Browsing by Author "Wekesa, Wafula Robert"

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Early intervention of mathematics difficulties and performance of standard three pupils in primary schools in Butere sub-county, Kenya
(2015-01) Wekesa, Wafula Robert
Mathematics skills are not only a basic requirement for every member of the society to productively engage in everyday activities but also a universal language that finds meaning in all cultures and civilizations. Every tribe, culture and social group thinks and communicates ideas through quantities. Mathematics education is to a nation what protein is to a young human organism. It is not only a vital tool for the understanding and application of science and technology but also a great determinant of the kind of courses children take at all levels of learning. However, poor mathematics performance in the national examinations has been of great concern to the educationists and the society at large. Factors such as students‟ negative attitude to mathematics and high pupil teacher ratio due to Free Primary Education have been attributed to this. However, research studies indicate that six to ten percent (6-10%) of primary school age children in the US experience Mathematics Difficulties which make them struggle a lot in their education. In Kenya, about 20% of learners in primary schools experience Learning Difficulties (LD) in mathematics. These learners achieve poorly in mathematics, their self esteem may be lowered, may become truants and drop out of school. In spite of these, studies reviewed only sought to establish the number of learners experiencing LD in Mathematics and Language and possible factors that influenced the early identification of LD. This study was designed to establish if there was early identification and remedial teaching for children with Mathematics Difficulties in lower primary schools in Butere district. The effect of this remedial teaching on children‟s achievement in mathematics was also investigated. The study was done in Butere district Kakamega County. Descriptive survey and Quasi-experimental designs were used in this study. Stratified and purposive sampling was also used to select eighty learners with Mathematics Difficulties and eight standard three teachers of the identified schools. A questionnaire was administered to class three teachers and a pre and post experimental test was administered to the pupils in the experimental and control groups. The collected data was coded and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, means and percentages were calculated. The t- test calculated was 4.38 with a p< 0.001 level at an alpha p< 0.05. The p value was less than p< 0.05 meaning the result was quite significant and hence the null hypothesis was accepted. This meant there was a significant difference in mathematics performance of pupils with MD who received remedial teaching from those who did not. It was also established that teachers identified pupils with MD, more boys had MD than girls; learners experienced MD in addition with carrying and subtraction with borrowing. Schools mostly conducted paid tuition and not remedial teaching for pupils with MD. The tuition was conducted in the afternoons and during school holidays. There was no significant difference in mathematics performance of pupils with MD neither in public or private schools nor between boys and girls with MD who received remedial teaching. Therefore, it was recommended that MOEST formulate a policy that supports early identification of pupils with MD and give remedial teaching to mitigate the disability. KICD should develop appropriate curriculum and remedial teaching programme for pupils with MD.
Influence of inclusive education management on performance of learners with disabilities in regular primary schools in Sabatia sub-county, Kenya
(KIBU, 2018-06-12) Asirigwa, Lilian; Wekesa, Wafula Robert
Inclusive Education aims at transforming schools and learning centres to cater for all school going children without discrimination in line with the EFA goal and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) No. 2 of Universal Education. The World Declaration on Education for All adopted in Jomtien Thailand (1990), the Education for all goals (EFA) and the recent World Conference on special needs Education in Salamanca Spain (1994) all affirm the need for inclusive Education. Most developed Countries have invested heavily in inclusive Education by providing facilities and training manpower. Asia, North East India, and Papua New Guinea have continued to show that inclusive Education does work well. However, most sub-Saharan Africa countries still haven’t implemented inclusive Education because of financial constraints and lack of trained personnel (UNESCO, 2008). In Kenya, the Government of Kenya (GoK) through Disability Act stresses that no person/learning institution shall deny admission to a person with a disability by reason only of such disability(Act 14 of 2012),also through a policy document Sessional paper 1 of 2005 stresses the need to have inclusive education (GoK, 2005). The new Constitution also envisages inclusive Education in free Basic Education. (GoK, 2010). This means that every child irrespective of gender, disability, and race has a right to attain basic Education. However, there is need for greater awareness and understanding of the educational and social problems that affect learners with special needs and how to support the program. Hence the need for this study to assess influence of inclusive education management on performance of learners with disabilities in regular primary schools in Sabatia Sub County, Kenya. The objectives of the study were to: assess the availability of teaching/learning resources management effect and establish the attitude of the school managers effect on performance of learners with disabilities in Sabatia Kenya. The study used mixed methodology design with concurrent triangulation. The target population was 226 which consisted of 105 head teachers, 105 teachers and 16 education officers. The sample was 48 participants composed of 22 head teachers, 22 teachers and 4 education officers. Sample was from 105 schools, composed of 98 public schools and 7 private schools and systematic random sampling was employed. The study used inclusive management theory, and production function input output model theory. Data instruments; questionnaires for teachers and interview schedule for education officers. Piloting was done in three schools involving 10 participants who were not included in the study. Quantitative data was presented in descriptive statistics using tables, means, standard deviation, and percentages. Inferential statistics used where; Pearson, chi-square and ANOVA in SPSS Version 22. The study revealed that there were inadequate teaching and learning materials for learners with special needs. However, more than three quarters of the teachers held positive attitude towards LSN. It was recommended more teacher collaboration time and overall school plan for ongoing progress on how inclusion should take place in school systems and Ministry of Education should provide a special education funds vote in the Free Primary Education to procure adequate teaching/learning resources.