Effect of Teacher Support on Students' Discipline in Public Secondary School in Tharaka-Nithi County

2025-12-16T16:16:31+00:00

Student indiscipline remains a persistent challenge in many public secondary schools in Tharaka-Nithi County, undermining academic progress, disrupting learning environments, and increasing the financial burden associated with repairing damaged school property. While multiple factors contribute to student behaviour, teacher support has increasingly been recognized as a critical determinant of learners’ discipline and overall school adjustment. This study examined the effect of teacher support on students’ discipline in public secondary schools in Tharaka-Nithi County. Guided by Invitational Theory, which emphasizes the role of supportive interpersonal relationships in shaping positive student outcomes, the study adopted a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. The target population comprised students, teachers, and principals from public secondary schools in the county, from which a sample was selected using stratified, systematic, and purposive sampling techniques. Data were collected using questionnaires for students and teachers and interview schedules for principals. The reliability coefficients for student and teacher questionnaires were 0.831 and 0.731, respectively, indicating high internal consistency. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and simple linear regression, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The findings revealed that teacher support had a statistically significant effect on students’ discipline, indicating that learners who perceive their teachers as caring, approachable, fair, and academically supportive are more likely to exhibit positive behaviour and comply with school rules. The study concludes that strengthened teacher–student relationships play a vital role in fostering disciplined learning environments. It recommends that schools invest in teacher mentorship programmes, continuous professional development on positive discipline strategies, and policies that promote supportive and empathetic teacher–student interactions to enhance discipline in public secondary schools.

County Government Funding Interventions’ Influence on Trainees’ Skills Acquisition in County Vocational Education and Training Centres in Makueni County

2025-11-17T10:50:23+00:00

This study investigated the influence of County Government interventions on trainees’ skills acquisition in County Vocational Education and Training Centres (CVETCs) in Makueni County, Kenya. Guided by General Systems Theory, it examined staffing, facilities, and equipment, and funding interventions. The study adopted a sequential mixed methods approach, targeting 60 managers, 277 instructors, and 4,577 trainees, with a sample of 1,474 respondents selected through simple random sampling. Data were collected using interviews for managers and questionnaires for instructors and trainees, with instruments validated by experts and tested for reliability. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS v29 through descriptive statistics and regression analysis, while qualitative data underwent content analysis. The response rate was 93.15%. Findings provide insights into the extent to which county funding interventions influence skill acquisition, offering implications for improving training quality, aligning programs with labor market demands, and enhancing the role of CVETCs in achieving socio-economic development goals.

Journal of Education

Effect of Teacher Support on Students' Discipline in Public Secondary School in Tharaka-Nithi County

County Government Funding Interventions’ Influence on Trainees’ Skills Acquisition in County Vocational Education and Training Centres in Makueni County