An Assessment of How Adequacy of Teaching and Learning Materials Affects the Management of Teaching and Learning in Public Primary Schools in Uasin Gishu County

Since Kenya’s achievement of political independence in 1963, the Government and the people of Kenya have been committed to expanding the education system to enable greater participation of its citizens. The implementation of Free Primary Education (FPE) impacted positively in the enrolment of both boys and girls. But the introduction of FPE in 2003 led to a rise in class size from 30 pupils per teacher per class to more than 100 pupils in some cases. The rise in numbers of learners has also impacted on the provision and use of teaching and learning materials. The purpose of the study, therefore, was to investigate the influence of this pressure on the materials on the management of teaching and learning in public primary schools by head teachers in Uasin Gishu County. The study used a cross-sectional survey research design. The target population was, all the 400 public primary head teachers in Uasin Gishu County. A sample size of 200 was selected using stratified random sampling technique. Data were collected using questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive (frequencies, percentages) and inferential (Chi-square) statistics with the help of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software and presented in tables, and pie charts. The statistical tests were done at 0.05 level of significance. The study established that there was shortage of teaching and learning materials and shortage of text books in public primary schools in Uasin Gishu County. The study further found out that teachers were not giving pupils adequate assignments and assessments, and that there was use of lecture method of teaching. The government, among other education stakeholders in the country, should increase budgetary allocation to teaching/learning materials for more text books to be purchased to a ratio of 1:1. The study findings should be useful to other researchers and policy makers in the Ministry of Education keen on adopting effective and efficient management to enhance successful implementation of educational innovation notably free primary education policy. Keywords: Adequacy, Materials, Management, Teaching, Learning, Public Primary Schools, Uasin Count

Contribution of Early Missionaries to the Expansion and Management of Education in Colonial Kericho, Kenya, 1901-1962

The paper critically analyzed the contribution of the early missionaries to the expansion and management of education in colonial Kericho of Kenya. Arguably, it extensively utilized structural functionalism and dialectical materialism theories as organizing frameworks as well as guided the conceptualization of data analysis and interpretation. As aptly articulated in this paper, the close association of Christianity and education among the local Kipsigis of Kericho cannot be overemphasized, for it was through the innumerable schools established by both Protestant and Roman Catholic missionaries that many Kipsigis came into contact with Christianity. In fact, school was the church in many parts of Kipsigis. The Christian missionaries therefore saw the school as a key institution, being the most reliable means for membership recruitment and for creating self-perpetuating congregations whose members would ensure the survival of Christianity. Education and evangelization were so closely linked that for, many parts of Kipsigis, the pitching of the missionary tent was synonymous with the establishment of a school. Among the inhabitants of Kericho, as elsewhere in Kenya, the missionaries preceded the administrators and settlers. Education was the inevitable concomitant of Christian proselytisation, since the ability to read the Bible was fundamental. But from the onset, it had been recognized that the principal actor in conversion would have to be the locals themselves. The missionary education was thus intended to prepare the locals in Christian dogma and to ensure that the students observed proper Christian principles. The education also aimed at discouraging the extended family system, encouraging individualism, abolishing polygamy and more so female circumcision. The Christian missionaries had entered Kericho region with a purpose of preaching the Gospel of Christ, but when they realized that illiteracy among the local inhabitants especially the Kipsigis was a serious hindrance to their enterprise they picked up pen and book to spread Western education. This education was geared to serving their interests - basically evangelism. They achieved this by trying to reach out to the locals i.e. the Kipsigis through elementary schools in the villages. Largely, they taught elementary education aimed at producing cheap but literate manpower. On the other hand, the early converts saw education as a sure way of bridging the cultural gap between them and the Europeans who appeared to represent a superior type of human being and this synthesis found its fulfillment within the realm of dialectical materialism framework

Parental Involvement in Homework and Primary School Academic Performance in Kenya

The factors associated with students’ academic performance may have been addressed but the impact of parental involvement continues to be a significant issue. Some schools in Kenya post poor results amid claims that parents are not supportive. This study examined the effect of parental involvement in homework on academic performance in public primary schools in Teso North Sub County, Busia- Kenya. The objectives were; to establish the types of homework assistance children get from parents, to ascertain the extent of parental involvement in homework and to examine the association between parental involvement in homework and school academic performance. All teachers, head teachers, pupils and parents in public primary schools were targeted. Thirty schools were sampled randomly from where 532 respondents (30 head teachers, 30 parents, 192 teachers and 280 pupils) were then sampled. Parents and head teachers were purposively sampled while teachers and pupils were proportionately sampled.  A descriptive survey design was employed and data collected using questionnaires, semi- structured interviews schedules and document analysis. Quantitative data was analyzed using means, percentages and frequencies and qualitative data was reported directly. T-tests, Pearson moment correlation coefficient, and OLS regression coefficients were used to test hypotheses. The results indicate female parents were more willing to assist children in homework. Parents provided limited assistance in areas such as reading, writing and solving difficult sums. Parental involvement in homework positively correlated with school academic performance. The positive effect of parental involvement in homework disappeared when other variables were controlled for. It was concluded that since educational gains of parental involvement are noted and confirmed the significance of parents in educational processes. It was recommended that parents who don’t assist children in homework should be sensitized to do so. Keywords: parental involvement, homework, primary school, academic performance

Perception of University Managers on the Influence of Organizational Structure on Quality of Management in Public and Private Universities in Kenya

Quality of institutional management is arguably a major determinant of organizational performance.  The role of managers and the activities and tasks they perform as aided by the organizational structure could lead to the effective and efficient implementation of organizational objectives and goals.  This study was undertaken to establish the perception of university managers on the influence of organizational structure on the quality of institutional management of universities in Kenya.  The study design was descriptive research. Purposive sampling procedure was used in selecting the universities.  Random stratification sampling was used to administer the questionnaire to the managers in the universities.  Positive responses were received from 137 managers from a target of 263 giving a 62.6%  response rate.  The response from university managers showed an average positive response rate at 60%.  There was a statistically significant difference at (p<0.05) on the perception of managers in the public and private universities on the influence of organizational structure on the dimension of customer satisfaction. The organizational structures in the private universities were found to be more customer centric than those of public universities. Private universities management practices emphasized concern for customer needs.  This translated into provision of quality services and products in order to meet customers’ expectations for their satisfaction and retention.  . Keywords: Organizational Structures, Quality of Management, Customer satisfaction, Structural Flexibility, Decision making, Teamwork DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/13-20-06 Publication date:October 31st 202

Institutional Factors Influencing Acquisition of Vocational Skills by Trainees in Public Vocational Training Centers in Kakamega County-Kenya

Vocational Training Centers (VTCs) are anchored in the Technical Vocational Education and Training ACT (2013), which emphases on imparting vocational and technical skills in trainees. The purpose of this study was to determine the institutional factors influencing acquisition of vocational skills by trainees in public vocational training centres in Kakamega County. The study adopted a descriptive survey. The target population of the study was 1740 comprising of 60 county polytechnic, 60 county polytechnic principals, 480 instructors and 1200 second year finalist trainees. A sample size of 282 was picked consisting of 18 county polytechnic principals, 144 instructors and 120 second year finalist trainees as the respondents. Stratified random, purposive and simple random sampling was employed. Questionnaires were used to collect data from county polytechnic principals, instructors and trainees. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study established that instructors were inadequate and the existing ones lacked in-service and industrial updates, financial resources were also inadequate to cater for training facilities and payment of more Board of Management instructors, tools and equipment were inadequate and not up to date and this forced instructors to use teacher-centered methods of instructing

Effects of Smasse Programme in Service Education and Training on the Teaching of Mathematics and Science in Secondary Schools in Koibatek District, Kenya

Strengthening of  Mathematics and Science in Secondary Education (SMASSE) In – Service Education and Training (INSET) programme is one of the strategies that the Ministry of Education put in place to strengthen the teaching and learning of Mathematics and Science in secondary schools in Kenya. This study sought to establish the extent to which teachers were practicing the principles, skills and knowledge they learnt in the SMASSE INSET training programme in the course of their teaching and whether there is any relationship between teacher characteristics and the level of adoption of principles, skills and knowledge learnt in the SMASSE INSET programme in secondary schools in Koibatek District, Kenya. The study adopted an ex post facto research design. The targeted population included 150 Mathematics and Science teachers from 23 secondary schools. A sample of 22 Principals and 110 teachers was drawn from 22 schools. Data were collected using two sets of structured questionnaires (teachers and principals). Reliability was tested using Cronbach coefficient alpha to determine the internal consistency of the questionnaire items; A Cronbach’s Coefficient Alpha of 0.8139 was obtained. The collected data were processed and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The descriptive statistics included frequencies, percentages and means. Inferential statistics using chi-square and Spearman Rank correlation coefficient were used and tested at µ = 0.05 significance level. Analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study found that teachers implemented the principles, skills and knowledge they learnt in the course of their teaching and that individual teachers’ characteristics do not influence the adoption of SMASSE INSET. The study recommends that Headteachers should put in place mechanisms in their schools to ensure that teachers implement all the principles, skills and knowledge learnt from SMASSE INSET. There is also need for schools to take advantage of the high level of adoption of the SMASSE INSET to encourage more students to enroll and improve their academic performance in these subjects.

Accelerated Cardiac Diffusion Tensor Imaging Using Joint Low-Rank and Sparsity Constraints

Objective: The purpose of this manuscript is to accelerate cardiac diffusion tensor imaging (CDTI) by integrating low-rankness and compressed sensing. Methods: Diffusion-weighted images exhibit both transform sparsity and low-rankness. These properties can jointly be exploited to accelerate CDTI, especially when a phase map is applied to correct for the phase inconsistency across diffusion directions, thereby enhancing low-rankness. The proposed method is evaluated both ex vivo and in vivo, and is compared to methods using either a low-rank or sparsity constraint alone. Results: Compared to using a low-rank or sparsity constraint alone, the proposed method preserves more accurate helix angle features, the transmural continuum across the myocardium wall, and mean diffusivity at higher acceleration, while yielding significantly lower bias and higher intraclass correlation coefficient. Conclusion: Low-rankness and compressed sensing together facilitate acceleration for both ex vivo and in vivo CDTI, improving reconstruction accuracy compared to employing either constraint alone. Significance: Compared to previous methods for accelerating CDTI, the proposed method has the potential to reach higher acceleration while preserving myofiber architecture features which may allow more spatial coverage, higher spatial resolution and shorter temporal footprint in the future.Comment: 11 pages, 16 figures, published on IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineerin

Headteachers’ Perceptions of the Relationship between Parental Support and Learners’ Retention in Public Secondary Schools in Bureti District, Kenya

Parental support has been central to realizing quality education. Parental support in areas of fees, teaching materials, uniforms and labour has been vital for the expansion of education in Kenya. However, a low retention level which is an indicator of internal efficiency has remained a challenge in most public secondary schools.  Consequently, the study sought to establish the headteachers’ perceptions of the relationship between parental support and learners’ retention in public secondary schools in Bureti District, Kenya. The study used a descriptive survey research design. The head teachers of public secondary schools constituted the respondents of the study. A sample of 30 respondents was drawn for the study. A simple random sampling technique was used to select the respondents for study. The study used questionnaires and interview schedules to collect data. The research instruments were pilot tested on headteachers that were not part of the study sample. Using Cronbach's alpha, an index of 0.874 for the questionnaire was established to mean it was reliable. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics technique were used to analyze data with the help of Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20). To make reliable inferences from the data, all statistical tests were subjected to a test of significance at coefficient alpha (α-level= 0.05) equal to 0.05. The study revealed that there is a statistically significant relationship between parental support to education and learners’ retention levels. This study recommends that school leaders be guided to interrogate this relationship in a way that will provide policy direction in enhancing retention among secondary school learners. Keywords: Parental Support, Learners’ Retentions, Public Secondary Schools, Bureti, Kenya

Effects of Principals’ Team Work Capabilities on the Adoption of Strategic Management in Public Secondary Schools in Baringo County, Kenya

Strategic management is a critical component for the effective performance of an organization. Many successful organizations have consistently performed better than their competitors mainly because they have implemented strategic management. The Ministry of Education (MOE) in the Republic of Kenya expects that all secondary schools put in place strategic management for performance improvement and the realization of the national goals of education. The Principal plays a pivotal role in the adoption of school improvement initiatives such as strategic management. This study sought to find out the effects of Principals’ team work capabilities on the adoption of strategic management in Public Secondary Schools. The study found out that Principals’ team work capabilities had a significant effect on the adoption of strategic management in Public Secondary Schools. Keywords: Principals, Team work capabilities, Adoption, Strategic Managemen