An Assessment Of Challenges And Strategies In Teaching And Learning Of Kiswahili In Public Secondary Schools In Hamisi Sub-County, Kenya

ABSTRACT Teaching and learning of Kiswahili in public secondary schools has not yielded desired results in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations. In Hamisi Sub-county mean scores remained low at average of 5.43 for the years 2010 to 2014 the lowest in Vihiga County compared to Sabatia’s 5.88, Vihiga’s 5.71 and Emuhaya’s 5.62. Existing studies indicate that increasing effectiveness in teaching and learning positively influence performance. However, challenges in teaching and learning reduce effectiveness leading to poor performance. The purpose of this study was to assess the challenges and strategies in teaching and learning of Kiswahili in public secondary schools in Hamisi Sub-county. The objectives of the study were; to assess challenges in relation to resources in teaching and learning of Kiswahili in public secondary schools in Hamisi Sub-county, to assess challenges in relation to scope of Kiswahili curriculum in teaching and learning of Kiswahili in public secondary schools in Hamisi Sub-county, to assess challenges in relation to learners’ attitude towards Kiswahili in teaching and learning of Kiswahili in public secondary schools in Hamisi Sub-county and to establish strategies for coping with the challenges in teaching and learning of Kiswahili in public secondary schools in Hamisi Sub-county. The study was conceptualized on challenges in teaching and learning of Kiswahili. The study design was descriptive survey. Study population was 4,106 form four students, 139 Kiswahili teachers, 47 principals and 1 Quality Assurance and Standards Officer. Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) formula was used to select a sample of 351 form four students and purposive sampling was used to select 42 form four teachers of Kiswahili. Saturated sampling technique was used to select 42 principals and 1 QASO. Questionnaires, interview schedule and observation checklist were used in data collection. For reliability of instruments, a pilot study was done by test-retest method for questionnaires and interview schedule. The reliability coefficient was 0.72 and 0.75 for students and teachers questionnaires respectively. The interview schedule yielded reliability coefficient of 0.80. Inter-rater reliability was done on observation checklist and reliability coefficient stood at 0.77. Face and content validity of instruments was judged by experts in Department of Educational Communication, Technology and Curriculum Studies, Maseno University. Quantitative data was analysed by descriptive statistics involving frequencies, means and percentages. Qualitative data was categorized into themes and reported in verbatim excerpts. The findings revealed challenges of inadequate resources at 2.79, wide Kiswahili curriculum 2.90 and negative attitude of learners towards teaching methods 2.44 and evaluation techniques 2.34. Strategies for coping with inadequate resources were: government funding at 3.00, improvisation 2.20, parents 2.20 and donations 1.58. For wide syllabus, strategies were: integration at 2.59, assignments 2.53 and content prioritization 2.08. For negative attitude, strategies were: speaking of Kiswahili on specific days at 3.22, reading culture 2.45 and motivational speeches and rewards 2.43. Conclusions from the study were; schools have challenges of inadequate resources, wide scope curriculum and negative attitude of learners towards teaching methods and evaluation techniques. Schools have various strategies for coping with the challenges. The study recommends that schools avail adequate resources in teaching and learning Kiswahili, the curriculum be reviewed to reduce content especially in compositions, literature and oral literature, schools cultivate positive attitude among learners towards teaching methods and evaluation techniques and to seek solutions to the challenges. Study findings may benefit teachers, scholars, curriculum developers and policy makers in understanding challenges, adopting and utilizing strategies to address the challenges in teaching and learning of Kiswahili.