CHALLENGES FACED BY TERTIARY TRAINEES IN SPEAKING ENGLISH AND THE STRATEGIES EMPLOYED TO ENHANCE THEIR SPEAKING SKILLS IN DAILY COMMUNICATION IN THE ELDORET NATIONAL POLYTECHNIC, KENYA

Abstract

English is a language of instruction and a subject of study in Kenya. It is also an official language spoken by a fairly large population of Kenyans. It remains unclear why trainees in tertiary institutions, who have undergone 12 years of basic education, still struggle with their oral communication skills. It is observed that a strong command of spoken English can open up more career pathways for these trainees when they graduate. The purpose of the study was to examine the challenges faced by trainees at The Eldoret National Polytechnic in the spoken English and, the strategies they employ to enhance their oral skills in the institution context. The objectives of the study were to: identify common mistakes in the use of oral English among trainees; examine the effect of common errors in spoken English on learning by trainees; find out linguistic strategies used to cope with errors in their spoken language. The study was guided by Stephen Krashen’s theory, known as the Monitor Model or the Input Hypothesis. A descriptive survey design was used applying both qualitative and quantitative approaches to investigate the errors in spoken English and strategies used by the trainees to enhance their speaking skills in daily communication. The target population of the study was 1331 trainees and 10 communication skills trainers of the 10 academic departments at The Eldoret National Polytechnic. The sample size of the study was 308 determined by using Yamane sample size determination formula, 30 trainees were sampled randomly from each department while 10 trainers were sampled purposively. Data was collected by use of questionnaire for the trainees and interview for trainers. Quantitative data was analyzed using statistical analysis software while qualitative data was analyzed thematically and presented in narrations. The study found that the trainees’ common mistakes in spoken English primarily centered around vocabulary deficiency, tense usage, subject-verb agreement, pronoun allocation, misunderstandings in questioning, and the use of question tags. The study also found out that there were several effects of common errors in spoken English on learning particularly the lack of active participation in class, breakdown of communication due to grammatical errors, and the fear of asking questions which reduces learner engagement in learning. Lastly, the study found out that trainees used a number of linguistic strategies to cope with errors in their spoken English. These strategies included the use of non-verbal cues, fillers and, code-switching in conversation. The study concludes that the trainees filter what to learn which results to low self-esteem and demotivation in recognizing their true potential in the courses they are undertaking. The study recommends that the Communicative Language Teaching should be embraced by all trainers in the teaching of communication skills.