Availability and use of teaching and learning resources in public diploma teachers' training colleges in Kenya.

Abstract

The Purpose of this study was to determine the availability and use of teaching and learning resources in public diploma teachers' training colleges in Kenya. In the study, aspects of adequacy, accessibility. Frequency of use, maintenance and replenishment of the teaching and learning resources were investigated. The study was necessitated by the gap identified by external assessment reports of the directorate of quality assurance and standards in the Ministry of Education on the observed usage of the resources by diploma teacher trainees during teaching practice. Two questionnaires, one for the lecturers and the other for student teachers were used as the instruments for data collection alongside interview schedules, observation checklists and classroom observation schedule. The questionnaires focused on issues of availability, accessibility, adequacy, use and maintenance of the teaching and learning resources in Public Diploma Teachers' Training Colleges. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Statistical analysis Qualitative data revealed that among the projected audio-visual resources, overhead projectors were mostly available with a prevalence rate of 70%. There was however, a depressed availability of modem equipment such as LCDs and other computer based equipment. This scenario was replicated among the non-projected resources. Here, the traditional resources such as textbooks, chalkboard and models were significantly well availed to the colleges. Duplicating equipment and community based resources were fairly available and well utilized. On the usage of the teaching and learning resources, over 65 per cent of the lecturers reported that they rarely used the non-projected ones. This however contrasted the usage of duplicating and community based resources that were significantly utilized. Despite the average availability of teaching and learning resources in the public diploma teachers' training institutions, the study revealed that their maintenance was not adequate. There was, therefore, need to strengthen the maintenance regime of the available equipment. Effective use of the resources arid their adequate acquisitions was found to be hindered by lack of funds, administrative commitment and requisite training among the lecturers on how to handle some of the equipment. Lessons that were conducted as experiments and demonstrations were found to encourage the usage of the teaching and learning resources as opposed to the lessons based on the lecture method. Improvisation was found to be significantly muted with only one observed lesson found to use improvised items.