ABSTRACT

In 2002, the primary school curriculum in Kenya was revised. The curriculum requires coverage of emerging and cultural issues such as HIV/AIDS education, children rights, gender responsiveness, technology, integrity and environmental education. Mother tongue as a subject taught in lower primary is used to guide and orientate learners towards their culture, customs and accepted values of their society. It plays an important role in the teaching of emerging and cultural issues since learners get an opportunity to learn core concepts in a familiar language. Textbooks play a crucial role in teaching and learning. They should help learners to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes. Thus, they should be carefully selected and evaluated from time to time to make sure they are in line with the curriculum. The objectives of this study were to identify emerging and cultural issues presented in Gikuyu Kiega Book Three, to describe the presentation of the activities used for teaching emerging and cultural issues and to determine the appropriateness of activities used in teaching emerging and cultural issues in the textbook. The study was guided by the Presentation, Practice and Production framework by Baker and Westrup (2000) to examine the presentation and appropriateness of the activities used to present emerging and cultural issues. Cultural supportive theory by Vygotskian (1983) was also used to evaluate the presentation of cultural issues. A descriptive survey research design was used in the study. All emerging and cultural issues and all activities presenting them in the book were selected. Content analysis was done to elicit data on identification of emerging issues presented in the book and activities used to present them. The sample size comprised of sixty three public primary schools in Lari sub-county in Kiambu County, thirty-five teachers who teach mother tongue in the sampled schools and all the class three pupils in the schools. Interview guide and observation schedule were the research instruments used to elicit data on the appropriateness of activities used in teaching emerging and cultural issues. Data collected was summarized, discussed then presented using percentages, pie charts, tables and bar graphs. From the data collected, it was observed that drug abuse and technology were missing in the book. It was also noted that the activities used to present cultural and emerging issues in the book were minimal. On the appropriateness of the activities, it emerged that some activities were not at the level of the learners. There is need to present all emerging and cultural issues as stipulated in the syllabus and activities should be adequate.