Availability and use of audiovisual resources for teaching Christian religious education in secondary schools in Kimilili in Bungoma Country, Kenya

One of the main objectives of the secondary school 8-4-4 system in Kenya is to prepare students for self-reliance, further training and further education. Christian Religious Education in secondary schools in Kenya occupies a key position in the curriculum. This is so because it enables the learners to integrate all subjects of the curriculum into a more mature view of themselves, their relationships with their environment, both physical and cultural, their fellow human beings and God. The purpose of the study was to establish factors that challenge use of audiovisual resources for teaching Christian Religious Education (CRE) in Kimilili Division, Bungoma County in Kenya. Based on the study, this paper examines the level of availability and use of audiovisual resources for teaching CRE in the schools selected for study in the area. The study adopted a survey research design. Simple random sampling was used to select both CRE teachers and students who participated in the study while stratified sampling was used to select the schools that participated in the study. The sample was drawn from secondary schools in Kimilili Division of Bungoma County in Kenya. The sample population was 266 subjects comprising 242 CRE students and 24 CRE teachers in the Division. The instruments used for data collection were questionnaires and observation schedules. The study used two sets of questionnaires; one for CRE teachers and another for students. Data collected was quantitatively analyzed by descriptive statistics and presented using tables and graphs. It was discovered that the greatest challenge to the teaching of CRE using audiovisual resources is the unavailability of audiovisual resources in schools in Kimilili Division. Consequently, it was recommended that curriculum planners and schools should endeavour to avail audiovisual resources to schools for teaching CRE.