISITION OF EARLY MATHEMATICS COMPETENCIES

Mathematics has been recognized globally as one of the important subjects as it is applicable in our everyday activities. It has been argued that mathematics is very important in life as it can be personally satisfying and empowering. Accordingly, it has been noted that the basics of life today are majorly mathematical and technological, hence when learners acquire the competency and adequacy, they significantly enhance their opportunities and options for shaping their future. It is therefore prudent that children attain mathematics competencies in their early years of education. Studies have shown that acquisition and retention of mathematics concepts and skills among children is low at various levels of their competencies. This necessitated a study which was conducted in Kipkelion sub-county in Kericho County with a target population of 4,140 spread in 81 public and 23 private primary schools. The purpose of the study was to find out the relationship between teachers’ use of teaching strategies to enhance teaching of mathematics and grade three pupils’ acquisition of early mathematics competencies. The study was guided by Social Development Theory by Lev Vgyotsky. The study adopted a correlation research design and mixed research method approach. Stratified random and simple random sampling techniques were used to select the sample for the study. Data was collected using questionnaires, observation schedules and pupils’ mathematics competency checklists. The data was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively using tables and texts. Results revealed that there was a significant relationship between use of teaching strategies and pupils’ acquisition of early mathematics competencies.  Article visualizations