Determinants of secondary school learners’ performance in christian religious education in Lelan sub county, Kenya

Abstract

In Kenya, Christian Religious Education is taught and examined by the Kenya National Examinations Council in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education at the end of the four years of Secondary Education cycle. The teaching of this subject in Secondary Schools ensures that learners are offered an opportunity to develop morally and spiritually (Education Act, 2011). Christian Religious Education was earlier on examined with Social Education and Ethics as rival and complementary subjects. But, as years went by, the students' performance in Christian Religious Education declined. This rivalry necessitated the need to investigate students' performance in Christian Religious Education in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education in Lelan Division of West Pokot County. Five objectives and a corresponding number of null hypotheses were adopted. The Stratified sampling technique was employed to select two hundred and four (204); students, teachers, head teachers and a response rate of two hundred (200). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. It was established that students' poor performance in Christian Religious Education was influenced by; the teaching of Social Education and Ethics (SEE), student --teacher relationship, students' self determination, adequacy of resources, teachers' and students' attitudes towards Christian Religious Education besides the extent of teacher involvement in marking Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination examinations. The study recommended in- service training for Christian Religious Education teachers, construction of cost effective day secondary schools, Kenya National Examinations Council's involvement of teachers in marking Christian Religious Education and elimination of Social Education and Ethics as an examinable subject.