Secondary School Teachers’ Perceptions of a Biology Constructivist Learning Environment in Gem District, Kenya

Abstract

This study investigated the teachers’ perceptions of actual and preferred constructivist biology learning environment. The study adopted a survey design. Data were collected from a sample of 41 biology teachers from Gem District, Kenya using a 20-item Teacher Perception Questionnaire (TPQ) which is a modified version of Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES), the teachers’ version. The TPQ consisted of two forms which are “Actual” and “Preferred”. While the actual form assessed the current biology learning environment, the preferred form assessed the teacher perception of a constructivist learning environment. The data were analyzed using paired t-test. The results showed that the teachers’ scores on the preferred form of some scales (Personal relevance, uncertainty and student negotiation) were significantly different from the actual form (p< 0.05). On the other hand the teachers’ scores for scales of critical voice and shared control scales of actual and preferred forms of TPQ were not statistically significant (p< 0.05). The implications of the study for practice and further research are discussed.