Classroom Interaction in Kenyan Primary Schools

This article reports on a study of classroom interaction in Kenyan primary schools carried out as part of a national baseline study for the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development in 1998. The baseline was designed to provide a comprehensive picture of the quality of primary education so as to allow the Kenyan Government to prioritise expenditure on resources to improve education in the republic and to assess the impact of any interventions. Video recordings of 102 lessons in English, mathematics and science were analysed using systematic observation, discourse analysis and a time-line analysis. The findings revealed the domination of transmissional forms of teaching, thereby providing little opportunity for pupils to question or explore ideas to help regulate their own thinking. The wider implications of the findings for improving the quality of classroom interaction in Kenyan primary schools are considered together with the training needs of teachers.