Challenges facing implementation of integrated English syllabus in public secondary schools in Nyamira county: a case of Manga sub-county, Nyamira county

Abstract

English as a language plays a very vital role in the language situation in Kenya. The teaching of English in secondary schools has undergone changes and various approaches have been adopted, the most recent being the integrated English approach. This is aimed at realizing improved learner performance. It is evident that still the learners’ performance in English has not significantly improved. The specific objectives of this study were to find out to what extent practicing teachers were trained to teach the integrated English Syllabus and evaluate the materials used to teach the integrated English syllabus. Descriptive survey design was used. The sample size comprised 45 teachers, 291 students, and 6 quality assurance and standards officers (QASO) totalling to 342 respondents. The instruments used were a questionnaire, an interview schedule and an observation schedule. The study revealed that the preparation of teachers in the teachers training institutions was a setback given that the two subjects are handled separately, or even with other subjects. Further, it was found out that the materials and other learning resources used to handle the integrated syllabus did not reflect integration. Based on these findings it was recommended that the training of teachers in teacher’s training colleges and universities should be done interactively to enable them understand the concept of integrated teaching approach.