The Utilization of Instructional Resources in Teaching Kiswahili Poetry in Secondary Schools in Kenya

This study investigated the utilization of instructional resources by Kiswahili teachers in the teaching of poetry in secondary schools in Nandi North Sub - County. The objectives of the study were: to investigate the training of Kiswahili teachers and their ability to use instructional resources, to establish the types of instructional resources commonly used by Kiswahili teachers and to identify the challenges Kiswahili teachers encounter while using instructional resources in teaching. The study was guided by the operant conditioning theory which explains how language teaching and learning takes place in a classroom. Systematic sampling was used to select 20 secondary schools in Nandi North Sub - County of the Rift Valley region from which form three Kiswahili teachers were chosen to participate in the research. The research instruments that were used to collect data were questionnaire, observation and interview schedule. All these were administered by the researcher in person. The research instruments were pre tested to establish their validity and reliability. For the purpose of validation, experts were sought from the department of Curriculum Instruction and Educational Media and test re test method was used for reliability. Piloting was done in two secondary schools in Vihiga District. Data from the field was analyzed using descriptive statistics, involving percentages, frequencies, mean and mode. In view of these findings it was recommended that there is need for teachers to utilize instructional resources in teaching Kiswahili poetry to enhance the amount of information a student can learn and retain. The researcher therefore recommends that whenever the matter at hand involves learning, schools should strive to have enough Kiswahili poetry text books for both the teacher and the student and also use other instructional resources in teaching Kiswahili poetry. These findings will help curriculum planners, teachers and students of Kiswahili. Curriculum planners will find the findings beneficial in organizing Kiswahili syllabus. Kiswahili teachers will use these findings to improve performance in Kiswahili poetry.