Thèses sur le sujet « Continuing education – Kenya – Nairobi »

The prevalence of low back pain has assumed an upsurge trend in the last five decades despite the many interventional strategies. One interventional strategy that has been unsuccessful has been patient education. Lack of positive results from many of the existing patient education programmes is probably due to the type of health information that has been presented and the method that has been used. Many of the health education programmes have been planned according to what the medical professionals assumed the individuals needed to know, assumptions that could have ignored some crucial aspects. This study explored the perceived health education needs of individuals with low back pain at the Nairobi Hospital Rehabilitation Unit in Kenya, the method used to educate the individuals, the appropriateness of the method according to the individuals in addition to identifying the source of the health education that the individuals had.

Cesarean section (CS) rates have generally increased across the world in the past decade. Reducing elective cesarean section (ECS) rates is imperative as many countries aim to maintain threshold CS rates at or below 15%, the level recommended by the United States' National Institutes of Health. Women are believed to consider ECS for various interconnected psychosocial reasons, but few quantitative studies have investigated these factors. This prospective cohort study was based on the social ecological model (SEM) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) models, and identified the psychosocial predictors of ECS among 1,268 expectant women in 2 hospitals in Nairobi. Participants completed a structured questionnaire consisting of 10 validated psychosocial scales and were followed for actual mode of delivery (MoD) from hospital records and postnatal telephone interviews. The overall prevalence of CS and ECS were 16.0% and 6.4%, respectively; the CS rate was not statistically higher than the recommended 15% (p > 0.05). The combined CS incidence rate for these 2 hospitals was 83 per 1,000 births per month. Autonomy, fear of childbirth, pregnancy related anxiety, perceived social support from friends, and outcome expectancy for birth were statistically significant predictors of ECS, given the parity and age at first pregnancy, Ï?2(df = 19) = 77.735, p

Magister Educationis - MEd
Following the understanding that incentives influence behaviour both in terms of eliciting and sustaining it, this thesis seeks to explore the link between incentives and knowledge production at the University of Nairobi. Given the backdrop, higher education institutions have a key role to play in economic development through knowledge production; the study seeks to see how academics can be steered to produce knowledge. The principal-agent model primarily informs the study, whose primary argument is that for incentives to attract, motivate and retain employees, these incentives have to be sufficient, fair and consistent. Additionally, the model predicts that a higher sum of monetary incentives triggers higher effort, resulting in higher productivity. Using a single case study approach, the study focused on the University of Nairobi in Kenya. The data for the study was mainly provided by the structured interviews, institutional documents and archival. The findings of this study show that there are several incentives related to research at the University of Nairobi. These include: promotion opportunities, time resources, research funding, and financial allowances for publications and successful supervision of postgraduate students. Multiple principals including the government, national research council and the university itself provide these incentives. The general perception of academics is that, the incentives are weak and do not encourage the maximization of the University’s research goals. In addition, academics are also confronted with other principals who reinforce non-research behaviour. These principals offer significant rewards for consultancies, and incentives for teaching on the full-fee-paying stream by providing additional payments, over and above regular salaries, to academics that teach on these programmes. Given the weak nature of the incentives for research, academics at the University of Nairobi seem to respond more favourably to the nonresearch incentives. Overall, the study confirms the economic principle that individuals, in this case, academics, respond to incentives. However, in the context of competing incentives, the research incentives have to be adequate, systematically applied and continuous to reinforce a vibrant research culture.

Thesis advisor: James Keenan
Thesis advisor: Andrea Vicini
The problems associated with HIV/AIDS and the factors influencing its spread and prevalence are complex. Effective responses to HIV/AIDS are equally complex. Using Nairobi as a microcosm of the greater environment of sub-Saharan Africa, we can gather important lessons that will inform future prevention strategies. Western norms and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS simply have not and will not work in a Kenyan context, because they grow from a completely different situation and set of experiences. Rather, what must be developed is a socially and culturally specific strategy that responds directly to HIV/AIDS and the various ethical issues with which it is associated—gender inequality, poverty, political instability, and pharmaceutical access, among others—directly where each of these issues are located
Thesis (BS) — Boston College, 2014
Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Theology Honors Program
Discipline: College Honors Program
Discipline: Chemistry/Theology

Most Kenyan high school dropouts do not have a school reentry option, and without a high school diploma, they lack access to tertiary or higher education institutions for training and career development. This case study was an investigation of how an adult learning center in Kenya educated high school dropouts and helped them to gain access to vocational training or higher education. The research questions addressed the pedagogy, learning experiences, and curriculum of the Baraka Adult Learning Center (BALC) and also focused on how the BALC met students' aspirations, needs, and goals based on the perceptions of teachers and adult learners. The conceptual framework was based on liberatory education theory, transformative learning theory, and andragogy. Data collected from classroom observation s, curriculum review, and interviews with 9 current students, 3 former students, 5 teachers, and the principal were analyzed inductively by sorting and coding to generate emergent themes. The results of the study indicated that instructors followed the regular high school curriculum with little adaptation and lacked training about teaching adult learners and self-directed learning approaches. The adult learners perceived returning to school as getting a second chance. A professional development project for BALC instructors was developed to address some of the needs identified in the study. This training could have an impact on the adult learners by better assisting them to gain access to vocational training and higher education.

Problem Statement Residency programs that emphasize clinical reasoning and manual therapy can provide a means to optimize the outcomes of physical therapy without the need for or access to expensive equipment. The residency format of continuing education could allow physical therapists in developing countries access to specialty training and ongoing mentorship. However, there are limited studies that investigate the influence of residency training on the progression of clinical reasoning, professional development, and career advancement. Purpose The purpose of this study was threefold. The first objective was to describe the outcome of a post-graduate orthopaedic manual therapy residency program on development of knowledge and clinical reasoning skills by physical therapists in Nairobi, Kenya. The second objective was to explore the influence of the residency program on the participants’ professional development and career advancement. The last objective was to explore the residency experience from participants’ perspectives. Methodology This mixed methods study utilized a sample of convenience that included residents in the third (n=14) and fourth (n=13) cohorts of the orthopaedic manual therapy residency program in Kenya. Data collection included an assessment of clinical reasoning through a live patient examination, a survey on professional and career development, and qualitative interviews. Results There was a significant improvement in clinical reasoning development as measured by an assessment of a live patient examination (p Discussion The residency program in Nairobi, Kenya may serve as a framework for the formation of post-graduate education programs in other developing countries. The development of residency programs that can influence the ability of physical therapists to provide treatment efficiently and effectively may ultimately assist in serving community physical therapy needs.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--East Tennessee State University, 2003.
Title from electronic submission form. ETSU ETD database URN: etd-1107103-121831. Includes bibliographical references. Also available via Internet at the UMI web site.

Based on the narratives of young people this research explores the rise in youth violence in Kenya's secondary school system and wider society and the potential for peacebuilding to address youth violence. Of particular concern is the gradual change in the profiles, patterns and intensity of the conflict, as evidenced by the increase in the number of youth militias. This increase is often attributed to unemployment and poverty - yet, to date, no systematic research has been produced on the extent to which the youth participation in violence occurs through choice or coercion, or indeed both. Worryingly, a significant number of young people involved in this violence are secondary school students. The findings of this research indicate that despite responses to youth violence in the school and wider Kenyan society, the violence is unabated. Notably, approaches continue to be top-down, generic, superficial and ineffectual. By marginalising the narratives of the youth who participate in and/or observe the violence, current institutional policies and approaches are decontextualised - from both the particular and the wider Kenyan context. This leaves intact the root causes of the violence. This research raises important questions concerning generic, top-down, quick-fix, outmoded cultural paradigms, hierarchical and questionable homogeneous pedagogical approaches to peacebuilding in both the schools and wider Kenyan context. In attempt to address these deficiencies the research seeks to find out approaches to peacebuilding and the Kenyan education systems that can respond to youth violence. This research proffers three key dimensions that can be incorporated in order to ensure effective and sustainable peace: experiences, worldviews and attitudes of the actors. The research, which utilises a constructivist grounded theory approach (Charmaz, 2006), was conducted in fourteen secondary schools in Nairobi and the Rift Valley provinces - two provinces that have been at the centre of youth violence and militia activities. These provinces were also selected in order to reflect the multi-cultural and multi-ethnic character, and the different types of schools in Kenya.

For school libraries to sufficiently contribute to better information skills’ development and creation of a culture of lifelong learning among students, they require backing through well articulated policies both at national and individual school level. This study investigated the prevailing status of school libraries in public secondary schools in Nairobi County, Kenya. Using a survey research design, with a response rate of 68% for school principals and 66% for school librarians, this study established that although the majority of the schools had school libraries, these were individual schools’ efforts. There were no government policies on school libraries and most of the schools lacked explicit library policies. Additionally, they had not embraced contemporary trends in technology and the major impediment was lack of financial support. The study concluded that school libraries in Nairobi County were inadequately resourced and supported and recommended that the government of Kenya should come up with national policies that will entrench school libraries in the education system.
Information Science
MA (Information Science)

This comparative study explored the influence of different pre-school models on school readiness among pre-school children from different urban socio-economic status (SES) neighbourhoods. The study sampled 207 pre-school children attending different pre-school models in different SES neighbourhoods within the city of Nairobi in Kenya. In the study, school readiness was conceived as the ability of children to learn and handle primary school tasks. Assessment was done through teachers' rating of children's level of developmental and fitnctional skills using a School Readiness Assessment Instrument (SRAI), which was adopted and modified from the Early Development Instrument (EDI). The study compared school readiness outcomes amongst pre-schoolers aged five and six years. School readiness outcome was also correlated with the level of developmentally appropriate practice of the different pre-schools, assessed through observation and interviews. Major findings from this study were that, pre-school children who attended Private pre-school models outperformed their peers from public pre-schools in school readiness scores and children from low SES neighbourhoods had lower school readiness scores compared with children from middle and high SES neighbourhoods. The study recommends a paradigm shift from an academically oriented pre-school model to one that embrace a holistic approach in program and assessment of children's school readiness. It also recommends further studies on the influence of cultural variations on school readiness and primary school readiness to receive pre-schoolers.

Thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology, School of Human and Community Development University of the Witwatersrand, May 2017
Psychosocial support and wellbeing of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in sub-Saharan Africa receive a lot of attention globally. However, great concerns still persist due to a multiplicity of factors that affect the children’s quality of life. This study examines experiences of psychosocial support and wellbeing of these children in Nairobi, Kenya. While there are few existing studies on the effects of HIV and AIDS on OVC in Kenya, most focus on OVC in primary schools and high schools leaving out infants and preschool aged OVC, as is the case in sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, information that details psychosocial experiences and wellbeing of OVC in preschools in Kenya is lacking. This study focused on OVC aged between 5 and 7 years old within a resilience theoretical perspective; investigated their lived experiences, risk exposure, support structures and other adaptive experiences. A total of 57 participants (45 were children and 12 teachers) from ECDE centres in Nairobi County were purposively sampled for the study. Multiple methods utilised included: visual stimulus illustrations, face-to-face and conversational interviews, thematic drawings, focus group discussions questionnaires and infrastructural and supportive resource assessment. Thematic content analysis (TCA) which was informed by phenomenological hermeneutic approach was used to analyse data. Findings consistently showed that, OVC were not only susceptible to numerous risk experiences due to environmental and care factors at home, but also on their way to and from school, and within ECDE centres. Nonetheless, ECDE centres exposed them to cognitive skills, social networks, safety, alternative care, primary health services, nutrition and resilience nurturance. These findings indicate the crucial role of having a collective action in reduction of adverse experiences and improving resources to empower the OVC in urban ECDE centres. Directions for further research could focus on expanded population-based studies examining poverty, malnutrition, resilience and coping resources among preschool children living with, and affected by HIV and AIDS, using creative multiple qualitative approaches. A more critical understanding on variations in sexes is equally important in intervention strategies for this group of OVC.
MT2018

Unplanned extubation is premature removal of endotracheal tube, is an adverse event; which can either, be accidental during a nursing procedure or self deliberate by the patient. The AACN Synergy Model for Patient Care was used as conceptual model for this study. A retrospective descriptive design revealed that over a period of two years, 327 patients admitted to the intensive care unit require intubation of which 40.4% were self-deliberate extubation and 59.4% accidental extubation. Of the accidental extubated patients, 29.8% had physical restrains, 57.6% received sedation, 43.9% had analgesic infusion and 38.9% were on neuromuscular blockade. A means Glasco Coma Scale was 9.4 and 56% of the patients were reported as being. Most patients (89.9%) required re-intubation. The findings also revealed that 49.1% of the nurses who cared for the patients when the extubation occured had one patient at the time. Also, 84.2% of nurses had 0-6 years of nursing experience and 74% of nurses had less than five years of ICU experience.
Health Studies
M.A. (Health Studies)

This research, An Exploration of Women's Transformation through Distance Learning in Kenya, applied Mezirow's theory of transformative learning to investigate how distance learning impacted on women's views about themselves and their position in society. This was done by examining whether distance learning enables women to acquire new self-perceptions about themselves and leads them to challenge the status quo and take action in order to improve their status in society. Three distance learning programmes were studied: the B.Ed. programme at the Faculty of External Studies at the University of Nairobi, Theological Education by Extension, and the Co-operative College of Kenya. This research was motivated through my own biography, with the purpose of identifying and encouraging distance learning practices that promote women's transformation. The research also hoped to draw attention to the study of women's issues in distance learning, as an area that has not attracted much attention in Kenya and to generate information which can be used to inform the use of distance learning methods in a way that favours women. Biographical methods of research were used. This involved listening to women's learning stories, noting their reasons for coming back to study, the barriers that they encountered as they studied and the coping strategies that they used to overcome the barriers. In addition, other methods were used to supplement the biographical data collected from the women. These included focus group discussions, observation and documentary evidence. The approach to data analysis was based on the use of hermeneutics methods of data interpretation. The themes and concepts that emerged from this process were compared with themes and concepts generated through other methods of data collection. The main findings were that distance learning, though based on alternative forms of provision, does lead to transformation, however, women from the three programmes experienced diverse levels of transformation. The B.Ed.programme with its face-to-face component and women with higher education had greater impact on women's transformation than other programmes. Although the TEE programme had face-to-face interaction, their curriculum, which reinforced the negative gender stereotypes in society and does not lead to recognised certificates, could not allow them to achieve this experience. The Coop programme, without the face-to-face arrangement had the lowest transformative effects on women. On the basis of these findings, it was recommended that more distance learning programmes be designed, with increased use of face-to-face components in order to help women achieve transformation. The findings and the discussions thereof also show that prior level of education had far reaching effects on the levels of transformation that women achieved. This led to the recommendation that women's education should be encouraged and the society should be sensitised about the value of educating women. Distance learning also enabled women to achieve economic empowerment, in terms of promotions, new jobs and increased salaries; however this was only noted in the B.Ed. and Coop programmes. The TEE programme, being a church programme had no economic benefits for its women learners. The women in the TEE programme were not happy with the present arrangement and were, therefore, calling for a review of the programme. The findings also showed that women's transformation is not being fully achieved because of non- supportive facilities and the use of learning materials, which reinforce the negative gender stereotypes in society. Therefore, to make distance learning more accessible to women learners and more transformational, the research recommended changes geared towards the creation of women-friendly facilities and learning materials.
Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

M.Tech. (Radiography)
Knowledge and skills are related to time and become obsolete if no effort is made to update them on an ongoing basis. Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is, therefore, the effort of committed professional practitioners to maintain and broaden the knowledge and skills related to their profession, following completion of formal training. The legal obligation of healthcare professional practitioners is to provide a high standard of care and act in the best interest of patients. To achieve this, radiographers must maintain and strive to improve their professional knowledge and competence. The main aim of this study was thus to assess the diagnostic radiographers‟ CPD participation in Kenya. The study was empirical in nature and therefore relied heavily on perceptions, experiences and observations. Mail questionnaires were sent to 250 radiographers working in Kenya during the time of the study. Self- addressed and stamped envelopes accompanied the questionnaires for ease of reply. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 14.0 and the results were presented in frequency and percentage tables. Cross tabulations were employed to demonstrate and test relationships between variables. Results revealed that a large number (69%) of diagnostic radiographers in Kenya are not participating in CPD due to various barriers. The study, therefore, recommended that CPD for radiographers should be declared compulsory and penalties are introduced for non-adherence to CPD requirements. This could encourage radiographers to keep up to date with modern techniques. The SORK should provide a legal framework for CPD and legitimize the organization and implementation of CPD structures...

A case study using a phenomenological approach was carried out to determine how effective and enduring learning is for two diverse groups of grade 9 natural science learners when delivered through a collaborative co-teaching approach involving a high school science teacher and a special needs teacher. Even though the findings of this research indicate that the co-taught sessions did not significantly affect the learners’ test results, the majority of the learners reported very positive perceptions of co-teaching. From the findings the main benefits for the learners included an improvement in their understanding of learning styles and associated study skills, increased contact time with the teachers, and the benefit of another teacher’s expertise in the classroom. The researcher found the co-teaching approach yielded a clearer focus on the individual learning styles, new strategies for differentiation, and a positive teaching experience.
Science and Technology Education
M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

This thesis, Utilising Open Educational Resources in support of curriculum transformation at Africa Nazarene University: A participatory action research approach, derives from a multi-year project implemented by OER Africa, and funded by the Hewlett Foundation, to explore the potential of Open Educational Resources (OER) in support of pedagogic transformation in African universities. The project involves four institutions: Africa Nazarene University (ANU) in Kenya, the Open University of Tanzania (OUT), and the Universities of Pretoria and the Free State (UP and UFS) in South Africa. This study centred on ANU only in the period 2013 to 2016, with a focus on the period 2015-2016, and was timed to inform ANU’s new strategic planning process from 2017. The wider project adopted a participatory action research process in its engagement with the four core institutions. Within this over-arching project methodology, this study made use of an analytical autoethnographic approach to capture and analyse data and to make recommendations, to acknowledge the researcher’s dual role as both a co-participant and an institutional project lead. The approach was informed primarily by hermeneutics and systems thinking and involved multiple in-country engagements with ANU and the triangulation of information derived from document review, observation and iterative focus group discussions and individual interviews. An OER Maturity Index and Planning Tool was also developed and used to inform planning and reflection and to provide a barometer of changing attitudes and activities regarding engagement with OER. Initially the engagement focused on developing a supportive policy and capacity-building environment for individuals to integrate OER into specific Open, Distance and e-Learning (ODeL) courses and to publish revised course materials under an open licence. However, as the initiative progressed, it became apparent that there was need to revisit the institution’s overall business model considering increased competition, new regulatory requirements and a growing demand from students for more flexible forms of provision. In fact, the key finding of this study is the suggestion that engagement with OER is unlikely to move from being an individual to an institutional focus unless such engagement is aligned with the overall vision, mission and business model of the university.
Curriculum and Instructional Studies
D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

The purpose of this study was to explore the practices, perceptions and needs of nurses in relation to their participation in continuing professional development. A quantitative descriptive study was conducted guided by Knowles’ Adult Learning Theory as the conceptual framework. Data collection was done using a structured self-administered questionnaire with a sample of 178 nurses. The findings revealed that the respondents perceived continuing professional development as important. However the study found minimal involvement of nurses during the initial stages of designing continuing professional development programmes and this may lead to incorrect identification of learning needs. Personal, organisational and professional factors were identified as barriers to nurses’ participation in continuing professional development. Preparation of nurses in advance and the use of teaching strategies that recognise past experience and adults as resources were found to increase nurses’ participation in continuing professional development programmes
Health Studies
M.A. (Health Studies)

M.A. (Information Science)
The study was undertaken to explore the remote users of services available public university libraries in Kenya. Scarce literature was available locally on the subject of the study. Provision of quality and relevant information services to support teaching, learning and research remains a central objective of libraries in higher education world over. Higher education institutions in Kenya continue to experience unprecedented growth in student population against limited human capital and physical infrastructure, among the library services. This reality has prompted Universities to adopt different education delivery models; distant learning, e-learning, and part time modules to accommodate the extra numbers seeking higher education. Depending on the preferred module, the students can be categorized into three main groups: on-campus, off-campus and remote user groups. Higher learning standards require that all users to have equitable and inclusive access to resources. This study explores the nature and availability of support services and resources available for remote library users in public university libraries in Kenya. The research methodology adopted was a descriptive research design; where qualitative data was collected using Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). The findings revealed that public university libraries in Kenya have various forms of resources and services that can support remote user needs. However they face certain challenges that hinder the use of the available remote user resources and services in providing equitable access to information services to all its types of users. Key among the challenges was that remote users were not identified as a special user group in the libraries studied contrary to what the study grounded. The results of the study are discussed under three main thematic areas: services for remote users, facilities available for remote users, and policies and regulations that govern remote use of library resources. Equally included in the study are discussions, conclusions and recommendations based on the findings besides identified informational gaps for further research.
Information Science