Teaching of Language and Pre-Primary School Children’s Reading Readiness in Vihiga County, Kenya

Abstract

This article presents findings from a study that was carried out in Hamisi Sub-County in Vihiga County, Kenya. The goal of the study was to look at language instruction and pre-primary school children's reading readiness. The study was guided by Vygotsky's sociocultural theory. The study utilized a descriptive survey research design. The study sample was 72 schools selected from a total of 238 to represent 30% of the school population. The schools were sampled using stratified random sampling to ensure that each division was represented by at least 18 out of the 72 schools sampled. Purposeful sampling was used to identify two language teachers from each pre-primary school for the study. One class was observed during a language session and five children were assessed in reading using the reading readiness assessment checklist in 30% of the sampled schools. On the study questions, head teachers and managers from the sampled schools were interviewed. Questionnaires, an interview schedule, a reading readiness checklist, and an observation schedule were used to collect data. Pilot research was conducted by gathering data from the principals and teachers of seven schools in Vihiga Sub County. Test re-test was used to establish whether the tools were reliable. The Alpha reliability coefficient of 0.9 from Cronbach’s convinced the researchers that the instruments were reliable. Data were analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The study established that teaching using the first language encourages the acquisition of a second language (85 percent). As a result, first language development must be nourished, nurtured, and improved in order to facilitate English learning, which has a significant impact on reading readiness. The study further established that the learners' social environment, educational environment, and family economic situation all had a significant impact on their language learning and eventual reading readiness (47 percent). The study therefore, concluded that the language environment has the greatest impact on pre-primary school children's reading readiness. Parents are encouraged to enrol their children in pre-primary schools in order to get the benefits of the first level of education