Lived experiences of teachers on the effectiveness of moral education in addressing gender-based violence in public secondary schools in Vihiga County, Kenya

Monicah Odero; Joseph W. Nasongo; Juma Injendi

doi:10.51867/ajernet.6.3.73

Authors

Monicah Odero
moniodero@gmail.com
Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kenya https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7582-0834
Joseph W. Nasongo Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kenya https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6517-8158
Juma Injendi Masinde Muliro University of Science and technology, Kenya https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1335-5383

Keywords:

Gender-Based Violence, Lived experiences, Moral Education, Kohlberg’s Theory, Vihiga County, Kenya

Abstract

This study examined the determinants of the use of accounting software among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania. Despite the growing imperative for digital financial management, the use of accounting software remains limited. Grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and positivism research philosophy, this study assessed the influence of management support, perceived ease of use, and competitive pressure on the use of accounting software among SMEs. A cross-sectional research design was employed, utilizing quantitative techniques. Data for this study were collected through a survey method employing a structured questionnaire administered to a sample of 135 SMEs, selected using stratified random sampling to ensure representativeness across key business sectors. The collected data were subsequently analysed through binary logistic regression in Stata/MP version 17.0. The results show that several variables had statistically significant influence on the use of accounting software. Within management support, training provision (p < 0.01), managerial resources allocation (p < 0.01), and active managerial involvement (p < 0.01) significantly influenced the use of accounting software. Under perceived ease of use, significant factors included ease of learning (p < 0.01), interface clarity (p < 0.01), and user-friendliness (p < 0.05). From the domain of competitive pressure, both competitor adoption (p < 0.05) and external demands (p < 0.01) were statistically significant. These findings confirm that the decision to use accounting software is not merely technical but is shaped by managerial behavior, system design, and environmental dynamics. This study concludes that, effective use of accounting software depends on deliberate leadership, system simplicity, and external incentives. It recommends prioritizing managerial training, promoting intuitive software design, and leveraging peer and institutional support to enhance the financial digital transformation of SMEs. This study contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence on the determinants of the use of accounting software in the context of SMEs in Morogoro Municipality, a setting that has received limited attention in prior research. From a practical perspective, the findings offer actionable insights for SME owners and policymakers to strengthen digital financial management.

Dimensions

REFERENCES

ActionAid. (2013). Stop violence against girls in school success stories 2: Stop violence against girls in school! Make girls' rights to education reality! https://actionaid.org/sites/default/files/publications/svags_success_stories.pdf

APHRC. (2025). Challenges in addressing gender-based violence in Kenyan schools: A teacher's perspective. African Population and Health Research Center.

Arthur, J., Kristjánsson, K., Harrison, T., Sanderse, W., & Wright, D. (2017). Teaching character and virtue in schools. Routledge.

https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315695013 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315695013

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa DOI: https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Egne, R. M. (2014). Gender equality in public higher education institutions of Ethiopia: The case of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Discourse and Communication for Sustainable Education, 5(1), 3-21. https://doi.org/10.2478/dcse-2014-0001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/dcse-2014-0001

Freire, P. (2020). Pedagogy of the oppressed. In Toward a sociology of education (pp. 374-386). Routledge.

https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003060635-5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003060635-5

Gadamer, H. G. (2013). Truth and method. A&C Black.

Gilligan, C. (1993). In a different voice: Psychological theory and women's development. Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674037618 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674037618

Heidegger, M. (1962). Being and time (J. Macquarrie & E. Robinson, Trans.). Harper & Row.

Keller, J., Mboya, B. O., Sinclair, J., Githua, O. W., Mulinge, M., Bergholz, L., ... & Kapphahn, C. (2017). A 6-week school curriculum improves boys' attitudes and behaviors related to gender-based violence in Kenya. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 32(4), 535-557.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260515586367 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260515586367

Kohlberg, L. (1981). Essays on moral development, Volume 1: The philosophy of moral development. Harper & Row.

Mwenesi, J., Nasongo, J. W., & Juma, I. (2025). Exploring teachers' lived experiences about alternatives to corporal punishment in addressing moral decline in secondary schools in Bungoma County, Kenya. African Journal of Empirical Research, 6(1), 123-134.

https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.6.1.12 DOI: https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.6.1.12

Nyangaresi, J. K., Nasongo, J. W., & Injendi, J. (2024). Teachers' perspectives on the effectiveness of moral strategies for character formation in public secondary schools in Kakamega County, Kenya. African Journal of Empirical Research, 5(4), 695-707.

https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.5.4.57 DOI: https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.5.4.57

Nyangaresi, J. K., Nasongo, J. W., & Injendi, J. (2024). The value of the aims of moral education for character formation in public secondary schools in Kakamega County, Kenya: A phenomenological approach. African Journal of Empirical Research, 5(4), 1197-1207.

https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.5.4.98 DOI: https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.5.4.98

Parkes, J., & Heslop, J. (2013). Stop violence against girls in school: A cross-country analysis of change in Ghana, Kenya, and Mozambique. Plan International.

Spear, A. M. (2019). Teachers as change agents? Assessing teachers' perceptions of and responses to sexual gender-based violence in schools in Burkina Faso. FIRE: Forum for International Research in Education, 5(2), 195-213. Lehigh University Library and Technology Services.

https://doi.org/10.32865/fire201952157 DOI: https://doi.org/10.32865/fire201952157

Together for Girls. (2020). Kenya: School-related gender-based violence fact sheet. https://www.togetherforgirls.org

Turiel, E. (2015). Moral development. In Handbook of child psychology and developmental science (pp. 1-39).

https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118963418.childpsy113 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118963418.childpsy113

UNGEI. (2019). Strategies to end school-related gender-based violence: The experience of education unions in Africa. United Nations Girls' Education Initiative.

UNGEI. (2025). Gender-based violence in education: The role of moral education in schools. United Nations Girls' Education Initiative.

van Manen, M. (2016). Researching lived experience: Human science for an action sensitive pedagogy (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Vanner, C. (2022). Education about gender-based violence: Opportunities and obstacles in the Ontario secondary school curriculum. Gender and Education, 34(2), 134-150. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2021.1884193 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2021.1884193