World Literature and the Development of Cultural Sensitivity and Global Awareness among Secondary School Students in Kenya: A Pedagogical and Intercultural Perspective

This study examines the role of world literature in fostering intercultural competence and global awareness among secondary school students in under-resourced rural schools in Kenya. The study critiques the exam-oriented implementation of literature education by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development despite its policy emphasis on global citizenship and intercultural learning. Anchored in multicultural education and postcolonial literary theories, the research interrogates curricular representation, pedagogical practices, and issues of educational equity in the teaching of world literature.
A qualitative descriptive research design was employed across six secondary schools in Elgeyo-Marakwet County, Uasin Gishu County, and Nandi County. The study sample (n = 85) comprised 60 students, 12 literature teachers, 6 heads of department, 3 curriculum support officers, 2 booksellers, and 2 publishers. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, classroom observations, and stakeholder consultations, and analyzed thematically. Trustworthiness was enhanced through triangulation, peer debriefing, and prolonged engagement in the field.
Findings indicate that although world literature has considerable potential to promote intercultural understanding, its implementation remains constrained by structural and pedagogical limitations. The prescribed literature syllabus contains only a limited range of texts, predominantly Western and Anglophone African works, with minimal representation of Asian, Latin American, and Indigenous literary traditions. Significant disparities in access to literary texts were observed across schools, with resource shortages compelling students to share or rely on photocopied materials. Students demonstrated stronger engagement with culturally relatable themes, particularly those addressing gender and social identity, which contributed to the development of empathy and global consciousness. However, unfamiliar cultural settings and limited contextual scaffolding reduced comprehension of some texts. While most participants reported enhanced global awareness, teachers acknowledged inadequate preparation in intercultural pedagogy, resulting in predominantly examination-oriented instructional practices.
The study identifies curriculum rigidity, socio-economic inequalities, and limited transparency in text selection as major barriers to effective world literature instruction. Conversely, student curiosity, ongoing Competency-Based Curriculum reforms, and teacher interest in professional development emerged as important enabling factors. The study recommends diversification of prescribed texts, institutionalization of intercultural pedagogical training, equitable allocation of literary resources to rural schools, and adoption of comparative and context-responsive teaching approaches. By foregrounding Global South perspectives, the study contributes to ongoing debates on decolonizing literature education and advancing culturally responsive global citizenship education in Kenya.

World literature, cultural sensitivity, global awareness, secondary school students, intercultural education.

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