Access to quality education and transition from primary to secondary school has been low for learners with disabilities compared to non-disabled learners over the years in Kenya. The Kenya Government has established several strategic initiatives and mobilized required resources to address this challenge. Among the key strategies is introduction of special needs education policy in the year 2009 in which enhancement of special needs education teacher training is a major ingredient. Despite the Government interventions, transition of learners with disabilities has remained below 30% nationally and below 16% in Meru County over ten years compared to transition for non-disabled learners that has been on a continuous increase to above 92%. This study sought to determine the relationship between practices of special needs education
Widowhood has been on increase globally and Kenya as nation is not exceptional. The state of widowhood globally has been made worse during this period of Corona Virus Disease which started in Wuhan in China in December 2019 (WHO, 2019). Losing a spouse through death is quite emotive and may affect the bereaved persons' psychosocial wellbeing as well as coping mechanism. In Meru community of Kenya, few researches have been done on counselling as a coping mechanism of widowhood. The study's main purpose was to determine how loss and grief counselling is used as a coping mechanism by comparing widowers and widows in Meru County Kenya. A descriptive survey was employed in the study where ex post facto's causal-comparative research design was appropriately used. A total population of 80,332 widowed persons in Meru County was targeted. For comparison purposes, a total sample size of 384 respondents was used; half from each gender. Questionnaires and Focus Group Discussions were used to collect data from respondents based on gender. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed. Widows sought for loss and grief counselling more at 61% than widowers at 47 % and from FGDs more than 70% and less than 20% respectively. From t-test results there was a statistically significant difference which favored widows than widowers in seeking for counselling services. In conclusion, the study findings may assist the widows and widowers to seek timely loss and grief counselling services as a positive coping mechanism.
Achievement in Biology in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education is low despite its significance in the society; this is demonstrated by the low performance scores of the learners in biology. The purpose of the study was to see if there were any differences in learner academic attainment in Biology amongst students instructed using a computer-assisted instructional method and those instructed using outdated methods in secondary schools in Baringo County, Kenya. The study used a Solomon Four -Quasi experimental design. In Baringo County, eight extra-county secondary schools were chosen using purposive sampling. The stratified random sampling approach was employed in the sampling school for the study. A total of 324 biology students were chosen from a stratified sample of extra-county secondary schools. Form three biology students were randomly selected and allocated to the experimental and control groups in selected schools with more than one stream. The investigational category were instructed by aid of a computer-assisted instructional means, whereas the regulator category received outdated instruction approach. As a research tool, the Biology Achievement Test was used. The research device was put through its paces to see how reliable it was. The dependability of the instrument was determined using the split half approach and the correlation coefficient was calculated using the Spearman Brown prophecy formula. The reliability coefficient of the research instrument was 0. 704. Frequencies and percentages were used to evaluate descriptive data, whereas Analysis of Variance and the t-test were used to assess inferential data. Computer aided teaching (CAT) was found to boost learner academic progress in biology when compared to outdated instructional methods. The outcomes of the study will benefit curriculum makers at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development in creating a framework and guidelines for integrating, planning, and the enactment of CAT in schools' curriculum, which will help to increase learner academic attainment besides motivation.
Aims: To assess the effect of COVID -19 on mental health of the learners in primary and secondary schools of Kenya. Study Design: The study adopted a cross-sectional research design where 96.5% of the respondents of the study were between the age of 6- 18 years. Place and Duration of the Study: The study was conducted in Kenya and it involved five counties namely Nairobi, Mombasa, Kajiado, Migori and Elgeyo Marakwet primary, secondary and special schools. The study was conducted between October 2021 and July, 2022. Methodology: In the five selected counties 12 schools were selected in each county where different sub-counties were considered. A 31 item paper questionnaire for learners on mental health was administered to assess levels for anxiety with ten(10) items, depression had eleven(11) items and and post-traumatic stress disorder had ten (10) items. The learners responded to a 3 point Likert scale of; “Not at all”(1) “Sometimes”(2) and “All the Time”(3) The scores were tabulated as follows: Anxiety; Normal 10 – 15, Mild 16 -20, Moderate 21- 25 and Severe 25 and above, Depression; Normal 11 – 18, Mild 19 -26, Moderate 27- 31 Severe 32 and above and finally Scores for PTSD; Normal 9 – 14, Mild 15 -19, Moderate 20- 24, Severe 25 and aboveNormal (1), Mild (2), Moderate (3) and Severe (4) though some items were reverse scored if the statement was negatively phrased. All the learners who scored an average of moderate to severe in this tool were identified as vulnerable and predisposed to risks of mental illness and therefore recommended for mental health interventions. Results: The study established that 25.7% of the learners reported moderate to severe levels of anxiety, 27.9% of the learners reported moderate to severe levels of depression and 44.4% of the learners reported moderate to severe levels of PTSD. Conclusion: The study established that there were heightened level of anxiety was a reality among school learners. There is need to implement efforts that address depressive symptoms before they escalate to unmanageable levels. Learners are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder whose effects will continue to be felt for long period of time unless intervention takes place. Therefore Kenyan schools not only need to prevent but also manage learners exhibiting the mental health symptoms to promote holistic growth with fully functional citizenry.
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