THE IMPLICIT CURRICULUM AND TEENAGERS’ EMOTIONAL AND SPIRITUAL STABILITY AMID COVID-19

The scale of the coronavirus pandemic calls to mind life calamities that reshaped societies in lasting ways—from how people traveled to the level of security and surveillance they were accustomed to, and even to the language they used. Experts have provided a lot of information regarding how to stay safe amid COVID-19, but little has been said on how unsated messages arising from how we talk about the pandemic and how we are managing the situation affects teenagers emotionally/psychologically, and spiritually. The need therefore to investigate on whether such invisible lessons are a springboard for teenagers’ emotional/psychological and spiritual stability or a dulling blow. To minimize inadequacies in one research approach as well as gain more insights of the phenomenon under study, the researcher used both a closed-ended questionnaire with 17 items among 240 ages 13-19 young people and an interview guide with 12 open-ended items among 10 teachers/ parents—a process generally referred to as triangulation. The validity of the 17-item questionnaire was determined by experts while its reliability was determined using Cronbach’s alpha which gave a reliability coefficient of 0.91. To ensure the clarity of the interview guide items, the researcher used a pilot test among 3 young people and 2 teachers/parents. The results from current research indicated that unintended lessons arising from how COVID-19 is being handled has affected teenagers’ emotional/psychological and spiritual stability both negatively and positively. This means there is need for more research, especially on the negative effects of crises on people’s emotional/psychological, and spiritual stability. Article visualizations

THE TACIT CURRICULUM: UNEXPLORED OPPORTUNITY OR APPARENT CHALLENGE IN NURTURING RESILIENCE AND TRUST IN GOD’S SUPERNATURAL POWER AMONG YOUTH?

This article investigated on the role played by the unseen curriculum in developing resilience and real honor for God among youth to help them holistically define their way of life and aspirations amid numerous life challenges. Since time immemorial significant attention has been directed towards the official curricular, but the role played by the veiled curriculum in nurturing young people to endure predicaments and genuinely trust in God’s supernatural power has barely featured in many schooling discourses. This means a good number of Christians are burdened by how best they can inspire young people to trust in the omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent Creator of the universe but very few, if any, ever think about how the veiled curriculum, can hinder or facilitate young people’s development of resilience and trust in God. In this article the meaning of the concept unstated curriculum and its influences on nurturing resilience and teaching about God’s supernatural power—which when invoked in faith causes the kingdom of darkness to tremble, are discussed. The research employed a phenomenological design, guided by an interview guide with 12 open-ended items followed by extensive probing questions. Two experts examined the interview guide items to determine their clarity, but the researcher also conducted a pilot study among 3 participants (one lecturer and two students) to determine participants’ level of understanding of the interview guide items. The results from the research indicated a remarkable connection between hidden curriculum aspects and young people’s resilience and their grasp of how deep, wide, and high God’s power is in overcoming life challenges. Article visualizations

Perceptions of male partner involvement in antenatal care among pregnant women and nurses at a Sub-county Referral Hospital in Kenya

BACKGROUNDMen are important personalities in the family. They play great roles such as being breadwinners and decision- makers.They influence greatly on women's access to maternal health services. The study sought to gain an understanding of male involvement in that study area through focused group discussions among the pregnant women who attended the antenatal clinic. AIMTo determine the perception of pregnant women and nurses on male partner involvement in antenatal care. METHODOLOGYThe study was facility- based and adopted an exploratory qualitative approach. Three focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted consisting of 6-8 participants each and lasting 20-30 minutes. Three key informant interviews (KIIs) were conducted among three nurses working at the antenatal clinic, each lasting for 20-30 minutes. The data was audio-recorded in Kiswahili and later transcribed verbatim then translated to English. RESULTSThe following themes emerged from the FGDs: low male involvement, positive view of men involved and being busy at work as the main factor for non-accompaniment. The themes emerging from the KIIs were; positive attitude towards male involvement, long waiting time at the antenatal clinic as the main reason for low male involvement. CONCLUSIONMost men were not involved in antenatal care. They cited unfriendly antenatal clinic environment such as crowded facilities with limited seats. Being busy at work and the long waiting hours at the centres was a major concern. RECOMMENDATIONMotivate more men to participate in antenatal care by prioritizing couples attending theclinic. Educate both women and men on the need for male partner involvement in antenatal care

Teachers’ Information and Communication Technology Application Skills Influencing English Curriculum Implementation in Schools in Kenya

With English as a universal language and a central player in a globalized digital world, the need for an acceptable level of teacher ICT application skills, competence among teachers of English is necessary. The Government of Kenya (GoK) has put in concerted efforts to propel Kenya towards vision 2030 by investing in ICT integration in curriculum implementation, to equip a professional teacher with ICT skills for quality classroom practices and satisfactory learner performance in national examinations. Despite the efforts by the GoK to equip teachers with ICT skills for good results in English, Kenya National Examinations Council (2022) contends, overall performance in English for the past 5 years falls short of the average mean of 50% and relentless effort from teachers is still required. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of teacher level of ICT application skills on implementation of English curriculum in public secondary schools in Kakamega North Sub-County, Kenya. The study used descriptive research design. A sample of 44 principals, 88 teachers of English and 345 form three students across the 50 public secondary schools in Kakamega North Sub-County, Kenya, were targeted. A questionnaire, interview schedule, classroom practice observation schedule, and focus group discussion guide were used to collect data. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically whereas quantitative data was presented through tables, percentages and frequencies. Chi-square test was performed to test hypothesis. Response rate was 79.5%. The findings indicated that there were teachers who neither participated in ICT workshops (67.1%) nor attended conferences on choice of teaching and learning materials (47.1%), a gap pointing on teachers. Interviews and FGD results show, teacher level of ICT application skills is crucial if quality results are to be realized. The study found a significant association between teacher level of ICT application skills and implementation of English curriculum in school. The study concluded, teacher level of ICT skills in teaching of English is a major concern

Influence of Teachers’ Preparedness on English Curriculum Implementation in Kenyan Schools

The Government of Kenya (GoK) touts teacher-preparedness as a critical factor that shows the equipping of a professional teacher for quality performance and satisfactory learner performance in national examinations. Despite the efforts by the GoK, there is a worrying trend of students completing school with reading and writing difficulties. The Kenya National Examinations Council (2020) contends students’ poor performance in English for the past 5 years, falling short of the average mean of 50%. Descriptive research design was used. A sample of 44 principals, 88 teachers and 345 form three students across 50 public secondary schools in Kakamega North, were targeted. A questionnaire, interview schedule, classroom practice observation schedule, and focus group discussion guide were used to collect data. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically whereas quantitative data was presented through tables, percentages and frequencies. Chi-square test was performed to test hypothesis. Response rate was 79.5%. The findings indicated that majority (97.1%) of the teachers participated in coursebooks and other revision textbook in-service courses as per the changing trends in teaching of English whereas ICT workshops had low percentages, a gap pointing on teacher level of preparedness. The findings from principals indicated, teachers of English sometimes declined to take up ICT in-service trainings for fear of additional responsibilities in school. Findings from FGDs show, teachers were rated average by most students in terms of preparedness in material use in classrooms. On determining the extent to which teacher level of preparedness influence implementation of English curriculum in school, teachers’ opinions had a Mean of 4.0000; Standard deviation of 3.08338; and Skewness of .397, indicating teacher level of preparedness has a high and strong positive influence on implementation of English curriculum in school if well checked and applied. The study established a significant relationship between teacher level of preparedness and implementation of English curriculum (p=0.007\u3c0.05). Findings concur with KNEC (2020), contending students’ poor performance in English as unsatisfying