The Nexus Between Background Instructional Supervisors’ Characteristics and Instructional Supervisors’ Competences in Kenya

The concern for having instructional supervisors with requisite instructional supervision background characteristics in the education sector has always been recognized globally.  The purpose of this study was to investigate the background instructional characteristics of instructional supervisors in Nairobi and Machakos Counties, Kenya. The objectives of the study were: to establish the professional qualifications of instructional supervisors, ascertain their years of service as instructional supervisors, establish positions held by QASOs prior to appointment as QASOs, and to assess QASOs’ years of experience as teachers before appointment as QASOs. The study adopted ex post facto survey design and had a target population of 1481(N) persons which comprised of 365 school principal teachers, 17 SC-QASOs, 2 C-QASOs, 2 N-QASOs and 1095 HOD teachers. A sample of 460 (n-31%) respondents comprising of teachers (110 Principal teachers& 329 HOD teachers) and 21 QASOs were drawn from the target population. Purposive, stratified and simple random sampling were used to select the locale of the study and respondents used for the study. Data were collected using questionnaires and interview schedules. The major finding of this study was that instructional supervisors had requisite background characteristics in instructional supervision. Keywords: Instructional supervisors, instructional supervision, Professional qualifications DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-13-09 Publication date:May 31st 202

A Rethinking of the Organizational Cultural Practices and Mentorship as Barriers of Female Teachers Ascending to Principalship in Kenya

The focus of this study was to examine the organizational cultural practices and mentorship as barriers that female school principals encounter in Kenya as they ascend to principalship. The study objectives were: To establish the influence of organizational cultural practices on upward mobility of secondary school female teachers, and to ascertain the influence of mentorship on female upward mobility to management positions. The target population for this study was 825 (N) persons, from which a sample size 376(n) respondents comprising of;  76 female principals, 78 male principals, 178 deputy female principals, 22 sub-county education officers, and 22 Quality Assurance and Standards Officers were picked and used in the study.  The study used questionnaires and interview guides to collect requisite data and both descriptive and inferential statistics were used in data analysis. The study established that: Organizational cultural practices played a critical role in locking female teachers out of management positions and absence of mentors in school organizations was found to be detrimental to women empowerment. The study recommends that school organizations should: embrace gender mainstreaming which will counter biased organizational cultures, put mechanisms in place to ensure that mentoring is anchored within their frameworks. Keywords: Organizational cultural practices, Principalship, Mentorshi

Teachers’ Perceptions Towards Instructional Supervisory Competences of Educational Quality Assurance and Standards Officers

The main purpose of this study was to assess the existing perceptions of school principals and Heads of Departments (HoDs) towards the instructional supervisory competences of Quality Assurance and Standards Officers (QASOs) in secondary schools in Nairobi and Machakos counties, Kenya. The study aimed to investigate the school principals’ and HoDs’ perceptions towards QASOs’ human, technical and conceptual skills. The study used three types of research instruments, namely; School Principals’ and Heads of Departments’ Questionnaire, Quality Assurance and Standards Officers’ Questionnaire and County Quality Assurance and Standards Officers’ Interview Guide. Data was analyzed used mixed methods, involving qualitative and quantitative techniques. The study revealed that, teachers hold the opinion that QASOs exhibited favorable human relations competences, however, QASOs were found to be partially effective in respect to technical and conceptual competences. The study recommends that the QASOs already in the field to be taken through intensive capacity building trainings in their specific subjects so as to equip them with requisite technical and conceptual competences for conducting instructional supervision. Keywords: Quality Assurance and Standards Officers (QASOs), instructional supervisory competences, Teachers’ perception

Towards Enhancing Safety Status of Dormitories in Learning Institutions

Despite global advances in technology, boarding schools still face the singular challenge of having dormitories that are unconducive and non-compliant to safety measures and standards, consequently continuously exposing learners to hazardous learning environments. The gist of this study was to examine the safety status of dormitories in public secondary schools in Nyeri and Nairobi Counties, Kenya. The objectives of the study were: to establish the extent of compliance with safety measures and standards in the dormitory infrastructures in boarding schools, and to determine the status of utilization and conduciveness of the dormitories in boarding schools. In order to achieve the objectives of the study, a descriptive survey design was employed. Data were collected using questionnaires administered to 34 principals, 34 Deputy Principals, and 230 Form two and Form three students. The County Quality Assurance and Standard Officer (CQASO) was interviewed. Observation of the dormitories was also done by the researchers. The data collected were then analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The study found out that there was congestion, poor ventilation, triple deckers were used, fire extinguishers were lacking or were not operating and that cleanliness was wanting. The study concludes that most of the issues on dormitory safety on the schools under study stemmed from inadequate resources and failure to observe the Ministry of Education Safety Guidelines.  Based on the findings and conclusions of this study, it is recommended that the Ministry of Education Safety Guidelines in reference to dormitories be observed in order to enhance effective learning processes in secondary schools in Nyeri and Nairobi Counties. Keywords: Dormitories, Safety Status, Hazardous learning environments DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-13-08 Publication date:May 31st 202