Legal Literacy and Preparedness for Legal Issues in Education among Preservice Teachers in Kenya

Legal literacy is part of teachers' professional preparedness because routine educational decisions may engage learner rights, disability and inclusion, safeguarding, privacy, discipline, and digital technologies. This study examined legal knowledge and perceived preparedness among Bachelor of Education students at Maasai Mara University, Kenya, in 2022. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was designed for a single class population of 168 Bachelor of Education students whose members came from different parts of Kenya. A minimum sample of 118 was determined using Cochran's sample-size approach with finite-population correction. The structured questionnaire contained 20 objectively scored knowledge items and Likert-type items on perceived preparedness and need for further legal education. In the attached analysis dataset, the mean knowledge score was 14.14/20 (70.7%), with the strongest performance in general legal literacy and learner rights (77.8%) and the weakest performance in technology/emerging legal issues (63.6%) and privacy/confidentiality (64.7%). Perceived preparedness averaged 3.28/5, while 81.4% agreed or strongly agreed that they would benefit from additional education or training in education law. Prior legal training was associated with higher knowledge scores and preparedness, whereas practicum differences did not reach conventional statistical significance. Knowledge and perceived preparedness were positively correlated. The pattern indicates the potential value of stronger, context-specific legal preparation in teacher education, particularly in privacy, digital responsibility, safeguarding, and inclusive education.