| dc.description.abstract | Teaching of life schools is a concept that has its origin in Northern America and Europe, The appreciation that teaching life skills to. young people has a positive effect on behaviour has not . only seen many countries introduce them in their school curricula but also many bodies such as UNICEF, WHO, UNESCO, UNIFPA, World Bank among others rallying behind teaching of life skills. The approach of teaching life skills aims at assisting young people to regain control over their behaviour while making informed decisions that can lead to positive behaviour and values.
The challenges facing the young people are many ranging from drug and substance abuse, HIV/AIDS pandemic, harmful cultural practices, economic, political and social changes among others. Learners who are well equipped with life skills are able to make informed decisions and face the challenges. It is against this background that life skills were introduced in schools in Kenya as a stand alone subject so as to enforce its implementation.
This research investigated factors influencing implementation of life skills in secondary schools in Mbeere South district. This aimed to identify factors that militate against effective implementation of the program in schools and offer recommendations on the same. The target population for the study was 5898 which comprised of 3 QASOs, 288 teachers and 5607 students in the 39 schools. Out of these schools, simple random sampling was done to select schools, teachers and students for the study.
The sample size was determined using Krejce and Morgan table for sample size determination. The sample consisted of the 3 QASOs, 12 schools, 24 teachers and 340 students. Descriptive survey design was used with the questionnaire as the main tool for data collection from the respondents. An interview schedule was also employed to collect data from the QASOs.
The data which was mainly quantitative was analyzed by use of SPSS and presented in form of tables, frequencies and percentages. The study considered factors such as teachers' capacity and preparedness, availability of instructional materials and resources, the community and life skills policy. The findings of the study indicated that not all the teachers had been trained and instructional materials were also not made available in many schools for program support. This therefore meant that teachers were not adequately prepared for the program and much more required to be done for effective implementation. The study recommends training and continual capacity building for teachers and formulation of clear policies. | en_US |
