Contribution of teacher preparedness in the provision of student safety in emergency incidents in public secondary schools in kisumu county, kenya

Abstract

Parents expect a safe learning environment for their children while in teachers’ custody, yet threats to student safety are increasing globally, and Kenya is no exception. In Kisumu County, media and official reports on incidents from floods, criminal activity, community conflicts, fires and strikes continue to be noted. Due to legal responsibility, preparation and their position as first responders in school emergency, teachers have a crucial role in ensuring student safety, yet little has been done to explore teacher preparedness. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine contribution of teacher preparedness in the provision of student safety in emergency incidents in public secondary schools in Kisumu County. Objectives of the study were to; examine contribution of teacher knowledge; establish the contribution of teacher attitude; determine contribution of teacher practices; and establish the contribution of teacher demographic factors on teacher preparedness in the provision of student safety in emergency incidents in public secondary schools in Kisumu County. The study adopted survey research design. The study population was 42 principals, 324 teachers, and 6 Sub County Quality Assurance and Standards Officers (SCQASOs). Purposive sampling was used to select principals, while SCQASOs teachers were selected by saturated sampling. Study sample consisted of 37 principals, 299 teachers and 4 SCQASOs. Questionnaire for teachers and principals, and interview schedule for SCQASOs, were used to collect data. Piloting was done to establish reliability of instruments; where 5 principals, 25 teachers and 2 SCQASOs were included in piloting. Test-retest was used to determine reliability of the questionnaires. Reliability coefficient of 0.86 and 0.81 were attained for teachers’ and principals’ questionnaires, respectively. Validity was determined by experts in Educational Administration and Policy studies. Quantitative data was analyzed using mean, t-test, correlation and multiple regression while qualitative data was coded, transcribed and organized thematically. Ethics was observed during both data collection and reporting of findings. It was established that; teacher knowledge and practices moderately contributed to student safety with overall mean ratings of 3.21 and 2.93 respectively, while teacher attitude highly contributed with overall mean rating of 3.54. Teacher demographic factors moderately contributed to teacher preparedness with overall mean rating of 3.35, and all aspects considered. In all, teacher demographic factors moderately influenced teacher preparedness, and had a positive and significant relationship (r=0.438, p<.05). Findings of this study are important to educational administrators, policy makers and planners in understanding how teacher preparedness contributes to, and how demographic factors contribute to teacher preparedness as well as contribute to the body of knowledge on teacher preparedness in the provision of student safety in emergency in schools, and to researchers interested in pursuing student safety in future.