Browsing by Author "Kati, Robert"

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Effect of secondary school categorization on examination failure rates among public secondary school students in Kenya
(Journal of Education and Practice, 2019-11-30) Nyangweso, Japhary Omari; Maiyo, Julius K.; Kati, Robert
Secondary schools in Kenya are categorized as national, extra-county, county, sub-county and private secondary schools. Students who excelled in K.C.S.E examination with a minimum grade of C+ are allowed to pursue different courses in public and private universities. Others who scored C and C- grade joined diploma colleges. The paper sought to find out the effect of secondary school categorization on examination failure rates among public secondary schools students in Kenya. The scope of the study was limited to all the students from public secondary schools in the four counties of Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia, and Vihiga in Kenya. It was limited to randomly chosen sample size of 464 students, 58 principals, and 58 directors of studies from the 58 sampled out public secondary schools. Wellberg’s (1981) theory of educational productivity was employed. The paper employed mixed methods and survey research design. Data collection instruments included questionnaires, interview schedules, focused group discussions and analysis of secondary data. Content validity was determined through subject matter expert review while reliability was determined through test-retest measures for consistency. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data. Inferential one was the Kruskal Wallis test. The paper concluded that secondary school categorization led to failure of students in public secondary schools at KCSE examinations in Kenya due to academic inadequacies experienced in sub-county and some county public secondary schools. It was therefore recommended that the classification of students into the four distinct groups of national, Extra County, county and sub county students be abolished
Effect of Secondary School Categorization on Value Addition in Public Secondary Schools Students in Kenya
(Journal of Education and Practice, 2019-11-30) Nyangweso, Japhary Omari; Maiyo, Julius K.; Kati, Robert
Secondary schools in Kenya are categorized as national, extra-county, county, sub-county and private secondary schools. Students who excelled in K.C.S.E examination with a minimum grade of C+ are allowed to pursue different courses in public and private universities. Others who scored C and C- grade joined diploma colleges. The paper sought to establish the effect of secondary school categorization on academic value addition in public secondary schools students at fourth form in Kenya. The scope of the study was limited to all the students from public secondary schools in the four counties of Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia, and Vihiga in Kenya. It was limited to randomly chosen sample size of 464 students, 58 principals, and 58 directors of studies from the 58 sampled out public secondary schools. Wellberg’s (1981) theory of educational productivity was employed. The paper employed mixed methods and survey research design. Data collection instruments included questionnaires, interview schedules, focused group discussions and analysis of secondary data. Content validity was determined through subject matter expert review while reliability was determined through test-retest measures for consistency. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data. Inferential one was the Kruskal Wallis test. The paper findings showed that value addition in public secondary schools in Kenya was not based on secondary school characteristics. The study concluded that irrespective of the score at KCPE and the category of public secondary school a student is admitted after KCPE, a student can add academic value. It was therefore recommended public secondary school characteristics which allowed student improvement at national and extra county school levels more than at sub-county and county secondary schools levels should be duplicated at county and sub county school levels.
Influence of Selection of Literature in English Guidebooks on Academic Performance of Learners in Secondary Schools in Bungoma County, Kenya
(International Journal of Contemporary Applied Researches, 2019-09-11) Wanyama, Martin Nyongesa; Kati, Robert; Wekesa, Ben Nyongesa
The development and selection of English literature guidebooks has gained prominence in in the last decade in Kenya. Literature guidebooks are integral tools in enhancing learners and teachers understanding of specific literature set text with aim of improving grades of students in literature. The current study examined influence of selection of literature guidebooks in learning and teaching of English. It was guided by the following objective: to evaluate factors influencing selection of guidebooks as learning and teaching resources, student academic performance in Literature. Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory guided this study. The study employed descriptive research survey design with 714 target population comprising 700 students and 14 teachers. The study was delimited to secondary schools in Bumula Sub County within Bungoma County. The Sub-County was sampled purposively due to consistently registered poor mean scores in English as a subject. The schools were then stratified with consideration of the seven wards, gender, day and boarding schools as well as mixed or single gender schools. In addition, a sample size of 119 respondents was finally based on 10%-30% of targeted population by use of simple random sampling. Data was acquired by use of questionnaires and structured interviews. The commonly used literature guidebooks for The River and the Source set book were highlighted as Guide to The River and the Source by Richard Oketch et al, Moran Publishers, Guide to The River and the Source by Margaret Roche, Focus Publishers, National Institute of Education Guidebooks for The River and the Source. The selection of literature English guidebooks was determined by cost of the guidebook, year of publication, language used in the guidebook, logical explanations used in the book, vocabulary used, the readers attitude towards literature, interpretation of words, language unbarrenness, availability, etiquette portrayed, layout of book and illustrations used, recommendation from the head of department, color of the cover and appropriate font size. In terms of analysis the findings revealed that format and structure of most of the above guidebooks are relevant to the literary needs of secondary school learners as evident through a well outlined table of contents. It was further found out that consistency and logical arrangement of the layout influence the selection and use of Guide books. The study concluded that indeed selection and use of guidebooks in learning and teaching of literature in English influence performance of English as a subject in secondary schools. The study recommends that there should be an improvement by authors of the literature guidebooks to better English as a subject through appropriate activities for practice, give a critical detail of the set books being reviewed, and enhance appropriate language that is affordable to the learners.
Specialised Mathematical English as A Resource of Learning Secondary School Mathematics: A Case Study in L2 Classrooms
(International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 2022-12-03) Otuma, Nick Vincent; Kati, Robert; Wekesa, Duncan Wasike
Perhaps more than any other subject, teaching and learning mathematics depends on language. Mathematics is about relationships: relation between numbers, categories, geometric forms, variables and so on. In general, these relationships are abstract in nature and can only be realized and articulated through language. Even mathematical symbols must be interpreted linguistically. Thus, while mathematics is often seen as language free, in many ways learning mathematics fundamentally depends on language. For students still developing their proficiency in the language instruction, the challenge is considerable. Indeed research has shown that while many second speakers of English (L2) students are quickly able to develop a basic level of conversational English it takes several years do develop more specialised mathematical English. This paper reports findings of a study whose part of the objectives investigated how students construe specialised mathematical meanings from everyday words to express conceptual understanding of mathematics. The study employed multiple-case study design in three categories of schools, that is, Sub-County School (SCS), County School (CS) and Extra-County School (ECS). Data were collected by questionnaires, classroom observations and interviews. Findings indicate that students had challenges in interpreting mathematical meanings of ordinary vocabulary used in mathematics curriculum-they stated ordinary meanings of words instead of mathematical meanings. The paper recommends integration of mathematical language as a strand in the curriculum of mathematics in secondary schools in L2 context to assist learners attain conceptual understanding of mathematics
Specialised Mathematical English as A Resource of Learning Secondary School Mathematics: A Case Study in L2 Classrooms
(International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 2022-11-10) Otuma, Nick Vincent; Kati, Robert; Wekesa, Duncan Wasike
Perhaps more than any other subject, teaching and learning mathematics depends on language. Mathematics is about relationships: relation between numbers, categories, geometric forms, variables and so on. In general, these relationships are abstract in nature and can only be realized and articulated through language. Even mathematical symbols must be interpreted linguistically. Thus, while mathematics is often seen as language free, in many ways learning mathematics fundamentally depends on language. For students still developing their proficiency in the language instruction, the challenge is considerable. Indeed research has shown that while many second speakers of English (L2) students are quickly able to develop a basic level of conversational English it takes several years do develop more specialised mathematical English. This paper reports findings of a study whose part of the objectives investigated how students construe specialised mathematical meanings from everyday words to express conceptual understanding of mathematics. The study employed multiple-case study design in three categories of schools, that is, Sub-County School (SCS), County School (CS) and Extra-County School (ECS). Data were collected by questionnaires, classroom observations and interviews. Findings indicate that students had challenges in interpreting mathematical meanings of ordinary vocabulary used in mathematics curriculum-they stated ordinary meanings of words instead of mathematical meanings. The paper recommends integration of mathematical language as a strand in the curriculum of mathematics in secondary schools in L2 context to assist learners attain conceptual understanding of mathematics.