Matching Intended And Actual French Curriculum Objectives In Selected Secondary Schools In Kenya

Abstract

Intended French curriculum objectives refer to four official objectives of teaching and learning French in secondary schools in Kenya as laid down in syllabuses; namely, to equip learners with basic communicative skills, give learners access to oral and written materials, facilitate further studies, and promote global peace (Republic of Kenya, 2002). On the other hand actual curriculum objectives refer to what teachers and students of French perceive to be the objectives of teaching and learning French in secondary schools in Kenya. It is imperative that the intended and actual French curriculum objectives should match for there to be effective learning. However, the facts that French subject at secondary school continues to register low enrolment and retention of students as well as poor performance in national examinations indicate a mismatch between the 2 kinds of objectives. The purpose of the study therefore was to match intended and actual French curriculum objectives in secondary schools in Kenya. The study is based on survey design. It was carried out in 16 secondary schools offering French in Western Province of Kenya, selected by stratified random sampling to include provincial, district and private school categories. Saturated sampling technique was used to select 16 teachers of French and 327 students of French, from the 16 sample schools. Data was analyzed by use of descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations) and inferential statistics (t test). The study found match on only one objective of equipping learners with basic communicative skills. Based on these findings, it is recommended that officially French be taught starting from primary schools
and equipping learners with basic communicative skills for effective communication where French is required be recognized as the main objective of teaching and learning French in secondary schools in Kenya.

Key Words: French Curriculum, Intended Objectives, Actual Objectives, Performance