Influence of Classroom Physical Environment on Students’ Performance in English in Public Secondary Schools in Makindu Sub-county, Makueni County, Kenya.

Abstract

This study's goal was to find out how English performance in public secondary schools in Kenya's Makindu Sub-County was impacted by the physical environment of the classroom. The following goals served as the study's guiding principles: to determine the degree to which visual and acoustic factors affect students' performance in English language in public secondary schools in Makindu sub-county; to ascertain the degree to which spatial factors affect students' performance in English language in public secondary schools in Makindu sub-county and to ascertain the ways in which these factors interact. The research design used in the study was descriptive. The study's explanation of the relationship between the independent and dependent variables was based on environmentalist learning theory. 60 English professors and 2260 pupils made up the study's target group of 2320 respondents. A sample size of 286 was employed in the proportionate random sampling procedure to choose the respondents. The primary data was gathered using self-administered questionnaires that included both closed-ended and open-ended questions. The study discovered that when learning takes place in a well-lit classroom with pertinent charts, flashcards, and photos, pupils are more engaged. Additionally, during English sessions, outside noise interferes with the teachers' ability to communicate the lesson's topic. It was further shown that hot weather makes students less attentive when learning English in the afternoon. The study concluded that using learning aids in public secondary schools in Makindu Sub County helps students' grammar and vocabulary. It also came to the conclusion that classroom noise, both internal and external, hinders students' performance in English reading, comprehension, and writing assessments. Improving the classroom environment, including the desks and chairs, will increase English performance, and conversely. Furthermore, it concluded that hot classrooms significantly hinder students' ability to perform well in English. The study recommends that school boards of administration make sure that classrooms are illuminated and that English teachers are incentivized to use a variety of teaching tools, charts, and other displays to help pupils with their grammar and vocabulary during lessons. Around the classroom spaces, internal and exterior noise should be kept to a minimum. According to the study, classrooms might as well have adequate area for teachers and students to walk around freely during lessons, form groups, and engage in other educational activities. It was suggested that all classrooms have big, glass-covered windows, good ventilation, and fresh air circulation.