Implementing integrated english curriculum in Nyakach Sub-County, Kisumu County, Kenya

The use of integration as a pedagogical tool in the teaching of English language and literature subjects is a priority in Kenya. Despite the inception of the integrated English curriculum two decades ago, not all English language teachers use it as conceived by the curriculum developer, Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD). The Purpose of this study was to explore pedagogical experiences of teachers in implementing the integrated English language curriculum in Kenya, Kisumu County. Guided by Fuller’s Concern Based Adoption Model (CBAM) theoretical framework, this study utilized Concurrent Triangulation design under a mixed methods approach to establish the level of coverage on components of both language and literature and to determine the integration methods used by teachers of both language and literature in implementing the integrated curriculum. Saturated sampling design was used to select 110 subject teachers, 52 heads of departments and 52 principals currently implementing the integrated English curriculum to fill questionnaires. Purposive sampling was done to select 16 teachers for interviews. The Sub County Quality Assurance Officer was interviewed and document analysis done to corroborate and triangulate data. Quantitative data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20 computer program to generate descriptive statistics while the qualitative data was analyzed using content, narrative, and thematic methods in line with the study objectives. The findings indicated that most teachers implemented certain aspects of the integrated curriculum in using the integrated approach. Subsequently, some teachers taught language and Literature as separate subjects and the various components of both subjects as separate. The study recommended a home-grown, school-based on-going preparation model for professional teacher development to succeed in implementing the official curriculum