Selected Factors Influencing Teaching and Learning of Social Studies Curriculum for Upper Public Primary School in Kitui District, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the selected factors influencing teaching and learning of social studies curriculum for upper public primary school in kitui District, Kitui County, Kenya. The objectives of the study were: to find out the availability and adequacy of resource materials and facilities in the teaching and learning of Social Studies, to determine if class sizes affect the teaching and learning of Social Studies in any way, to establish in what way the scope of Social Studies Curriculum affect the teaching and learning of Social Studies, to find out if teachers of Social Studies are adequately trained in the teaching and learning of Social Studies, to establish the perceptions of pupils towards Social Studies in public primary schools in Kitui District. The theoretical framework employed in this study was that of implementation of innovations put forward by Gross, Giacquinta & Bernstein (1971). The study employed a descriptive survey design. The target population for the study was the teachers of Social Studies and pupils in upper primary school in Kitui District. The research
sample was gotten by using purposive, stratified and simple random sampling techniques. The
teachers were selected through stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Purposive sampling method was used to select pupils in Standard Seven classes. Simple random sampling
was employed to get from each school four girls and four boys from standard seven. The research instruments used in this study included questionnaires and focused group discussion schedules. The questionnaires were administered to the teachers of Social Studies while discussions with the pupils were undertaken. The data collected was analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The descriptive statistics used were frequency distribution tables and percentages and the programme used to analyze data was Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Qualitative data obtained from focused group discussion was analyzed by identifying coherent categories and by use of iteration; patterns were pointed out that revealed information related to factors influencing teaching and learning of Social
Studies. The study findings indicated that there was inadequacy of resource materials, inadequate trained teachers, utilization of poor teaching and learning methods, congestion in classrooms, and positive perception of pupils in the study of Social Studies. This study recommends that government and other stake holders to intervene and provide teaching and learning materials; installation of electricity to schools to utilize resource materials like television sets and computers; services of Kenya National Library to cover all the schools in the region; proper storage and utilization of all available resources; construction of spacious classrooms to accommodate display of teaching/leaning materials; provision of more teachers to cater for inflated enrolment of pupils; allocation of more time in teaching and learning of Social Studies to sort out the issue of wide scope; pupils’ positive perception should be upheld. The government policy makers and other stakeholders would use the recommendations of this
study to make judgments on the scope of Social Studies, and the adequacy of teaching and learning resource materials in the subject.