Abstract:
The goal of this research study was to identify the variables that affect secondary school
students' decisions regarding Christian religious education (C.R.E.) in Makueni SubCounty, Makueni County. The research was driven by four goals that centered on learning
whether teachers' advice on subject selection influenced students' choices of subjects,
whether future career prospects influenced students' choices of subjects, whether there
were gender differences in students' choices of C.R.E among Kenya Certificate of
Secondary Education students, and whether students' interest in other subjects influenced
their choices of C.R.E. The study employed descriptive survey research design. The target
population for this study was 34 public secondary schools in Makueni sub-county, 34
principals from the 34 schools, 102 C.R.E teachers and 34 career and guidance teachers.
The sample size for the study was 14 principals 14 career guidance teachers selected using
simple random sampling. Purposive sampling was used to select 14 C.R.E teachers, one
from every selected school. The study used descriptive survey research design. Descriptive
statistic was used in analysing quantitative data and then the results presented in Tables.
Qualitative data was analysed using content analysis on the basis of the emerging themes
and narrative form presented. The findings of this research indicated that a majority of the
students' respondents as represented by 64.3% had chosen C.R.E as their humanity subject.
Eighty-five percent of the respondents indicated that C.R.E prepared them well for their
future careers. It was established that girls preferred subjects such as C.R.E which they
perceive have value to them. Teachers emphasized that C.R.E helped in instilling good
morals, preparing students for their future careers and for spiritual growth as Christians.
The attitude of students with regards to other subjects affected their choice of C.R.E
subject. Hypothesis testing was mainly done by way of Chi-square and Spearman rank
correlation. The results from the two tools indicated that there were significant
relationships in the variables identified. The study concluded that most students chose
C.R.E for their specific future career prospects and also to boost their K.C.S.E grades.
Based on findings of this study, the researcher recommends that the ministry of Education
should make C.R.E a compulsory subject in all secondary schools so that all students can
reap the benefits of the subject.
