Class size and the Acquisition of reading skills among Grade III pupils in Kenyenya Sub- County, Kenya
Loading...
Date
2017-09
Authors
Ogetange, Teresa Binsari
Murungi, Catherine Gakii
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
International Researchers
Abstract
Reading skills forms the basis upon which all other learning and academic skills are based. Early acquisition
of reading skills among pupils forms the foundation upon which language and literacy learning is built. Developing
children’s reading skills remains a major concern of many governments’ worldwide and important international
Agencies. Whereas an incredible rise in enrolment has been realized at primary school levels due to free primary
education in Kenya, still a big number of pupils have low levels of reading skills. This study intended to assess the
influence of class size on acquisition of reading skills among Grade III pupils in Kenyenya Sub-County. This study
was guided by the Group Dynamics Theory developed by Kurt Lewin in 1943. This study adopted a descriptive
survey research design targeting all the Grade III pupils, their class teachers and head teachers of all 77 public
primary schools in Kenyenya Sub-County. Purposive and stratified random sampling techniques were used in
selecting a 30% sample that participated in the study. Questionnaires, interview guides and observation schedule
were used to collect Data. Quantitative data was analyzed thematically while quantitative data was analyzed
descriptively. The study outcomes revealed that most public primary schools had large enrollments with over 40
pupils in a class. The results also showed a significant relationship (p-value=0.000<0.05) between class size and
acquisition of reading skills. The study concluded that class size has an influence on how pupils acquire reading skill
which has a great effect on their overall academic achievement. This study recommended that the government of
Kenya through the ministry of education should come up with a policy of reducing the class sizes by employing more
teachers.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Class sizes, Decoding, Reading skills, Teacher-pupil ratio
Citation
International Researchers Volume No.6 Issue No.3 September 2017