| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this study was to investigate students' atti tudes towards Literature in Eng'l.Lsh , Available evidence indicated that students' participation in the literature debates of (1968-1980) had been i&noredo There was therefore a need for a study that would investigate what students thought about literature as a subject and the methodology of teaching it in schools. It was felt that such a study
would provide feedback on literature teaching from the
students' point of view.
A questionnaire comprising 32 items was administered
to a sample of 304 O level students in Kenya Science Teachers! College, Kaaga Girls High School, Meru School and
Nairobi Girls High Schoolo
Frequency distribution of responses, computation of percentages and illustrative descriptions and discussions were the main techniques used in the analysis and
interpretation of data.
It was found that a very large majority of students in .the sample felt that set books and teachers, more than other factors accounted for their attitudes towards literature
thus agreeing with hypothesis one which stated that - uThe choice of set books, the teachers and their teaching methods, more than any other factors contribute towards students I attitudes towards Ii teraturein Kenya." It was also clear that students v i ews regarding the teaching of
Iiterature were to (3, very large extent similar to those
expressed by teachers,. writers and critics of literature,
thus disproving the second. hypothesis which stated that,The students attitudes towrards literature in English do not
reveal a sense of awareness which is discerned from the aims
of literature course a~d also from the views of writers and
The study revealed that there was a need for students
to be aware of the importance of studying literature in schools - with a view to improving their attitudes towards
literature. Such an understanding, it was found, would come
from students' involvement in the study of literature - which
meant that tea8hers of literature must plan very carefully their instructional programmes if they want to make
literature study an enriching experienceo The study also
revealed that there was a need to introduce students to
Kenya-, literature before the literature of other African
countries and indeed that of other parts of the world, is
studied. | en |
