The teaching of HIV/AIDs education in secondary schools in Gem sub-county, Siaya county, Kenya: a sociological perspective

Abstract

The Ministry of Education has integrated HIV/AIDS education into the school curriculum as a strategy for behaviour change of the learner. The literature reviewed indicates that teachers have not been implementing this curriculum as required. Given the fact that HIV/AIDS is an additional subject that requires an integrated approach, it is in the interest of this study to examine integration within the sociological context with a focus to the social organisation of knowledge. The study sought to find out how teachers teach HIV/AIDS subject in secondary schools in Gem Sub- County, Kenya. The study objectives were: To examine the nature of knowledge organisation adopted by selected secondary schools in Gem sub-County; to examine how HIV/AIDS curriculum is taught in selected secondary schools in Gem Sub- County. It set out to find how HIV/AIDS education was being taught in secondary schools in Gem Sub County, Kenya, in order to develop insights into the nature of the knowledge organisation practised by teachers in the HIV/AIDS curriculum. The study used Basil Bernstein’s theory of classification and framing that focuses on the what, how and who in the learning process. The study used a qualitative methodology and adopted interpretive case study design. The target population comprised of form two students and subject teachers. The study population was sampled from 6 well established secondary schools regarding facilities in Gem Sub County. The six schools were selected using purposive sampling during the Piloting stage. A group of students were randomly selected after the lesson for the focus group discussion together with 12 teachers who were purposively sampled. A pilot study was done in one school to establish the authenticity and trustworthiness of the research instruments, whereas the accuracy of the findings was established by using methodological triangulation and presenting the data to the supervisor several times. Qualitative data was collected through a document search, observation, interview and focus group discussion. Data were coded, transcribed, organise into various emerging themes of study and reported. The findings of the study established that most teachers have not been integrating the HIV/AIDS education as required by the HIV/AIDS education policy. The study also revealed that the challenges in implementing the new subject were due to lack of knowledge organisation required to teach the HIV/AIDS curriculum, lack of teacher capacity and challenges resulting from the pedagogical application. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education Science and Technology ensure that the teachers receive capacity building to enable them to implement the required knowledge on the HIV/AIDS curriculum. The Ministry of education should also make sure that knowledge organisation is introduced in teacher training institutions early enough. These would be of importance to subject teachers, and policymakers in understanding what is needed in teaching a new subject area that teachers are not familiar with.