Teachers’ Perspective Towards Their Involvement in Selection and Organization of Learning Experiences and Implementation of Secondary School Curriculum in Kenya

Abstract

Teacher empowerment has been the subject of considerable educational research in recent years, but the capacity of teachers in curriculum development especially in selection and organization of learning experiences has received limited empirical attention. The purpose of this study was to establish teachers’ perspective towards their involvement in selection and organization of learning experiences and implementation of secondary school curriculum in Kenya. The study employed descriptive survey research design and was conducted in Meru and Nairobi Counties. The target population was 3146 teachers comprising of 1781 males and 1365 females. Stratified random sampling was used to draw the participating schools and teachers. A sample of 342 teachers participated in the study. Questionnaires for teachers and an interview guide for principals were employed in data collection. The collected data was analyzed by use of both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study findings established that there was a statically significant relationship between teachers’ perspective towards their involvement in selection and organisation of learning experiences and implementation of secondary school curriculum in Kenya. However due to the top- down model of curriculum development followed by Kenya Institute of Curriculum   Development (KICD), curriculum development process is largely centrally-controlled and the experiences and talents of teachers are untapped and under-utilized during curriculum development process. The study recommends that teachers should be involved in the planning and development of the curriculum in all stages for effective implementation. The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) should widen the scope of its recruitments and lay better strategies to involve teachers in the curriculum development process. This can be done by redefining the curriculum development unit at KICD as an extension of the school system, thus providing more teachers to serve in it for a period of time. Also, curriculum development should be decentralized to local levels for easier participation from schools, sub-counties, counties and finally the national level taking into considerations all relevant contributions by various stake-holders. Studies on curriculum models followed by KICD should be conducted with a view to proposing alternative models that would enable more teachers and other stakeholders to participate fully in curriculum development process.

Keywords: Teacher Perspectives, Learning Experiences, Curriculum Implementation, Secondary School Curriculum