The Value of the Aims of Moral Education for Character Formation in Public Secondary Schools in Kakamega County, Kenya: A Phenomenological Approach

Historically, education has been responsible for imparting societal values, norms, customs, and expectations. Moral education lays the foundation of a happy society, economic progression, peace, and harmonious coexistence. However, many obstacles exist in realizing the moral ideal for character formation. The obstacles are related to curriculum content and instructional approaches of practicing teachers. Curriculum content areas such as Christian Religious Education, Hindu Religious Education, and Islamic Religious Education, primarily intended to promote the aims of moral education for character formation, are approached from mainly cognitive and exam-oriented perspectives. This is evidenced in the observable and undesirable behaviours of learners in school, such as school arson, premarital pregnancy, drug abuse, public indecency, and misuse of school and public resources. Therefore, this research sought to investigate the aims of moral education for character formation in public secondary schools in Kakamega County, Kenya: a phenomenological approach. Aristotelian theory of Eudaimonia guided the study. The phenomenological hermeneutical method was applied in the study. The study targeted 5,789 teachers including the deputy principals and Christian Religious Education teachers. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 15 participants from seven public secondary schools in Kakamega County. Unstructured interviews were employed to collect primary data. The study established that moral education for character formation is critical in addressing the perennial problems facing the education sector and the country. The study recommends that the government develop guidelines that can help in the progressive assessment of moral competencies.