Teachers’ literary knowledge, training and students’ performance in the novels p310/3 in selected secondary schools in Busia District

Abstract

This work on literature was meant to establish whether Teachers’ Literary Knowledge affects students’ performance in final examinations in the novel at A’ Level in selected secondary schools in Busia District and was guided by these questions: 1. What literary skills do teachers of literature P310/3? 2. What is the effect of teachers’ knowledge of literary skills on students’ performance in the novels at A’ Level? 3. What is the relationship between teachers’ training and students’ performance? Data was generated from 54 respondents of whom 9 were teachers of literature at A’ Level, 4 were headteachers and 48 were students offering literature at A’ Level in Busia District. The study was carried out using a descriptive cross-sectional survey research design to cater for the different categories of subjects. Data was collected using observation, interviews, questionnaires and discussions. The teachers filled in teachers’ questionnaire, while students filled in the students’ questionnaire. The Headteachers were interviewed following an interview guide. The researcher observed some lessons in the classroom while the teachers were teaching. The analysis was done basing on the bivariate level where cross tabulations were obtained and test statistics obtained using the independent variables against the dependent variable. The findings of this study gave recommendations to benefit teacher trainers and teacher trainees, the department of literature in the National Curriculum Development Centre (N.C.D.C), A’ Level teachers of Literature in English and future researchers. Training of teacher trainees should emphasize literary skills and content so that by the time they go out to the field, they are in position to teach the novel competently and students benefit.