dc.description.abstract | Effective Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) systems can promote utilisation of physical
facilities by enabling decision-makers to identify gaps and initiate appropriate corrective
interventions. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of M&E systems on
utilisation of physical facilities by learners with disability in Kenyan national polytechnics. The
study adopted cross-sectional survey and causal-comparative designs, with both quantitative and
qualitative approaches. Data were sourced from 2 principals, 282 teaching staff, 4 officers from
Ministry of Education (MoE), and 2 officers from National Council for Persons Living with
Disability (NCPLWD). A census and purposive sampling procedures were applied to select
participants. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were applied to process and analyse
data. Descriptive analysis generated frequency distributions and percentages, while inferential
analysis obtained Chi square statistic (χ2), Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient, as well as
Beta coefficients (β) and Odds ratios [Exp(β)], among others. Qualitative data were organised
under thematic areas, described and analysed thematically to identify emerging themes and
patterns. The study found that significant and positive correlations between utilisation of
physical facilities and all the four indicators of human resource capacity for M&E, including
access to training on M&E of disability programmes (rs = 0.608 & ρ-value = 0.004),
participation in M&E activities (rs = 0.383 & ρ-value = 0.016), level of experience in M&E
practices (rs = 0.475 & ρ-value = 0.003), as well as frequency of reading M&E resource
materials (rs = 0.569 & ρ-value = 0.004). In addition, participants grading their capacity in M&E
as ‘high’ had about 6.4 times the odds of positively influencing utilisation of physical facilities
by learners with disability as their colleagues describing their capacity as ‘low’ (ρ-value = 0.022,
β = 1.854, OR = 6.385, C.I. = 2.097-19.439). The results show significant correlations between
utilisation of physical facilities and the three indicators of M&E work plan, including frequency
of measuring learning aspects (rs = 0.487 & ρ-value = 0.012), frequency of M&E work plan
formulation (rs = 0.320 & ρ-value = 0.045), and frequency of participation in the M&E of
various disability forms (rs = 0.618 & ρ-value = 0.000). Besides, participants stating that M&E
work plan indicators were ‘always’ formulated in their institutions were about 2.6 times as likely
to cause a positive influence on utilisation of physical facilities by such learners as their
colleagues who felt that such indicators were ‘never’ formulated (ρ-value = 0.014, β = 0.938, OR
= 2.555, C.I. = 1.375-4.746). Besides, the adjusted regression model predicted up to 37.5% of
variance in utilisation of physical facilities by learners with disability, which was a fair
estimation of M&E system factors influencing utilisation of such facilities by learners with
disability. The study concludes that improving M&E systems support and supervision; human
resource capacity for M&E; consistency of programme monitoring; as well as M&E work plan
indicators’ formulation, is likely to strengthen M&E systems in the institutions, thereby, improve
utilisation of physical facilities. The study recommends the need for stakeholders to: allocate
more resources to develop the capacity of teaching staff on M&E of disability programmes; and
improve content of M&E training curriculums to make them more responsive to the needs of all
learners with disability. Stakeholders should also strengthen disability-mainstreaming
committees through training and funding; as well as integrate disability aspects in institutional
timetables to ensure that provision of necessary support and services to learners with disability
become part of routine operational activities. | en_US |