Influence of code switching on students’ oral and written discourse in english in selected schools in Nyatike District, Migori County, Kenya.
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Date
2015-04
Authors
Akumu, Elisha Ochieng’
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
Proficiency and competence in English is a goal every teacher of the language strives to
help his/her students achieve. English is a language of instruction as well as an
examinable subject in Kenyan schools. As a language for international communication, it
has a special place in the educational systems of most countries of the world. However,
among non-English speakers or speakers of English as a second language (L2), learners
tend to code-switch back and forth between English and their first languages (L1). This
tendency has been viewed as a hindrance to students‟ mastery of the language. Research
already conducted on the motivation for code switching and its effect on students‟
performance in English has not been conclusive. The KNEC examinations reports have
also decried poor performance in English. Some candidates use mother tongue and even
Kiswahili expressions in their essays. Reports from seminars conducted for teachers of
English have also shown growing concern that students do code switching whenever
they write essays. A casual observation has shown students code switch in their out of
class interactions, and in other activities such as symposia, debates and group
discussions. The aim of this study was to establish the cause and effects of code
switching on students‟ performance in oral and written English with a view to suggesting
possible solutions to the adverse effects of code switching on proficiency in English. The
samples of the study were seven out of seventeen secondary schools in Nyatike District,
Migori County, Kenya. A total student sample of 112 was used. The researcher used
descriptive survey design. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques.
Howard Giles‟ Speech Accommodation Theory and Gumperz‟s Conversational
Functions Theory constituted the theoretical framework employed in the study. The
findings showed that the students code-switched at the intra-sentential more than intersentential
level. Majority of the students switched from L2 to L1. Code-switching was
influenced by the context and the school environment. Code switching affected the
students‟ oral performance more than written performance in terms of syntactic,
phonetic, prosodic and lexical error levels. The strategies used to navigate CS were
mainly out-of class learning activities, language policy and teaching methodology. The
study recommended that these strategies should be reinforced. Further research was
recommended to establish the impact of language policy on students‟ English language
proficiency, and the impact of teachers‟ professional qualification and experience on
students‟ communicative competence.
Description
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of Masters In Education of Kenyatta University