Teaching and Learning of Peace and Security Studies in Universities: Student’s Reflections on Quality and Implications for Curriculum Implementation

Abstract

Loss of pedagogical momentum (LPM) is used to describe the inability of lecturers to sustain effective teaching throughout a lesson or an entire course, especially in the Peace and Security academic programmes offered in some Kenyan universities. In this study, 152 students from five universities claimed (via questionnaires and interviews) that their lecturers’ teaching was characterised by “strong” introductory lessons that gradually became “weaker” as their lessons developed and were finally concluded. In particular, these students were of the view that their lecturers were well able to introduce lessons and specify learning objectives for every lesson, but were unable to summarise lessons and use a variety of teaching methods. The students’ further appealed for more heuristic-oriented strategies, such as field trips, simulations and practical training to replace an over-exposure to theory, a situation which further suggested that that the teaching methodology in the programme is overburdened by strategies that are based on exposition. However, it appears that LPM is a by-product of the failure of Kenyan universities to allocate the resources and facilities that are needed to permit the effective teaching and learning of Peace and Security Studies. Although this study recommends the allocation of adequate resources, enhancement of practical training and in-house training of lecturers in the appropriate methodology, it remains to be seen whether the current scenario will continue to facilitate the peace and security objectives of Kenya’s Vision 2030 and thus maintain Kenya’s position as East Africa’s intellectual hub as far as Peace and Security Studies are concerned. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n15p281