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Functional writing skills is a fundamental requirement in every individual’s life due to
its importance in communication. Leaners’ mastery of functional writing skills is a
critical objective in the teaching and learning of language because of its relevance in
the life of an individual. The current study sought to explore Kiswahili teachers’
instructional regimes on learners’ mastery of functional writing skills in Ndhiwa Sub-
county. The research objectives were: to assess Kiswahili teachers’ preparation for
teaching writing skills in their classrooms, to examine the type of teaching and
learning activities designed by Kiswahili teachers for teaching functional writing
skills, to evaluate the teaching and learning resources employed by Kiswahili teachers
in teaching functional writing skills, and to determine the assessment strategies
designed by Kiswahili teachers for assessing functional writing skills. The study was
based on John Biggs theory of Constructive Alignment and adopted a descriptive
survey research design. Cluster sampling was used to sample divisions, stratified
sampling for schools, simple random sampling for Kiswahili teachers and students
and purposive sampling for heads of department. A total of 52 secondary schools in
Ndhiwa Sub-county, Homabay county were selected consisting 4 boy schools, 7 girls,
and 41 mixed secondary schools. From these, 30 teachers, and 60 Form Three
students were selected to participate in the study, giving a total of 90 participants. The
four tools used for data collection included a structured interview schedule, writing
assessment, document analysis, and observations. Data were analysed thematically by
categorising it into relevant themes from which various aspects of data were
examined. The study established that: for effective teaching and learning, well-
chosen and properly-managed activities ought to be employed by instructors,
Kiswahili teachers use different strategies in teaching functional writing skills
creating a difference in performance by their students, adequate teacher planning is an
essential step in teaching, designing holistic teaching and learning regime
encompasses combining both teaching and learning activities and resources and that
the difference in performance outcomes are attributed to various instructional
regimes. The findings of this study could contribute to additional knowledge in the
area of teaching Kiswahili functional writing skills in secondary schools. This study
concluded that planning should be considered as an essential way of ensuring that
learning goals are achieved and that various teaching and learning resources should be
employed by Kiswahili teachers to teach functional writing skills concepts effectively.
This study recommends, among others, that Kiswahili teachers should integrate
effective teaching and learning activities and resources into their instructions.
Furthermore, a different research which compares various instructional regimes used
by Kiswahili teachers be conducted to establish the one with the most impact on
learners’ mastery of functional writing skills to help in bridging the gap in students’
mastery levels as well as performance in such subjects. |
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