INFLUENCE OF AVAILABILITY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING RESOURCES ON STUDENTS’ ENROLMENT IN GEOGRAPHY IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS, WEST POKOT, KENYA

Geography is one of the core subjects of the school curriculum and plays a crucial role in secondary education by equipping learners with essential knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes necessary to understand both physical and human environments. It bridges the natural and social sciences. Despite its importance, student enrolment in Geography remains low compared to other humanities, particularly in West Pokot County of Kenya. This study aimed to investigate the influence of the availability of teaching and learning resources on students’ enrolment in Geography in secondary schools in West Pokot, with a focus on Kipkomo sub-county. Anchored in Krumboltz’s Social Learning Theory, the study employed a descriptive survey design and a concurrent mixed-methods approach to gather both quantitative and qualitative data. The target population included 1,049 Form Three students and 18 school principals, from which a sample of 289 students and 7 principals was drawn using purposive, stratified, and simple random sampling techniques. Data were collected through student questionnaires and interviews with the school principals. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics via SPSS version 25, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The findings revealed a significant shortage of essential teaching and learning resources, with 67.5% of students indicating that atlases were inadequate, and 73.4% reporting a lack of Geography laboratories. These resource limitations were cited as key barriers to effective teaching and learning, ultimately discouraging student enrolment in the subject. The study concludes that the unavailability of key instructional resources negatively impacts students’ choice to pursue Geography. This paper recommends that schools, in collaboration with stakeholders, should prioritize the provision of adequate teaching aids such as textbooks, atlases, maps, and Geography laboratories to enhance learning and promote higher enrolment in the subject.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0826/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>