DETERMINATION OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF HEAD TEACHERS’ LEADERSHIP PRACTICES INFLUENCING STUDENT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS: A CASE STUDY OF MACHAKOS COUNTY, KENYA

The purpose of this study was to assess the most important aspects of head teachers’ leadership practices influencing student academic achievement in secondary schools of Machakos County, Kenya. Performance by many students in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination in most secondary schools in Machakos County has been low in the recent past years (2009-2013), and a study was therefore necessary to establish whether in the execution of head teachers’ instructional leadership practices, the head teachers may have ignored important aspects which if put to consideration could help improve their instructional leadership practice, and subsequently the performance of pupils. The study applied Survey design. The target population was the head teachers, teachers and students of 176 public secondary schools in Machakos County. Stratified sampling technique was used to select 38 head teachers, 190 teachers and 345 students from among high and low performing secondary schools in Machakos County. The study used the Head Teacher Questionnaire (reliability 0.78), Teachers Questionnaire (reliability 0.74) and the students Questionnaire (reliability 0.75). The response was 87.5%. Factor analysis was then done to establish the most important indicators of the head teachers’ instructional leadership practices. The study found that most indicators used in the head teachers’ instructional leadership are reliable, with Cronbach’s alpha values higher than 0.5. The study recommends in-service training for head teachers and preparatory training for deputy head teachers and heads of departments on effective instructional leadership practices so as to enhance balanced instructional leadership in schools.  Article visualizations

THE EXTENT TO WHICH INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP PRACTICES BY HEAD TEACHERS CONTRIBUTE TO STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN MACHAKOS COUNTY, KENYA

The purpose of this study was to assess the extent to which instructional leadership practices by head teachers contribute to students’ academic performance. Machakos County was chosen for this study due to its low performance by many students in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education Examination in most secondary schools in the recent years (2009-2013). Instructional leadership practices chosen were included defining the school mission, managing the school instructional programme, providing a conducive working climate and providing incentives for teaching and learning. The study applied Survey design. From 176 public secondary schools, stratified sampling technique was used to select 38 head teachers, 190 teachers and 345 students from among high and low performing secondary schools. The study used the Head Teacher Questionnaire (reliability 0.78), Teachers Questionnaire (reliability 0.74) and the students Questionnaire (reliability 0.75). The response was 87.5%. Multiple regression analysis was done to test the extent to which head teachers instructional practices influences on students’ performance, while linear regression was used to determine the most influential leadership practice. It was established that the Bowman and Deal’s leadership theory is applicable to Kenyan schools, with the provision of incentives for learning and teaching being the most important leadership practice towards the teaching and learning process.  Article visualizations

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HEAD TEACHERS’ INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP PRACTICES AND THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN MACHAKOS COUNTY, KENYA

The performance of students in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination in Machakos County, Kenya has been low for the recent years. It is suspected that the head teachers may have ignored their instructional leadership practices which if put to consideration could help improve students’ performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between head teachers’ instructional leadership practices and students’ performance in KCSE examination. The study applied descriptive survey design. Stratified sampling technique was used to select 38 head teachers, 190 teachers and 345 students from 38 (42%) of target schools which were grouped as high performing and low performing categories. Pearson’s product moment correlation was used and the study found strong positive correlations between instructional leadership practices and the performance of students, where poorly performing schools are also rated low in the instructional leadership practice, and vice versa for schools performing well. The study therefore recommends in-service training on instructional leadership for head teachers to enhance balanced instructional leadership, for better academic performance.  Article visualizations

THE MODERATING EFFECT OF INDUSTRIAL CONTEXT ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BRAND EQUITY AND CONSUMER CHOICE IN BRANDED BOTTLED WATER NAIROBI, KENYA

Previous research has shown that brand equity influence consumer choice, however this literature has been limited to broad base view of choice in which specific industry and location characteristic have not been explicitly been examined. This study examines the moderating effect of the Industry context on the relationship between brand equity and consumer choice in the branded bottled water, among supermarkets customers in Nairobi Central Business District, Kenya. The sample size was 400 respondents, comprising of 373 customers and 13 employees of supermarkets. Data was collected using a semi structured questionnaire and an interview guide. Industry context factors influence on the relationship of brand equity influence consumer choice was predicted through the use of a logit model. The research findings indicated that market place efficacy and valence have a moderating role on the influence of brand equity on consumer choice

Factors influencing cervical cancer screening in a Kenyan Health Facility: a mixed qualitative and quantitative study

Background: Cervical cancer is the commonest cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality among women in developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Screening for cervical cancer among HIV infected women is crucial as they are more at risk of developing the disease and progressing faster once infected with Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).Methods: We aimed to determine the factors affecting the utilization of cervical cancer screening among HIV infected women above 18 years of age at Kenyatta National Hospital by conducting a cross-sectional mixed quantitative and qualitative methods study. Descriptive and inferential analysis was carried out on quantitative data to determine significant associations with cervical cancer utilization. Qualitative data were analyzed after coding for significant clauses and transcribing to determine themes arising.Results: Three hundred and twenty eight of the total 387 women enrolled reported they had been advised by their health providers to go for screening. However, only 179 (46%) reported cervical cancer screening.  Women were more likely to report cervical cancer screening if recommendation by a staff was made (p <0.001), and prior to joining KNH CCC (p <0.001). Qualitatively the main barrier to screening included fear of screening due to concerns about excessive pain or bleeding, lack of proper communication on screening procedures and long waiting timeConclusions: The utilization of cervical cancer screening services was low despite high rates of health care recommendation. The women were more likely to utilize the service if recommendation from the health care worker was made, and if they had ever screened before

Tensile and flexural properties of hybrid graphene oxide/epoxy carbon fibre reinforced composites.

In this study, nano-sized graphene oxide sheets were homogenously dispersed via sonication methods in epoxy followed by vacuum resin infusion for the fabrication of the epoxy, graphene oxide (GO) and micro-sized carbon fibre reinforced nanocomposites (EP/CF/GO). Graphene oxide concentrations ranging from 0.1 - 0.5 wt. % were studied to investigate the effect on tensile and flexural strength. It was observed that the tensile strength of the EP/CF decreased with the addition of GO but increased with GO weight concentration in the nanocomposites studied from 498MPa to 519 MPa for the inclusion of 0.1 to 0.5 wt.% GO respectively. The 0.5 wt. % EP/CF/GO recorded a 10% increase in Young's modulus compared to the classical epoxy / carbon fibre composites, and similar trend was observed for the flexural properties. However flexural strength of the GO samples did not surpass the control sample (epoxy /carbon fibre composites) with the 0.3 wt.% GO samples (EP/CF/GO) providing the greatest flexural strength of >580 MPa compared to the 0.1 wt.% and 0.5 wt.% GO samples

A guideline for the formation of sub-national climate-smart agriculture alliances in Tanzania

About the guideline: This document summarizes recommendations on best practices on how to form and operationalize of sustainable sub-national Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) alliances for CSA actors in Tanzania. These are based on the experience and recommendations of existing District CSA Alliances and views from selected CSA actors in the country. It seeks to support ongoing efforts in the country to promote the adoption of CSA practices and technologies

What unleashes innovations in the Legumes and Cereals farming Systems in the drylands: A gendered perspective

Agricultural and natural resource management innovations have often been introduced, promoted and adopted among local communities / farmers. However, how the innovation process is perceived by men and women, the relationships involved, the distribution of benefits and the differing capacities of women and men to take advantage of the new opportunities in agriculture are not always carefully thought-out. This study examined both community and individual men and women's experiences with agricultural innovations and practices and how these interactions support or hinder the achievement of agricultural innovations across various contexts. By providing robust empirical evidence on the relationship between gender norms, agency and agricultural innovation, the study revealed that sociocultural structures and household dynamics chiefly shapes how individuals negotiate for space, freedom, resources and the capacities needed to innovate

Evidence for conservation in antigen gene sequences combined with extensive polymorphism at VNTR loci

Theileria parva is a tick‐transmitted apicomplexan protozoan parasite that infects lymphocytes of cattle and African Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer), causing a frequently fatal disease of cattle in eastern, central and southern Africa. A live vaccination procedure, known as infection and treatment method (ITM), the most frequently used version of which comprises the Muguga, Serengeti‐transformed and Kiambu 5 stocks of T. parva, delivered as a trivalent cocktail, is generally effective. However, it does not always induce 100% protection against heterologous parasite challenge. Knowledge of the genetic diversity of T. parva in target cattle populations is therefore important prior to extensive vaccine deployment. This study investigated the extent of genetic diversity within T. parva field isolates derived from Ankole (Bos taurus) cattle in south‐western Uganda using 14 variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) satellite loci and the sequences of two antigen‐encoding genes that are targets of CD8+T‐cell responses induced by ITM, designated Tp1 and Tp2. The findings revealed a T. parva prevalence of 51% confirming endemicity of the parasite in south‐western Uganda. Cattle‐derived T. parva VNTR genotypes revealed a high degree of polymorphism. However, all of the T. parva Tp1 and Tp2 alleles identified in this study have been reported previously, indicating that they are widespread geographically in East Africa and highly conserved

Seven-Year Efficacy of RTS,S/AS01 Malaria Vaccine among Young African Children

Background The RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine candidate is being evaluated for implementation. Methods We conducted 7 years follow-up of children who were randomized at age 5 to 17 months to receive three doses of either the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine or control vaccine (rabies). The endpoint was clinical malaria (temperature ≥37.5°C and infection with Plasmodium falciparum of ≥2500 parasites per µl). Each child’s malaria exposure was estimated using the prevalence of malaria among residents within a 2km radius of their homestead. Vaccine efficacy was defined as 1 minus the hazard ratio (HR) or incidence rate ratios (IRR) of the RTS,S/AS01 vaccinated versus rabies vaccinated groups. Results We identified 1002 clinical malaria episodes among 223 children randomized to RTS,S/AS01 and 992 clinical malaria episodes among 224 children randomized to control vaccination over seven years follow-up. Intention-to-treat vaccine efficacy (VE) was 4.4% (95%CI: -17 to 21.9, p value=0.67) and per-protocol VE was 7.0% (95%CI -14.5 to 24.6%, p=0.5) by negative binomial regression. VE waned over time (p=0.006 for the interaction between vaccination and time), including negative efficacy during the fifth year among children at higher malaria parasite exposure (-43.5%, 95%CI: -100.3 to -2.8, p value=0.033 by intention-to-treat and -56.8%, 95%CI -118.7 to -12.3, p=0.008 per-protocol). Conclusion A 3-dose vaccination with RTS,S/AS01 is initially protective against clinical malaria, but this is offset by rebound in later years in areas with higher malaria parasite exposure. Further data are needed on longer-term outcomes following four-dose vaccinations. </p