Innovative Instructional Strategies Used in Teaching of English Subject in Public Secondary Schools in Turkana Central Sub-County

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to look at how teachers of English used various instructional strategies in teaching the subject in public secondary schools in Turkana Central Sub-County, Kenya. This paper is guided by Rogers’s innovation-decision process theory. The study specifically examined the commonly used innovative instructional strategies in the teaching of English in public secondary schools and their effect on students’ performance in English subjects in secondary schools in Turkana Central Sub-County. The study was anchored on mixed-method research methodology. The study target population involved all Heads of Department of Languages (10), Teachers of English (35) and Form III students (486) from 10 public secondary schools in Turkana Central Sub-County. A sample of 10 HODs, 35 teachers of English and 146 students was selected to represent the entire population. Data collection was through questionnaires and interview schedules. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Research results showed that the two most commonly used innovative teaching strategies were communicative language teaching and constructivist language teaching. It was found out that majorly many teachers resort to the conventional teacher centred approaches of teaching. The research recommends that KICD needs to align secondary school syllabus with innovative instructional approaches, teachers need to be trained regularly on innovative instructional strategies, and supportive infrastructure to be provided in schools to ensure innovative and technological approaches are used in English subject teaching and learning in secondary schools in Turkana Central Sub-County.