Factors influencing choice of Christian religious education by public secondary school students in Makueni sub-county, Makueni county, Kenya

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.