Teacher Related Factors Influencing the Implementation of Physical Education in Public Primary Schools in Manga Sub County, Kenya.

Abstract

Physical Education (PE) is an integral part of the school curriculum in Kenya. It enhances the physical, intellectual and social development of the learner. However, concerns have been raised on the effective implementation of PE in schools. The purpose of this study was to establish teacher related factors influencing the implementation of Physical Education in public primary schools in Manga Sub County, Kenya. The objectives of the study were to: establish teachers’ preparedness for the implementation of PE, find out the perceptions of teachers towards PE and to determine teachers’ use of teaching and learning resources for the implementation of PE. The study was guided by the General Systems Theory. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. Simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques were used to sample respondents for the study. The study sample constituted of: 19 headteachers, 155 teachers and 4 Zonal Quality Assurance and Standards Officers (ZQASOs) in Manga Sub County. The instruments used for data collection included; questionnaires, an interview schedule and observation checklist. The research instruments were piloted in 2 public primary schools from Manga Sub County. The 2 schools were not included in the main study. Content validity was enhanced by ensuring adequate and appropriate items in the instruments were relevant to the research objectives. The test-retest method was used to test the reliability of the questionnaire and Pearson’s product moment formula was used to compute the correlation coefficient. A correlation coefficient of 0.75 was obtained. Data was analyzed through descriptive statistics that included frequencies and percentages. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used to analyze the data. The results were presented using tables and figures. The study found out that the implementation of PE in primary schools was not effective. Majority of the teachers do not teach PE lessons and they also lack in service training hence the level of their preparedness for the implementation of PE in schools is low. Teachers had positive perceptions towards PE but little effort is put to enhance its implementation in schools. The findings of the study also indicated that schools lacked adequate facilities and equipment for PE. However, majority of the teachers never made use of the available PE resources that could facilitate the implementation process. Based on these findings, this study recommended that the Ministry of Education in conjunction with Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) should organize refresher courses for all teachers in primary schools on the implementation of PE. It is hoped that the findings and recommendations of the study will be useful in filling the gaps in the implementation of PE and also provide insights that curriculum implementers can incorporate to ensure effective implementation of PE in schools.