Investigation of causes of low reading literacy levels among lower primary school pupils in Kisii Sub-County, Kenya
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Date
2014
Authors
Ayora, Charles M. Lwanga
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
Literacy is fundamental for learning in school. It is the ability to read and write and forms
the heart of basic education for all. Literacy development is a process that spans through
early childhood years and it is one of the most important abilities children acquire as they
progress through their early school years. The purpose of the study was to investigate the
causes of low literacy achievement among lower primary school pupils in Kisii district,
Kisii County. The study was guided by Holdaway's theory of literacy development. The
researcher used descriptive survey method because of the nature of the study. The
independent variables included availability of literacy materials, type of school, and
language of instruction. The dependent variable was pupils' achievement in literacy. The
study was conducted in Kisii central District. Kisi i County. The target population was all
standard three teachers and pupils in lower primary classes. Purposive and stratified
random sampling techniques were used to select the sample of the study. The sample of
the study consisted of 31 class three teachers from private and public schools, 125 pupils
from public schools and 80 pupils from private schools. ineteen of the schools were
public; while the remaining 12 were private primary schools. The researcher used
questionnaire for class three teachers, reading literacy test for class three pupils and
observation checklist to collect data. The instruments were piloted in two primary schools
and the reliability of the instruments which was found to be 0.82 through test re-tests.
The data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques.
Descriptive statistics used were measures of central tendencies; frequency distributions
and percentages. The inferential statistics used chi-square to establish whether there was
any significant relationship between dependent and independent variables. Data collected
was coded and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS)
software. Results had revealed that pupils in private schools had a higher level of reading
literacy compared to their counterparts in public primary schools. The results had also
shown that language of instruction influenced pupils reading literacy levels. The
availability of teaching materials had a positive correlation with the reading literacy
levels in lower primary schools. It was recommended that school management should
provide classroom learning environment that contain adequate literacy materials and
teachers should provide adequate activities and methods to develop pupils' literacy skills.
Description
Department of Early Childhood Studies, 65p. 2014, LB 1050 .L85