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Anchored on the premises that Distance Learning (DL) is fundamentally learner centered (LC), and that universities facilitate DL programs through various forms of media and technologies, this study investigated the contribution of learner characteristics to academic performance among distance learners. Adopting the triangulation design validating quantitative data model, the predictive power of the following variables was examined: age, gender, entry qualification, region of residence, employment status, marital status, academic self-concept, and study strategies. Findings show that learner characteristics were positively related to academic performance. The overall regression model was significant (F (8,162) =2.633, p<.05). While the multiple correlation coefficient was .339, the study found that approximately 11.5% of the variance of academic performance was associated with learner characteristics (r2=.115). Specifically, employment status and study strategies were statistically significant predictors of CGPA [(t=3.16, p<.05) and (t=2.23, p<.05) respectively]. Study recommended that universities should profile distance learner characteristics and align student needs with all the instructional processes of DL.

Apprenticeships learning is part of the ongoing educational reforms to combat youth unemployment in Kenya. This paper presents findings of a study that assessed five donor-funded apprenticeships training projects using a descriptive research design. Using a sample of 54 respondents from apprentices, employers, schoo-based and in-company trainers, the study established that apprenticeship training improved the quality of vocational training. Moreover, apprenticeship training equipped trainees with market-ready skills that enabled a school-to work transition for employment, with a higher employer preference of apprenticeships’ graduates compared to the school-based track. Similarly, the collaborative engagement of employers during training gave them a source of low cost labor and high productivity so that they could support trainees and the vocational schools. The study recommended the need to mainstream apprenticeships learning in formal vocational training as a sure way of increasing employment opportunities.

Purpose: This descriptive cross-sectional study sought to assess the implementation of the nursing process by nurses in two sub county hospitals in Machakos county, Namely: Kangundo and Kathiani sub county hospitals. The study examined the influence of the nurses’ characteristics and the nurses’ attitudes on the implementation of the nursing process in the  sub County. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire collected quantitative data, while key informant interviews were used to gather qualitative information. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (in particular, the chi-square and Fisher’s Exact) were derived from the data. Results: Sixty-three percent of the nurses (n=45) had drafted a NCP a week prior to the study while 35.7% (n=25) had not. Seventy-five percent of them (n=41) had implemented the NCP. The nurses who developed the nursing care plan frequently ended up implementing it (100%, n=43) compared to those who did not (23.1%, n=3; fisher’s Exact Test P=0.000). Similarly, among the nurses who did not implement the nursing process, 76.9% (N=10) of them felt that NCP is time consuming. This difference was significant at 5% confidence level (LR=8.717, df=2, p=0.013). Although statistical analysis revealed no significant association between nursing process implementation and socio-demographic factors (p>0.05), qualitative findings suggested that the newly qualified nurses are more familiar with the nursing process than their older colleagues. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: study recommends that nursing administration cultivate positive mentality among nurses towards the nursing process; particularly focusing on making nurses understand that the tool should be consistently used among all patients and that it significantly improves patient care.

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