Institutional Factors Influencing Students’ Performance in Kiswahili at Kenya Certificate of Primary Education in Kisumu East Sub County

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate institutional factors influencing students' performance in Kiswahili at Kenya Certificate of Primary Education in Kisumu East Sub-county. The study sought to determine the extent to which instructional resources, students’ attitude, class size and teaching methods influenced the performance in Kiswahili at KCPE in Kisumu East sub- County as the objectives of the study. Related literature to factors influencing students' performance was done, input- output theory guided the study. The study adopted both descriptive survey and correlation research designs. Target population was 75 head teachers 690 Kiswahili teachers and all class eight students in Kisumu East Sub-County. The sample size was 23 head teachers (one from each school) 69 Kiswahili teachers and 200 class 8 students totaling to 292 respondents. Questionnaires and interview guide were both used to gather data from the field. On the first objective on instructional resources the study found that there were inadequate supplementary books, teachers’ guide and Kiswahili dictionaries in the schools. Furthermore the majority of head teachers 84.2 percent revealed that students’ textbooks were inadequate. The findings also revealed that students in the sampled schools had negative attitude towards Kiswahili in that 50.8 percent of the students who participated in the study revealed that they did not like the subject. Most of them viewed Kiswahili lessons as dull with a majority preferring using Dholuo for day to day communications. The third objective sought to establish the influence of class size on performance, the study found out that the classes were large in size as reported by a majority of head teachers. They revealed that most of the classes in the sampled schools had above sixty learners, this denied the students the opportunity to get individual attention from teachers and also disadvantaged the learners who were slow learners On the fourth objective on teaching methods, the study revealed that question and answer method was the popular method used by Kiswahili teachers as affirmed by a majority of the teachers interviewed. The recommendations made were as follows: The government through the ministry of education should ensure that all schools have enough instructional resources like Kamusi ya Kiswahili (dictionary), course books in a ratio of 1:1, attitude change should be inculcated in students by sensitizing them on the importance of Kiswahili. The government through the county government should build more classrooms in schools to eradicate the challenge of class size. The ministry of education should advice the head teachers and teachers to use teaching methods which are favorable to students in order to have positive results.