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The study investigated problems limiting extent use of the instructional strategies in teaching biology in public secondary schools in Kakamega North Sub County. Performance in mathematics and sciences in the national examinations has been relatively low in Kenya. Therefore, the Kenyan government in collaboration with Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) launched Strengthening of Mathematics and Science in Secondary Education (SMASSE) project in July 1998 in an attempt to provide remedial measures. SMASSE embarked on in-service training of serving teachers of mathematics and science with an aim of making them better teachers and improve performance in Mathematics and Sciences, including biology. One of the SMASSE initiatives involved teachers adopting refined instructional strategies of teaching biology. However, the limitations facing the extent and scale use of the instructional strategies (the ASEI and PDSI strategies) applied is unknown. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the problems affecting the level and extent use of instructional strategies of SMASSE initiative in teaching biology in public secondary schools. Research was carried out in Kakamega North Sub County of Kakamega County in Kenya, an area where the pilot phase of SMASSE had been conducted since the year 2000 by the Ministry of Education. Twenty-five public secondary schools in the area which presented candidates to the examination council in the year 2014 were used in the study. The K.C.S.E results for 2014 were used as a measure of achievement. The target population of this study was all secondary school biology students, head teachers and form four biology teachers from the 25 schools. Since SMASSE is an ongoing project, views of how the biology teachers implement initiatives of SMASSE was collected from form two and form three biology students of 2015. To be specific, the views were collected from students taught by the 2014 K.C.S.E biology teachers. The data was collected using a student questionnaire designed by the researcher. Simple random sampling of a specific class was used to select 12 students from sampled classes to complete the questionnaires. Further, the biology teachers’ questionnaire was administered to the biology teachers who taught the 2014 K.C.S.E biology classes. The other tool used in data collection was observation checklist and head teachers’ questionnaire, which was administered to the head teachers of the sampled schools. Interview schedules were also used to gather more information from the science teachers and laboratory technicians. Purposive sampling was used to select biology teachers who prepared the 2014 K.C.S.E biology class and were SMASSE compliant for further observation. The data collected was analyzed and presented using bar graphs and pie charts. Regression analysis at 95% confidence level and descriptive statistics was used for data analysis. The data shows indicate 84% of the teachers of biology have heavy teaching load, 32% opined preparation of experiments is unnecessary and time wasting, 60% indicated the syllabus is wide; 32% stated that students shave negative attitude towards biology; 68% observe that inadequate and lack of apparatus and equipment makes it difficult to engage students in practical;and there is no time for engaging in practical preparations limited use of the SMASSE instructional strategies in teaching of biology.This implies that about 28% aspects of SMASSE improvisation has not been adopted and wholly embraced. A positive gradient was established showing performance improved with the years of SMASSE inservice training. This study provides data to form a basis to inform the education policy makers to improve the structure of instructional strategies for efficient and effective teaching and learning to strengthen the science performance in secondary schools in the country.

iosr journal of research and method in education

Limiting Factors Influencing Implementation of SMASSE(ASEIandPDSI) Instructional Strategies in Teaching Biology in Secondary Schools in Kakamega North Sub County, Kenya