Role of Christian Religious Education in the Moral Values Formation of Secondary School Students in Teso South Sub – County,Busia County, Kenya

Hezekiah Adwar Othoo – Department of Education Psychology, Management and Policy Studies
Alupe University College, Kenya
Okemer Geoffrey Aseu – School of Education and Social Science, Alupe University College, Kenya

Abstract: The morals of the secondary school former students in colleges and in society do not reveal the acquisition and practice of values learnt through Christian Religious Education (CRE). This study is designed to assess the role of CRE in the formation of moral values to the learners in secondary schools. The objectives of the study were: To establish the effectiveness of secondary school CRE syllabus in the formation of moral values, and to establish the methods that CRE teachers use to form moral values to students. The study was guided by Kohlberg’s theory of moral reasoning which holds that morality depends on the environment in which people are exposed to. The study used descriptive survey design. The target population for the study was 100 who included 10 CRE teachers, 5 HODS and 85 Form III students making a total of 100. Simple random sampling was used to select the 61 respondents who participated in the study. Information was collected by use of self-administered questionnaires and face-to-face interview. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The study found that students’ moral development was greatly influenced by: CRE syllabus and the methods used by school CRE teachers. The research results provide a feedback to teachers to enable them reflect on their methodologies in teaching CRE subject with respect to character change of students in the school.