http://ir.mu.ac.ke:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/25 2026-04-07T20:04:15Z http://ir.mu.ac.ke:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/10113 Title: Translanguaging as an innovated strategy for instruction in english language in comparison to language immersion strategy in subcounty secondary schools in Bungoma County, Kenya Authors: Wamalwa, Erastus Juma Abstract: Translanguaging is a novel teaching strategy involving the use of one language to teach another language. The role of Translanguaging to create understanding, communicate, disseminate, store and solve linguistic problems and share meaning hence enhance the learning of English has attracted the interest of researchers in the recent past, hence the quest of this research. There are substantial gaps in the knowledge and understanding in terms of the function and extend to which Translanguaging can influence English language instruction. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use and effects Translanguaging as a strategy in comparison to the Language Immersion model in teaching and learning English in sub-county secondary schools in Bungoma County. The objectives of this study were: to establish the languages used by teachers for instruction in English language; to investigate teachers’ use of Translanguaging strategy for instruction in English language; to investigate teachers’ use of Language Immersion strategy for instruction in English language and to compare the effects of Translanguaging strategy with Language Immersion strategy for learners’ achievement in English language in the sub-county Secondary Schools. The study was anchored on the theory of Translanguaging. The philosophical paradigm for this study was positivism. The mixed methods convergence research design was employed. This design combined qualitative and quantitative techniques by use of questionnaires and a quasi-experimental test. The target population was teachers of English and their students. This target population was 16 teachers and 160 students in 16 purposively selected sub-county secondary schools. The study respondents comprised one purposively selected teacher in each selected school, 10 students initially selected through stratified and simple random sampling from 8 schools for questionnaires. Due to the interest that the research elicited among some students, 16 extra students participated in filling questionnaires bringing their total to 96 students for questionnaires. 80 students from another 8 schools were selected for the quasi- experimental test. The total sample size therefore, was 192. The research tools used were questionnaires, and a quasi-experimental test. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the quantitative data. The qualitative data was categorized under different themes and analysed using both narrative and discourse techniques. The findings revealed that teachers were using Kiswahili as another language to teach English, and that over 75% of the teachers were using Translanguaging as a teaching strategy as compared to those who use Immersion. The research also established that below 25% of the teachers use Immersion to teach English. The quasi-experimental test revealed that Translanguaging enhances Second Language achievement by 15.3125% more than Language Immersion does. The study concluded that the teachers of English commonly use Translanguaging as a teaching strategy despite the current policy guidelines. This study therefore recommends that the Ministry of Education should consider revising the policy on recommended strategies of instruction for English language as a paradigm shift in Language teaching to include Translanguaging. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://ir.mu.ac.ke:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/10112 Title: Salient constructs in burnout and their influence on job performance of secondary school delocalized principals’ between 2018 -2022 in South Rift Region, Kenya Authors: Kipingor, Marilyn Jeruto N Abstract: Globally, professional burnout poses significant challenges to educational leaders, impacting job performance and organizational outcomes. The issue of burnout among educators is critical and specifically requires well designed and well thought out approaches in order to explore the relationship between the selected constructs of professional burnout and job performance among delocalized female principals in the South Rift region from 2018 to 2022. The purpose of this research assess the selected constructs in professional burnout and their influence on job performance of female principals in the delocalization period of 2018-2022 in South Rift region, Kenya. The objectives of the study were to: determine the level of burnout among delocalized female principals, inquire how delocalization policy contributes to burnout among female principals, assess how school environment influences job performance of delocalized female principals, examine the influence of interpersonal factors on work performance of delocalized female principals and determine how workload influences job performance of delocalized female principals in secondary schools in South Rift Valley, Kenya. The ontological assumption and epistemological paradigm of this research is positivism and pragmatism. The study was informed by Ed Diener’s theory of psychological wellbeing and principles. The study used mixed method research particularly concurrent triangulation survey which used highly structured questionnaires to collect quantitative data, open ended questions and interview schedules to collect data qualitative data. A Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) tool measured the risk of burnout. The target population consisted of all delocalized female principals in south rift region derived from there were 151 public secondary schools headed by female principals of whom 80% of them had been delocalized between 2018-2022. The study targeted 121 delocalized female principals where Kericho had 50, Bomet 45 and Narok 26. The study employed census sampling method to sample schools and all 121 principals to participate in the study. A pilot study was carried out before the actual data collection and a reliability coefficient of 0.85 was obtained therefore the research instruments was deemed reliable. Analysis of data was done using descriptive and inferential statistics and was aided by the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer programme version 23.0. The overall mean on the influence of delocalization policy on burnout of female principals on job performance was 4.075 on a 5 Likert scale giving an indication that there was a significant influence on female principals’ job performance. Chi-square test revealed that there is a significant (P=0.033) relationship between professional burnout and job performance. The findings of the study indicated that there was a strong relationship between professional burnout of female principals and job performance during the delocalization period of 2018-2022. The study found out that abrupt transfers made by the TSC demoralizes the ability of principals to perform better and that better work environment makes the principals perform better at their job and have a good relationship with the community. The findings of this study may be of benefit to the government, school administrators and policymakers in coming up with effective strategies that will improve emotional wellness of principals in schools. The study may also benefit teachers’ service commission and the Ministry of Education in designing and monitoring intervention strategies to address the challenges faced by female schools principals in mental build-up. The study recommended that elementary and secondary education department should collaborate with policy makers to formulate comprehensive strategies for stress reduction management of secondary school female heads so that they may perform their duties effectively. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://ir.mu.ac.ke:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/10111 Title: Curriculum implications of service sector employers’ rating and perceptions of the employability of university graduates in Kenya Authors: Nyandusi, Charles Mottanya Abstract: This study was premised on a perceived mismatch between university education and the world of work that abounds in the literature. The purpose of the study was to interrogate this mismatch by investigating service sector employers’ rating and perceptions of employability of university graduates and determine the implications on university curricula. The objectives of this study were: to document service sector employers’ preferences when recruiting entry-level university graduates; to compute a statistical relationship between employers’ rating of the desirability of specific employability attributes and competencies in their organizations and the rating of the graduate employees’ actual employability attributes and competencies; to appraise the involvement of the service sector in university education; and to ascertain the implications of the employers’ rating and perceptions of the employability of university graduates on curricula. The study was conducted in Nairobi. It was guided by the needs assessment and the backward design theoretical frameworks in adopting an embedded mixed methods research design. A study population of 369 respondents, three interviewees, and 20 documents was arrived at through systematic and purposive sampling. A questionnaire, an interview guide and a document analysis guide were used to collect data from the respondents, interviewees, and documents respectively. Quantitative data were analyzed either descriptively using frequencies, percentages and means, or inferentially using the t-test, while qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis. The findings from both the quantitative and qualitative data revealed that: the most preferred minimum entry-level qualification by service sector employers was a bachelor’s degree (40.5%) irrespective of the discipline; the commonly used recruitment procedure was advertisement-application-interview- recruitment process (55.4%); many employers (60.7%) did not have a particular preference of the university from which they recruited employees; employers desire a mix of ‘soft skills’ and ‘hard skills’ with a preference for soft skills; employers rated the hard skills higher than the soft skills; there was significant discrepancy (p-value .000 < alpha 0.05) between the expected employability attributes and the actual employability attributes; there was low involvement of the service sector in university education; and that employability skills are best developed through a holistic curriculum. It was concluded that there existed an employability skills deficit. The recommendations were that: universities should conceptualize and institutionalize their employability development frameworks through curricula; universities should initiate conversation on the roles of earlier stages of education in developing employability skills; and regulatory agencies should promote and enforce university- industry collaboration to make university education relevant to the world of work. This study’s novel contribution to knowledge is the Holistic Graduate Identity Curriculum (HoGIC) model. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://ir.mu.ac.ke:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/10110 Title: Social networking: implications on social- emotional well-being of generation z students in tertiary institutions in Kisii county, Kenya Authors: Orwaru, Leonida Nyangweso Abstract: Despite the rapid expansion of digital communication, limited scholarly attention has been directed toward how online social networking shapes the socio-emotional Well- Being of Gen Z students in tertiary learning environments an area where research remains fragmented and inconclusive. This study addressed this gap by examining the implications of social networking on the social and emotional Well-Being of Gen Z students in tertiary institutions in Kisii County, Kenya. The purpose of the research was to investigate how and why Gen Z students engage in social networking and to determine the resultant socio-emotional outcomes within the educational context. Specifically, the study sought to: analyse the underlying motivations driving Gen Z students’ engagement in social networking: evaluate the extent to which social networking influences the social Well-Being of Gen Z students: assess the impact of social networking on the emotional Well-Being of Gen Z students: explore strategies that can promote healthy use of social media by Gen Z students and compare gender differences in patterns of social networking and their effects on the socio-emotional Well-Being of this cohort. Guided by a Pragmatic research paradigm, the study adopted a convergent parallel mixed methods approach, enabling simultaneous collection and integration of quantitative and qualitative data. The work was anchored on Uses and Gratifications Theory, which assumes that individuals actively select media platforms to satisfy specific psychological and social needs, and Social Network Theory, which posits that social behaviour and outcomes are shaped by patterns of connections and interactions within online and offline networks. The target population comprised 36,820 students enrolled in tertiary institutions within Kisii County, alongside deans of students from these institutions. Using Yamane’s formula, a sample of 396 Gen Z students was derived. Probability sampling techniques of stratified multistage sampling followed by simple random sampling were used to select the students, while purposive sampling identified five deans of students from five institutions. Data were collected using questionnaires for students and interview guides for deans of students. A pilot study was conducted to ensure instrument reliability, with Cronbach’s Alpha values exceeding 0.743 across 39 items, indicating strong internal consistency. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequencies, means, and percentages, while qualitative data were thematically analyzed and integrated during interpretation. The study found that Gen Z students demonstrated high levels of social networking engagement driven by motivations such as communication, entertainment, identity expression, and academic support. While social networking enhanced social connection and facilitated emotional expression, it also contributed to negative outcomes such as excessive screen time, reduced quality of life, weakened soft skills, and tendencies towards addictive behaviours. Gender differences were observed in platform preferences and types of online activities undertaken. The study concludes that although social networking provides meaningful opportunities for connection and self- expression, its’ unmoderated use poses significant risks to the socio-emotional Well- Being of Gen Z students. It recommends active involvement of parents, caregivers, and institutional administrators in guiding students toward healthier digital practices. Further recommendations include integrating emotional wellness and digital counselling into student support frameworks, establishing peer mentorship programmes to strengthen offline social relations, and developing gender-responsive social media awareness campaigns to promote responsible and balanced online engagement. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z