Influence of Traditional Youth Education on Content Knowledge of Teachers in the Bukusu Community of Western Kenya

Abstract

The value of African traditional education in the impartation of critical skills, competences and values needed for development in the continent cannot be overlooked. Yet, in most cases, the traditional forms of education have not been properly integrated into modern education systems in Africa that are based on western or Euro-American conceptualisations of education. For this reason, important cultural values, such as those of the Bukusu community of western Kenya, are fast going into oblivion. The search for a holistic education cannot be realised without giving regard to education in the traditional African communities. The study therefore sought to establish the influence of youth education on content knowledge of teachers in the Bukusu community of Western Kenya. The research tools were interviews and participant observation. The target population was ninety-eight (98), consisting of twenty-four Bukusu Council of elders, five Bukusu community traditional educators, twenty-four leaders of culture council of Bukusu elders, and forty-five Bukusu community traditional circumcisers. Respondents were selected by purposive sampling and snowballing sampling procedures. The sample size was seventy two (72) respondents consisting of twenty Bukusu council of elders, twenty-one leaders of culture council of Bukusu elders, two Bukusu community traditional educators, and twenty-nine Bukusu community traditional circumcisers. Quantitative data was analysed with the help of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer program while qualitative data was analysed thematically. Results of data analysis were presented in the form of tables, frequency counts and percentages. The findings of the study showed that most participants who had acquired adequate knowledge in youth education had been exposed to adequate knowledge in Bukusu culture. This implied that youth education is the most critical stage in Bukusu culture. The study recommends for a compulsory .........