| dc.description.abstract | The study is school based to investigate the relative effectiveness of two different teaching strategies of learning vocabulary. Standard III pupils of both sexes, average age 8 years were the subject and the project was carried out in primary schools in Nairobi. See Appendix II.
The Objectives of the study were :
1. To evaluate the relative effectiveness of a formal method, intending to typify currently prevailing model of instruction ln Kenyan primary schools and an innovatory method based on situational games.
2. To assess the relative retention of learning vocabulary under the two strategies.From the provided list of City Education Primary Schools, two schools were selected which did not differ to a great extent an size, location,
provisions and as a minimum requirement had two streams at standard III level. One of the two schools was also used for Pre-test trials and practice lessons. Standard III pupils were chosen with
consideration to the intellectual ability of age level. The pupils at this stage have also acquired certain graphic and language skills enabling them
to understand instructions put forward by the researcher.
On the basis of the Pre-tests and in situ teachers' records 3 groups of matched pupils were identified.
The group size was 11 in one school and 12 in the other. Group A (experimental) was exposed to the innovatory method. Group B (control) was exposed to the formal method. Both groups A & B were taught by
.-the researcher. Group C (teacher's) formed a second
control group, and was taught by the class teacher.
The word list from which items were selected for teaching and testing were taken from Progressive Peak Course Book 3. The Progressive Peak Course is the recommended course for the first three years of
primary English and Book 3 was therefore -consi.d.er-ed
, appropriate source of word items for this project.
Detailed plans for eight lessons in each of the two methods were drawn up after consultation with the selected schools to ensure that the words to be us ed were ones that would have been introduced at the
time of the project in any case. Eight 40 minute lessons were given to each of the groups and the principal objective was to teach meanings of about
5-8 selected words. Reliability of the Post-tests was evaluated by drawing up a table of it em analysis during the trial period. The effectiveness of the lessons was evaluated by administering modified Post test P I and P II to each group after the 4th and 8th lessons respectively. To evaluate retention, a
third Post-test which was a composite of the first two Post-tests was administered after a period of 4 weeks after the 8th lesson. The student t-test for matched pairs was used to measure the relative effectiveness of the two teaching strategies.
The following conclusions were drawn :-
1. There was significant difference in performance on Post-test PI and PII between the experiment and control group at a level greater than 0.01.
There was no significant difference in performance on Post-tes~PI and PII between the Control and Teacher's group.
~2. There was significant difference in performance on Retention tests RI and RII between the experiment and control group at a level greater than 0.01.
There was no significant difference in performance on Retention tests RI and RII between the Control and Teacher's group.
A discussion of the possible sociological and cultural bases of resistance to the
adoption of innovatory method in Kenya, together with
a feasible mechanism of implementation and erosion of the negative attitude towards this method is presented.
Audio-Visual material in the form of cassette, video-tape, and 8mm. colour film as auxilIary illustratory matter are available in conjunction with the thesis. | en |
