Effects of in-serving teachers on implementationof intergrated English in public secondary school in Imenti north district, Kenya.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of in-servicing teachers on implementation of Integrated English in Public secondary schools in Imenti North district, Kenya. The objectives of the study were to determine the extent to which Integrated English content was covered by teachers of English and to establish the number of in-service courses provided to teachers of English since 2003 in Imenti North district. The study was guided by Transfer of Training Theory. It states that trainees use the attitudes, skills and knowledge learnt during training to improve on-the-job performance. The study used Descriptive Survey. Eighteen public secondary schools in the district were sampled for study. The study used Purposive Sampling Technique to sample various schools for study. Reliability of the instruments was tested through Test-Retest Technique and the designed instruments in the study measured Content Validity. The study used interview schedules and questionnaires to collect data from the respondents. Interviews were conducted for the head teachers to enable the researcher to probe more information on the research topic. Questionnaires were administered to the heads of departmentlanguages and teachers of English. The study findings established that although 70% of the sampled teachers of English gave attention to all the areas in Integrated English during their classroom teaching, they did not complete the syllabus by the time the students sat for KCSE English examinations. This led to low performance of students in English. It was also established that although all the teachers of English sampled attended at least one in-service training course, 60% of them were not contented with how the training was conducted. They complained that courses were few in number, were offered over a short period of time and were trainer-centered. It was found that implementation of Integrated English in Imenti North district was faced by a number of challenges such mother-tongue interference and inadequate in-service training of teachers. Teachers’ acquisition of knowledge and skills in their areas of specialization is vital in curriculum implementation. Teachers of English should be availed with adequate and quality in-service courses to enhance effective implementation of Integrated English.