Factors influencing students’ choice of christian religious education in public secondary schools in Matungulu Subcounty, Machakos county, Kenya

Abstract

Curriculum flexibility is one of the important ingredients of curriculum development. This aspect allows students to make choices as to the subjects that they have to undertake after being exposed to the content of most subjects offered in the curriculum at lower levels. Christian Religious Education (CRE) is one of those optional subjects that students choose among other subjects in the humanities cluster as the students advance to senior secondary level. This journal is an extract of a study conducted between 2014 to 2019 on factors influencing students’ choice of Christian Religious Education as a subject in public secondary schools in Matungulu SubCounty, Machakos County, Kenya. The study was guided by the following objectives: Establish the influence of students’ career aspirations on their choice of CRE, and to determine the influence of the students’ previous performance in National Examinations on the choice of CRE. The study used descriptive research design and collected data from a sample of 432 respondents who were chosen from a total of 1202 respondents. Questionnaires and interview schedules were used to collect data. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 22. The findings of the study revealed that students career aspirations t (277) = 8.2; p≤ .05 β= .625), and previous performance in CRE t(279)= 4.697; p≤ .05; 𝛽 = .212) had a statistically significant influence on the choice of CRE as a subject. The study recommended that; teachers and parents should inspire children at an early age on the choice of career so that they are aware of what subjects to choose as they grow in the education system leading them to the desired careers. Similarly, Principals should always display national examination results on notice boards for the other students to see and get motivated to choose best performed subjects. The study findings are important to ministry of education to inform subject policy guidelines, teachers, parents and students as it offers insights on the factors that influence subject choice at secondary school level.