To explore how physics teachers use instructional materials in teaching and learning of physics in secondary schools: a case of one secondary school in Taita sub County, Kenya.

It is the desire any educator to help students meet their fullest potential by providing an environment that supports students to exercise independence of thought and encourage sharing of ideas. When the teacher acts as a guide, providing access to information rather than acting as the primary source of information, the students’ search for knowledge is met as they learn to construct knowledge for themselves and practice skills through hands on activities that reinforce the lesson being studied. Instructional materials help students in enhancing retention, stimulating and sustaining interest in learning by providing firsthand experience with realities of the physical and social environment. Given the importance instructional materials play, this study endeavors to delve deeper into exactly how the teachers of Physics make use of the instructional materials during instruction. Availability of instructional materials and their appropriate use during instruction are two different issues. The overall research design was a mixed methods approach with qualitative method dominating over the quantitative. The sample involved two teachers teaching Physics at form two level and thirty form two students. The study involved interviews, focus group discussion, questionnaires for students, and lesson observation. The study established that teachers were not making use of instructional materials effectively during instruction. The teachers were laying more emphasis on teacher activities more than learning activities. This resulted in lack of active engagement of the learners. 70 percent of the students indicated that use of instructional materials helped them understand Physics concepts easily. The study recommended that there was need to sensitize teachers on the need to lay more emphasis on learning activities during instruction. Suffice to say, the objective of the lesson is achieved through learning activities. The study also recommended that school principals need to be equally sensitized on the role of instructional leadership in improving the quality of instruction in schools