IMPACTOF CURRICULUM SUPPORT MATERIALS ON QUALITY OF CURRICUM IMPLEMENTATION IN MAKUENI COUNTY, KENYA

The availability of curriculum support materials plays a great role on the quality of the implementation process. This purpose of this study was to examine types and availability of curriculum support materials acquired through Free Secondary Education Tuition Fund and their effects on quality of curriculum implementation in Makueni County. The study was based on the classroom instruction theory. The study applied mixed research design. The target population was all the public secondary schools in Makueni County, the principals, form 4 class teachers and form four students. A sample of 38 principals, 210 form four class teachers and 346 form four students giving a total of 594 respondents was used for this study. The public secondary schools were sampled through stratified random sampling. Purposive sampling was used in selecting the principals while the form four class teachers and form four students were selected using simple random sampling. The study used three research instruments; questionnaires for form four class teachers and students, interview schedules for the principals and observation checklist.Data was analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The results of the study revealed that there were several types of curriculum support materials found in public secondary schools which were purchased using the Free Secondary Education Tuition Fund. However, most of the textbooks supplied by the government were of poor quality. In addition, the study revealed that there was a strong relationship between the availability of curriculum support materials and the quality of curriculum implementation. Based on these findings, the study recommends that the government should have a clear policy that will guarantee good quality ofthe curriculum support materials and in particular the textbooks supplied to the public secondary schools. In addition, the government should ensure equity in the distribution of textbooks in all schools and across the subjects.