Negative Attitudes of Teacher Trainees Toward Teaching Indigenous Languages: A Study of Machakos Teacher Training College, Machakos County, Kenya

This study examined the negative attitudes of teacher trainees toward teaching indigenous languages at Machakos Teacher Training College in Machakos County, Kenya. The study was motivated by the continued challenges facing the implementation of Kenya's indigenous languages as medium of instruction in lower grades of primary in education policy, despite government recognition of the importance of indigenous languages in promoting literacy, cultural identity, and effective learning. The study sought to identify the factors contributing to negative attitudes from teacher trainees toward indigenous language as medium of instruction in lower grades of primary schools and propose strategies for improving teacher preparedness and policy implementation of using indigenous as medium of instruction. A descriptive survey research design was employed, involving 500 first year teacher trainees in Machakos teacher training college. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings revealed that negative attitudes toward teaching indigenous languages were influenced by limited learning resources, inadequate teaching materials, difficulty in teaching technical concepts, lack of standardized terminology, parental resistance, learners' embarrassment in using their mother tongue, shortages of experts in the learning area, ethnic diversity among learners, and challenges in transitioning to English and Kiswahili. The study concludes that these challenges are largely institutional and societal rather than personal. It recommends strengthening teacher education programmes, developing quality resources, having tutors who are experts in teaching indigenous language to teacher trainees, standardizing indigenous language terminology, increasing community awareness, and enhancing government support for indigenous language education. The findings contribute to ongoing discussions on improving teacher preparation and promoting the effective implementation of indigenous language instruction in Kenya.