The Gender STEM Gap and Its Impact on Sustainable Development Goals and the Big Four Agenda in Kenya: A Synthesis of Literature

Women have made significant progress in education through marked increase in enrolment. However, the same zeal has not been demonstrated in STEM based subjects and careers. The gender STEM scale still tips in favour of men in many countries across the world. This imbalance in the STEM fields owing to dominance by men is what creates the STEM Gap. In this paper, we synthesize literature and secondary data to show these disparities. We appreciate that STEM gap drivers are numerous and therefore zero in on what we consider the critical STEM gap drivers with respect to Kenya. We identify and succinctly discuss these critical drivers which are: self-concept and lack of resilience, teachers’ and parental expectations, role models and stereotyping, work environment and family obligations and finally weak scholastic performance. We also assess how this gender STEM gap is likely to affect the achievement of a number of Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) and the Big Four Agenda and in the process, steer the country away from the path of industrialization envisaged in Vision 2030. We explain why it is important to mitigate the STEM gap and get more women in STEM. We recommend that, parents should deconstruct their own stereotypes; teachers should debunk the myth about STEM being the preserve of superior mental abilities that girls lack, students should acknowledge that STEM drives the economy and opens up employment opportunities, institutions should have a STEM endowment fund and industries should institute policies that enhance retention of women in STEM careers. It is expected that these if addressed should enhance women’s participation in STEM based subjects so that they can build careers in STEM

Problem Based Learning Technique and its effect on Acquisition of Linear Programming Skills by Secondary School Students in Kenya

The topic Linear Programming is included in the compulsory Kenyan secondary school mathematics curriculum at form four. The topic provides skills for determining best outcomes in a given mathematical model involving some linear relationship. This technique has found application in business, economics as well as various engineering fields. Yet many Kenyan secondary schools hardly teach the topic. The methods used are found to be difficult to execute leading to lack of understanding by the learners. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether Problem Based Learning intervention can encourage and improve students’ learning of linear programming. Students’ performance on an achievement test, and acquisition of linear programming skills were monitored. The study adopted the pre-test, post-test non-equivalent groups experimental design. The experimental group was taught the topic using the origin test and extreme points technique, a version of Problem Based Learning. The control group was taught using conventional methods. A mathematics achievement pre-test and a post-test were given to both groups to ascertain their respective entry and final performance abilities. Analysis of the post-test results was done using the means, standard deviations and paired samples t-test. In addition, item 3 of the mathematics achievement post-test, was used to determine the level of students’ acquisition of linear programming skills. The face and content validity of the research instruments were determined with the help of mathematic educators and experienced secondary school mathematic teachers. The split half method was utilized in determining the instruments’ reliability acceptable at reliability indices of 0.6. Pearson's coefficient (r) obtained for MAT 1 School 1 was 0.9211 and 0.9131 for school 2. Pearson's coefficient (r) for MAT 2 for School 1 was 0.8786 and for school 2 it was 0.8896.  Stratified Random Sampling was used to select ten each of form four boys, girls, and co-educational schools for the study. In total 1,502 form four students participated in the study. Of this total, 745 students formed the experimental while 757 formed the control group. Keywords: Problem Based Learning Technique, Linear Programming Skills, Pre-requisite knowledge,  Secondary   School Students, Keny

Students’ conceptual understanding of electricity and magnetism and its implications: A review

Physics subject continues to be considered as difficult and unattractive by students. This leads to the development of negative attitudes towards the subject. Electricity and magnetism as one of the most important areas in physics is particularly considered as difficult due to their abstract nature. Different studies on students’ conceptual understanding of electricity and magnetism have been conducted and several instructional strategies for a conceptual change in this subject matter have been provided. However, there are still some persisting misconceptions even after being treated by those suggested instructional strategies. By using diagnostic tests and remedial approaches to sort out learning barriers, there is a possibility that students’ performance might improve, which would likely lead to disappearing these learning barriers and retaining the appropriate concepts over time scales beyond the assessment schedule of individual classes. Therefore, after reporting on the impact of students’ preconceptions on learning, this review paper also highlights some existing studies on students’ misconceptions in electricity and magnetism. The paper also updates physics educators and researchers on some conceptual tests and assessments used to test students’ misconceptions in electricity and magnetism and some suggested strategies for remedying those misconceptions. Some educational implications and practical recommendations for effective teaching and learning in electricity and magnetism are also outlined

Students’ attitudes towards physics in Nine Years Basic Education in Rwanda

This study investigated students’ attitudes towards physics in Nine Year Basic Education (9YBE) in Rwanda. Data were collected from 380 students from Kayonza and Gasabo Districts using a physics attitudes test. Findings illustrated that more than a quarter of participants felt that learning physics is boring. About 39% think that the subject of physics does not relate to the real-world experience. A significant number of participants had negative attitudes towards physics in terms of the effort required for learning. The findings also showed that the overall level for participants in physics problem-solving skills was low. The item-by-item analysis showed that the differences between responses of students from rural schools and their counterparts from urban schools in categories of problem-solving and physics concepts connections and understanding are statistically significant. It was found that many students in rural schools need to know more about the interpretation of a new equation to be able to apply it to a new physics problem

Physics Practical Work and Its Influence on Students’ Academic Achievement

In Kenyan secondary schools, form two is an important class for all students. The students choose relevant subjects to study in form three and four. Physics is compulsory at form one and two but optional thereafter. Performance in the subject at the end of the secondary school is usually dismal. Majority of students lack motivation for most activities related to the subject. Few boys and even fewer girls opt to study this subject. The teacher centered mode of study has often been reported as the culprit leading to this problem. This study investigated whether structured practical work can aid the process of learning the subject. Specifically, the study sought to find out the difference in academic achievement in physics between students taught using intensive practical activities and those taught using conventional teaching methods, mostly theoretically. The findings were analyzed ovarally and gender wise.  The study involved two groups from sampled average performing secondary schools in Kakamega South Sub-County-Kenya. The quasi-experimental pre-test, post test non- equivalent group research design was adopted. The study period covered term two and three. The end of form two term one physics examination scores formed the pretest. The cumulated result on the chosen topics at the end of form two formed the post test for both groups. Two instruments were used to collect data. These are End of Term One Form Two Examination (EOTOFTE) and the Performance Test on the Chosen Topics (PTCT). Validity of the instrument was ascertained with the aid of experienced secondary school physics teachers and science education instrument construction experts. Reliability of the Performance Test on the Chosen Topics determined using Kuder Richardson KR-20 was found to be 0.95. The performance on the pre-test result was comparable for both experimental and control groups. The results of the post-test were analyzed using the t-test, Analysis of Variance and Chi-Square. Experimental group recorded better performance than the control group. The study helped in determining the value of experimentation in physics instruction. It is hoped to help shape policy on the nature and quality of practical work to be encouraged in secondary school physics instruction. The study was aimed at contributing towards realization of needs to resolve problems w               3q2         1`inherent in physics reflected in the poor performance in the subject. The findings are formed on the basis of dynamic and creative instructional strategies since good learner’s intelligence and skills can be expressed if better instructional methods are in place. Keywords: Science Concept, Science instruction, Science Process skills, Practical Work, Average Performing Schools