| dc.description.abstract | Moral education had long been recognized as a cornerstone of character development,
emphasizing respect, empathy, and justice. In the context of secondary education, moral
education provides students with tools to navigate through ethical dilemmas and it foster
respectful relationships. However, the persistence of gender-based violence (GBV) in
schools underscored a gap in translating moral education into actionable change.
Therefore, this study sought to investigate the efficacy of moral education in addressing
gender-based violence in public secondary schools in Vihiga County, Kenya, using a
phenomenological approach. Three main objectives guided the study: To examine lived
experiences of teachers on the effectiveness of moral education in addressing GBV in
public secondary schools in Vihiga County, Kenya, to investigate the lived experiences of
teachers on the role of moral education in curbing GBV in secondary schools in Vihiga
County, Kenya and to establish effective moral strategies in mitigating GBV in public
secondary schools in Vihiga County, Kenya. The study was guided by Aristotelian theory
of virtue ethics. Additionally, the study employed phenomenological hermeneutic and
critical methods. Purposive sampling was used to recruit five guidance and counseling
teachers from five public secondary schools in Vihiga County, Kenya. At the same time,
unstructured interviews were employed to collect primary data. Data was analyzed
thematically using Braun and Clarke's six steps. The study established that moral
education is a crucial component in the development of students’ ethical beliefs and
perceptions, especially regarding GBV. Secondly lived experience of teachers revealed
that they understood that moral education could help in preventing GBV, but they
encountered several barriers in its practice. Also, it was found that in order to improve the
effectiveness of moral education in combating GBV, schools should incorporate more
participatory teaching methods and engage with parents and communities more actively.
The study recommended that, the Ministry of Education and other stakeholders should
design training programs that will enable teachers to teach moral education and handle
issues to do with GBV, the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) should
ensure that moral education curriculum is well structured and should include issues to do
with GBV and schools should involve parents and other members of the community in
moral education programs to enhance ethical standards outside the classroom
environment. | en_US |
