Practicums provide opportunities for students to connect theory with practice through experiential learning and hands‐on work experience. While recommended for students in Kenya, there is little research on the practicum experience. This article describes evidence used to prepare students for practicum experiences. Interviews and focus groups (FGs) were conducted with three stakeholder groups in two phases. Findings informed the development of a practicum preparation course that covers topics including (i) becoming a reflective professional and/or practitioner; (ii) articulating practicum learning goals; (iii) mental preparation for demanding field‐based situations; and (iv) developing confidence in interpersonal communication. Phase two evaluated the initial impact of the course through FGs and follow‐up interviews.
Background: Attitude is what influences all actions an individual undertakes in life. Young adult"s attitude on sexual reproductive health has proven to have a significant influence on their sexual health lifestyle and access to healthcare. Institutions of higher learning have put in place measures to ensure student have access to youth friendly services yet this has not been matched with students utilizing the various reproductive health services within the university. To fully understand students attitude towards uptake of reproductive health services, the current study grounded on the health belief model builds on previous researches examining on youth attitudes" to sexual and reproductive health. Methodology: Reflecting on 178 structured questionnaire administered to undergraduate students in Kenyatta University. Results: This paper highlights how students" attitude to ABC strategy influences uptake of reproductive health services. Results indicated that student had a negative attitude towards abstaining, nearly half had a positive attitude to being faithful to one partner. Chi square results revealed significant relationships between uptake of reproductive health services and students attitude to abstinence till marriage (p=0.014), attitude in condom use (p=0.005 Discussion: Findings also showed a positive attitude to condom use contrary to some literature on the use of condoms among youths. ABC strategy had a significant impact on uptake to reproductive health progammes. The study established that students" attitude to the ABC strategy for protective sexual behaviour influenced uptake of reproductive health services. Conclusion: In light of these findings, the study recommends need for reproductive health programmes to redouble their efforts in strengthening the ABC strategy among university students in order to positively influence students" sexual attitudes and behaviour.
Community-based learning (CBL), which provides opportunities for undergraduate students to develop disciplinary and work-related knowledge and skills, is increasingly becoming an integral component of higher education. Similar to other countries, there is a widespread belief among employers in Kenya that there is a mismatch between university programs and labour market demands. In order to enhance the employability of graduates, many departments at a Kenyan university have incorporated work-integrated experiential learning opportunities such as practicums in the educational experience for undergraduate students. The aim of this article is to describe the expectations of field supervisors in host organisations participitating in a community-based human services program at a Kenyan University. Fifteen purposively sampled field supervisors participated in individual face-to-face interviews that included questions about their understanding of the department’s expectations of student learning activities during practicums, knowledge of the academic preparation of students in the program and challenges associated with the supervisory role. Six field supervisors exhibited some level of understanding of the expectations of their role in working with practicum students, while nine field supervisors indicated unclear expectations of the students’ practicum experience. Thematic analysis revealed key themes related to: (1) student abilities, learning goals and their contributions to the host organisations, and (2) the academic program of study and academic support available from the university faculty or staff to field supervisors. The results of our study revealed a lack of clarity around practicum expectations for most of the field supervisors interviewed and insufficient preparation of the community-based organisations to host a practicum student. Several recommendations are identified to clarify the expectations of community partner organisations and the staff providing student supervision to ensure benefits for both students and the host organisation. Results from this study can be used to inform the development or improvement of practicum opportunities focused on producing a skilled workforce.
There is a rise in unprecedented political infractions, disturbances and electoral violence in Africa with the youth playing a significant role. Thus, the study broadly investigated social media use and electoral violence among the youth in Kenya using two objectives that were to assess the use of social media platforms among the youth and to investigate the relationship between social media use and electoral violence among the youth. Guided by the Dependency Theory and the Social Responsibility Theory, the study was carried out in Mathare Constituency, Nairobi County, Kenya. Data collection involved questionnaires, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Analysis of quantitative data was by descriptive statistics and regression while qualitative data was analyzed through transcription. The study findings showed that the use of social media platforms in communication has been growing with WhatsApp becoming the most ‘preferred’ platform in Kenya. The study outcome exposed the fact that social media had an important and positive effect on electoral violence among the Kenyan youth in Mathare (R = .812). On the other hand, social media (Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram) had a strong explanatory strength on electoral violence among the Kenyan youth in Mathare (R2 = .659). This means that social media accounts for 65.9 percent of electoral violence among the Kenyan youth in Mathare Constituency, Nairobi County. The study, therefore, concluded that there is a relationship between social media and electoral violence among the Kenyan youth in Mathare. The study finally recommends that the government should embrace and enforce self-regulation mechanisms by Internet service providers to deter incitement. In addition, there should be increased efforts to educate and inform Internet users on the importance of assessing the credibility of information. Promotion of productive engagement as an effective instrument of dealing with online hatred is key.
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