The problem of this study was to investigate the teaching of the integrated topics on drug abuse in the secondary school curriculum as a strategy to wipe out the problem of drug abuse among students in Machakos District, Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were to: establish the prevalence of drug abuse at the secondary school level according to gender, locality (urban/rural), boarding or day and religious practice, and establish the effect of teaching integrated topics on prevalence rate of drug abuse. It was also meant to examine which topics on drug abuse are integrated in the secondary school curriculum. A survey study was carried out in Machakos District, Kenya. The subjects of the study were drawn from 24 randomly selected secondary schools. A sample of 774 respondents selected through stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used for the study. The sampling matrix comprised of 24 principals, 280 teachers and 470 students. The study utilized five research instruments: three questionnaires, interview schedule and observation schedule. The data collected was analyzed using frequencies, percentages, mean, mode and median. The main findings of the study were: the prevalence of drug abuse according to gender was Boys’ (11.19%), Girls’ (9.58%) and mixed sex (9.49%) schools. The urban schools had a prevalence of 10.73% whereas it was 9.66% in the rural ones. The prevalence according to status of the schools was: Day (13.84%), Mixed Day and Boarding (12.28%), and Boarding (11.54%). The teaching of the integrated topics on drug abuse had helped schools to reduce the drug menace. The topics on drug abuse were integrated in five subjects in the formal curriculum (English, Kiswahili, Chemistry, Biology and Christian Religious Education), the integrated topics were also taught through the non formal (Clubs and societies meetings) and in the informal (class, assembly and dormitory meetings) curriculum. Key words: curriculum, integrated topics, prevalence rate of drug abuse.
Economic status of students, gender and family size have been found to affect students’ achievement in mathematics. However, there seems to be limited research on the effects of knowledge and affective skills acquired from other subjects on students’ achievement in mathematics. The research objectives of the study were to determine whether the cognitive and practical skills acquired in woodwork affects students’ achievement in mathematics. The study also sought to find out whether the learning of similar topics in woodwork affected students’ achievement in mathematics. The research methodology applied was ex-post facto design. The study was carried out in four secondary schools which offered woodwork in Machakos County, Kenya and involved a student sample of 158. Data was collected by use of three mathematics tests and a questionnaire for woodwork students. The results revealed that cognitive and practical skills acquired in woodwork have a positive effect on students’ achievement in mathematics. The learning of similar topics in woodwork and mathematics has a positive effect on students’ achievement in mathematics. Key words: cognitive skills, practical skills, students’ achievement.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.