Volume 9, Issue 4, December 2014, Pages 1822–1829
Dr. Anne Syomwene1 and Prof. Isaac Njuguna Kimengi2
1 Dept. of Curriculum, Instruction and Educational Media, Moi University, P.O. Box 3900 – 30100, Eldoret, Kenya
2 Department of Educational Foundations, Moi University, P.O. Box 3900 – 30100, Eldoret, Kenya
Original language: English
Copyright © 2014 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
It is common today to hear parents, political leaders and even church leaders complaining that education and training in general are not facilitating the partakers to become reliable and dependable citizens. This is an evaluative statement on the sociological influences of the school curriculum. This paper is a report of a study that was carried out among Bachelor of Education (B.ED) students in a public university in Kenya. The objectives explored were to: Find out the perceptions of students on the sociological influences of the Kenya School curriculum; Find out the perceptions of the students on how the Kenya school curriculum prepared them to cope with emerging issues in the society; How the Kenya school curriculum has facilitated their understanding and appreciation of their culture; The ways through which religious organizations and families influence school curriculum in Kenya and their perceptions on how the Kenya school curriculum has facilitated their self-actualization. The study was driven by the Structural Functionalism theory and the Sociological foundations of curriculum. Stratified and simple random sampling methods were used in selecting the research sample. A total of 198 students participated in the study and out of these 100 were males and 98 females. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. Questionnaires were used in collection of data. Data was analysed through descriptive and inferential statistics. Among the major findings the study revealed that the Kenya school curriculum does not adequately facilitate learners to understand the cultures of other communities in Kenya, to appreciate other peoples' cultures, and to understand the challenges generally affecting the Kenya society. That the teaching methods adopted by teachers and the methods of evaluation used are inadequate in helping the learners to understand and appreciate their culture. This explains why Kenya is lagging behind in economic growth. Our school leavers are ill prepared to cope with the challenges affecting the society. Therefore, teachers should be provided with professional development opportunities on teaching methods that are learner centred especially those that facilitate problem solving, discovery learning and self-directed approaches.
Author Keywords: curriculum, sociology, culture, emerging issues, curriculum foundations.
Dr. Anne Syomwene1 and Prof. Isaac Njuguna Kimengi2
1 Dept. of Curriculum, Instruction and Educational Media, Moi University, P.O. Box 3900 – 30100, Eldoret, Kenya
2 Department of Educational Foundations, Moi University, P.O. Box 3900 – 30100, Eldoret, Kenya
Original language: English
Copyright © 2014 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
It is common today to hear parents, political leaders and even church leaders complaining that education and training in general are not facilitating the partakers to become reliable and dependable citizens. This is an evaluative statement on the sociological influences of the school curriculum. This paper is a report of a study that was carried out among Bachelor of Education (B.ED) students in a public university in Kenya. The objectives explored were to: Find out the perceptions of students on the sociological influences of the Kenya School curriculum; Find out the perceptions of the students on how the Kenya school curriculum prepared them to cope with emerging issues in the society; How the Kenya school curriculum has facilitated their understanding and appreciation of their culture; The ways through which religious organizations and families influence school curriculum in Kenya and their perceptions on how the Kenya school curriculum has facilitated their self-actualization. The study was driven by the Structural Functionalism theory and the Sociological foundations of curriculum. Stratified and simple random sampling methods were used in selecting the research sample. A total of 198 students participated in the study and out of these 100 were males and 98 females. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. Questionnaires were used in collection of data. Data was analysed through descriptive and inferential statistics. Among the major findings the study revealed that the Kenya school curriculum does not adequately facilitate learners to understand the cultures of other communities in Kenya, to appreciate other peoples' cultures, and to understand the challenges generally affecting the Kenya society. That the teaching methods adopted by teachers and the methods of evaluation used are inadequate in helping the learners to understand and appreciate their culture. This explains why Kenya is lagging behind in economic growth. Our school leavers are ill prepared to cope with the challenges affecting the society. Therefore, teachers should be provided with professional development opportunities on teaching methods that are learner centred especially those that facilitate problem solving, discovery learning and self-directed approaches.
Author Keywords: curriculum, sociology, culture, emerging issues, curriculum foundations.
How to Cite this Article
Dr. Anne Syomwene and Prof. Isaac Njuguna Kimengi, “Perceptions of Bachelor of Education Students on the Sociological Influences of the Kenya School Curriculum,” International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 1822–1829, December 2014.
