HIGHS AND LOWS OF CURRICULUM INTEGRATION: AUTHORS’ THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES

This paper used a desk review approach to deal with the move towards and emphasis given to integration of curriculum content, not only in Kenya but also world over. The purpose of the paper is to bring out the meaning, rationale and arguments about the concept of curriculum integration. The discourse about curriculum integration is important to the policy makers, all those involved and working as curriculum developers, and for the curriculum implementers.   Article visualizations

The Significant role of Tanzania's diplomacy towards economic development

Thesis(Master) --KDI School:Master of Public Management,2019Soon after the achievement of independence and later the unification between Tanganyika and Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanzania in 1964. The Tanzanian government adopted several strategies to address the problem of poverty that the country experienced from the 1960s to 1990s so different programs, initiatives and strategies were introduced in order to promote economic development in the country. Diplomacy was considered to be one of the key strategies used by the government of Tanzania to promote economic growth. Before 2001 Tanzania had no comprehensive written foreign policy instead the conduct of diplomacy and other foreign relation matters was being guided by the set of circulars and guidelines including “Presidential Circular No. 2 of 1964, Arusha Declaration 1967, and Tanzania Policy on Foreign Affairs of 1967.”All these guiding documents insisted on promoting good diplomatic relationship with other countries, human dignity and equality, sovereignty of all independent states, promoting African Unity and supporting the liberation struggle of other African countries from colonialism. The social, political and economic changes including the shift from centrally planned economy to the market-led economy, adoption of multi-party system in 1992, achievement of political independence of all African states (end of colonial rule), collapse of USSR and later the rise of globalization which was characterized by the development of ICT that occurred in the early 1990s within, and outside the country has influenced Tanzania to change its focus from advocating for the liberation of African countries from the hands of colonial rule and put more emphasis on other issues of national interest to promote national development. Hence the government of Tanzania adopted a new foreign policy of 2001 which emphasizes on achievement of economic development by ensuring the promotion and protection of national interests through the execution of sustainable economic diplomacy.” This study has assessed and examined the significant contribution of Tanzania’s diplomacy towards the economic development by describing and analyzing the evolution of Tanzania’s foreign policy, major actors and players for the conduct of economic diplomacy and how the implementation of Tanzania’s diplomacy has contributed to the economic prosperity by attracting of FDI, growth of trade activities, tourism sector and development of other economic sectors in the country through the rapid increase of external assistances.”1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 3 EVOLUTION OF TANZANIA’S FOREIGN POLICY 4 ACTORS AND KEY STAKE HOLDERS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TANZANIA’S ECONOMIC DIPLOMACY 5 IMPACT OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TANZANIA’S ECONOMIC DIPLOMACY 6 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONSmasterpublishedSuleiman Masegesa MAGOMA

JUSTIFICATION FOR INITIATION AND INTRODUCTION OF INTEGRATED ENGLISH CURRICULUM IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

This study focused on the justification for initiation and introduction of integrated English curriculum in secondary schools in Kenya. The study used a qualitative approach to get the views from selected teachers, head teachers and heads of English at Kenya Institute of Education (KIE), Ministry of Education (MoE) and Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC). Basic quantitative techniques such as frequencies and percentages were used to analyse some of the data that were obtained. The study employed questionnaire and interview instruments to collect data from the respondents. The researcher organized raw data collected from questionnaires and interviews. It was realized from the study that integrated English curriculum was introduced to enable teachers use integration as a teaching approach across the two disciplines and between and/or among their constituent parts. Despite this good intention, it was found that majority of the teachers of integrated English 57.4 % did not undergo any type of in-service training before they started the actual teaching of integrated English curriculum. The study recommends that the teachers and their head teachers should be helped to acquire and develop necessary skills on how to integrate English language and Literature. Equally, the study recommends that pre-service training in colleges, universities should be reformed, and an integrated approach adopted.   Article visualizations

Developing training material for novice information portal users

Abstract: Knowledge portals are critical applications that are often used in different forms of organisations, like educational institutions, where generation and consumption of information and knowledge are among their main activities. Objective: This project aims to determine what training material will be suitable to engage and support the learning of novice knowledge portal users. Method: The research used a pre-test and a post-test as a sample method. Both the pre-test and post-test consisted of 57 first year information portals students. The data collection instrument for this project was a pre-test, intervention, and a post-test. The data analysis tools used for the research was Atlas.ti and content analysis which are reliable research software tools. As such, a pre-test was written to determine what training material will be suitable to engage and support the learning of novice knowledge portal users. This pre-test was also used to determine the knowledge before the intervention. Furthermore, the post-test was also used to ascertain the effectiveness of the training material..

Signification framework of a business intelligence tool for SME business decision-making

Abstract : Business Intelligence (BI) tools are being adopted more frequently, especially in large organisations that have the resources to deploy it. BI tools are allowing businesses to optimise their decision-making process and sustain competitive advantage. There is, however, limited published research into how BI tools are being used by small and medium enterprises (SMEs), as well as limited research in terms of the affordable features from IBM Cognos that support SMEs’ decision-making needs. Application of the key features of BI tools are helping organisations to take decisions to ensure their sustainable growth and competitive advantage. BI is also vast and complex hence it requires skilled human resources, and it makes the development and maintenance of BI highly expensive for SMEs. The main motivation of the research has been associated with the fact that finding a BI tool that is cost efficient for SMEs can be important for the success of the business and to cater effectively to their decision-making needs. Objective The study’s purpose was to determine which of the fundamental features of IBM Cognos are affordable features for addressing the business needs of SMEs. The objective was to analyse the significance of BI tools in the SMEs by identifying affordable and suitable features from IBM Cognos based on SMEs’ needs and business functions using a signification framework. Method A quantitative research method has been used in which primary method of data collection has been adopted. With respect to this, data collection instrument chosen for the research is in the form of a questionnaire online survey which was sent to the respondents through survey monkey. The sample size for this research was 200 research participants, and amongst these total 200 research participants, 80 participants were BI Consultants from consultancy firms and with the composition of their own consultancy firm’s clients, the other participants were 60 iv SME BI developers and 60 SME managers. For the purpose of data analysis, this research has used SPSS software and Microsoft Excel and analysed the results by using demographic and frequency analysis. Results The findings of this research have revealed that BI is a broad field and can be used as a tool for solving various issues faced by the SMEs. BI tool is able to solve issues through their features. All the questions asked from the respondents were associated with the features of BI and how they are effective for decisionmaking in SMEs. The features of IBM Cognos are cost effective but not necessarily affordable in the context of SME business needs. Affordability was identified as the mediating variable in this study. Conclusion The research has concluded that the SMEs established in South Africa should adopt the IBM Cognos tool for supporting their decision-making process and needs. The implementation of low cost and affordable features is important for SMEs but it requires a specialised IT employee for managing and running the tool. This tool would help the SMEs in articulating solutions based on the issues as well as making operational decisions that would improve the growth and profitability of the business. Overall, it has been indicated from the study that IBM is an important tool for the SMEs in that, it aids in gathering relevant data and further interpreting the data for making effective decisions.M.Com. (Business Management

PRINCIPALS’ ROLE IN MONITORING INSTRUCTIONAL ASSESSMENT AND ITS INFLUENCE ON TEACHING AND LEARNING OUTCOME IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KAJIADO COUNTY, KENYA

With the core business of the school being instruction, the principals’ monitoring of instructional assessment is necessary in enhancing teaching and learning processes and outcome in schools. Despite measures being in place, teaching and learning outcome has remained consistently low, especially in Kajiado County. The objective of this study is to assess the influence of principals’ monitoring of instructional assessments on teaching and learning outcome. The study was guided by the result-based management theory. The study employed a descriptive survey design. This study population of study comprised 727 respondents in all the 9 public secondary schools in Kajiado. These respondents included 122 teachers, 594 students and 9 principals. Out of these, 342 respondents were sampled and they were comprised of 9 principals, 97 teachers and 201 students. Proportionate sampling was used to draw a sample of 97 teachers’ and 201 students per school. Further, simple random sampling was used to sample teachers while convenience sampling was applied to draw the sample of students to participate in the study per school. Data was collected by questionnaires and interview schedule. A pilot study was conducted in two schools for the purpose of addressing validity and reliability of the instruments before the actual study was conducted. Content validity was determined by seeking the judgment of professional experts in the area of educational research, evaluation and assessment. Reliability level was ascertained by using Cronbach’s alpha technique to check internal consistency of the instruments. The analysis of quantitative data was done using frequencies, percentages and means and then presented in tables and figures. Qualitative data was arranged into themes and presented through narration and in verbatim. The study established that principals' checking of assessment practices, even-though inconsistent, significantly influenced performance. The study concluded that principals' monitoring of instructional practices (mean=3.5, SD=1.2) significantly influenced performance in schools. It recommended that the Ministry of Education should organise training for principals to improve their skills of monitoring assessment.  Article visualizations

Relation of the external laryngeal nerve to superior thyroid artery in an African population

The external laryngeal nerve runs parallel to superior thyroid artery and later crossing the artery either above or below the upper pole of the thyroid gland. This relatively high anatomic variability demonstrates inter-population differences. However, datum among the Kenyan population is lacking. Knowledge of normal and variant anatomy of these structures is important in surgical procedures within the neck. This study therefore aimed at describing the variant anatomical relations of the superior thyroid artery and external laryngeal nerve for the Kenyan population. Twenty formalin fixed cadavers obtained from the Department of Human Anatomy, University of Nairobi were dissected to expose the thyroid gland, superior thyroid artery and external laryngeal nerve. The relation of the superior thyroid artery to the external laryngeal nerve was noted. The external laryngeal nerve crossed the superior thyroid artery within 1cm above the upper pole of the thyroid gland in 25% of cases and more than 1 cm in 75% of cases. The level at which the external laryngeal nerve crosses the superior thyroid artery displays variations among Kenyans warranting care during surgical procedures of the thyroid gland.Key words: Superior thyroid artery, Nerv

DOES THE INTEGRATION OF ICT IN PHYSICS INSTRUCTION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS PLAY THE MAGIC CARD?

Physics is one of the subjects that have suffered low enrolment and performance in secondary schools. This enrolment and performance are pegged to the students’ perception that Physics is difficult and uninteresting due to its abstract nature. Research has shown that integration of ICT in Physics instruction has the capability of simplifying the abstract content as well as creating interest in learners and consequently improving the quality of education. However, for this to be possible, Physics requires adequate operational ICT knowledge and resources. This study targeted 40 schools, 40 principals and 121 Physics teachers. The study was based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model. Descriptive survey design was used. Random sampling technique was used to get a sample of 18 schools and 52 Physics teachers whereas purposive sampling was used to get 18 principals. Questionnaires, interview schedules and an observation schedule were used to collect data. Validity and reliability of the study instruments were established through consultation, triangulation and piloting. The data was analyzed using SPSS. The study found that integration of ICT in Physics instruction in secondary schools was still very low. The study recommends that more ICT resources should be provided to secondary schools; and requisite integration skills should be given to all Physics teachers.   Article visualizations

Structure of the pelvic ureter in an adult Kenyan population

Alterations in histomorphological features of the pelvic ureter such as muscle fiber orientation have been implicated in the etiology of vesicoureteric reflux. Consequently, anatomical sex differences in the histomorphology of the pelvic ureter may explain the female predisposition to this disease. Reports of these differences are, however, scarce. Twelve adult pelvic ureters (6 male and 6 female), harvested during autopsy were used for histomorphology. Five-millimeter thin sections were taken from juxtavesical, mid and distal intravesical segments of the ureter. These were fixed in formal saline solution and processed routinely for paraffin embedding. Seven-micrometer sections were stained with Masson’s Trichrome stain to demonstrate orientation of smooth muscle cells and collagen fibers. In all sections, the ureter displayed a mucosa, muscularis and adventitia. In males, the muscularis of juxtavesical ureter displayed three layers namely an inner longitudinal, intermediate circular and an outer longitudinal. In females only two layers namely an inner longitudinal and outer circular were observed. In the mid intravesical segment, the muscularis in males displayed two layers: an inner longitudinal and outer circular layer while in females only the longitudinal layer was present. The structure of the pelvic ureter therefore displayed sex differences. In males, the muscularis in the juxtavesical and mid intravesical segments possessed additional longitudinal and circular layers respectively. These structural differences could partially explain the higher predisposition to vesicoureteric reflux in femalesKey words: Sex; histomorphology, vesicoureteric reflux, pelvic urete