dc.description.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. |
en_US |