http://ir.mu.ac.ke:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/64 2026-08-12T05:32:27Z http://ir.mu.ac.ke:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/10442 Influence of parental monitoring support of academic progress on academic success of Undergraduate Students in Selected Public Universities in Kenya Mettoh, Hellen J.; Githinji, Felicity W.; Momanyi, John M.; Langat, Gilberd Parental support is an important factor in educational success of university students. However, parenting styles of university students differ considerably, potentially resulting in varying levels and types of support. This study investigated the influence of parental monitoring of academic progress on the success of undergraduate students in selected public universities in Kenya. The study was anchored on Functionalist theory and Epstein's theory of parental involvement. Convergent parallel mixed methods research design was utilized. The target population was 6,548 fourth-year undergraduates. Sample size was determined through stratified sampling followed by simple random sampling techniques. Krejcie and Morgan formula was used to determine sample size, which consisted of 363 fourth-year undergraduates whose degree programmes last for four years. Purposive sampling was employed to select the universities for participation. Forty-one (41) key informants was selected through purposive and snow balling sampling procedure. Data was collected through students’ questionnaire, document analysis and structured interview guide to key informants. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data was analysed using Colaizzi’s descriptive phenomenological approach. The study findings revealed that parental monitoring of aspects of learning environment, students safety, adherence to university academic rules, and examination success were statistically significant (F(4, 335) = 12.729, p < .001), indicating that these factors collectively predicted academic success. Multple regression model yielded an r = .353 and an R² of .132, meaning that approximately 13.2% of the variance in academic success can be explained by these four predictor variables. Examination performance had the strongest positive influence followed by adherence to university academic rules, learning environment and students’ safety. Qualitative findings reinforced the quantitative findings pattern as parental monitoring support influenced academic success. The study recommends that parents should monitor academic progress consistently. They should regularly request transcripts and discuss performance, but monitoring should be delivered with love rather than anger. Excessive surveillance such as checking portals and visiting university multiple times increases student anxiety and should be avoided. 2026-08-01T00:00:00Z http://ir.mu.ac.ke:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/10426 “Listen to Music in Times of Trouble”: Awillo Mike, Kenyan Live Band Music, and Surviving the COVID-19 Pandemic Mboya, Tom Michael This narrative account of the working career of Kenyan popular “live band” musician Awillo Mike in 2020 explores the contribution that musicking makes to social resilience. Ethnographic and literary methods were used to construct a story of one artist’s struggles to survive and sustain his music career during the COVID-19 pandemic—a story that demonstrates how musicking is an everyday entertainment practice that fulfils deep psychological needs, persisting even in the most difficult circumstances by adapting. The account also contends that musicking directly and indirectly supports community resilienc 2026-05-01T00:00:00Z http://ir.mu.ac.ke:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/10404 School Climate as a Moderator of the Relationship between Principals’ Self-Awareness and Student Academic Performance in Kenya Bomett, Emily; Kering, Gideon Kiptanui; Lelan, Joseph Despite sustained government investment in education, public secondary schools in Kenya's North Rift region continue to experience persistent low academic under performance. This study examined both the direct relationship between principals' self-awareness a core Goleman emotional intelligence dimension and student academic performance, and the moderating role of school climate in that relationship. Grounded in Goleman's Emotional Intelligence Theory (2011) and anchored in a pragmatic research philosophy, the study adopted an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. A sample of 407 respondents (100 principals and 307 TSC- employed teachers) drawn from 1,350 public secondary schools across eight North Rift counties was selected using proportionate stratified random sampling. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, multiple regression, and Hayes' PROCESS macro (Model 1) moderated regression with 5,000 bootstrapped samples and 95% confidence intervals. Findings revealed a statistically significant and positive direct relationship between principals' self-awareness and student academic performance (r = 0.739, p < .01; β = 0.126, p = .026). Moderated regression analysis further confirmed that school climate significantly moderates this relationship (β₆ᵦ = −0.062, p = .003; ΔR² = 0.033, F = 18.251, p < .001). Conditional effects analysis demonstrated a compensatory moderation pattern: the effect of self- awareness on academic performance was strongest when school climate was weak (effect = 0.505, p < .001 at the 16th percentile) and diminished progressively as climate improved (effect = 0.131, p = .059 at the 84th percentile). These findings indicate that self-aware leadership is most consequential in resource-constrained, low-climate school environments. The study recommends targeted self-awareness capacity-building programmes prioritizing schools operating under weaker climate conditions, as these are the contexts where enhanced principal self-awareness yields the greatest students’ academic performance. 2026-07-01T00:00:00Z http://ir.mu.ac.ke:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/10287 English Language Teachers’ competence in integrating information and communication technology in secondary school teaching in Kenya Wanyonyi, Michelle Nekoye; Ongeti, Khaemba; Masinde, Robert The integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become a critical component of effective teaching and learning in contemporary education systems. This study examined the competence of English language teachers in integrating ICT in secondary school teaching in Kenya with a view to enhancing the achievement of curriculum goals. The study was conducted in Kimilili Sub-county, Bungoma County, Kenya, and adopted a descriptive phenomenological cross-sectional research design within a mixed-methods approach. The target population comprised 272 teachers of English and approximately 6,800 Form Three learners drawn from 34 public secondary schools. Data were collected using questionnaires, focus group discussions, and face-to-face interviews and analysed descriptively according to emerging themes. The findings revealed that teachers acquired ICT competence through pre-service teacher training, in-service courses, workshops, seminars, and peer interactions. Workshops and seminars were reported by 80% of the teachers as the primary avenues for ICT skills acquisition. Despite the availability of ICT resources such as mobile phones, laptops, desktop computers, projectors, and tablets in most schools, only a small proportion of teachers demonstrated adequate competence in integrating ICT into classroom pedagogy. Many teachers reported limited confidence in using ICT and perceived ICT integration as difficult and time-consuming. Inadequate infrastructure, limited technical support, insufficient training opportunities, unreliable internet connectivity, and inadequate institutional support further constrained effective ICT integration. Conversely, learners generally expressed positive attitudes towards ICT-supported learning activities. The study concludes that teachers’ competence significantly influences the successful integration of ICT in English language teaching. It recommends continuous professional development programmes, improved ICT infrastructure, enhanced technical support services, and increased investment in teacher capacity building to promote effective and sustainable ICT integration in secondary school education. 2026-06-01T00:00:00Z