Teaching Practices in the 21st Century in Kenya: A Qualitative Approach

Abstract

Education is an engine for the growth and progress of any society and it is responsible for building human capital which sets technological and economic growth. In the pre-technology education context, the teacher controlled the instructional process, the content was delivered to the entire class and the teacher emphasized factual knowledge. However, the current global demands in education require the use of approaches that are learner-centered and embracing integration of ICT. The purpose of this study is to establish the pedagogy used in Kenya for the 21st century learner. The case study design was used to collect qualitative data from three teachers who were purposively sampled from three education sub-sectors in Kenya: primary, secondary and university. The interview was guided by three research questions: Which teaching practices are used in Kenya? Which are the ‘best’ teaching practices in Kenya in the 21st century? What are the barriers for the ‘best’ teaching practices in Kenya? The findings were that the teaching methods currently in use were mainly teacher-centered although the respondents revealed that the ‘best’ teaching practices for the 21st century learner were student-centered. However, the barriers were large classes, lack of resources and facilities among other factors. The study recommends realignment of education policies to give priority to build pedagogical capabilities of teachers, provide digital tools and other resources. This would enable the 21st century learners’ opportunity to unleash their potential.