Abstract:
Recent research has identified teacher quality as the most important variable in increasing
student achievement. This has led to teachers in primary schools in Kenya seeking
advanced certification. However studies indicate that the levels of numeracy and literacy
skills are still wanting despite having many teachers attaining advanced certification. The
study was carried out in Elgeyo-Marakwet County. The purpose of the study was to
determine the effect of advanced certification and teacher attitude on learning outcomes
at primary school level in Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were: To determine
the number of primary school teachers who have attained advanced certification, to
establish the effect of advanced certification on learning outcomes, to determine the
effect of teacher attitude on learning outcomes, and to advance strategies of mitigating
the negative effect of teachers attitude. The study was underpinned by the planned
behavior, and education production function theories. Advanced certification and teacher
attitude were taken as the independent variables, while learning outcomes was the
dependent variable. The study adopted pragmatism philosophy which is a world view
which arises out of actions, situations and consequences rather than antecedent
conditions. The study used mixed methods approach in which data was collected by
questionnaires and structured interviews. The target population was 365 headteachers,
3,300 teachers, and 7 TSC directors in Elgeyo-Marakwet. Stratified random sampling and
then simple random sampling was used to obtain the respondents for this study. The three
strata used were headteachers, teachers, and TSC directors. Data was analyzed using both
inferential and descriptive statistics. Sample size of 443 was used. A response rate of 55%
was obtained. Findings indicated that 13.3% of respondents had certificate level
education, 42.5% had diplomas, 30.8% had bachelors, and 13.3% had masters. Hence
85.8% of the teachers had advanced certification. Results indicated a negative significant
correlation between advanced certification and learning outcomes (r = -0.717). There was
a positive significant correlation between teacher’s attitude and learning outcomes (r = .
888). Regression method was used to test the hypotheses. The results of the regression
analysis suggested that advanced certification had a negative significant effect on
learning outcomes (β= -.187) while teacher attitude had a positive significant effect on
learning outcomes (β=.830). It was therefore concluded that advanced certification made
the teachers develop a negative attitude towards their teaching responsibilities and this
impacted negatively on learning outcomes. The study therefore recommends that teachers
seeking advanced certification should be guided on the relevant courses to undertake that
will add value to their classroom delivery.