Institutional factors influencing the implementation of life skills curriculum in public secondary schools in Matinyani sub-county, Kitui County

Abstract

The General purpose of this study was to investigate Institutional factors influencing the Implementation of life skills curriculum in public secondary schools in Matinyani Subcounty, Kitui County, Kenya. The specific study objectives sought to; determine the extent to which the teaching of Life Skills as a non-examinable subject, level of training of Teachers in life skills Education, the perception of teachers towards life skills subject and Principals supervision of the teaching and learning of life skills education influences the implementation of life skills curriculum in public Secondary Schools in Matinyani sub-, County. The study was anchored on the Social Cognitive Theories. The study used Descriptive survey research design. The target population for the study consisted of all the 26 public secondary school principals and all the Life skills subject teachers and one Sub County Director of Education in Matinyani Sub County who were selected using census technique. Data was collected by use of interview guides and questionnaires which generated both qualitative and quantitative data. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse both qualitative and quantitative data through the use of Statistical package for Social Sciences Version 26. Quantitative data was analysed quantitatively and presented through the use of frequency distribution tables. Content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data gathered from the open ended items. Thus, data was organized into themes based on the study objectives and presented in a narrative form.From the findings, findings majority of the principals of the 91.3 % who were also supported by majority of LS subject teachers whose percentage translated to 91.3 % disagreed respectively with the statement that Life skills subject is not examined at all in their schools. The study also found from majority of 95.7% and 4.3 % of the principals who disagreed and strongly disagreed respectively with the statement that their school had teachers who had been trained to teach LSE. The results in this study found from majority of the principals 82.6% who agreed with the statement that teachers of LSE feel overloaded by having an additional subject. The study found that majority of the principals 100% disagreed with the statement that there is regular supervision of the teaching and learning of LSE in their schools. The study recommended that the government should enhance the teaching of LSE in schools by allocating more resources to schools, capacity building of teachers through workshops and seminars, pre-serve and in-service training in teaching LSE, providing learning resources like text books, allocation of time for teaching LS, making LS examinable and stepping up the supervision of the teaching of LSE. The study may add to the body of knowledge on institutional determinants of implementation of life skills education and raise awareness among teachers and students of the value of life skill curricular.