Eine Untersuchung Des Potenzials Der Digitalen Medien Bei Der Vermittlung Der Landeskunde an Sekundarschulen in Kenia.

Abstract

German is one of the foreign languages offered in secondary schools in Kenya. The learning and teaching of German focuses on the four skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking. The need to sensitize the learners of German about the culture of German speaking people is summarized in objective 10 and 11 of teaching and learning German in Kenyan secondary schools given by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (K.I.C.D). The teaching and learning of German in Kenya has among others the objective of enabling the learners to get to know another way of life and enhancing understanding and appreciation of their own culture. By learning about the way of life of the people who speak German, the learners are supposed to critically encounter the new culture together with its values and views with respect and tolerance. Since German is first introduced in secondary school, learners who learn the language fall in the age bracket between 13 and 18 years. These are young learners who are usually very enthusiastic about technology and its uses. The youths in Kenya have been shown to be very active in the use of digital media especially social media and various opportunities that come along with it. Unlike the grammatical aspect of the German language, many aspects of the German culture keep changing. The digital media provide an opportunity for both teachers and learners to teach and learn authentic content about what is happening in Germany, the way of life of the Germans and even the Geography of Germany. This forms a very crucial part of intercultural studies which is clearly stipulated in the objectives of teaching and learning German in Kenya. This research was undertaken to establish to what extent teachers and learners are aware of the enormous potential presented by use of digital media in the teaching and learning of German and how often they take advantage of it. It also explored the digital competences of teachers and how they can use digital media to enhance the intercultural competences of their learners. The study also aimed at establishing to what extent consistent use of media by teachers fosters the ability of the learners to use the same media at home to learn about the German Culture on their own. The research established that many teachers in Kenya have good digital competences and often use digital media in class. It was also established that many teachers use a cognitive approach when teaching about Germany and that there is a strong relationship between frequent use of media in class to teach and the tendencies of learners to use the same media at home for pedagogic purposes.