Professional development of teachers of english and its impact on learner centred classroom teaching strategies in secondary schools in kwanza sub County, Kenya

Abstract

Teachers Professional Development is any training that a teacher undergoes after the initial teacher training in a bid to improve his or her working and how far it goes to make one a better teacher has been a subject of discussion for a long time. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate Professional Development of teachers of English and its impact on Learner Centered classroom teaching strategies in Kwanza Sub-county, Kenya. The study was guided by the following research questions: how Professional Development Programs offered to teachers of English influence their awareness of teaching strategies? In which ways do Professional Development programs of teachers of English determine the selection of teaching strategies? How do teachers of English with Professional Development implement learner centred teaching strategies? What challenges do teachers of English with Professional Development face in implementing learner centred teaching strategies in language classrooms? The study was based on Lev Vygotsky theory of social constructivism and Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive constructivism. The theory posits that, under social constructivism, knowledge first needs to be in a social context and afterwards it is personally internalized for better learning experience. This implies that the learning of teachers of English after the initial training should be collaborative in nature. On cognitive constructivism, learning is built upon knowledge that an individual already knows. So, the initial training of the teachers is very crucial to their Professional Development since they build upon the knowledge that they already had. The study employed qualitative research design. The study population comprised of 50 secondary schools, 150 teachers of English and 45 professional development providers. The sample size comprised of 15 schools and 20 teachers of English and 10 Professional Development providers. Purposive sampling was used in selecting the schools together with the teachers of English and the Professional Development providers. Data was collected using two separate semi structured interview schedule for teachers and for Professional Development providers. In addition, a classroom lesson observation guide and document analysis schedules were also used. The instruments were pre-tested to establish their confirmability and trustworthiness. Data analysis was done using qualitative procedures through descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The findings of the study were: Professional development determines the awareness of classroom teaching strategies, teachers of English have a positive attitude towards Professional Development that is concerned with learner centred teaching strategies, some Professional Development programs are more productive in helping teachers to use learner centred teaching strategies than others. The study concluded that Professional Development of teachers of English that is coherent, on- going, financially sustainable that is tailored to meet the demand for the new and existing teachers and the needs of the teacher will influence the use of learner centred teaching strategies. The study will be of benefit to the various stakeholders in the education sector, students who will be taught with the new skills acquired by the teacher and the teacher who will be equipped with new strategies. Quality of Professional Development of teachers will improve.