The Role of Christian Religious Education on Secondary School Student Discipline in Lake Zone, Tanzania

Baraka Manjale Ngussa, PhD* Senior Lecturer of Curriculum and Teaching, University of Arusha, Tanzania, Prof. Lazarus Ndiku Makewa, PhD – Professor of Educational Communication and Technology, Lukenya University, Kenya. *Corresponding author: ngussathe5th@gmail.com

Received March 5, 2018; Revised March 15, 2018; Accepted March 18, 2018

Abstract: This study was propelled by the fact that rampant moral decays in contemporary societies leave unanswered questions on integration of moral values in teaching. While this issue is global, Tanzania is not exceptional. Through survey research design, the present study investigated on the role of Christian Religious Education on Students’ Discipline across Lake Zone Tanzania. Data was collected from teachers and students in 19 sampled secondary schools using questionnaire, interview schedule and Focus Group Discussion. The instruments were validated through expert judgment and a pilot study test yielded a Cronbach’s Alfa of 0.9. Based on findings of this study, it was concluded that Christian Religious Education prepares learners to be morally upright. There is a significant difference in teachers’ ratings on frequency of disciplinary cases between schools that teach Christian Religious Education and those which do not teach the subject, the rate being higher in schools where Christian Religious Education is not taught. Based on these conclusions, it is recommended that Christian Religious Education should be taught across Secondary Schools in Lake Zone, and Tanzania at large due to its power to reduce frequency of disciplinary cases. The government of Tanzania and other related agencies should train more Christian Religious Education teachers as the increase of CRE teachers will make it possible for the subject to be taught across secondary schools.