Enrolment and Retention of Students in German Language Classes: Influencing School Based Factors in Meru and Tharaka-Nithi Counties, Kenya
German is a language spoken by more than 100 million people as a mother tongue in Europe. It is one of the foreign languages taught and examined in secondary schools in Kenya. German as an optional subject is characterized by low number of students at form four level. The purpose of this study was to investigate school based factors that influence enrolment and retention of students in German language classes in Meru and Tharaka-Nithi Counties in Kenya. The study adapted the descriptive survey research design. Both purposive and random sampling techniques were used to select the respondents. Questionnaires and interview schedule were used. Data was analyzed using frequencies and percentages. The study found out that students’ career orientation, teachers’ teaching methods, teachers’ handling of students’ learning difficulties, students’ performance in German in form one and two, learning resources and prospects of German language influence enrolment and retention of students in German language classes. The findings of this study will provide knowledge in regard to enrolment and retention of students in German language classes and provide a foundation for future studies. Key w ords : Enrolment, Retention, School based, factors.
Factors That Influence High School Students' Decisions to Continue or Discontinue the Study of French and Spanish after Levels II, III, and IV
ABSTRACT  Although the number of public secondary school students enrolled in foreign language courses increased by 5.8 percent between 1982 and 1985, student enrollment in French and Spanish classes continued to decline precipitously from Level I (first year) to Level V (fifth year). This study addressed the issue of student retention in and withdrawal from French and Spanish classes beyond the basic two-year high school sequence. The degree of influence of 16 factors on the continue/discontinue decision was measured through a Likert-scale questionnaire as well as through demographic data. Chi-square testing, t tests, and comparison of ranks were utilized to determine the strongest and weakest influences for continuing and discontinuing students. Continuing students indicated practical, utilitarian reasons as prime motivators for continuing (enhancement of college applications and language usage). Discontinuing students withdrew because of other courses that they found more suitable and because of concerns about both the level of difficulty of the following course and concerns about their present progress.
Effects of a Study-Abroad Program on University Students: Toward a Predictive Theory of Intercultural Contact.
The "contact hypothesis" posits there is a relationship between intercultural contact and diLitude change. Claims abound regarding the virtues of study-abroad programs for university students among the many institutions offering these educational/travel adventures. However, relatively little empirical research has been conducted to verify those claims. This rearch examines the impact of an overseas study experience in Ergland on university students from the United States using forty-five variables. Substantial changes were reported on attitudes, specific knowledge levels, beliefs, values, behaviors, open-mindedness, personal growth, and general appreciation of other cultures. Variable clusters are discussed and suggestions made in terms of implications for contact hypothesis theory building, further research, development of orientation programs, the relationship between changes in variables and gender, and the relationship between changes in variables and the amount of travel during the semester.