The Role of Curriculum Objectives and Evaluation in Development of Instructional Efficacy in Special Needs Education among Primary Teacher Trainees in Kenya

Abstract

The success of curriculum implementation in any country depends on the quality of the teacher with regard to the requisite knowledge, skills, and attitudes. In the move toward inclusive education in Kenya (ROK, 2005; ROK, 2009; ROK, 2012a; ROK, 2017), one of the strategies is the expansion of teacher education curriculum to include a component of special needs in order to develop the capacity of the teachers to support children with special needs in regular schools. This paper presents part of the findings of a survey of Primary Teacher Colleges in the Rift Valley region of Kenya on the integration of Special Needs Education (SNE) in the curriculum vis-à-vis instructional efficacy among the teacher trainees. It examines the integration of SNE in the objectives and evaluation elements of the Primary Teacher Education (PTE) curriculum and its role in the development of instructional efficacy among the teacher trainees. The findings revealed that the PTE curriculum did not provide adequate coverage and integration of aspects of SNE in the objectives and evaluation elements of the PTE curriculum and consequently inadequate development of instructional efficacy among the teacher trainees. The study recommends adequate coverage and complete fusion of aspects of SNE in the objectives and evaluation elements of the curriculum as a significant strategy for achieving instructional efficacy among teacher trainees.