Department of Educational Psychology

Influence of teacher motivation on academic achievement of Secondary school students in Seme sub-county, Kenya.

2026-02-17T08:48:23Z

Influence of teacher motivation on academic achievement of Secondary school students in Seme sub-county, Kenya. ANYANGO, Vivian Ochar The school performance trend in Seme Sub County over the past three years indicated that the average performance of the students was lower than the expected pass mark of mean grade of 5.5 in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education as compared to other neighboring sub-counties. Low performance of the students prompted the necessity to conduct research on the probable causes of low performance and design the most effective strategies that could enhance performance of the students. The objective of the research was to study how teacher motivation is influencing the academic performance of secondary school students in Seme Sub- County. The study aimed at establishing the influence of; remuneration, professional development; work conditions and job satisfaction of teachers, on the academic achievement of the students. This study was based on Herzberg Two –Factor theory of Hygiene and a conceptual framework showing teacher motivation factors as the independent variables, school administrative support, government support, and teacher characteristics as intervening variables, and student academic achievement was the dependent variable in this study. Descriptive and correlational research designs were used for this study. The population of the study was 35 principals and 525 teachers. Saturated sampling was used to sample 32 principals and simple random sampling was used to select 217 teachers for the study. Twenty-two teachers and 3 principals were selected for the pilot study. Data were collected using interview schedules and questionnaires. Experts in the department of Education Psychology evaluated content validity of the tools. Using test-retest method, a reliability coefficient of 0.81, 0.83, 0.79, and 0.87 was obtained on job satisfaction, working conditions, remuneration and TPD instruments respectively. Analysis of quantitative data was done using Pearson’s r, percentages and frequencies. The qualitative data was reported thematically. Results showed nonsignificant negative associations between job satisfaction and academic achievement of students (r= -0.364, p >0.05); remuneration and academic achievement (r = -0.453, p >0.05), and TPD and student academic achievement (r= -0.273, p >0.05). Working conditions showed a positive relationship with academic achievement (r = 0.624, p < 0.05). The study concluded that only working conditions was positively associated with academic achievement. These results are important to teacher employers in understanding factors affecting teacher motivation which in turn has an influence on the academic achievement of the students. Kenya Education Management Institution can use the study in the identification of the training needs of the teacher and professional development requirements to help in enhancing the performance of the students. The results of this study may encourage Boards of Management of schools to improve working conditions of teachers for better results. Master's Thesis

Perceptions of students and administrators on peer pressure as a predictor of selected students’ behaviors in secondary schools in Homa bay town sub county, Kenya

2023-12-21T14:34:55Z

Perceptions of students and administrators on peer pressure as a predictor of selected students’ behaviors in secondary schools in Homa bay town sub county, Kenya BIKO, Steve Ouma A favorable school atmosphere, in which learners are well behaved, is one of the greatest concerns of education stakeholders. Although studies have reported a number of factors that lead to misbehavior among students in schools, peer pressure is reported to contribute up to 53% of cases of students’ misbehavior. Ministry of Education records document that 13 schools faced arson attacks in the year 2021 in Homa Bay County. These reports further highlight that the involved students were victims of substance and drug abuse. The report on HIV/AIDS prevalence by the National Aids and STI control programme also shows that Homa Bay county had a high prevalence rate of 20.6% with girls aged between 14 and 25 years heavily affected, which is considerably higher than the national average of 4.8%. Reports further show an average of 64 teenage pregnancies for every 10000 people in the sub county which is higher than those reported by neighboring sub counties. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of students and administrators on the role of peer pressure in predicting selected students’ behavior in secondary schools in Homa Bay Town Sub County Kenya. The objectives were: to investigate the perception of students and administrators on the role of peer pressure in predicting risky sexual behavior among secondary schools’ students in Homa Bay Town Sub-County, Kenya, to assess the perception of students and administrators on the role of peer pressure in predicting violent behavior among secondary school students in secondary schools in Homa Bay Town Sub-County, Kenya, and to determine the perception of students and administrators on the role of peer pressure in predicting drugs and substance use behavior among secondary schools’ students in Homa Bay Town Sub-County, Kenya. The target population was 10761 students and 33 deputy principals in the 33 secondary schools in Homa Bay Town Sub-County. Stratified and simple random sampling was used to select 30 secondary schools from which 30 deputy principals were selected. Three hundred and seventy students were selected by simple random sampling. Descriptive survey research design was adopted to find out the perception of students and deputy principals on peer pressure as a predictor of Students' sexual behavior, violent behavior, and substance and drug use. Data on the students’ and deputy principals’ perception was collected using structured questionnaires and deputy principal’s interview. The content validity of the research instruments was established by seeking opinions from the experts in the Department of Educational Psychology. Reliability was assessed by test re-test method. Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.882 and 0.996 was obtained for students’ and deputy principals’ questionnaires respectively. Descriptive statistics including frequency counts, means, standard deviation and percentages were used to analyze quantitative data. Qualitative data from the deputy principal interview was transcribed and categorized into emergent themes. The study showed that students expressed moderate agreement that peer pressure relates to students’ sexual behavior (mean=2.65), students’ violent behavior (mean=2.63) and drugs and substance use (mean=2.72). Deputy principals had higher level of agreement that peer pressure relates to students’ sexual behavior (mean= 3.24), students’ violent behavior (mean=3.33) and drugs and substance use (mean= 3.24). The findings of this study may help in increasing awareness and insight towards implementation of comprehensive peer educational programs in school and provide useful information to the Ministry of Education and policy makers. The study therefore recommends that secondary schools should implement comprehensive peer education programs that would bridge the gap in understanding and foster non judgemental discussions on peer pressure and its influence on students behavior. Master's

Teachers’ perceptions on the influence of life skills education on moral behavior of students in secondary schools in Emuhaya sub county, Kenya

2023-12-21T14:30:33Z

Teachers’ perceptions on the influence of life skills education on moral behavior of students in secondary schools in Emuhaya sub county, Kenya KEYA, Rose Savati The Ministry of Education has been long aware of the need to adopt Life Skills Education as a remedy to the challenges that the youth face. The prevalence of teenage pregnancy, school dropout, alcoholism, early marriages, drug misuse, HIV/AIDS and STIs among secondary school students is on the rise. In Emuhaya Sub County, there is a high prevalence of alcohol and drug abuse at 25.74%, approximately 55% of individuals have their first sexual intercourse experience before the age of 15, crime rates are at 22.69% and the dropout rate of students is 45.3%. The purpose of this study therefore was to examine teachers’ perceptions on the influence of life skills education on moral behavior of students in secondary schools in Emuhaya sub county, Kenya. Objectives of the study were to: establish the extent to which teachers training on life skills education puts emphasis on moral behavior, establish the extent to which life skills education courses have incorporated moral behavior content of students in secondary schools, determine the extent of teachers attitude on life skills education and quality of moral behavior of students in secondary schools and establish the availability and adequacy of teaching/learning resources on life skills education on moral behavior of students in secondary schools. A conceptual framework showing inter-relationships between independent variable, teachers’ perceptions and dependent variables, moral behavior based on Bandura’s Social Learning Theory was used. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The study population was 400 teachers and 1 Sub County Quality Assurance and Standards Officer. The sample sizes were 196 teachers who were targeted to participate in quantitative survey. The SCQASO was also purposively selected to participate in qualitative interviews. Structured questionnaire and a key informant interview were used to collect data. Face and content validity of questionnaire were determined by experts in the Department of Educational Psychology. The Reliability of questionnaire was determined through pilot study in 10% of the schools using Test Retest technique whereby Pearson’s r coefficient was used to check for external consistency of research instruments which was 0.70. Quantitative data from closed ended items in questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics in form of frequency counts, percentages, means and standard deviation using SPSS. Qualitative data from open ended items of the questionnaire were transcribed, analyzed and reported in emergent themes and sub themes. The findings indicated that teachers disagree on the influence of teachers training on LSE with an emphasis on moral behavior of students in secondary schools, with the overall mean of 2.44. Teachers agree on the extent to which LSE courses have incorporated moral behavior content of students in secondary schools with the overall mean of 2.51. Teachers disagree on the influence of teacher attitude on LSE and moral behavior of students in secondary schools with an overall mean of 2.19 and finally agree on the influence of availability and adequacy of teaching/learning resources on LSE on moral behavior of students in secondary schools with the overall mean of 2.57. The SCQASO concur with teachers that LSE courses contain moral behavior content and the availability and adequacy of teaching/learning resources on LSE but disagree with them on teachers training on LSE and teacher attitude in LSE. Conclusions of the study are: teachers training did not influence teaching of LSE; LSE courses have an influence on moral behavior content; teacher attitude in LSE did not influence moral behavior and the availability and adequacy of teaching/learning resources influence the implementation of LSE. Recommendations from the study are: the training of teachers in LSE should be looked into; improvements to be made on incorporation of moral behavior content in LSE courses; teachers providing LSE should have a positive attitude and improvements to be made on availability and adequacy of teaching/learning resources so as to enhance quality moral behavior. Master's Thesis

Influence of substance use/abuse on adolescents’ social behavior in public secondary schools in Kisumu East sub-county, Kenya

2023-12-18T17:17:13Z

Influence of substance use/abuse on adolescents’ social behavior in public secondary schools in Kisumu East sub-county, Kenya CHEBET, Lenah Kirop Substance use/abuse as shown by many studies is a serious problem in Kenya and world over. Studies indicate adolescents’ substance use and abuse in secondary schools affect social behaviour. Strikes, stealing, running away from school, and other forms of antisocial behaviour are due to substance abuse. Kisumu County is listed by studies as leading in the use and abuse of substances among people aged 12-65years. In Nyanza, the prevalence among adolescents stands at 10%, while Kisumu County accounts for 26.8%. There has been a dearth of studies on adolescent substance use/abuse and its impact on social behaviour in public secondary schools in that area. This present study therefore, was conducted based on this existing knowledge gap. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the influence of adolescents’ substance use and abuse on social behaviour in public secondary schools in Kisumu East Sub-County. The objectives of the study were to: determine the prevalence and gender disparity in substance use and abuse among adolescents in secondary schools, examine the extent to which parents, peers and the media influence adolescents’ substance use and abuse, establish the influence of substance use and abuse on the adolescents’ social behaviour, explore perceived strategies used to curb substance use and abuse among adolescents in secondary schools. The study was guided by Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory and a conceptual framework. Both descriptive survey and correlational research designs were used. The study’s target population comprised 7528 secondary school students of ages 14-19 and 41 teachers in charge of guidance and counselling. Schools were sampled using stratified sampling technique. An acceptable representative sample of 366 adolescents was derived from Fisher’s sampling formula and 12 teachers in charge of guidance and counselling automatically qualified since their schools formed the study’s sample. Questionnaires and interview schedule were used to collect data. Reliability for the questionnaires was obtained through test-retest method. The two tests from the pilot study were correlated using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation and they yielded a coefficient of .780. Specialists in the Educational Psychology Department determined the research tools’ face and content validity. The study employed descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, percentages, means and standard deviations to analyse quantitative data. Inferential (t-test) was used to test the gender disparity in substance use and abuse while Pearson Product Moment correlation and multiple regression models were used to establish the relationships and influence among the variables. Qualitative data was transcribed and organized as per the objectives and reported. The findings of the study indicated that there is a prevalence of 38.2% of substance use and abuse among adolescents. No significant gender difference was found in adolescents’ use and abuse of substances. A positive significant relationship was found to exist between adolescents ’use and abuse of substances and peers’ influence (β=-.135, p=.007). However, there was negative significant relationship between parents and media influence on the one hand and adolescent substance abuse on the other (β=-.288, 0=.000) and (β=-.153, p=.002) respectively. Also, a positive significant relationship exists between use abuse of substances and adolescents’ antisocial behaviour (r=.525, p<.000). Hierarchical regression results indicated that the selected factors accounted for 13.2% variance in substance use/abuse. Strategies used to counter substance use and abuse were: severe punishment to those abusing substances, incorporating in the curriculum aspects reinforcing self-esteem, assertiveness, problem solving and self-control skills as well as use of guidance and counselling. Findings of this study may be useful to MoE, students and other stakeholders like parents and teachers to develop effective strategies to mitigate substance use/abuse in secondary schools. PhD Theses

Types of intelligence, personality types and their relationship with gender and career choice among first year undergraduate students in a selected public University, Kenya

2023-12-18T16:18:42Z

Types of intelligence, personality types and their relationship with gender and career choice among first year undergraduate students in a selected public University, Kenya ATELA, Richard Juma Training institutions all over the world place high premium on those who excel in examinations. In Kenya, students are admitted into available undergraduate degree programmes based on their performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination. Moreover, university admission requires that students should obtain a minimum grade of C+ which has been an impediment for a majority of students in choosing a career. Therefore, a substantial number of first year students end up revising their courses or settle for what is available, and this may lead to low career satisfaction levels being witnessed today. Moreover, limited research attention has been given to the importance of considering students’ unique intelligences and personality interests when placing them in the degree programmes. Therefore, the specific objectives of this study therefore were to establish types of intelligence among first-year undergraduate students across gender; to establish personality types across gender; to establish types of intelligence across career choice and to establish personality types across career choice. The study was guided by the Multiple Intelligence Theory (1983) and Holland’s Code Theory (1997). Ex-post facto and descriptive survey designs were adopted for the study. The study population was 490 first-years B.Ed students during the 2016/2017 academic year. The study sample consisted of 220 students selected through proportionate stratified sampling. Data were collected using modified Gardner’s multiple intelligence and Holland Questionnaire, Interview Schedule and Document Analysis Guide. The questionnaire was piloted using 10% of the study population. Research instruments were screened for content validity. Test-retest reliability indicated that the questionnaire was reliable (r=0.84). Qualitative data were transcribed and emerging themes reported. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequency counts and percentages. The study found that respondents can be classified into the nine intelligence types with interpersonal intelligence (n=34; 15.5%) being the dominant type followed by verbal linguistic intelligence (n=32, 14.5%). The least dominant was visual spatial (n=16; 7.3%). Males dominated in all types of intelligence except interpersonal, visual-linguistic and bodily-kinesthetic. The dominant personality type was social (n=40; 18.2%) with more males (n=24, 60%) possessing social personality type than females. The least was realistic type (n=30; 13.6%). Males outnumbered females in all personality types except artistic personality type where females were dominant. It was concluded that differences exist in specific types of intelligence and personality types across gender and career choice. The study recommends the findings for student appraisal to aid placement process, career guidance practices, knowledge and further research. PhD Theses

Influence of students’ mental health and school climate on unrest and coping strategies in secondary schools in Kisii county, Kenya

2023-12-17T12:35:18Z

Influence of students’ mental health and school climate on unrest and coping strategies in secondary schools in Kisii county, Kenya KILEL, Faith School unrest is a concern worldwide today. Unrest in Kenyan secondary schools has been on the rise despite measures put in place to curb it. Kisii County has not been spared. Reports from Kisii County Educational Directorate indicate that in 2017 students in Kisii County secondary schools were arrested with jerry cans of petrol intending to burn down the school. In 2018, 5 students sustained minor injuries when 2 dormitories caught fire after students demonstrated due to bad diet while others destroyed the administration block, setting ablaze property belonging to 198 students and baying for the principals` blood. Further reports in 2021 indicate that there were: 7 cases of unrest compared to Migori County which had 2 cases, Bomet County which had 3 cases and Kericho County which had 5 cases. In addition, a Form Three student attacked two teachers while being punished for missing evening studies. Before the attack, the student had been asked to kneel as part of the disciplinary process. This study was to establish the influence of Students` mental health and school climate on student unrest in secondary schools in Kisii County, Kenya based on the following specific objectives; establish the influence of mental health variables on student unrest, determine the influence of school climate variables on student unrest, establish strategies students use to cope with mental health issues and to establish the mechanisms used by schools in addressing issues that lead to unrest. The study employed the Social Control Theory by Ivan Nye, the Strain theory by Robert Merton, and a conceptual framework that described how the variables interacted. Descriptive survey and correlational research designs were employed. The population comprised of 30,955 form 2 students, 350 deputy principals, and 350 class teachers. Yamane’s formula was used to determine 395 students and a stratified random sampling technique was used to select 105 deputy principals and 105 class teachers. Questionnaires, an interview schedule, and a rating scale were used to collect data. 10% of the sample size was used for piloting. The reliability of the instruments was of R-values as follows .83, .78, and .79 respectively. The validity of the instruments was ascertained by experts. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data was transcribed, put into various categories, and reported in an ongoing process. Findings from the study indicated that most students in schools had moderate type of depression. Students who had Cognitive depression were 96.2%, mood were100% and 92.3% had motivation depression. The key strategies students used to address their mental health issues were reaching out to parents (89.1%) and seeing teachers for help (86. 8%). The last strategy was seeing the school counselor (19.2%). Adhering to school rules was the most preferred mechanism schools used to address issues contributing to unrest(96%), the least approach was involving students in making school rules (0%). The study further found that the cognitive aspect of depression had a weak negative correlation (rho= -.34, p= .047): a weak positive correlation for academic stress (rho= .11) and a positive correlation for school learning environment (rho=.05); the cognitive aspect of depression significantly influenced unrest (β=3.057,p=.047) and learning environment(β=2.039,p=.048). The study concluded that the cognitive aspect had a statistically significant negative correlation: academic stress had a non-significant weak positive correlation and the learning environment had a positive correlation. The study recommended that schools should address issues that are likely to contribute to cognitive depression, and students to be encouraged to seek counseling services. PhD Thesis

Processing of Emotional Words in Psychopathic and Non psychopathic Young Offenders

2022-03-16T06:54:21Z

Processing of Emotional Words in Psychopathic and Non psychopathic Young Offenders ROY, R. Frenzel The present study addresses the relationship between reaction times (RTs) on a series of three lexical decision making tasks, and psychopathy. The latter term refers to a set of persistent and maladaptive personality traits which predispose one to a variety of antisocial and criminal behaviors. Newman and Wallace (1993) have proposed that this condition may stem, in part, from functional deficits in automatic cognitive processing. Experiments 2 and 3 provided a formal test of this hypothesis by comparing both psychopathic and nonpsychopathic male young offenders on a semantic matching task. In Experiment 2, subjects were required to make timed lexical decisions as to the relatedness of word pairs presented on a microcomputer screen. Prior research by Williamson, Harper, and Hare (1991) used a similar strategy and found a RT facilitation effect for emotional but not neutral words. This effect was observed in the data of nonpsychopaths, but not psychopathic subjects. Experiment 3 was similar to Experiment 2, but the target word in each pair was presented in reverse lettering to force controlled processing, so as to interfere with the effect of priming. The cancellation of any priming effects, and therefore response facilitation, using this strategy would provide support for Newman and Wallace's (1993) hypothesis. Experiment 1 was a replication of Williamson et al's (1991) study, intended to provide a bridge between their findings using adult subjects, and a group of young offenders. No significant interaction effects emerged from any of the three experiments, nor were any between group differences statistically significant. These results failed to replicate the findings of Williamson et al (1991), and offer no support for the automatic processing hypothesis. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed, and the relevant literature from the areas of psychopathy and information processing are revie

The impact of vocational rehabilitation training On economic performance of Females with disabilities in Nyanza province Kenya

2022-02-19T11:19:13Z

The impact of vocational rehabilitation training On economic performance of Females with disabilities in Nyanza province Kenya ALOYS, OdeckAlex In order to better conceptualise what rehabilitation is about, one should have a. good knowledge of what both disability and rehabilitation are. Rehabilitation as a process can only be discussed or considered when a disabling condition exists. It is thus a necessary precondition for the discussion of rehabilitation process. In rehabilitation circles disability implies a medically defined condition. It can be described as any long term or chronic physical, emotional, or mental condition which has come about as a result of disease or illness, inherited or congenital defect, trauma or other calamity to the mind or the body. The condition should be severe enough to limit an individual's capacity to function in any activity, productive or otherwise. Rehabilitation's goal is to address the disabling condition and restore residual functional capacity to a person who has the handicaping condition. Theses(PhD)

Semantic Memory and Language in Dementia of the Alzheimer Type

2022-01-18T08:04:18Z

Semantic Memory and Language in Dementia of the Alzheimer Type Monty, K. Nelson Dementia of the Alzheimer Type (DAT) is a degenerative, terminal illness that has a devastating effect not only on the individual, but also on their family and friends. Current research seems to indicate that neuropsychological tests of semantic memory through object naming can be helpful in identifying those who are entering the early stages of the disease, although it is unclear whether semantic memory disintegrates or if access routes are disrupted. Few studies provide comparisons between visual and tactile object identification skills in OAT patients. Little research exists comparing the performances of healthy adult controls to DAT patients, and even fewer studies investigate the utility of a nonverbal modality of response. In order to investigate these three areas, the performance of 18 patients with DAT was compared to the performance of 21 healthy adults aged 60 and over on several tasks. A set of household objects was presented one at a time for all participants to identify visually or by touch. Control and experimental participants tried to name these objects as quickly as possible, and the number of correct recognitions were compared. Results indicated that if patients were unable to state the name of the object they were attempting to identify they benefitted from having a selection of possible names to choose from, indicating that semantic information remains. Partipants also tended to respond verbally, even when given the choice of responding nonverbally. Finally, results indicated that the DAT patients performed significantly poorer overall on tactile and visual object identification compared to controls. Donation

Adolescents’ dating and academic achievement among pupils in public primary schools in Rachuonyo North subcounty, Kenya

2019-01-22T13:32:51Z

Adolescents’ dating and academic achievement among pupils in public primary schools in Rachuonyo North subcounty, Kenya BAKARI, Asha Kibwana Reports from Homa Bay County Education Office (HCEO) indicated that out of its five sub-counties(Rachuonyo North and South, Homa Bay, Ndhiwa and Mbita), K.C.P.E grades for Rachuonyo North sub-county (RNSC) continued to be below average despite County ranking relatively well nationally in KCPE (position 18 and 14 out of 47 counties in 2012 and 2013 respectively). In the 2010 KCPE, unlike for the other four sub-counties in RNSC only 21 girls out of 1630 and 41 boys out of 2167 scored between 350 and 390 marks, whereas 996 girls out of 1630 scored below 250 out of the maximum score of 500 marks. Coupled with the poor KCPE results in RNSC was a high primary school dropout rate (20% for girls and 15% for boys) attributed dating related activities. The dropout rate in RNSC was comparatively higher than the average for the other four sub-counties (12% for males and 16% for females). Reports from Homa Bay County Education Office further indicated that the low KCPE grades in RNSC could be attributed to increased adolescents‟ dating in the sub-county. The purpose of this study therefore was to establish the correlation between adolescents‟ dating and academic achievement in public primary schools in RNSC. Objectives for the study were to: establish prevalence rates of dating among pupils, determine adolescents‟ preferred choice of dating method, determine the extent to which dating impacted on academic achievement of adolescents and find out adolescents‟ choice of person to help address academic challenges that may arise due to dating. The study was based on a conceptual framework showing the relationship between adolescence stage (Independent Variable) and academic achievement (Dependent Variable). The study adopted descriptive survey and correlational research designs. The population comprised of 4611 class eight pupils and 160 deputy head teachers. While simple random sampling was used to select 53 schools and deputy heads, stratified random sampling was used to select 355 pupils for the study. Questionnaire, in-depth interview and Pupils‟ Exam results records analysis were used to collect data. Reliability of data collection instruments was established by carrying out a pilot study in 16 schools using test retest method. Reliability coefficient indices for the questionnaire and interview schedule were 0.76 and 0.75 respectively. Face validity of the data collection instruments was ascertained by experts in the content area. Quantitative data was analyzed using frequency counts, means and percentages. Pearson‟s r was used to determine the extent to which dating impacted on academic achievement. Qualitative data was transcribed, organized into themes and sub-themes and presented in text form. Findings indicated that 55.8% of the pupils had lovers; preferred method of dating was face to face meeting (23.7%); an increase in dating frequency resulted in a decrease in academic grades achieved and that mother was the most preferred (17.5%) choice for adolescents to guide them in academic challenges that could arise due to dating. The study concluded that primary school pupils were involved in dating; the pupils preferred meeting face to face in dating; dating impacted negatively on academics and mothers were the most preferred to address academic challenges adolescents faced as a result of dating. It was recommended that school administrations should sensitize pupils on consequences of dating while in school; Parents, guardians and teachers should provide adolescents guidance on activities they can engage in rather than dating and that guidance and counseling of adolescents involving the parents be enhanced to mitigate negative effects of dating. Masters' Thesis