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Factors Affecting the Perfomance of Secretaries in an Organisation

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Factors Affecting the Perfomance of Secretaries in an Organisation
Current Research Journal of Social Sciences 3(2): 59-65, 2011 ISSN: 2041-3246 © Maxwell Scientific Organization, 2011 Received: November 11, 2010 Accepted: March 08, 2011

Published: March 30, 2011

Influence of Teachers’ and Students’ Attitudes Towards Performance in Shorthand in Technical Training
Silvia Kanyaa Vundi, Joseph W. Nasongo and Eunice Majanga Department of Educational Foundations, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kenya
Abstract: Scholastic achievement is the goal of any training. The trainee’s attitude to a subject greatly influences the outcome. This study sought to look at the influence of the learner’s attitude towards shorthand subject on one’s performance in the subject by examining the ‘self’ and the ‘significant other’ variables namely subject teachers and course peers. The case study method was used where all the 40 students and 6 teachers in the Secretarial Section of Thika Technical Training Institute, made the study population. The results are a significant basis for effective policy making on shorthand subject in Tertiary Level Institutions in Kenya. Both qualitative and quantitative data was elicited through questionnaires, interview schedules and document analysis. Data was developed by use of the SPSS text editor. The findings indicated that labeling the subject as ‘difficult’ through peer influence had resulted in the ‘self-fulfilling prophesy’ of incapability in the subject. Further, majority find the subject obsolete in today’s technologically automated world of a secretary. The curriculum developers need to review the place of shorthand in the secretarial career today because cultivating a positive self-concept in a subject is not just about the ‘significant others’ influence but also springs from appreciating its normative dimension. Key words: Attitudes, performance, self concept, shorthand INTRODUCTION Most students who enroll in Secretarial Studies at either certificate or diploma levels do not get



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