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Literature on STEM education outcome in the tertiary context has pursued the construct of non-cognitive attributes distinctly from that of entrepreneurship skills and pedagogical competencies, notwithstanding the inferred indications that the three can be adapted in an integrated model to enhance positive outcomes. This study established that there is a range of approaches seeking to optimize positive learning outcomes in tertiary level institutions. This paper argues that there is need to...

Women comprise more than seventy per cent of those enrolled in the Kenya literacy programme. The reasons for this include: the limited formal educational opportunities available to females; the demands of a changing economy which have forced women to acquire extra responsibilities outside the home; the socializing opportunity made possible by literacy class attendance; flexible work schedules; and cultural beliefs which in some Kenyan communities discourage men from enrolling in the same...

Examines reasons for high representation of women and factors influencing their persistence in Kenya's literacy programs. Considers the limited formal learning opportunities available, economic demands, women's multiple social roles, inadequate learning environments, unqualified literacy teachers, and the impact of a male-centered society. Provides suggestions for sustaining women's motivation in literacy programs. (18 references) (CA)

School outcomes and good performance in different subjects depends on children's ability to read. Thus teaching children on how to read during early grades is critical in promoting learning to read. More advanced skills acquired in later grades depend on early grade learning, so children who do not acquire these reading skills in their early grades struggle to acquire more advanced skills usually absorbed through reading. This article report findings of a study conducted in rural public...

School outcomes and good performance in different subjects depends on children's ability to read. Thus teaching children on how to read during early grades is critical in promoting learning to read. More advanced skills acquired in later grades depend on early grade learning, so children who do not acquire these reading skills in their early grades struggle to acquire more advanced skills usually absorbed through reading. This article reports findings of a study conducted in rural public...

This article reports findings of a study conducted in public primary schools in Narok County Kenya. A sample size comprising 74 children in Grade 3 (37 who did not attend preschool and 37 who attended preschool), 18 head teachers, 66 lower primary school teacher's and five education officers were selected for the study. Learners' reading ability was tested using the Kenya Early Grade Reading Assessment Tests for English and Kiswahili adapted from Department for International Development end...

This article reports findings of a study conducted in public primary schools in Narok County Kenya. A sample size comprising 74 children in Grade 3 (37 who did not attend preschool and 37 who attended preschool), 18 head teachers, 66 lower primary school teacher's and five education officers were selected for the study. Learners' reading ability was tested using the Kenya Early Grade Reading Assessment Tests for English and Kiswahili adapted from Department for International Development end...

The aim of this study was to explore the professional development needs of lecturers at Kenyan universities. Specifically, the study investigated the challenges that lecturers and their learners face while in class. It also explored the professional development needs of the lecturers, preferred modes of delivery of the professional development programs and changes that lecturers need to effect in their practice of teaching in order to improve student learning outcomes. The study was guided...

The aim of this study was to explore the professional development needs of lecturers at Kenyan universities. Specifically, the study investigated the challenges that lecturers and their learners face while in class. It also explored the professional development needs of the lecturers, preferred modes of delivery of the professional development programs and changes that lecturers need to effect in their practice of teaching in order to improve student learning outcomes. The study was guided...

This study provides insights into the nature of the analogies deployed by Kenyan physics teachers and generated by students in class. The analogies looked at (both teacher- and student-generated) were largely environmental (drawn from students' socio-cultural environment), anthropomorphic (life and human characteristics ascribed to analogues), and to a limited extent, scientific (analogue and target are science concepts). In some cases, anthropomorphic analogies proved problematic for...

The Blinder-Oaxaca approach has been used to decompose the gender gap in mathematics test scores in private and public primary schools in Kenya. That is, the mathematics production functions are estimated separately for boys and girls, the difference between the boys' and girls' average scores is estimated and then decomposed into three components. That is, gap due to differences in resources between boys and girls, gap resulting from difference in utilization of educational resources and...

The Blinder-Oaxaca approach has been used to decompose the gender gap in mathematics test scores in private and public primary schools in Kenya. That is, the mathematics production functions are estimated separately for boys and girls, the difference between the boys' and girls' average scores is estimated and then decomposed into three components. That is, gap due to differences in resources between boys and girls, gap resulting from difference in utilization of educational resources and...

Despite setting high hopes on education, very few pastoral nomad children in Kenya transition from primary education to secondary education. This article argues that the national Kenyan compulsory formal curriculum fails to accommodate the needs of pastoralist communities. Literacy rates are particularly low among the Turkana people, pastoralist nomads who live in the Northwest of Kenya. Low literacy has resulted in an acute shortage of local teachers, a state of affairs which exacerbates...

Despite setting high hopes on education, very few pastoral nomad children in Kenya transition from primary education to secondary education. This article argues that the national Kenyan compulsory formal curriculum fails to accommodate the needs of pastoralist communities. Literacy rates are particularly low among the Turkana people, pastoralist nomads who live in the Northwest of Kenya. Low literacy has resulted in an acute shortage of local teachers, a state of affairs which exacerbates...

Accelerated learning programs (ALP) around the world are helping disadvantaged, over-age, out-of-school children and youth catch up to their more advantaged peers. The Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach applies principles of formative assessments and level-wise grouping and learning to ensure children lagging in the foundational literacy and numeracy competencies catch up within a relatively short period, usually 30-50 days. This article discusses the implementation of ALP in Kenya:...

This study explores the use of constructivist pedagogy promoting learner-centered teaching in Kenya's rural primary schools. It explores both the school-based as well as bureaucratic hurdles to the success of constructivist pedagogy. Teacher ideologies, issues of diverse cultures and traditional beliefs, the rural context characterized by underresourced, understaffed and over-crowded schools, as well as teacher professional development are some of the lenses through which the practice of...

This paper aims to improve the understanding of classroom-based gender differences that may lead to differential opportunities to learn provided to girls and boys in low and high performing primary schools in Kenya. The paper uses an opportunity to learn framework and tests the hypothesis that teaching practices and classroom interactions explain gender gaps in maths achievement in Kenya. The data used is obtained from a cross sectional study involving video recordings of 70 lessons in...

This paper aims to improve the understanding of classroom-based gender differences that may lead to differential opportunities to learn provided to girls and boys in low and high performing primary schools in Kenya. The paper uses an opportunity to learn framework and tests the hypothesis that teaching practices and classroom interactions explain gender gaps in maths achievement in Kenya. The data used is obtained from a cross sectional study involving video recordings of 70 lessons in...

This paper examines the contribution of quality mathematics teaching to student achievement gains. Quality of mathematics teaching is assessed through teacher demonstration of the five strands of mathematical proficiency, the level of cognitive task demands, and teacher mathematical knowledge. Data is based on 1907 grade 6 students who sat for the same test twice over an interval of about 10 months. The students were drawn from a random selection of 72 low- and high-performing primary...

This paper examines the contribution of quality mathematics teaching to student achievement gains. Quality of mathematics teaching is assessed through teacher demonstration of the five strands of mathematical proficiency, the level of cognitive task demands, and teacher mathematical knowledge. Data is based on 1907 grade 6 students who sat for the same test twice over an interval of about 10 months. The students were drawn from a random selection of 72 low- and high-performing primary...