Reading fluency among class Four learners and its impact on Writing: a case study of two Schools

Abstract

This study sought to establish whether fluency in reading had any impact on accuracy in writing. Twenty four- class four pupils from two primary schools in North Imenti Sub- County participated in the study. The following questions were addressed during the study: a) whether the learners could read the given passage fluently, b) whether the learners could write the dictated text accurately, c) whether fluency had any impact on accuracy in writing and d) whether there were disparities between the performance of learners in rural and urban schools in reading and writing. To collect the data, each of the learners was asked to read a given passage aloud. As they read, they were recorded. They also wrote down the same passage as it was being dictated. Following the error analysis it was established that most of the learners had not achieved the expected proficiency in fluency as many errors were noted in their pronunciation. Many errors were also found in their written texts. The errors in both pronunciation and writing were classified as either inter- lingual or intra- lingual and they were all attributed to the learners’ poor knowledge of the English language. The theory of automaticity was also used to account for fluency where the speed with which the learners read was considered. Observation was done on their reading as well to establish if they read with autonomy, effortlessness and lack of self- awareness. Most of them read at slow speeds exerting a lot of effort in the activity. They lacked autonomy and were aware of the process hence being dysfluent. Out of the twenty four learners sampled, only two were fluent. It was concluded that fluency had an impact on writing as those who were dysfluent made more errors in reading and this was reflected in their writing as they also made more errors in writing. The learners from the rural school also made more errors in reading and writing than their urban counterparts. The study revealed that in order to be proficient in fluency, learners need to establish their knowledge in English sounds. This would enhance their skills in word recognition making the process automatic. As a result they would achieve fluency. This would enhance their skills in word recognition making the process automatic. As a result, they would achieve fluency.