Effect of teachers’ professional development opportunities on the implementation of life skills education curriculum in primary schools in nandi east district, kenya

Life Skills Education is a curriculum innovation that was introduced into the school curriculum by the Kenya Institute of Education in 2009. The study sought to determine teachers’ Professional Development Opportunities that affect the implementation of Life Skills Education curriculum in their schools. The study employed descriptive survey design. The research sample consisted of 5 Quality Assurance and Standards Officers, 27 head teachers and 54 teachers teaching Life Skills Education. The total sample size therefore consisted of 86 respondents. The study employed stratified and simple random sampling techniques to obtain the sample size. Questionnaires were used to collect data relevant for the study. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. The study findings showed that majority (74.1%) of the teachers in primary schools had never attended any seminars on Life Skills Education and therefore could be lacking adequate professional development skills to enhance effective implementation of Life Skills Education curriculum. The findings of this study will aid educationists and curriculum developers to establish barriers and develop possible measures to be undertaken during formative stages of curriculum implementation of Life Skills Education.