Publication: A relationship analysis between examination oriented system dynamics and wastage of the marginalized children in public primary schools of Matungu sub –county
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2015-04
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Mount Kenya University
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Abstract
Was there a relationship between examinations oriented system and wastage of marginalized
children? This was what the researcher wanted to investigate. The purpose of the study was to find
out possible ways through research of minimizing wastage of resources caused by grade repetition
and dropout for marginalized children in public primary schools in Kenya. The five objectives
gave rise to the five research questions derived from indicators of independent variable. The
objectives included: To examine the relationship between examination performance and wastage
of the marginalized children; to investigate the relationship between the high cost of examinations
and wastage of the marginalized children; to survey the level of examination preparedness and
wastage of the marginalized children; to inspect the relationship between the quality of
examinations and wastage of the marginalized children; and; to analyze the relationship between
examination irregularities and wastage of marginalized children in public primary schools. The
rationale of the study was to address the issue of dropout and grade repetition which in turn proved
significant in avoiding wastage of resources. The scope of the study was limited to public primary
schools in Matungu sub – county. It was limited to randomly chosen sample population from which
generalization for the whole country was to be made. The assumption of the study was that the
relationship between exam oriented system and wastage of the marginalized children was pre-
dominant in rural settings. In chapter two, empirical literature review was done on independent
variable, dependent variable and the five indicators of independent variable. The researcher
employed input-output systems theory of L.Von Bertanffy,( 968) to show how an examination as
an independent system related with other systems in the environment. In the conceptual
framework, the researcher drew the relationship between independent variable’s indicators and the
dependent variable. In between the two existed intervening variables? Mixed research
methodology was employed. Triangulation research design was employed in which quantitative
and qualitative data was collected at the same time. The quantitative data collection methods
included closed–ended questionnaires. Qualitative ones were open–ended questionnaires,
document analysis checklist, and interviews. The questionnaire was the data collection instrument
which was piloted in four schools before being rolled out in randomly sampled out schools.
Validity was established through pilot testing while reliability was established from the
consistency of the results obtained from the field. .Descriptive and inferential data analysis
methods were used. Descriptive ones included the mean, mode, median and standard deviation.
Inferential one was Pearson’s coefficient. Content analysis was used in the analysis of qualitative
data. Based on the objectives of the study, and guided by the research questions, the following
were the findings of the research: All schools where research was conducted emphasized on better
grades; Students paid for examinations before they were allowed to sit for them; All schools
administered more than one examination per term to prepare students for the final examination at
standard eight; There was no relationship between the internal examination scores and the KCPE
score. These were some of the findings just to mention but a few. The conclusions of the study
based on the objectives included the following: Insisting on better performance in tests led to
wastage of the marginalized children through dropout and grade repetition; Examination costs
hindered children from Marginalized backgrounds a chance to proceed with their education as they
were unable to pay for them; Examination preparedness and the examinations involved made the
marginalized children vi dropout of school due to non- payment of the needed levies. This led to
wastage. Finally; Quality of examinations in public primary schools was low which led to high
disparities between the internal examinations and KCPE. Children from Marginalized families
who heavily relied on them were wasted since they in most cases failed in KCPE examination and
so they were either to repeat or dropout altogether. This constituted educational wastage especially
of the marginalized children who had no other place to better their skills. This was to mention just
but a few.
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Educational planning