A survey of instructional practices of teachers of kiswahili in upper primary school in Emuhaya Division, Kakamega District

Abstract

This research work was conducted in Emuhaya Division of Kakamega District. The main purpose of the study was to carry out a survey of the instructional practices of teachers of Kiswahili in upper primary school. The study involved an attempt to determine whether teachers make teaching preparations .. It also involved the description of the instructional methods the teachers use, and the instructional materials they use and the factors that influence their choice. Finally the survey attempted to identify the current instr~ctional problems faced by teachers of Kiswahili. It was found necessary to study the current instructional practices of teachers of Kiswahili in view of the fact that Kiswahili had just been introduced as a compulsory and examinable subject in the new 8.4.4 system of Education curriculum in upper primary school. Data was collected by way of questionnaire which each selected subject responded to. Twenty four (24) teachers from twelve (12) schools (two from each school) were selected out of a total of eightysix (86) primary schools in the Division. Six (6) teachers were observed in actual classroom teaching situations. The 24 sample teachers revealed that teachers do the necessary teaching preparations and further that although they use various methods of teaching, the lecture method features very prominently. The findings undertaken further revealed that teachers mainly empfoy the use of tests and examinations to evaluate pupils and their own ways of teaching. Many instructional materials are lacking in schools in sufficient quantities and even those available are not fully utilised i~ the teaching of Kiswahili. The sample t~achers listed many problems ranging from inadequacy of textbooks and other facilities like the radio. While some of the pressing problems like crowded classrooms are beyond the ability of the teachers to solve, most of the problems could be solved by teachers' ingenuity, commitment and their own individual resourcefulness as professional teachers.