Influence of Teacher Preparedness on Implementation of Competency Based Curriculum in Public Primary Schools in Nyandarua North Sub- County, Kenya.

Abstract

Despite the key role played by women in social and economic development, gender differences in education and formal employment have continued to retard the female potential in favor of their male counterparts. Consequently, this study sought to investigate the influence of institutional practices on women lecturers’ progression to management positions in Liberia based on the perspectives of the University of Liberia. The study sought to determine the influence of women lecturer mentors, administrative support, implementation of internal affirmative action policy, and promotion criteria on women lecturers’ progression to top management. The study employed a descriptive research methodology that incorporated survey techniques in collecting data from target respondents, who were employees of the University of Liberia using both structured questionnaires and interview guide. The survey sample consisted of all full time lecturers and senior administrators at the University of Liberia. Purposive sampling was used as a guide to selecting women senior administrators of the university while simple random sampling was used to select male administrators. Stratified random sampling was used to select lecturers. A total of 168 respondents comprising of 1 president, 5 vice presidents, 10 heads of academic programmes, and 152 lecturers participated in the survey. The questionnaire return rate was 95.2% Data collected was coded, input into, and analyzed using SPSS statistical analysis software Version 20. For qualitative data, content analysis of documentary and verbal material was used for analysis while quantitative data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics to give frequency counts, percentages, and correlation coefficients between study variables. The findings are presented in frequency tables and charts. The study revealed that mentorship, administrative support, internal affirmative action policy and promotion criteria are principal factors that influence women lecturers’ progression to management positions at the University of Liberia, and that their expected outcomes can be negated by marginalization and bureaucracy. Key conclusion of the study is that, academic qualification, experience, hard work and diligence were necessary for women to progress to management positions. The study, therefore, recommends that besides women taking initiative to develop better working and networking relationships with other women, enforcement mechanisms for more affirmative action of mentorship and review of promotion criteria with a bias to female leading should be undertaken by the university.