Influence of Teacher Preparedness in Implementation of Drama Method in Christian Religious Education Instruction in Public Secondary Schools in Nandi East Sub County, Kenya

Abstract

The incorporation of drama into the curriculum for the study of Christian Religious Education (CRE) has the potential to transform the learning experience by making it more interactive and relatable for the students. However, the success of the drama method in CRE instructions largely lies in the preparedness of the teachers. Drama is a method of teaching and learning in which both the students and teacher work in various roles and participate in an imagined dramatic situation. Therefore, this study investigated influence of teacher preparedness in implementation of drama method in CRE instruction in public secondary schools in Nandi East Sub County, Kenya. The study was based on social learning Theory proposed by Albert Bandura which states that social behavior is learned primarily by observing and imitating the actions of other people, especially children learn from the environment through influential models. A descriptive research design was employed to collect both quantitative data. The study was carried out in public secondary schools in Nandi East Sub County in Nandi County in Kenya. The target population was 60 CRE teachers teaching from 30 public secondary schools which consist of Extra County, County and Sub County Schools. Census sampling was utilized because the study population was relatively small and manageable, allowing for the inclusion of every member of the population in the study. Stratified sampling was used to classify the schools into three strata: extra county schools, county schools and sub-county schools. The instruments utilized in data collection were questionnaires and class observation schedules. The pilot study was conducted to assess the validity and reliability of the research instruments. Collected data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results obtained from the study on teacher preparedness and on the use of the drama method showed that while the majority of teachers did undergo some training in the drama approach during their pre-service training, a significant number of teachers did not. Many teachers use the drama method frequently with dramatization being one of the more frequently used techniques although its use varies among the different pedagogical methods. Further, the findings showed that there is a positive correlation between teachers training on drama methods and extent of drama implementation (r=0.783, p< 0.000). Teachers teaching experience flows had a positive moderate correlation with extent of drama implementation as (r=0.641, p< 0.000). There also exist a positive but very weak correlation between teachers teaching experience and teachers training on drama method (r=0.225, p=< 0.024). This finding implies that teachers training and teaching experience enhances the extent of drama method implementation. The study recommends that there is need for increased institutional support both at the Ministry, County and school level. This includes creating policies that endorse and encourage the use of innovative teaching methods, allocating resources for training and promoting a supportive environment that values creative instructional approaches