A Qualitative Case Study of Novice Kenyan Primary School Teachers: What Messages Transmitted by the Teacher Training Colleges are Internalized and Applied?

Abstract

The method of instruction and the formal curriculum within two Kenyan teacher training colleges were studied in order to discover which messages regarding pedagogical practice are internalized within novice Kenyan primary school teachers and then actualized within their classrooms. An educational connoisseurship approach was utilized to give descriptive, interpretive, evaluative, and thematic insight. Three data streams were collected through interview, observation, and design evaluation in order to establish structural corroboration and internal validity. The study found that the method of instruction by the teacher training college faculty was teacher-centered and utilized lower order cognitive methodology. Though the formal curriculum design was strong, it too promoted lower cognitive processes. These two messages, teacher-centered pedagogies and lower cognitive processes, are being internalized and applied by the novice teachers and maybe affecting the quality of education in Kenyan schools. The results of this study suggest that pedagogical skills promoting higher cognitive levels should be developed through in-service training in Kenyan training colleges and primary schools as a way to improve the quality of education in this country