Educational roles of teachers in the implementation of the English language curriculum in Nyakach sub-county, Kenya

The use of integration as a pedagogical tool in the teaching of English language and literature subjects is a priority in Kenya. Despite the inception of the integrated English curriculum two decades ago, not all English language teachers use it as conceived by the curriculum developer, Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD). This is why teachers’ pedagogical experiences in implementing it become paramount. The Purpose of this study was to explore pedagogical experiences of teachers in implementing the integrated English language curriculum in Kenya, Kisumu County. Guided by Fuller’s Concern Based Adoption Model (CBAM) theoretical framework, this study utilized Concurrent Triangulation design under a mixed methods approach to determine English language teachers’ expected role in the implementation of the integrated curriculum. The study targeted a population of 211 comprising principals, heads of departments, subject teachers and education officers. Saturated sampling design was used to select 110 subject teachers, 52 heads of departments and 52 principals currently implementing the integrated English curriculum to fill questionnaires. Purposive sampling was done to select 16 teachers for interviews. The Sub County Quality Assurance Officer was interviewed and document analysis done to corroborate and triangulate data on the teachers’ experiences. The researcher piloted the instruments through test-retest where correlation co-efficient (rho) was worked out in two schools outside the sub-county to determine reliability and validity while the research purpose was clarified to participants for authenticity and trustworthiness. Quantitative data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20 computer program to generate descriptive statistics while the qualitative data was analyzed using content, narrative, and thematic methods in line with the study objective. The study findings indicated that most teachers knew their roles in implementing the integrated curriculum but needed continuous professional development in implementing the integrated approach because some teachers taught English language and Literature as separate subjects implying confusion at their role. The study recommended a home-grown, school-based on-going preparation model for professional teacher development to succeed in implementing the official curriculum.