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We provide a design case using applied trauma-informed frameworks to guide the design and usage adoption of an online support and mentorship platform for African applied science PhD scholars. In the Rsif context, scholars traverse countries, systems, and cultures to obtain their PhDs. The project objective was to create an online system to support their doctoral journeys. We will describe the program, introduce our team, summarize the literature guiding our selection of support objectives and overview the features we integrated into our platform design. After this, we will discuss our platform adoption approach and summarize the results of this project. Finally, concluding with a reflection on bringing trauma-informed frameworks into other learning ecologies.

The techniques and methods of teaching in Kenya have changed rapidly from traditional methods to contemporary, 21st century, technology-based approaches (Ashrafi et al., 2020). This development led to the introduction of several frameworks to support the application of numerous innovations in learning. However, the uptake of technology-supported teaching and learning, particularly in Christian Religious Education (CRE), remains low. Recent research indicates that the application and utilization of these technologies in CRE are minimal because of the perceptions of key stakeholders, including teachers, students, and school administrators. Educational technologies not only enhance the quality of learning but also contribute to deepening of religious knowledge and insights, fostering the development of moral values and beliefs. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between students' perceptions and the uptake of educational technologies in CRE in Embu County, Kenya. This study sampled 300 students from 30 public secondary schools using a descriptive cross-sectional survey design and multistage random cluster sampling methods. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed a significant weak positive relationship between students' perceptions and their uptake of educational technologies in CRE (r = 0.002, p = 0.01 and R[superscript 2] = 0.032). The findings of this study imply that initiatives aimed at increasing the uptake of educational technology should be specific, lucid, and tailored to the perceptions, ideas, opinions, experiences, and diverse needs of students.

This study investigated how a school-based professional development programme, designed by the Headteacher and staff of a Kenyan primary school, and delivered by a Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa (TESSA) team, supported teacher learning and growth. The TESSA team observed teaching in the classroom before the implementation of the school-based teacher professional programme. This was followed by the training of the teachers in the school. The TESSA team did an evaluation of the school-based training programme through classroom observation, an interview schedule and a teacher questionnaire. The evaluations were done three months and one year, respectively, after the school-based training. The findings indicate that teachers experienced professional growth through collaborative learning with colleagues, used a greater range of approaches and learned to self-reflect on their classes with more use of active learning. Teachers made productive use of textbooks as well as accessing and using TESSA OER in teaching.

Social amenities in primary schools play an important role in the provision of quality education. Social amenities include play materials and sanitation facilities. This study aimed at examining the impact of social amenities on academic performance in primary schools in Gichugu Constituency, Kenya. The objectives of this study were to assess the status of social amenities, to establish how sanitation amenities influence pupils' performance and lastly, to evaluate challenges facing provision of social amenities in primary schools in Gichugu Constituency, Kenya. This study was guided by Social Constructionist Theory. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design. The target population consisted of 75 primary school head teachers. Kathuri and Pal's Table for Sample Size Determination was used to arrive at a sample size of 63 school head teachers who were randomly selected from the target population. A questionnaire and an observation guide were used to collect data from the respondents. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 20). The study established that in majority of the primary schools, pupils had access to clean and safe drinking water though pupils in some schools used water from nearby rivers and stream. The study also found out that majority of the schools had adequate sanitation amenities. However, the study established that sanitation facilities did not cater for learners with physical disabilities. The study established that social amenities influenced learners' academic performance in primary schools. Further, the study established that financial challenges affected provision and maintenance of social amenities in primary schools in the study region. The study recommended that the Ministry of Education and other education stakeholders should facilitate the provision and maintenance of social amenities in primary schools in Kenya in order to improve pupils' academic performance.

World Food Programme (WFP) and the Kenyan Ministry of Education introduced school feeding programme in targeted pre-primary and primary schools in 1980. However, its effects in promoting pupils' class participation in early childhood are not clear. The objective of the study was to assess the pupils' class participation in ECDE centres with a school feeding programme and those without. The study also sought to test out the following null hypothesis (Ho1): There is no statistically significant difference in class participation of pupils in ECDE centres with feeding programme and those without. The study used descriptive survey research design. The total number of pupils was 54,629 from 1163 centres. Twenty centres were purposively selected based on high population. 380 pupils were sampled using Krejcie and Morgan's table (1970). Twenty headteachers, 20 teachers and two county directors were sampled. This study was theoretically guided by Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Data was collected by means of an interview schedule, questionnaires and an observation schedule. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics by using SPSS. The Major finding is that pupils in ECDE centres with SFP participate more than those in schools without SFP. The study recommends that SFP be implemented in all schools.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the instructional constraints facing learners with muscular dystrophy in Joy Town special primary school, Thika, Kenya. Descriptive design was used for this study. The target population were all the 20 learners suffering from muscular dystrophy from S.A Joy Town Special Primary School. The total target population was 84. Random sampling was used on learners suffering from muscular dystrophy. Purposive sampling was used on the head teacher, parents, teachers, teacher aides, housemothers and medical personnel. The researcher used an interview and an observation guide to collect data for comprehensive results. Piloting of the instruments was done at Dagoretti special school to establish validity and reliability of instruments. Content related validity was used as a measure to determine validity. The researcher used the Human Capital Theory. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data. Results revealed that there were major instructional constraints faced by learners suffering from muscular dystrophy that included; slowness in completing learning tasks, mobility problems, problems in manipulating teaching learning materials, inability to hold a pen, lack of specialized facilities among others.

Boards of Managements (B.O.M) carry with them the success or failure of the schools' management. The success of B.O.M is portrayed through good academic performance and high discipline standards in schools. Poor management on the other hand, may lead to the dissolution of the Board and nomination of another to manage the school. Performance of the B.O.M may be as a result of their training levels and acquired skills. This study therefore sought to categorize education levels of B.O.M in Wareng Sub County in relation to their involvement in the recruitment process. The study employed a descriptive survey design. The study population included head teachers/principals, members of Board of Managements, Education Officers, teachers and Support Staff. Simple random sampling was used to obtain 12 schools out of the total 24 public schools in Wareng Sub County. A total of 12 head teachers, 7 school bursars and three District Education Officers were purposively included in the study. Simple random sampling was used to select 50 teachers and 43 B.O.M members from the schools selected. Data was collected by the use of questionnaires and interview schedules and analysed by use of descriptive statistics. The study established that majority of the B.O.M members were holders of Diploma and Secondary Education Certificate. It was also established that B.O.M were often engaged in the selection of teachers and recruitment of non- teaching staff, promotion and discipline of support staff, motivation of teachers and disciplining of errant teachers. The study is expected to enrich Board of Management's induction and training programmes in order to improve the quality of school management in Wareng Sub County.

Leadership coaching is a method of learning and development. This brief describes a leadership practice that was effective in navigating culture when it became a relevant factor in maintaining a reciprocal leadership learning and development partnership. Using a community-based inquiry method, we utilized and examined leadership coaching practice as it attempted to support cross-cultural leadership learning and development that was running alongside an international development project in Kenya. Readers will gain a better understanding of a cross-cultural leadership coaching practice.

Context-based learning (CBL) is advocated as beneficial to learners, but more needs to be understood about how different contexts used in courses influence student outcomes. Gilbert defined several models of context that appear to be used in chemistry. In one model that achieves many criteria of student meaning-making, the context is provided by 'personal mental activity', meaning that students engage in a role to solve a problem. The model's predicted outcomes are that students develop and use the specialised language of chemistry, translate what they learn in the immediate context to other contexts, and empathise with the community of practice that is created. The first two of these outcomes were investigated in two large-enrolment university chemistry courses, both organised as this CBL model, in which students were introduced to kinetic molecular theory (KMT). Sample 1 students (N[subscript 1] = 105) learned KMT through whole-class kinaesthetic activity as a human model of a gas while focusing on a problem identifying substances in balloons filled with different gases. Sample 2 students (N[subscript 2] = 110) manipulated molecular dynamics simulations while focusing on the problem of reducing atmospheric CO[subscript 2]. Exam answers and pre-/post-test responses, involving a new KMT context, were analysed. Students in Sample 1 demonstrated a stronger understanding of particle trajectories, while Sample 2 students developed more sophisticated mechanistic reasoning and greater fluidity of translation between contexts through increased use of chemists' specialised language. The relationships of these outcomes to the contexts were examined in consideration of the different curriculum emphases inherent in the contexts.

This article reveals the complicated relationships among culture, family, trauma, and service delivery for immigrant families. The author describes a family who first came into contact with the service delivery system referred by the pediatrician, whose practice was an important point of entry for the early childhood work that followed. The family required close collaboration among a team of early childhood specialists, including infant/preschool psychiatry, social work, early intervention services, and interpretive services across three different institutions and settings. This story highlights the importance of multidisciplinary work and the difficulties involved in attempting to meet the needs of culturally diverse and complex families.

Despite recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics for limited media use in childhood, children are watching increasing amounts of television. Ethnically and racially diverse children are watching more TV than their Caucasian peers. While there has been intense debate regarding rates of TV viewing and the concomitant risks or benefits, there has been less discussion about why ethnically and racially diverse children are watching more TV. This article covers some of the theories behind the increase in viewing time overall, and it presents some interesting exploratory findings highlighting similarities and differences in the viewing program choices of preschool-aged children and their families from several racial and ethnic backgrounds. Finally, the article suggests recommendations for researchers, clinicians, educators, and others working with families with young children to make more informed recommendations on early childhood viewing.

The following survey was undertaken in 2005 to assess the effectiveness of professional training activities in international agricultural research organizations that were undertaken between 1999 and 2002 at ICRAF (International Centre for Research in Agroforestry), now World Agroforestry Centre, Nairobi. Trainees were randomly selected from various professional fields in the agroforestry domain. Survey questionnaires and telephone interviews were adopted. Descriptive statistics, logit regression, cross-tabulations and bi-plot analysis were used to analyze the data. The Kirkpatrick's training evaluation theory provided the methodological framework for the study. Male participants were more educated and had longer average professional experience than females. Trainees had good recollection and learning of various aspects of the training. There was high potential for skill transfer and practical implementation of training skills among all trainees, but lack of resources was a major limitation. Female workers faced more constraints during workplace implementation of skills than male workers. The study has practical implications for current and future design and evaluation of training in agricultural domains. The work also contributes to knowledge building in training evaluation within agricultural institutions in Africa, which is poorly documented or lacking in certain specific settings. The paper is original because scientific evaluation of training activities in agricultural practice in Africa is rarely or poorly documented, thus adding value to agricultural research. (Contains 4 figures and 13 tables.)

The authors developed a qualitative study to seek the feedback of service providers with regard to the usefulness of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social Emotional as a screening tool for multicultural populations. They addressed provider satisfaction with the tool by surveying a multidisciplinary sample of practitioners who provide a range of developmental, early care, home visiting, and mental health services. Through interviews and focus groups in one urban early intervention program, they discussed with clinicians their ideas about use of the instrument with a highly diverse, multilingual and multicultural population. This preliminary study highlights some of the many complexities inherent in conducting psychosocial screening in cross-cultural contexts.