Interrogation of Teacher Use of Instructional Resources in the Attainment of Learner Academic Engagement in Social Studies in Primary Schools in Kenya

Abstract

Attainment of learner academic engagement in the instructional process remains a vital issue in education systems the world over.  Consequently, there is an urgent need to put in place well tested measures to ensure this is realized during instruction.  The Kenyan government through the Ministry of Education encourages teachers to guide learners into achieving academic engagement through the adoption of interactive pedagogical approaches.  "One cog in this wheel” is instructional resources.  However, the extent to which teachers have put in place learner-instructional resource interaction to ensure academic engagement is attained in the country is still a dark alley in the research world.  This paper endeavours to shed some light in this area. The study examined teacher use of instructional resources to attain academic engagement in social studies classes in Kenyan primary schools. It examined whether teachers encourage learner instructional resource interaction so as to achieve academic engagement. Data was generated from teachers and learners through interviews, observation and focused group discussion. The results of data analysis revealed that the quality of learner-instructional resource was low hence hampering the attainment of academic engagement.