Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Students’ Academic Achievement in Kiswahili: A case of Public Secondary Schools in Murang’a and Kiambu Counties

Purpose: Teachers have a vital effect on students’ academic attainment because they are responsible for implementing the school curriculum. The steady decline in educational performance of secondary school students has caused a lot of attention among backers in the education sector in Kenya. This study sought to investigate the influence of Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) on students’ academic achievement in Kiswahili at KCSE examinations in Kiambu and Muranga counties. Methods: A descriptive research design of survey type was used. The target population was 29,134 comprising 512 principals, 1,172 teachers, and 27,450 students across 512 secondary schools in Murang’a and Kiambu counties. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, and standard deviation was used to analyze the data. Results: The study established that teachers Pedagogical Content Knowledge positively influenced student academic achievement in Kiswahili at KCSE, (M = 4.0, SD = 1.1. Implication: The findings emphasize the complexity of teachers’ factors affecting students’ academic achievement. Conclusively every practicing teacher should enroll in a teacher performance development program initiated by TSC to enhance and update teacher pedagogical content knowledge in teaching for an impressive students’ academic achievement.