Abstract:
Health and Physical Education (HPE) is one of the core subjects in primary and
secondary schools, as well as in teacher training colleges in Kenya. The
implementation of the HPE curriculum is however not progressing as expected. The
purpose of this study was therefore to assess selected determinants of implementation
of HPE curriculum in public primary schools in Nandi County. The study was guided
by five objectives that sought to establish the influence of teacher preparation and use
of professional documents; teaching methods; teacher attitude; adequacy of
equipment and facilities; and monitoring and evaluation, on implementation of the
HPE curriculum. The study was grounded in the pragmatic paradigm and adopted the
convergent mixed methods research design. A population of 1290 individuals
(comprising of QASO, head teachers, HPE teachers, and pupils) was targeted, out of
which a sample of 296 was drawn. Both stratified and simple random sampling
techniques were used to ensure fair representation of study units. Data from HPE
teachers were gathered using a structured questionnaire, while that from QASO and
head teachers were gathered through face to face interviews. Focused group
discussions involving groups of 10 pupils each were used to collect data from the
pupils. Document Analysis was used to verify teachers’ preparation and use of
professional documents. Data collection instruments were validated though a pilot
study conducted in five primary schools in the neighbouring Uasin Gishu County.
Thematic analysis was used to extract recurring themes from QASO and head
teachers’ interview responses as well as from focused group discussions. Multiple
regression analysis was conducted to identify determinants of implementation of HPE
curriculum. Results of the multiple regression analysis revealed that professional
documents (B = 0.482, p<0.05); teaching methods (B=0.332, p<0.05); teacher attitude
(B=0.204, p<0.05); and teaching equipment and resources (B=0.822, p<0.05) were
positive and significant determinants of HPE curriculum implementation, and
explains upto 61.3% of the variance in implementation of the curriculum. Thematic
analysis results indicated that implementation of HPE curriculum in public primary
schools in Nandi County was being hampered by inadequate use of professional
documents; lack of variety in teaching methods; negative attitude among teachers;
inadequate facilities; and inadequate monitoring and evaluation of HPE instruction.
The study recommended need for adherence to professional records, use of diverse
teaching methods, positive attitude, adequate resources and improvement in
monitoring and evaluation of HPE instruction.
