| dc.description.abstract | The Ministry of Education (MOE) has prepared through the Kenya Institute Education (KIE) the syllabus for Christian Education subject. The syllabus is comwehensive and has been approved, but the general performance of Christian education remains poor. This study adopted a descriptive approach. The study was carried out in Dagoretti Division in Nairobi district which is located in Nairobi Province. In this study, the units of observation is the performance of the students in Christian Education, subject content mastery, teaching strategies, dedication and commitment, teaching competencies. The unit of analysis is effect of subject content mastery, teaching.
A population is the whole group that the research focuses on (Coopers and Schindler 2003). Sampling refers to the process of obtaining information about an entire population by examining only a part of it. Primary data refers to data collected for the first time while secondary data refers to data which has already been collected and analyzed by someone else. The primary data was collected by use of a questionnaire which was be used to record respondents' responses. Data collection utilized questionnaires for teachers who carry out administrative activities in the respective departments and their students as well. The process of data analysis involve several stages namely; data clean up and explanation.
The study found that the performance of the students in CRE was generally below average. The study finding agrees with KNEC Report Book, (2006) which indicated that Christian Education subject is poorly performed in national examinations. However, they indicated that the curriculum and the materials used in teaching Christian education to the students lacked relevant practical application in the daily life. The study indicated that the performance of students in Christian Education was mainly below average stating that the students would score as low as a mean grade of 4/12. Teachers also motivated their students to work hard.
The teachers were found to be able to teach and answer comprehensively the questions asked by their students. They dealt with complex topics bit by bit assessing students understanding and re-administered where necessary, gave student a chance to assist one another and make presentations once they had discussed among themselves. This is indicated by the fact that mainly CRE Syllabus was completed in the next class denying the student adequate time to do revision. The study also recommends that the schools should encourage group work, discussion and research among the students to encourage good performance in Christian Education. The curriculum should also provide some guidance on how to apply the knowledge taught. The schools management need to establish a system that ensures .that teachers use effective strategies while teaching, that they have proper mastery of the subject content and that they are dedicated and committed to their work. | en_US |
