CHALLENGES FACING TEACHERS IN PREPARATION AND UTILIZATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL MEDIA IN TEACHING KISWAHILI IN SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KENYA

Performance in Kiswahili subject in KCSE has not been impressive nationally for a long period. Many reasons which have been attributed to the poor results include improper use of media resources as it compromises the quality of teaching. The purpose of the study was to find out challenges facing teachers in preparation and utilization of instructional media in teaching Kiswahili. Dale’s cone of experience formed the theoretical framework of the study. The study was based on descriptive survey research design. The study population comprised of 28 head teachers, 90 Kiswahili teachers and 39,327 students in selected public secondary schools in Kenya, specifically in Sabatia district. The schools were stratified into three categories namely; girls’ schools, boys’ schools and co-educational schools from which 9 public secondary schools were selected. Two schools were used in the pilot study. Simple random sampling method was used to select 9 Head teachers, 30 Kiswahili teachers and 395 form three students. The selection of 395 form three students was based on Yamane’s (1967) formula. Questionnaires were used to collect information from teachers and students while an interview guide was prepared to obtain data from school head teachers. Document analysis was done on National examination results and Kiswahili syllabus. Reliability of the instruments was established by conducting a pilot study in two public secondary schools that did not participate in the actual study. Validity of instruments was established by giving the instruments to at least three experts in the area from the Department of Curriculum and Instructional Technology, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology for verification. Qualitative data was received in verbatim and then transcribed and reported in themes and sub-themes. Quantitative data obtained was analysed by descriptive statistics such as means, percentages and frequency counts. It was presented in tables, pie charts and graphs using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). The study revealed that teachers face several challenges in preparation and use of instructional media resources in teaching Kiswahili. It was concluded that there are various forms of instructional media resources that can be used in teaching various areas of Kiswahili Curriculum though there are challenges that need to be addressed to enhance the use of these resources in teaching Kiswahili. The study recommends that: the Ministry of education should forecast and plan to fund secondary schools to enable them purchase enough instructional Media resources for their use. It is hoped that the ministry of education will use these findings to enhance refresher courses so as to equip teachers with relevant skills of preparing and using instructional media resources effectively.