The Use Of The School Library In The Development Of A Reading Culture Among Secondary School Students In Nandi Central Sub-County, Kenya

Abstract

Reading culture enables one to acquire knowledge, seek individual self- improvement and for re-creative purposes. The school library as a resource centre inspires a love of reading among users. This study aimed at establishing how the school library can be used to nurture a reading culture among Form Three students. It sought to establish the use of the school library in development of a reading culture among secondary school students in Nandi Central Sub-County, Kenya. The objectives were: establish the types and relevance of reading materials available in the school library, establish the perception of Form Three students towards the use of the school library, investigate how students make use of the reading materials provided and to find out the roles of librarians and Heads of Subject for English in promoting a reading culture among students. The study was guided by Vygotsky’s socio-cultural model of Reading and Skinner’s Behaviorist theory. It adopted a descriptive survey design. Schools were purposively sampled in that only schools with libraries were selected, hence a total of ten schools was achieved. Moreover, one librarian and one Head of subject for English were picked from each school hence a sampling frame of 10 Librarians and 10 Heads of subject for English was attained. The sample also included 31 students selected by simple random sampling in each school, thus a total of 310 students were used. Data was collected using the questionnaire, interview and observation schedule and a document analysis checklist. It was analyzed using descriptive statistics then presented thematically and also in form of tables and figures. Findings indicated that school libraries mostly stocked examination oriented texts like course books, revision books and story books (mostly old text books), newspapers and books on donations. It was established that students believed that these texts equipped them with knowledge and skills necessary for passing examinations. Consequently, they used the library to complete assignments, conduct research and make notes. However, most of them did not read for leisure because of lack of attractive reading materials, the tight exam-oriented syllabus and lack of enough time for usage of the library. Librarians played various duties like recommending titles for stock and displaying materials and books for easy access by students. Heads of Subject for English encouraged them to read variety of story books, newspapers and journals to improve in English language besides teaching them summary writing skills. However, most schools did not have library periods thus students used the library only when they were free or when a teacher was not in class. Education planners should revise the current syllabus to enable students find time for leisure reading. Schools should stock their libraries with quality literature to enhance learning outcomes and foster a love of reading for pleasure, teachers and librarians to identify interesting texts and library weeding to be conducted. The study will be significant to education planners; teachers and librarians who should help students develop reading interests and also add to existing body of knowledge on the use of school library in language teaching.