Gender Inequalities in Education

Gender Differences in Learning Outcomes on the Mole Concept in a Developing Country: Kenya

Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Gender Differences in Learning Outcomes on the Mole Concept in a Developing Country: Kenya Twoli, Nicholas Wanjala; Akala, Janet B.; Khatete, David W. The gender gap that results from the differential treatment of boys and girls is still noticeable today in their achievement and participation in chemistry education in Kenya and perhaps in every other developing country. Due to its large concept map and sometimes theoretical nature, the Mole Concept has been recognized as one of the most difficult topics to teach and learn within the secondary school chemistry curriculum. The study compared male and female form four secondary school students’ learning outcomes in Mole Concept area of chemistry in Kakamega County, Kenya. The sample consisted of 384 students randomly selected from the three school types: mixed, boys and girls. Two instruments were used viz: Mole Concept Students Attitude Scale (MCSAS) and the Mole Concept Achievement Test (MCAT). Data collected were analysed using t-test. The findings of the research showed that there were significant differences between male and female students in overall chemistry achievement (t = 4.409, p < 0.05) and attitude to science (t = 0.387, p < 0.05). The absolute t-values for spatial and mathematical items 4.780 (p < 0.05) and 4.094 (p < 0.05) respectively were highly significant with boys performing better than girls. It is therefore recommended among others that teachers should use instructional strategies that will enhance gender equality in students’ learning outcomes in chemistry especially in major concepts like the Mole. Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Education. Nairobi, Kenya: Kenyatta University, July 14-16, 2015

Organizational Barriers and Coping Strategies Influencing Female Mobility in Management of Secondary Schools in Meru, Machakos and Isiolo Counties, Kenya

Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Organizational Barriers and Coping Strategies Influencing Female Mobility in Management of Secondary Schools in Meru, Machakos and Isiolo Counties, Kenya Guantai, Hellen Kiende The issue of women under-representation in management posrtions in all sectors including education has aroused scholarly interest globally in recent times. Statistics from the Teachers Service Commission of Kenya (2010) revealed that only 1,178 (24.5%) of the 4,800 public secondary schools in Kenya were headed by female principals. This is way below the minimum of 30% allowed by the Constitution of Kenya (2010). The purpose of this study was to identify and examine the organizational barriers and coping strategies that influenced female mobility to principalship in Meru, Machakos and Isiolo counties. The key objectives of the study were: to identify the organizational barriers faced by secondary school female principals in Meru, Machakos and Isiolo counties, to identify the coping strategies that they employed to overcome the barriers and to establish the mechanisms embraced by female principals to remain successful in their careers. The study also tested the null hypothesis that: there was no significant difference between public and private secondary schools in terms of recruitment practices as an organizational barrier faced by female principals. The study is significant in that it may inform the Ministry of Education and Teachers Service Commission on how to institute gender policies in secondary education management so as to conform to the Bill of Rights as stipulated in the Constitution of Kenya promulgated in 2010. The study employed descriptive survey design which embraced both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The study was carried out in Meru, Machakos and Isiolo counties. The target population for study was, (825) persons comprising (248) female principals, (260) male principals, 263 female deputy principals, 22, DEOs and 22 .Quality Assurance and Standard Officers. A sample size of (417) respondents was used for the study. Stratified random sampling was used to select the schools according to the following strata: girls' public secondary schools, girl's private secondary schools, and public and private mixed secondary schools. Data was collected using questionnaires and interview schedules. Content validity was determined by seeking expert judgment from specialist in educational management. Cronbach technique was used to ascertain reliability of the instruments. Qualitative data was analysed thematically while Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The major finding of this study was that organizational practices, culture, lack of mentoring, tokenism and "old boys" networks that locked out female counterparts were confirmed as the main organizational barriers that secondary school female principals encountered as they ascended to principalship in the three counties. Further the study established that additional training and female principals remaining focused in their work were among the coping strategies that were embraced to overcome the barriers encountered. The study recommends the need to embrace gender mainstreaming within organizations which will counter organizational cultures that are characterized by male dominance and discrimination hence increasing women visibility in top level positions. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Education, Kenyatta University

Determinants of Educational Output in Public Secondary Schools in Central Province, Kenya

Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Determinants of Educational Output in Public Secondary Schools in Central Province, Kenya Ndiritu, John K. Secondary education is indeed a crucial stage for the education system. This is where some primary schoolteachers are trained; it is also where the future students of higher education are selected having been taught essential skills. It is believed that students enter secondary schools as children and leave as young adults. This change of children to young educated adults calls for various inputs within the school setup. Each of these inputs is assumed to have a certain impact on the young adult produced by the school. It is, therefore, crucial to evaluate all the processes that students undergo through the secondary education level with an aim of identifying educational inputs with the greatest impact on the school product (output). This study was aimed at establishing the major determinants of output in secondary education and the extent to which each educational input used in the study explains the output. The study used survey design, which is concerned with the generalized statistics that result when data are abstracted from a number of individual cases. This study was carried out in Central Province, Kenya. According to Ministry of Education, Statistics Section, there were 690 public secondary schools in Central Province by 2008. Further, there was a total of 205,157 students in the province by 2008. The study was carried out in the public secondary schools where a sample of 69 public secondary schools represented by the head teachers, and 400 students were used from the province. The researcher used two questionnaires; one for the head teachers and another for form four students. Data analysis was done using SPSS and STATA. Regression analysis was used to estimate the relationship between inputs and educational output. After the study it came out clearly that among the endogenous inputs, the key determinant input on education output is student prior performance. The researcher regressed student current performance against his/her previous performance and the result gave a coefficient of determination of 94.3%. The second key determinant of education output is teacher experience. For the sake of this study, three year experience was used as the benchmark for an experienced teacher. On regressing student performance against teachers' experience, the results indicated that experience accounts for 75.7% of variability in the student performance. Further, the study found that most endogenous and exogenous inputs are key determinants of female than male student performance. The study recommends that the government and other stakeholders should provide more resources to ensure that more teachers at secondary school level acquire more skills. The fact that the higher the teacher qualification, the better the student performance means that more resources should be provided to ensure that even those teachers with the first degree pursue masters and doctoral degrees. Further, educational policy-makers should ensure that the investment made in teachers is sufficient and proportionate to the demands placed upon them. The fact that education inputs determine performance in females more than in males implies that female students in co-educational institutes should be fully equipped, while girls schools should be provided with more facilities. Based on these recommendations, the study proposes that similar studies should be carried out in primary and university levels of education. Further, a study on key determinants of male performance should be carried out as the inputs used in the study showed very low impact on male performance. A Thesis Submitted To the Department of Educational Management, Policy and Curriculum Studies, School of Education for the Award of Doctor of Philosophy of Kenyatta University, 2011

How Effective Has Education Policy Been at Addressing Gender Inequality in Kenya?

Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

How Effective Has Education Policy Been at Addressing Gender Inequality in Kenya? Mutua, Meshack Nzesei Over the last two decades, gender inequality has been of great concern to the world leaders, development practitioners, and scholars. There is an overwhelming literature demonstrating the socio-economic, political and environmental benefits at macro, meso and micro-levels when women become empowered and gender equality achieved. Using literature review, findings from empirical studies and scholarly articles were analysed and synthesised to assess how and to what extent the implementation of the education policy has been effective in addressing gender inequality in Kenya. Findings show that while the Kenyan government has put in place an impressive policy that details how gender inequality will be addressed, the implementation of the same has been rhetoric. Although the policy document integrates Gender and Development approach seeking to sustainably address the root causes such as poverty, economic and labour-related inequalities, cultural norms and stereotypes and the school re-admission policy for teenage mothers; the implementation of the education policy has instead focused on numbers of women/girls accessing and participating in education – anchored on Women in Development approach. To achieve gender equality, therefore, there is need to address the deeply entrenched causes of inequalities that disadvantage women and/or men. A research article published in The International Journal of Humanities and Social Studies