Challenges Facing Undergraduate Students In The ...

Researchjournali’s Journal of Education Vol. 4 | No. 1 January | 2016 ISSN 2347-8225

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Challenges Facing Undergraduate Students In The Integration Of English And Literature

Mary Muindi Department of English and other Foreign Language,

During Teaching Practice

www.researchjournali.com

Mount Kenya University, Nairobi, Kenya


ABSTRACT Integration of English and literature has posed many challenges to undergraduate students who are expected to use the integrated approach to teach English during their teaching practice in secondary schools. The purpose of this study was to explore the challenges facing undergraduate students in the integration of English and literature during teaching practice. The study employed descriptive research design. The target population was all the students in one university in Nairobi County. The data was collected through observation and interview schedule. The sample size was fifteen respondents selected through simple random sampling. Content analysis was employed in the analysis of data. The findings of the study revealed that training student teachers received at the university did not adequately prepare them to teach English using integrated approach at the secondary schools.100% of the students noted that English and literature was taught as independent disciplines. The research also revealed that there was lack of sufficient teaching and learning resources in the schools which inhibited the teachers from comparing topics in varied books. The study recommends that Kenya Institute of curriculum development should organize seminars and workshops for novel teachers of English to sensitize them on the concept of Integration of English. Key words: Integrated Approach, Teaching, Literature, English

1. INTRODUCTION English language plays a significant role in many education systems over the world. In Kenya, it is taught as a subject and used as medium of instruction in all the levels of learning. These include: upper primary, secondary education, colleges and universities. The previous system of Education (7-4-2-3) was designed in such a way that learners spent seven years in primary school, four years in lower secondary (O level), two years in high school (A level) and 3 years in the university, English and literature were taught as separate subjects. However, the introduction of the 8.4.4 system of Education by the Mackay Commission of 1981 brought many changes in the educational structure and curriculum one being the integration of subjects in the Kenyan curriculum. According to Kenya Institute of Education (K.I.E, 2002) integration means merging two autonomous but related entities in order to strengthen and enrich both. For example, a teacher of English may use a passage from the set book The River and the Source to teach reading comprehension and vocabulary. Later, the same passage is used to teach characterization. At another level, integration means that the four language skills; Listening, speaking, reading and writing skills should be taught simultaneously. This is because the integrated English curriculum expects the learners to have mastered the four language skills. The integrated approach to the teaching of English in Kenyan secondary schools is as a result of the syllabus review in 1984/85 which


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was later revised in 1992 and 2002. However, the integrated English syllabus has faced several challenges since inception. The K.I.E now Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (K.I.C.D) evaluated the integrated approach to English and literature in 1989. The findings revealed that the integrated syllabus was too broad to be covered within the allocated time of six periods of 40 minutes in form three and four. More so, the resources were a challenge and teachers of integrated English had a negative attitude towards the integrated approach to teaching. These challenges made the K.I.E to review the integrated English curriculum in 1992.This were due to the concern that the syllabus was overloaded with few periods allocated to integrated English. Therefore, in order to create more time for the teaching of integrated English, the numbers of periods per week from form one to four were increased. In form three to four, the periods were increased to 8 forty minute’s periods per week whereas in form one to two was set at 6 periods per week. In addition, the syllabus was reviewed in 2002 and revealed that a number of areas including poetry, writing, oral literature, summary and grammar were found to be too difficult for pupils (K.I.E 2004).Several recommendations were made which included the teaching of oral aspect of poetry and oral literature to be taught under the language skills of listening and speaking. Also, summary writing skills were to be taught under reading and writing. Moreover, grammar was to be reorganized and content presented in three broad areas of parts of speech, phrases, clauses and sentences (K.I.E 2004). In order to sensitize practising teachers with changes in the integrated English curriculum for successful implementation, Secondary English Language Project (SELP) was introduced by the K.I.E, Ministry of Education and British Council between 1988 and 1992. The training that was to take place in three phases: National, provincial and district levels faced several financial problems. This is because the British Council only financed training at the national and provincial levels. Thus, the training did not take place at the district level and majority of the classroom teachers were not trained. In a recent study carried out by Magoma (2015) on the promise of integrated English curriculum: principals’ and teachers’ reactions and reflections in Nairobi County. The research findings revealed that teachers of the integrated English curriculum did not have sufficient knowledge on methodology involved. Therefore, they experienced challenges that made them to resort to teach English language and literature as two independent subjects. The research concluded that the integration of English curriculum had not been effective in Nairobi North Sub- County. Magoma’s study focused on challenges faced by trained practicing teachers in the field. However, the current study focuses on challenges faced by student teachers on their teaching practice in Nairobi County. Manyasi’s (2014) research on integrated approach in teaching English language in Kenya focused on how the integrated approach was employed in teaching cultural practices and English language skills in the set text


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The River and the Source by Margret Ogolla. The findings revealed that cultural practices were analyzed in isolation without the teachers integrating the teaching of literature with the language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. The research concluded that integration approach of teaching English was not implemented in the classroom as expected by the curriculum developers. The current study examines if the student teachers on teaching practice are implementing the integrated English syllabus. Matere (2012) conducted a research on the strategies used in the teaching of integrated English course in selected secondary schools of Bungoma West District, Kenya .One of the objectives was to determine the challenges teachers face in teaching integrated English. The findings revealed that the lecture method as observed in 57% of the lessons was highly used by the teachers which hardly allowed them to achieve the objectives of the integrated English. The method did not allow students actively participating in the lesson. Matere’s study focused on the teaching approach as a challenge to integration, this study focuses on all the challenges on integrated approach to teaching English that the student teachers face during their teaching practice. Okwara, Shiundu, and Indoshi (2009) in their study on the model of integrated English language curriculum for secondary schools in Kenya note that state universities prepare teachers of English and literature as two independent disciplines. Thus, this was a challenge to the teachers when implementing the integrated English curriculum. Also, In their research on the challenges faced by teachers in the implementation of the integrated approach to teaching English, (Otieno,2003; Gichuki,2007) observed that overloaded curriculum, inadequate knowledge on integration, lack of in service of teachers in integrated English syllabus and insufficient teaching resources were challenges that the teachers faced. The study focused on the challenges that experienced teachers face in integrating English language and literature in secondary schools. However, this study will focus on Challenges those students on teaching practice who do not have adequate experience face using the integrated approach to teaching English language. 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM There are many studies that have examined the challenges that teachers face when using the integrated approach to teaching English language ((Magoma, 2015; Manyasi 2014; Matere 2012; Otieno, 2003 and Gichuki, 2007). However, the studies focused on already trained teachers who had gained some teaching experience in the field. Little has been done on the challenges that novel teachers on teaching practice face when using the integrated approach to teaching English. This research therefore attempts to fill this gap by exploring the challenges that students in one university in Nairobi County face while using the integrated approach to teaching English language. The findings of this research are useful to K.I.C.D and Ministry of Education in ensuring that there is successful implementation of the integrated approach to teaching English language.


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1.3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES  To determine whether students receive training at the university to use the integrated approach in teaching English at the secondary schools. 

To examine the challenges facing student teachers in the university using the integrated approach to teaching English language.

2. METHODOLOGY The study employed descriptive research design since it is appropriate when the aim of a study is to explore and give a description of a certain phenomenon. The study target population was all the students on teaching practice in Nairobi County in the months of May-August 2015. The study had a sample size of 15 respondents that were randomly sampled. 15 respondents are enough because saturation occurs by the 12 th interview (Guest, Bunce & Johnson, 2006). Guest, Bunce and Johnson, (2006) argued that to be sure that no more new information can be added 15 respondents are enough. Data was collected through observation and interview. Qualitative content analysis was employed to analyse interview scripts and field notes where the data was presented in a text format,

read through to make sense of it, coded, themes identified followed by

interpretation(Creswell,2009).

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS The student teachers who did their teaching practice in schools within Nairobi County were varied in terms of gender and age. The research findings reveal that 75% of the respondents were female whereas 15% were male. This indicates that there was gender disparity among the respondents who were on teaching practice. As regards to age, 93% of the respondents were in the age bracket of 24-34 years whereas the rest 7% were between 35 to 44 years. This indicates that majority of the teachers were young and therefore had inadequate teaching experience at secondary schools. This could pose a challenge to them when it came to the use of integration approach to teach English. The study sought to identify whether students receive training at the university to use the integrated approach in teaching English at the secondary schools. The findings revealed that the training that the student teachers received in English and literature at the university did not prepare them sufficiently to use the integrated approach to teach English at the secondary schools.100% of the respondents noted that the two subjects English and literature were taught as independent disciplines. However, the student teachers are expected to use the integrated approach to teach English during their teaching practice. One of the respondents had this to say; “we are only exposed to the integrated approach to teaching English during the first semester of our fourth year where we are taught methods of teaching English and literature in preparation for teaching



practice.” This posed as a challenge to the student teachers since they are not adequately prepared to implement the integrated English curriculum with confidence. Regarding the teaching learning resources, 70% of the respondents reported that they were inadequate in the schools where they did their teaching practice. This challenge was also noted through observations. 60% of the respondents observed that there were no sufficient copies of the course textbooks. One of the respondent argued that the ratio was one textbook to three students. Moreover, supplementary library books and other teaching learning resources such as visual and audio-visual resources were not readily available. The inadequate teaching learning resources impeded successful implementation of the integrated curriculum. A total of 46% of the respondents observed that the school traditions as regards the teaching of English and literature were a challenge to their use of integrated approach to teach English. The respondents noted that the schools had particular books that were used to teach English. One of the respondents noted the school already had a tradition of teaching grammar by using exercises drawn from Head start English. However, in one of the lessons when he used a passage from the River and the Source to teach English, the students argued that they were used to learning grammar from exercises drawn from Head Start English. More so, the respondents noted that English and literature were taught as two subjects by the regular teachers in the schools where they did their teaching practice. This made the student teachers use of integrated approach when teaching be received negatively by the students. Moreover, 46% of the respondents also noted that the school timetable dictated what time English language and literature was to be taught. The student teachers had to adhere to the timetable. However, one respondent observed that the time indicated for instance to teach English at the timetable could be changed to a literature lesson as dictated upon by the head of subject. The respondents thus did not have the independence required to teach English using the integrated approach. About 60% of the respondents noted that the school administration especially the head of subject dictated the content to be covered by the student teachers in the classroom. The head of subjects gave the student teachers specific poems and even narratives to teach in their classes. Moreover, the respondents observed that they were given a copy of the scheme of work that had been prepared by the department to be used for teaching. They were expected to adhere to the departmental scheme of work which had four lessons to be used to teach literature and two for English. This was a challenge to the respondents since they had been taught how to prepare a scheme of work at the university and they were going to be assessed on the same. The student teachers were thus forced to keep two schemes of work; one for the school and one for assessment. Over 80% of the student teachers observed that they had personal preference for either English or Literature. This was as a result of the two subjects being taught as independent disciplines at the university. This made them to spend more time on one subject and compromise the teaching of the other. One of the respondent noted that the preference of one of the subjects was motivated by the presentation of the English and literature


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content by the lecturers at the university. One of the respondents argued that “The content of English/Linguistics was well presented by the lecturers and thus I ended up liking English.” This preference becomes a vicious circle right form secondary school where the teacher who taught you had a preference for English or Literature. At the university, the same scenario is reduplicated.

4. CONCLUSION The results from this study revealed that majority of the respondents had not received training at the University to enable them use the integrated approach to teach to English at the secondary schools. Also, the schools had insufficient teaching and learning resources that impeded the successful implementation of the integrated English curriculum. The school traditions that dictated on the textbooks to be used when teaching specific content in English and English and literature being taught as separate subjects in schools were also a challenge to the respondents when using the integrated approach to teach English. Again, the respondents were not given the independence to practice what they had been taught at the university by the head of subjects.

5. RECOMMENDATIONS This study recommends the following: 

The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development should organise seminars and workshops to sensitize novel teachers on the integration of English and literature.

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The ministry of education should supervise the use of integration approach to teach English. They should move around schools to ensure that integration of English and literature is being implemented.

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The student teachers on teaching practice in secondary schools should be given more freedom to practice what they have been taught at the university.

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There is still need for more research to be carried out on challenges that student teachers face when using the integrated approach to teach English at the university using a wider scope.

6. REFERENCES Creswell, J.W. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. 3rd Edition. Los Angeles: Sage Publications, Inc., 2009. Gichuki, A.W. (2007). Challenges facing teachers implementing revised English curriculum in secondary schools in Othaya division, Nyeri district, Kenya. Unpublished master’s for master’s degree, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya. Guest, G., Bunce, A. & Johnson, L. (2006) ‘How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability’. Field Methods 18(1): 59-82 Kenya Institute of Education (2002) Secondary Education Syllabus. Vol.1 Nairobi: Jomo kenyatta Foundation.


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Researchjournali’s Journal of Education Vol. 4 | No. 1 January | 2016 ISSN 2347-8225 Kenya Institute of Education (2004), Report on the monitoring of the implementation of the revised secondary Curriculum, Nairobi: KIE, Research Report series No:75 Magoma, C.A. (2015).The Promise of Integrated English Curriculum: Principlas’ and Teachers’ Reactions and Reflections. Nairobi: Kenyatta University. Manyasi, N. B. (2014). Integrated approach in teaching English language: the practice in Kenya. International Journal of Education and Research, 2 (4), 253-264. Matere, A. (2012). Strategies used in the teaching of integrated English course in selected secondary schools of Bungoma west district, Kenya. M.Ed. thesis, Kenya Universit, Nairobi, Kenya. Okwara, M., O, Shiundu, J., O, & Indoshi, F., C. (2009). Towards a model of integrated English language curriculum for secondary schools in Kenya. Educational Research and Review, 4(5), 301-309. Otieno, N. O. (2003). Relationship between secondary school teachers’ attitudes towards integrated English approach and their performance: a study of Rachuonyo district, Kenya. M.Ed thesis, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya. Ritchie, Jane; Lewis, Jane & Elam, Gillian (2003). Designing and selecting samples. In Jane Ritchie & Jane Lewis (Eds.), Qualitative research practice. A guide for social science students and researchers (pp.77-108) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Wanjala G, Luchu SB. (2010). Factors influencing implementation of the Integrated English curriculum in Public Secondary Schools in Kanduyi Division , Bungoma South District. Kenya Journal of Educational Research. 2010; iv (1):66-77.


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