The Relationship between Teacher Competencies and Student Transition to Junior School in Garissa Township Sub-County, Kenya

Transition from primary to junior school is increasingly acknowledged as a challenging and potentially distressing phase for students, with some researchers categorizing it as treacherous and traumatic. While some students navigate this shift seamlessly, others confront various hurdles, including behavioural, cognitive, and social-emotional obstacles, leading to potential disengagement in junior school education. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between teacher competencies and student transition from primary school to junior secondary school. The objective of the study was, to determine the association between teacher competencies and student transition from primary to junior school. Quantitative research employing a correlational research design was used to investigate the association between teacher competencies and student transition from primary to junior school The study targeted 336 teachers in 30 public primary schools within the Garissa Township sub-county. Census sampling technique was used to collect data from every single unit in the population. The study employed questionnaires to collect data from teachers. Face and content validity was used to measure the extent to which an instrument is intended to measure, technical soundness and meaningfulness while Cronbach Alpha tests were done to analyse items for internal consistency and reliability. Pilot study was undertaken to evaluate the feasibility, time, and cost for appropriate prediction of sample size and improve the research instrument. The domain in the questionnaire had Cronbach Alpha correlation coefficient above 0.83 which was adequate. As a result, 246 teachers responded to the questionnaire while 90 were unresponsive. Descriptive statistics including mean and standard deviation were applied in analysing quantitative data the inferential statistics using Spearman’s rank correlation was used to test bivariate correlation. The findings revealed significant and positive relationships between teacher competencies and student transition. However, it is important to note that the model explained only a fraction of the total variance, indicating the potential influence of other unaccounted factors. This study recommends that the Ministry of Education should invest in ongoing professional development programs for teachers, focusing on enhancing teacher competencies.