Institutional factors influencing implementation of life skills education curriculum in public primary schools in Kehancha Division - Kuria West District, Kenya

Abstract

Life Skills education plays a major role in enabling individuals to translate knowledge, attitudes and values into actual abilities in reference to what to do and how to do it. Life skills is a new subject in the Kenyan curriculum , it is also non examinable at both class eight and form four where national examinations are taken and this makes it inconspicuous in relation to the examinable subjects. Its implementation especially at the primary school level has equally had few studies done in Kenya. Although efforts have been made to effect its implementation, challenges that influence its implementation still abound. The study had the following four objectives:- to determine the influence of teacher preparedness on the implementation of the life skills education curriculum in public primary schools in Kehancha division. to determine whether attitudes of teachers affect implementation of life skills education in public primary schools in Kehancha division to establish the influence of learning resources on the implementation of life skills education curriculum in public primary schools in Kehancha division and to establish the extent to which head teacher’s supervision influences the implementation of life skills education curriculum in public primary schools in Kehancha division. The purpose of this study was to investigate the institutional factors influencing implementation of life skills curriculum in public primary schools in Kehancha Division. Descriptive research design was adopted in the study. The target population of this study consisted of all the public primary schools in Kehancha division. Random sampling was used to select a sample of 19 head teachers, 95 teachers and 300 pupils in STD 7 and 8. Primary data was used in the study. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire that had both closed and open-ended questions. The quantitative data obtained was analyzed through inferential and descriptive statistics and presented through tables, percentages and pie charts. Qualitative data were organized into themes as per study objectives and analyzed through content analysis process The study established several factors as influencing implementation of Life Skills curriculum. These include inappropriate teaching approaches, poor conceptualization of Life Skills by the teachers, limited human resource, lack of school supervision, poor teacher preparation, poor choice of teaching, limited use of instructional resources and negative attitude of teachers and pupils towards Life Skills. The researcher concluded that implementation of Life Skills curriculum mainly depends on teacher’s competence and attitude. This research therefore recommends that teachers and head teachers be retrained on LSE regularly in order to improve life skills education, teachers need to prepare schemes of work for life skills, follow the prescribed syllabus and appreciate LSE, government through the ministry of education should also allocate more resources such as relevant text books and audio-visual learning aids to be used for the learning of life skills in public primary schools; and also improve the curriculum to include Life skills Education and make it examinable both at the school level and at the national level in public Primary schools