DSpace Repository :: Browsing by Author "Bwire, Adelheid M."

Browsing by Author "Bwire, Adelheid M."

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Do pictures have an effect on learner performance in Composition writing?
(2015-07) Jumba, P. Kalemesi; Etyang, F.; Bwire, Adelheid M.; Ondigi, S. R.
Instruction using a variety of learning resources has been heralded as a most promising activity that can engage students into academic language and literacy skills. There are few studies investigating approaches in teaching English composition in primary school. Furthermore emphasis on learner foundations in writing is lacking in most African countries. The purpose behind this review is to establish whether using pictures could reinforce composition writing in upper primary schools. There is scanty research on picture-based instruction in general and on its effect on composition writing and language achievement in particular. The objective of this review is to examine the effectiveness of using pictures on learner performance in composition writing. Preliminary studies have established that pictures have an increasing effect on both composition writing and general attitude of learners towards English. On the basis of the findings of the study, the following conclusions were made: Most teachers do not use pictures to teach composition since it is time wasting because it requires a lot of time in preparation and acquisition of pictures. However, from various studies, when learners were exposed to pictures during composition writing lessons and eventually in examinations, their performance was significantly better than before. It is imperative that, a study be carried out on role played by the school administration and the community in the effective teaching of English and also, the relevance of the English language curriculum used at teacher training colleges in relation to the new trends in English Composition. Furthermore it would be necessary to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of Ministry of Education in English language assessment by Quality Assurance and Standards Officers. Key words: Pictures, Motivation, Composition Writing
Graffiti Writing and its Likely Influence on English Language Learning in Selected Secondary Schools in the Larger Laikipia East District, Laikipia County, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2015) Mwangi, Francis G.; Gathumbi, Agnes W.; Bwire, Adelheid M.
Graffiti takes the form of written language whose authorship always remains anonymous. It precisely refers to any wall writing, pictures and symbols or markings of any kind on any surface anywhere no matter what motivates the writer. Most graffiti are viewed as illegal or vandalism of property by those in authority. Secondary school students use graffiti as a form of communication when they feel other channels to express themselves, have been blocked by those in authority. The study at aimed at identifying the communicative strategies employed in graffiti writing and the influence of graffiti on learning of English language and classroom learning environment in our schools. Graffiti texts were collected in ten secondary schools purposively sampled in the Larger Laikipia East District in Laikipia County. Out of one thousand graffiti texts collected, two hundred were randomly sampled for analysis. Twenty English teachers were purposively sampled to take part in an interview. One hundred students were randomly sampled to fill in questionnaires. A Focused Group Discussion (FGD) was carried out with another group of five students randomly sampled across the classes in each school. The data collected from this exercise were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively to arrive at inferences and conclusions. The study used a sociolinguistic approach to the study of graffiti. The study was guided by General System Theory. The findings of the study were that students used varied communicative strategies like humour, symbolism, irony, short forms, acronyms and abbreviations in their graffiti writings. It was also established that teachers expressed varied opinions that graffiti influenced learning of English language and classroom learning environment in secondary schools. The findings of this research may contribute to the study of sociolinguistics in general and communication in schools in particular. It has been established that students use graffiti to communicate a lot of information that would be beneficial to the head teachers, quality assurance officers, students’ counsellors, policy makers and other stakeholders. Classroom teachers may also use graffiti to establish the unspoken students problems and behaviour and thus prevent entropy of the school system.
Impact of Motivation on Junior High School Students' Interest in Reading Comprehension in Hohoe Municipality: A Literature Based Review
(African Journal of Emerging Issues (AJOEI), 2020) Adansi, Joana Emefa; Miima, Florence A.; Bwire, Adelheid M.
Purpose of the study: This paper examined the impact of motivation on junior high school students' interest in reading comprehension in Hohoe municipality. Research Methodology: Literature based study. Findings: Motivation is one of the essential factors that have a direct impact on the development of comprehension skills. Students are very much interested in any reading material that is with humor, fun, enjoyment and pleasure. Teachers /tutors are the real models and motivators in arousing students' motivation. Conclusions: Motivation is one of the essential factors that have a direct impact on the development of comprehension skills. There are four types of motivation: Intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, integrative motivation and instrumental motivation. Teachers are the real models and motivators in arousing students' motivation. Besides, based on the literature reviewed, it can be concluded that educational institutions should specifically focus their students' attention on the crucial role of motivation in reading in their instructional courses. Recommendations: It is recommended that teachers should make the classroom an enjoyable place to stimulate students and increase their confidence, spontaneity and self- stimulation. Teachers need to pay attention to students' interests and their requirements. Furthermore, teachers need to allocate more time for reading of the scripts. Likewise, it is recommended that learners need to be motivated in learning and developing their knowledge through focus on the comprehension skills. In addition, it is recommended that teachers need to go beyond their traditional roles by providing opportunities for their students to become motivated and develop their reading comprehension proficiency.
Instructional media use in enhancing students’ learning of the English language in Bungoma North District's secondary schools in Bungoma County, Kenya
(2015-07) Wamalwa, Juma E.; Bwire, Adelheid M.; Rukangu, S. M.
This paper summarizes the findings of this qualitative research with regard to teachers of the English language using instructional media to enhance students' learning of English language in Bungoma North district. The study further sought to describe the availability, frequency use of instructional media in the secondary schools in Bungoma North District of Bungoma County and the relationship between the materials’ use and learning. Based on John Sweller’s Cognitive Load Theory, this study employed the descriptive survey design that sought to establish the instructional media type and their distribution in various secondary schools. The use of such results was used to establish the relationship between the instructional material and learning of English language. Questionnaires and checklist were used as the research instruments. The target population was the 30 secondary schools, 9505 students, 30 teachers and 30 library personnel. From this population a sample of 10 schools, 10 teachers and 10 library personnel were selected and used. The findings showed that not all schools had adequate Instructional Media; and that Instructional Media were not entirely used by teachers in teaching. Inferential results showed a positive relationship of r = 0.547 between Instructional material and enhancement of learning English; and r = 0.502 between use of Charts and students' learning of English language. Practical suggestions and recommendations to teachers of the English language, teachers’ trainers as well as curriculum and material developers have been suggested. This is expected to address the perennial poor performance in English in Bungoma North district and generally, in Kenyan secondary schools.
Mentoring in pre-service teacher education: the case of a developing country, Kenya
(2015-07) Ochanji, Moses Keya; Twoli, T. W.; Bwire, Adelheid M.; Maundu, J. N.
The subject of teacher mentoring has attracted worldwide attention in recent times. This paper presents an account of a pre-service teacher-mentoring project undertaken in Kenya through a partnership of Kenyatta University, Kenya and Syracuse University, USA. The purpose of the study was to understand the effectiveness of the collaborative mentoring model on pre-service teacher training. The implementation of the project employed an evaluative survey design evaluating the mentoring process. Findings from the study indicated that the collaborative mentoring has the capacity to enhance teacher development at the pre-service level. However, there is no policy at the university or national level to guide the implementation of mentoring in teacher education. The paper recommends the establishment of a policy on teacher mentoring in pre-service teacher education at university and national levels. Such a policy could address aspects such as the roles of each participant in the mentoring process.
Pedagogical Techniques Teachers Use to Bolster Extensive Reading Habits in Secondary Schools in Kenya
(International Knowledge Sharing Platform, 2020) Mwangi, Francis G.; Bwire, Adelheid M.
This study addresses the issue of pedagogical techniques for extensive reading in secondary schools in Kenya at a time when concern is being expressed about declining reading habits in the institutions of learning. Learners nowadays have taken to social and mass media and rarely read anything extra outside the prescribed texts. Even the wide spread national examination malpractice witnessed recently could be traced to the decline in reading interest and poor reading habits among secondary school learners. Effective use of pedagogical extensive reading techniques can greatly improve learners’ achievement in English and also enhance their reading habits. This study was prompted by the observed poor reading in English by secondary schools learners in Laikipia County in Kenya. Among some of the possible explanations for this scenario are that students in the County did not adequately read books extensively coupled with other determinants that influence their performance in English. The study investigated the pedagogical techniques used by teachers to bolster extensive and pleasure reading habits. The study was guided by The Schema Theory. The descriptive survey research design was used for this study. Fifteen secondary schools in Laikipia County were sampled by proportional stratified sampling technique in five subcounties across the county. Purposive sampling was used to sample 30 out of 80 (37.5%) English language teachers. Simple random sampling was used to sample 327 students out of about 2670 students (12.24%) in form 2 and 3 in the County. The research instruments used for data collection included: questionnaire for students, interview guides for teachers and documents analysis guide. The instruments were pilot tested to ensure validity and reliability in a co-educational secondary school in the neighbouring county that was not included in the study. The reliability of the questionnaire and interview guide was estimated using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient which was 0.871 which met the recommended threshold of 0.7 and above. Analysis of data was done using descriptive statistics such as frequency, tables and percentages. Qualitative data were organized according to the study themes and presented descriptively on the basis of the study objectives. The analyzed data revealed various reading pedagogical techniques which included analysis of the title and the blurb before reading, formation of mental images while reading and writing book reviews after reading. Acute shortage of reading resources was a major hindrance to engagement in extensive reading in schools. The study recommended that schools should ground learners on reading techniques and also come up with strong extensive reading policy to promote independent reading.
Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Education
(Kenyatta University, 2015-07-14) Bwire, Adelheid M.; Nyagisere, Manuel S.; Masingila, Joanna O.; Ayot, Henry O.
Role of Extensive Reading Habits in Students’ Acquisition of Composition Writing Skills in English in Kenya
(International Knowledge Sharing Platform, 2020) Mwangi, Francis G.; Bwire, Adelheid M.
Despite the important role reading proficiency plays in learners daily lives both within and outside school, there has been a lot of concern from educationist, researchers and media in Kenya who have reported a saddening trend on poor reading culture among many students in Kenya, This study was prompted by the observed poor reading and writing in English by secondary schools learners in Laikipia County in Kenya. The study therefore sought to establish whether there existed any relationship between extensive reading habits and composition writing amongst learners. The study was guided by Schmidt's (1975) Schema Theory. The descriptive survey research design was used for this study. Fifteen secondary schools in Laikipia County were sampled by proportional stratified sampling technique in five sub-counties across the county. Purposive sampling was used to sample 30 out of 80 (37.5%) English language teachers. Simple random sampling was used to sample 327 students out of about 2670 students (12.24%) in form 2 and 3 in the County. The research instruments used for data collection included: questionnaire for students, interview guides for teachers and composition writing test. The instruments were pilot tested to ensure validity and reliability in a co- educational secondary school in the neighbouring county that was not included in the study. The reliability of the questionnaire and interview guide was estimated using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient which was 0.871 which met the recommended threshold of 0.7 and above. Analysis of data was done using descriptive statistics such as frequency, tables and percentages. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was done at 95% confidence level (F(2) = 80.933, P = .001) to establish whether there was statistically significance difference between composition writing mean scores of different categories of school using (SPSS) version 17. Qualitative data were organized according to the study themes and presented descriptively on the basis of the study objective. It was found that learners who engaged actively in extensive reading performed better in composition writing than those who did not. However, it was established that acute shortage of reading resources was a major hindrance to engagement in extensive reading in schools. The study recommended that schools should come up with strong extensive reading policy to promote independent reading so as to improve their writing skills.

Browsing by Author "Bwire, Adelheid M."

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