A study of the new agricultural education curriculum in the secondary schools of Kenya
Kathuri, Nephat Justus
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Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/23013
Description
Title
A study of the new agricultural education curriculum in the secondary schools of Kenya
Author(s)
Kathuri, Nephat Justus
Issue Date
1990
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Terwilliger, Edith R.
Department of Study
Education
Discipline
Education
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Education, Tests and Measurements
Education, Agricultural
Language
eng
Abstract
The purposes of this study were to investigate how the new Kenyan agricultural education curriculum was being implemented, factors influencing the implementation process and how the implementation affected students' achievement in agricultural education.
A sample of 53 secondary schools was randomly drawn from a total of 969 schools in two provinces. The sample represented rural and urban schools as well as government maintained, government aided and private schools. An achievement test was developed based on the first two years of the secondary school agriculture curriculum. The test was administered to 3,264 Form III students who were supposed to have covered the Forms I and II parts of the curriculum. One survey instrument was administered to the agriculture teacher and a second instrument was administered to the headmaster/headmistress of each participating school.
Results indicated that school location and category had no significant influence on methods used in teaching agriculture or content coverage. More topics were either partially or not covered as instruction progressed. Lack of resources and time limitation were reported as the main reasons for partial or no content coverage. Teacher qualifications, school location and school category were observed to have a significant effect on students' achievement. Content coverage and extent of using objectives in instructional planning had no significant influence on students' achievement. An analysis of 13 selected variables related to school educational environment indicated significant influence of the variables on students' achievement but not on content coverage or extent of using objectives.
In conclusion, school location, school category, teacher qualification and availability of books were significant factors related to students' achievement. Second, there was no relationship between instructional planning and curriculum implementation. Third, teachers used more theoretical than practical-oriented teaching methods. Consequently, curriculum implementation did not match the syllabus in both content coverage and development of practical skills in agriculture. Fourth, resources available for teaching agriculture varied in secondary schools and most schools lacked these resources.
These conclusions call for increased resources for agriculture teacher education, especially in practical skills. The agriculture curriculum should be reviewed to ensure that it is consistent with available resources and time. These actions need to be accompanied by a strong program monitoring system.
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