The life approach to Christian religious education: a survey of its use in selected secondary schools in Nairobi

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the extent to which teachers of Christian Religious Education used the life approach in their teaching of the subject in the secondary schools in Nairobi, It was also designed to find out whether these teachers were academically and professionally prepared to use the life approach in teaching Christian Religious Education (CRE) in the secondary schools and whether they encountered any problems in their use of the life approach. The study also hoped to come up with suggestions on how the use of the life approach in the teaching of CRE in the secondary schools could be improved.

Data was collected from 61 teachers of CRE from 30 selected secondary schools in Nairobi, using questionnaires and observation of CRE lessons in Forms III and IV.

The study found out that the teachers were not adequately prepared professionally to use the life approach in terms of pre-service and in-serve training. As a result the teachers used the life approach only to a limited extent in teaching CRE. It was also found out that the teachers encountered a number of problems in their attempts to use the life approach. These problems included shortage of time, a wide syllabus, inadequate teaching-learning facilities, lack of interest from the students and inadequate guidance on how to use the approach.

Some suggestions were given on how the use of the life approach can be improved and recommendations made to the Ministry of Education and its various arms for consideration.