Advances in Educational Marketing, Administration, and Leadership
Leadership research tends to have a bias towards positive leadership methodologies and associated... more Leadership research tends to have a bias towards positive leadership methodologies and associated benefits for organizations and the employee within them. Although there is a growing body of research into the dark side of leadership practices, negative leadership within the context of educational leadership has been largely marginalised. This chapter highlights the elusive nature of leadership and its lack of a fixed, objectified meaning. Irrespective of definitional challenges, however, the chapter also exposes the existence of toxic manifestations of leadership and their personal and social consequences. It further demonstrates the multiple ways in which the phenomenon of toxic leadership is described and explains its origins. In relation to the field of education, the chapter illustrates the dearth of current literature or of empirical research and the fact that the few studies which do exist are consistent with those from other fields, indicating disturbing patterns of behavior ...
Striga hermonthica (del) Benth is threatening rural livelihoods in western Kenya where maize is t... more Striga hermonthica (del) Benth is threatening rural livelihoods in western Kenya where maize is the major food and cash crop. Vulnerability analysis was conducted on a sample of 802 households in eight districts of Nyanza and Western provinces. Farmers perceived Striga as the major cause of poverty and food insecurity. Both household income and child nutrition indicators showed alarming conditions for the majority of households. The coping strategies and informal safety nets were not capable of addressing the vulnerability issue successfully. A logistic regression model of determinants of poverty was estimated to examine the determinants and correlates of poverty. Results revealed certain characteristics of households that were more likely to be poor: poor access to land and farm assets; high dependency ratio; headed by older farmer with low education attainment; no off-farm work, no cash crops; depend on credit; Striga has been on the farm for long, high perceived yield loss to Str...
Although sugar is a key commodity in Kenya supporting over 250,000 small-scale farmers directly... more Although sugar is a key commodity in Kenya supporting over 250,000 small-scale farmers directly and 6 million Kenyans indirectly, the sector faces many challenges that have led to its productivity decline and jobs lost over the last two decades. The government of Kenya has over the years underscored the importance of maintaining self-sufficiency in sugar but this goal has remained elusive over the years, with sugar consumption estimated to exceed domestic production by 247,000 metric tons in 2015. The sugar industry still has the potential to improve performance, reduce the need for sugar imports, increase employment and incomes. The following policy options are discernible: i) address costs of inputs and modernise cane transport and milling; ii) implement regulations on management of factory maintenance programs; and iii) implement guidelines on sugar importation, especially issuance and management of import permits.
Despite years of growing concern about poor provider attitudes and women experiencing mistreatmen... more Despite years of growing concern about poor provider attitudes and women experiencing mistreatment during facility based childbirth, there are limited interventions that specifically focus on addressing these issues. The Heshima project is an evidence-based participatory implementation research study conducted in 13 facilities in Kenya. It engaged a range of community, facility, and policy stakeholders to address the causes of mistreatment during childbirth and promote respectful maternity care. We used the consolidated framework for implementation research (CFIR) as an analytical lens to describe a complex, multifaceted set of interventions through a reflexive and iterative process for triangulating qualitative data. Data from a broad range of project documents, reports, and interviews were collected at different time points during the implementation of Heshima. Assessment of in-depth interview data used NVivo (Version 10) and Atlas.ti software to inductively derive codes for theme...
Higher use of maternal and neonatal health (MNH) services may reduce maternal and neonatal mortal... more Higher use of maternal and neonatal health (MNH) services may reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in Kenya. This study aims to: 1) prospectively explore women's intentions to use MNH services (antenatal care, delivery in a facility, postnatal care, neonatal care) at <20 and 30-35 weeks' gestation and their actual use of these services; 2) identify predictors of intention-behavior discordance among women with positive service use intentions; 3) examine associations between place of delivery, women's reasons for choosing it, and birthing experiences. We used data from a 2012-2013 population-based cohort of pregnant women in the Demographic Surveillance Site in Nyanza province, Kenya. Of 1,056 women completing the study (89.1% response rate), 948 had live-births and 22 stillbirths, and they represent our analytic sample. Logistic regression analysis identified predictors of intention-behavior discordance regarding delivery in a facility and use of postnatal and neonat...
International Journal of Educational Management, 2008
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine issues of quality and quality assurance in Kenyan ... more PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine issues of quality and quality assurance in Kenyan schools, identify reasons why Kenya government has difficulties in achieving its well documented search for quality education and to trace the process for ensuring the accountability of teachers in Kenya. This focus is done under conditions of significant changes in government policies and educational restructuring.Design/methodology/approachThe reflections are done through a review of variety of research and analytical sources.FindingsThe review shows that the government, whose approach has been ambivalent and paradoxical, has determined teacher accountability and that the underlying cause of poor quality education in Kenya's schools is not the performance of teachers per se but deeply rooted management practices and other government policies which will have to change if this dream is to be realized. The evaluation of teachers' work should not be separated from development since...
For hundreds of years Muslim endowments arranged and/or delivered water, and established and mana... more For hundreds of years Muslim endowments arranged and/or delivered water, and established and managed water fountains for urban centers. Women as land owners and waqf creators, played significant roles in funding waterwheels, watering troughs, springs, public bath houses, etc. Thus water, women, and philanthropy seem to be tied together in Muslim communities. In this context, this chapter deals with the features of water resources, general challenges of improved water and sanitation, and highlights the likely global impact of climate change, increased pollution and population, on water security in MMCs. It analyses important factors of water security in four main sections: water security, water resources, water use, and the challenges beyond scarcity. The last section (Hygiene, Water, Gender, and the Third Sector, Sect. 9.5) deals with a major human security challenge and success stories in MMCs. It concludes that improved water and sanitation, often with the help of the third sector, transform women and girls in MMCs from water-carrier to active and healthy citizens with education and employment ensuring higher security for all. The chapter, by showing the role the third sector has been playing in creating gender equity through water security, concludes that human security cannot be achieved without freeing women and girls from the “water-chains” which is only possible with the help of the third sector because the government services do not cover all areas, especially the remote areas in the low income countries (see Chaps. 6– 8).
The flight of human capital is a phenomenon that has been of concern to academics and development... more The flight of human capital is a phenomenon that has been of concern to academics and development practitioners for decades but unfortunately, there is no systematic record of the number of skilled professionals that many African countries have continued to lose to ...
PurposeThis paper seeks to report the findings of a study focusing on the state of teacher apprai... more PurposeThis paper seeks to report the findings of a study focusing on the state of teacher appraisal in Kenyan secondary schools and to argue for an improved (facilitating) model of teacher appraisal.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted a qualitatively‐oriented case study using multiple cases and drawing on multiple methods of data collection.FindingsThe findings indicate that teacher appraisal policies and practices in Kenyan secondary schools exhibit weaknesses, which need to be urgently addressed if teacher appraisal is to be used to improve the quality of teaching and education in Kenya.Research limitations/implicationsOf the eight administrative regions in Kenya, only one region was selected for data gathering. The reason for restricting the scope of the study related to availability of time in the first instance and the need for in‐depth investigation. The research was also limited to a study of six secondary schools. While including more schools in the sample would ha...
ABSTRACT Quality assurance (QA) mechanisms used to be highly dependent on national administrative... more ABSTRACT Quality assurance (QA) mechanisms used to be highly dependent on national administrative traditions but nowadays there is a convergence of mechanisms. Compared to more developed higher education (HE) systems in the world, QA systems in Africa are still at an infant stage and thus confronted by many challenges. The purpose of this article is to present some of the findings derived from a study analysing the crucial issues and unique challenges facing Kenya&#39;s public HE as it struggles to develop QA mechanisms. Using purposive sampling, the researcher chose two public universities who indicated their willingness to participate and a national QA Agency (QAA). The study was done through in-depth interviews and a review of historical materials and records. Overall, respondents strongly emphasised the need for Kenyan universities to have compulsory and effective external and internal QA mechanisms. They indicated that the trends facing HE make it necessary for HE in Kenya to review their traditional QA structures and to create new systems of external QA. The numerous comments in this research indicate deficiency not only in the QAA focus and work but also in the internal QA frameworks within public universities.
Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 2012
There has been limited research on how teachers, parents and students perceive effective school l... more There has been limited research on how teachers, parents and students perceive effective school leadership in practice. The purpose of this article is to present some of the findings derived from a study of key stakeholders’ perceptions of effective school leadership. Key stakeholders were identified as teachers, students and parents. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders from one large girl’s school in Sydney, Australia. This research relied largely upon interview responses from teachers, students and parents of one Catholic school. While further insight into the issues may require a longitudinal data that describe perceptions from a substantial number of schools over time, studying one school provided a deeper and detailed understanding of key stakeholders’ perceptions. Findings highlight the complexity of school leadership practices. Key stakeholders’ in this study have also provide us with a useful emphasis on core school leadership dimensio...
Advances in Educational Marketing, Administration, and Leadership
Leadership research tends to have a bias towards positive leadership methodologies and associated... more Leadership research tends to have a bias towards positive leadership methodologies and associated benefits for organizations and the employee within them. Although there is a growing body of research into the dark side of leadership practices, negative leadership within the context of educational leadership has been largely marginalised. This chapter highlights the elusive nature of leadership and its lack of a fixed, objectified meaning. Irrespective of definitional challenges, however, the chapter also exposes the existence of toxic manifestations of leadership and their personal and social consequences. It further demonstrates the multiple ways in which the phenomenon of toxic leadership is described and explains its origins. In relation to the field of education, the chapter illustrates the dearth of current literature or of empirical research and the fact that the few studies which do exist are consistent with those from other fields, indicating disturbing patterns of behavior ...
Striga hermonthica (del) Benth is threatening rural livelihoods in western Kenya where maize is t... more Striga hermonthica (del) Benth is threatening rural livelihoods in western Kenya where maize is the major food and cash crop. Vulnerability analysis was conducted on a sample of 802 households in eight districts of Nyanza and Western provinces. Farmers perceived Striga as the major cause of poverty and food insecurity. Both household income and child nutrition indicators showed alarming conditions for the majority of households. The coping strategies and informal safety nets were not capable of addressing the vulnerability issue successfully. A logistic regression model of determinants of poverty was estimated to examine the determinants and correlates of poverty. Results revealed certain characteristics of households that were more likely to be poor: poor access to land and farm assets; high dependency ratio; headed by older farmer with low education attainment; no off-farm work, no cash crops; depend on credit; Striga has been on the farm for long, high perceived yield loss to Str...
Although sugar is a key commodity in Kenya supporting over 250,000 small-scale farmers directly... more Although sugar is a key commodity in Kenya supporting over 250,000 small-scale farmers directly and 6 million Kenyans indirectly, the sector faces many challenges that have led to its productivity decline and jobs lost over the last two decades. The government of Kenya has over the years underscored the importance of maintaining self-sufficiency in sugar but this goal has remained elusive over the years, with sugar consumption estimated to exceed domestic production by 247,000 metric tons in 2015. The sugar industry still has the potential to improve performance, reduce the need for sugar imports, increase employment and incomes. The following policy options are discernible: i) address costs of inputs and modernise cane transport and milling; ii) implement regulations on management of factory maintenance programs; and iii) implement guidelines on sugar importation, especially issuance and management of import permits.
Despite years of growing concern about poor provider attitudes and women experiencing mistreatmen... more Despite years of growing concern about poor provider attitudes and women experiencing mistreatment during facility based childbirth, there are limited interventions that specifically focus on addressing these issues. The Heshima project is an evidence-based participatory implementation research study conducted in 13 facilities in Kenya. It engaged a range of community, facility, and policy stakeholders to address the causes of mistreatment during childbirth and promote respectful maternity care. We used the consolidated framework for implementation research (CFIR) as an analytical lens to describe a complex, multifaceted set of interventions through a reflexive and iterative process for triangulating qualitative data. Data from a broad range of project documents, reports, and interviews were collected at different time points during the implementation of Heshima. Assessment of in-depth interview data used NVivo (Version 10) and Atlas.ti software to inductively derive codes for theme...
Higher use of maternal and neonatal health (MNH) services may reduce maternal and neonatal mortal... more Higher use of maternal and neonatal health (MNH) services may reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in Kenya. This study aims to: 1) prospectively explore women's intentions to use MNH services (antenatal care, delivery in a facility, postnatal care, neonatal care) at <20 and 30-35 weeks' gestation and their actual use of these services; 2) identify predictors of intention-behavior discordance among women with positive service use intentions; 3) examine associations between place of delivery, women's reasons for choosing it, and birthing experiences. We used data from a 2012-2013 population-based cohort of pregnant women in the Demographic Surveillance Site in Nyanza province, Kenya. Of 1,056 women completing the study (89.1% response rate), 948 had live-births and 22 stillbirths, and they represent our analytic sample. Logistic regression analysis identified predictors of intention-behavior discordance regarding delivery in a facility and use of postnatal and neonat...
International Journal of Educational Management, 2008
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine issues of quality and quality assurance in Kenyan ... more PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine issues of quality and quality assurance in Kenyan schools, identify reasons why Kenya government has difficulties in achieving its well documented search for quality education and to trace the process for ensuring the accountability of teachers in Kenya. This focus is done under conditions of significant changes in government policies and educational restructuring.Design/methodology/approachThe reflections are done through a review of variety of research and analytical sources.FindingsThe review shows that the government, whose approach has been ambivalent and paradoxical, has determined teacher accountability and that the underlying cause of poor quality education in Kenya's schools is not the performance of teachers per se but deeply rooted management practices and other government policies which will have to change if this dream is to be realized. The evaluation of teachers' work should not be separated from development since...
For hundreds of years Muslim endowments arranged and/or delivered water, and established and mana... more For hundreds of years Muslim endowments arranged and/or delivered water, and established and managed water fountains for urban centers. Women as land owners and waqf creators, played significant roles in funding waterwheels, watering troughs, springs, public bath houses, etc. Thus water, women, and philanthropy seem to be tied together in Muslim communities. In this context, this chapter deals with the features of water resources, general challenges of improved water and sanitation, and highlights the likely global impact of climate change, increased pollution and population, on water security in MMCs. It analyses important factors of water security in four main sections: water security, water resources, water use, and the challenges beyond scarcity. The last section (Hygiene, Water, Gender, and the Third Sector, Sect. 9.5) deals with a major human security challenge and success stories in MMCs. It concludes that improved water and sanitation, often with the help of the third sector, transform women and girls in MMCs from water-carrier to active and healthy citizens with education and employment ensuring higher security for all. The chapter, by showing the role the third sector has been playing in creating gender equity through water security, concludes that human security cannot be achieved without freeing women and girls from the “water-chains” which is only possible with the help of the third sector because the government services do not cover all areas, especially the remote areas in the low income countries (see Chaps. 6– 8).
The flight of human capital is a phenomenon that has been of concern to academics and development... more The flight of human capital is a phenomenon that has been of concern to academics and development practitioners for decades but unfortunately, there is no systematic record of the number of skilled professionals that many African countries have continued to lose to ...
PurposeThis paper seeks to report the findings of a study focusing on the state of teacher apprai... more PurposeThis paper seeks to report the findings of a study focusing on the state of teacher appraisal in Kenyan secondary schools and to argue for an improved (facilitating) model of teacher appraisal.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted a qualitatively‐oriented case study using multiple cases and drawing on multiple methods of data collection.FindingsThe findings indicate that teacher appraisal policies and practices in Kenyan secondary schools exhibit weaknesses, which need to be urgently addressed if teacher appraisal is to be used to improve the quality of teaching and education in Kenya.Research limitations/implicationsOf the eight administrative regions in Kenya, only one region was selected for data gathering. The reason for restricting the scope of the study related to availability of time in the first instance and the need for in‐depth investigation. The research was also limited to a study of six secondary schools. While including more schools in the sample would ha...
ABSTRACT Quality assurance (QA) mechanisms used to be highly dependent on national administrative... more ABSTRACT Quality assurance (QA) mechanisms used to be highly dependent on national administrative traditions but nowadays there is a convergence of mechanisms. Compared to more developed higher education (HE) systems in the world, QA systems in Africa are still at an infant stage and thus confronted by many challenges. The purpose of this article is to present some of the findings derived from a study analysing the crucial issues and unique challenges facing Kenya&#39;s public HE as it struggles to develop QA mechanisms. Using purposive sampling, the researcher chose two public universities who indicated their willingness to participate and a national QA Agency (QAA). The study was done through in-depth interviews and a review of historical materials and records. Overall, respondents strongly emphasised the need for Kenyan universities to have compulsory and effective external and internal QA mechanisms. They indicated that the trends facing HE make it necessary for HE in Kenya to review their traditional QA structures and to create new systems of external QA. The numerous comments in this research indicate deficiency not only in the QAA focus and work but also in the internal QA frameworks within public universities.
Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 2012
There has been limited research on how teachers, parents and students perceive effective school l... more There has been limited research on how teachers, parents and students perceive effective school leadership in practice. The purpose of this article is to present some of the findings derived from a study of key stakeholders’ perceptions of effective school leadership. Key stakeholders were identified as teachers, students and parents. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders from one large girl’s school in Sydney, Australia. This research relied largely upon interview responses from teachers, students and parents of one Catholic school. While further insight into the issues may require a longitudinal data that describe perceptions from a substantial number of schools over time, studying one school provided a deeper and detailed understanding of key stakeholders’ perceptions. Findings highlight the complexity of school leadership practices. Key stakeholders’ in this study have also provide us with a useful emphasis on core school leadership dimensio...
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Papers by GEORGE ODHIAMBO