The staff development and training needs of the teachers of English in secondary schools in Kisii central district-Kenya

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the staff development and training needs of teachers of English in secondary schools in Kenya with reference to Kisii Central district of Nyanza province. The objectives of the study were to: identify the staff development and training programmes that teachers of English desire to participate in, the staff development and training programmes that teachers actually participate in and to establish whether the existing staff development and training programmes meet the training needs of the teacher of English. The study also sought to investigate the factors limiting teachers‘ participation in the existing staff development and training programmes. In doing this, the study adopted the needs assessment theory and Frederick Herzberg‘s two factor theory of job motivation and satisfaction. Both theories talk of the need for continuous training of staff in order to increase their productivity. Both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies were used in the study. The study used a survey research design. A total of 100 respondents from 25 schools, comprising of 50 teachers of English, 25 heads of department and 25 head teachers took part in the study. Simple random sampling technique was used to select the 25 schools out of which two teachers of English from each of the participating schools were randomly picked. All heads of English departments and head teachers of the participating schools took part in the study. Questionnaires were used to collect data from the 50 teachers of English while interview schedules were used to obtain data from the heads of English departments and head teachers. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics like percentages and presented using tables, charts and figures, while qualitative data from the heads of departments and head teachers‘ interview schedules was coded and analyzed thematically to establish relationships, trends and patterns from which the researcher drew useful conclusions and recommendations. The study established that there is a discrepancy between the training needs of teachers of English and what was offered through the existing staff development and training programmes. Most of the teachers fell short of the expected competencies under investigation, an indication of the need for more in-service training for serving teachers. The study also established that there were many factors hindering teachers‘ participation in the existing staff development and training programmes. The study recommends that in-service training should be structured, regularized, institutionalized and made compulsory for all teachers of English. The study also recommends that a thorough needs assessment should be carried out to clearly establish the training needs of teachers before implementing any training programmes.