Institutional Factors Influencing Implementation of Adult and Continuing Educationin Adult Education Centers in Imenti North Sub-county, Meru, Kenya

Abstract

In Kenya, although the Non Formal Basic Education Curriculum has been developed and introduced, many non-formal education centers have not implemented the curriculum. This study examined the institutional factors that influence the implementation of adult and continuing education curriculum in non-formal education institutions in the Imenti North Sub-county of Meru, Kenya. The study was driven by four primary objectives: Firstly, this study aims to assess the influence of teaching and learning resources on the implementation of the adult non-formal basic education curriculum. Secondly, it seeks to examine the impact of facilitators' instructional methods on the curriculum. Lastly, it aims to evaluate how the professional qualifications of teachers affect the curriculum, as well as how the availability of financial resources influences the implementation of the adult non-formal basic education curriculum. The study employed a descriptive survey research design. The target audience consisted of 300 adult learners, one Sub County education officer, and seventy teachers. The sample consisted of ninety adult learners, one Sub County education officer, and twenty-one teachers. Data gathering tools such as questionnaires and interview schedules were utilized. The quantitative data underwent analysis through the utilization of descriptive statistics, which subsequently presented the findings in the form of frequencies and percentages. The data was analyzed using SPSS, specifically version 20.0. The study found that 61.9 percent of teachers reported that adult learners have a poor level of familiarity with the learning resources supplied by the institution. The study's findings indicate that 47.7% of educators consider dialogue to be a crucial teaching tool in curriculum implementation. 47.6 percent of teachers felt that both academic qualification and job experience are essential requirements for curriculum coverage. It was determined that 38.1 percent of teachers indicated that there is insufficient infrastructure funding in centers to a significant degree. The analysis determined that there is a significant deficiency in the instructional resources required to execute the implementation of the adult education program. The study suggests that a lack of training among certain teachers in effective teaching methodologies poses a challenge for adult non-formal basic education institutions in implementing their curriculum. The study proposes that the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development develop instructional resources for educators who educate nonformal education students, specifically focusing on the Non Formal Education curriculum. The researcher suggests performing analogous studies in supplementary Kenyan sub-counties.