Influence of Social Media on Students’ Discipline in Secondary Schools in Kenya (Published)
Social media are technologies that facilitate social interaction, make possible collaboration and enable deliberation across stakeholders. The study sought to develop strategies for managing the influence of social media on students’ discipline in secondary schools. The objective of this paper is to determine the extent to which social media has influenced students’ discipline in schools based on the research. The study utilized the pragmatic philosophical paradigm and the mixed methods research design where both positivists and constructivists approaches and techniques were combined. The study was undertaken in Bungoma County in Kenya. It was carried out in 306 secondary schools in the County targeting a population of 19,000 Form 3 students. Scott Smith`s formula was used to determine the sample size of 600 students from 40 secondary schools as respondents. Purposive sampling was applied to select the 40 deputy principals and 40 heads of guidance and counselling departments from the selected secondary schools as respondents in the study. Three categories of boys’, girls’ and mixed schools were chosen from each sub-county. The questionnaires used had both closed- and open-ended items. Interviews were also used to get more information for the study. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to analyse data. Social media was found to have influenced students’ discipline negatively in schools. The study recommended that parents, educational and political leaders should implement policies on limiting social media influence on students’ discipline. It is expected that the Kenya Ministry of Education and other education stakeholders will utilize the results of the study to manage the influence of the social media on students’ discipline in secondary schools.
Keywords: Discipline, Influence, Kenya, Secondary Schools, Social media, Students
Contributions of Various Kenyan Personalities in Communicating Change For Transformative Community (Published)
In spite of relatively stable governance and a hard working population, Kenya is rated among the countries with wide income disparities. Extreme and chronic poverty has not been eliminated even after fifty years of development efforts, that is, since the country gained its independence in 1963. In mitigating the adverse effects of these inequalities, communication is considered an essential tool for transformation through which essential thoughts in the minds of the people aimed at transformation are nurtured and shared. The purpose of this study was to identify the contributions made by various Kenyan personalities whose life experiences are shared in this paper, in communication change for a transformative society. The study displays how the select Kenyans engaged with the people and got them involved in transforming their community. A qualitative research design was adopted to select ten Kenyans to share their life experiences through in-depth interviews that were used by the author to gather data. Data analysis focused on the participants’ narratives on the aspect of their personal contributions and how they got the community working towards sustainable change. The study also recommends development of an African Communication Theory on what motivates communicative acts that lead to societal transformation.
Keywords: Change, Community, Contributions, Kenya, Transformation, communication
THE CHALLENGE OF CHURCH-HOPPING IN KENYA: FACTORS LEADING TO THE MIGRATION OF CHURCH MEMBERS FROM THE METHODIST CHURCH IN KENYA (Published)
Although church-hopping is a new phenomenon in Kenya, it is becoming a challenge to Christianity, where church members keep on migrating from one denomination to another with little cognizance of the effect of this migration to the church mission. This study which used the Methodist Church in Kenya (MCK) as the case sought to investigate the factors leading to the migration church members from one denomination to another in Kenya. The findings of the study revealed that such factors as conservatism, poor leadership, over-emphasis on monetary giving, exaggerated development projects, the new phenomenon of prosperity gospels, spiritual thirst, poor evangelism, lack of proper worship styles e.t.c. contribute to the rapid migration of church members from one denomination to another in Kenya. The study concludes that rather that the churches in Kenya blaming the members who are migrating, they should rethink their mission strategy. The factors that are making the members to keep on hopping should be addressed. Church leaders should not expect their members to stick to their churches if they are ‘spiritually’ unfed
Keywords: Church-hopping, Kenya, Methodist Church, Migration of Church members
CAUSES OF THE NEW CHARISMATIC MOVEMENTS (NCMS) IN KENYA (Published)
Kenya is a habitat to many New Charismatic Movements (NCMs) today. What mainly causes them? What factors lead to their rapid proliferation yet the mainline churches have been in existence in Kenya for more than a century? This study which was conducted in the month of December 2013 undertakes to investigate their causes especially in the Kenyan urban centers. The study has identified various factors that contribute to the rise and growth of the NCMs in Kenya, which mainly revolve around all dimensions of life including economic, social, political, psychological, cultural, political, and religious. The main factors are hopelessness, sense of communal belonging, unanswered questions in life, psychological satisfaction, search for vision, recognition, spiritual needs and poverty. So some of these causes are genuine while others not. Nevertheless one thing is clear: These NCMs have a future in Kenya as other denominations or religious organizations are not able to address needs of the Kenyan people.
Keywords: Kenya, New Charismatic Movements, Rapid Proliferation