| dc.description.abstract | The study sought to find out the effectiveness of the primary physical education course to learners with cerebral palsy in schools for the physically handicapped in Kenya. The purpose was to find out the teachers' experiences with a view of drawing conclusions which would lead to recommendations for improving the teaching of Physical Education (P.E.) to learners with cerebral palsy. This was done by examining the availability, suitability and adequacy of required resources such as: trained teachers, equipment and facilities, time allocated for a lesson, the P.E. syllabus, textbooks and other relevant materials for cerebral palsied learners. The respondents were requested to state on the basis of their experiences, problems that they encountered and offer suggestions on how future planning and implementation of P.E. can be improved for cerebral palsied learners.
The study was carried out in 9 special schools for the physically handicapped and 3 units in regular schools, which have cerebral palsied learners, and are registered with the Ministry of Education Science and Technology. The study sample consisted of 141 teachers and 11 head teachers. Four schools and two units were used for observation and completion of the checklist on availability and adequacy of P.E. equipment and facilities
The study was a survey utilizing questionnaires, observation schedules and a checklist. Data obtained from the research instruments was analyzed using frequencies and percentages. Based on the findings it is evident that physical education is not effectively taught. A majority of the teachers are not trained to teach physical education to learners with cerebral palsy. They therefore experienced difficulty in interpreting the regular
curriculum, and adapting it to the needs of the learners. This led to inability to achieve the stated objectives. The facilities and equipment required for teaching these learners were found to be inadequate and unsuitable. Further, the time allocated for P.E. lessons was also found to be inadequate in relation to the handicaps of the learners. The teachers also experienced a heavy workload due to the multiplicity and variation in the learners handicaps.
In conclusion, it was observed that the teachers were constrained by the curriculum, the workload and inadequacy of facilities and equipment. Recommendations made were that
a) the Kenya Institute of Education should develop a curriculum suited to the needs and capabilities of learners with cerebral palsy
b) the Ministry of Education Science and Technology should assist in the provision of relevant facilities and equipment for learners with cerebral palsy in special schools
c) specialists in the area of physical education should endeavor to write, publish and supply relevant textbooks and teacher's guides
d) the Ministry of Education Science and Technology should give teachers special training in teaching of P.E. to learners with cerebral palsy. | en |
