https://kerd.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/34 2026-08-16T21:31:33Z https://kerd.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1712 Teachers’ Attitudes towards the Use of Mother Tongue as a Language Instruction in Lower Primary Schools in Hamisi District, Kenya Khejeri, Mary This paper examines the attitudes of teachers towards the teaching and use of Mother Tongue as a language of instruction in lower primary schools based on a study conducted in Hamis District in Western Kenya, East Tiriki Division. The research design was a descriptive survey selected because surveys gather information from relatively large areas by employing sampling procedures hence cutting down on costs. The study sample included 12 schools randomly selected from the 40 primary schools in East Tiriki Division. . The instruments used for data collection were observation, tape-recording and questionnaires. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics. The study revealed that Mother Tongue is less valued than English. English is highly valued both for its instrumental and integrative purposes. It is recommended that there’s need for the government to encourage the publication of instructional materials for the teaching of Mother Tongue and that the educational language policymakers review their position with regard to Mother tongue with a view to promoting it both as a language of instruction and a subject. A research article in International Journal of Humanities and Social Science 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z https://kerd.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1678 Debunking the Myth of Lack of Vocabulary for Teaching Content Knowledge in Primary Schools: Exploring Terminology for Science in Ekegusii of Kenya Mose, Peter The language-in-education policy to teach in mother tongues at lower primary level is not adhered to by classroom teachers in Kenya due to, among other reasons, lack of content terminology. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that mother tongues can be used to teach science up to the end of grade three, considering the nature of topics for this level and other extra-classroom realities. Our research objectives were to examine the nature and content of science topics and sub-topics from grade one to grade three; examine conceptual and technical terms in grade one to grade three science textbooks; describe the Ekegusii equivalents of these terms; and explain the feasibility of teaching science in Ekegusii up to the end of grade three. The findings are: science topics and sub-topics from grade one to grade three deal with basic knowledge that children interact with on a daily basis; both conceptual and technical vocabulary in grade one to grade three textbooks have Ekegusii equivalents. This implies that Ekegusii can be used effectively as a language of instruction for grade one up to grade three. This suggests that the teaching of science in Ekegusii is achievable. An article published in South African Journal of African Languages 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://kerd.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1438 The Efficacy of Using Mother Language in the Teaching of Mathematics and Science in Primary Schools: Evidence from Grade One Classrooms in Kenya Njoroge, Martin C. Despite the evidence from multilingual education research that states the pedagogical benefits accrued when a child is taught in the mother language, obstacles to the acceptance of its use and implementation in education in Africa are enormous. Although Kenya’s language in education policy states that mother language is to be used as a medium of instruction in the early grade years, most teachers use English in introducing children to formal learning. Is it that the teachers do not understand the benefits accrued when a child is introduced to learning in a language that he or she understands? It is against this backdrop that this study set forth to test the efficacy of using Gĩkũyũ (a mother language to many speakers in Kenya) and English (the official language in Kenya) in the teaching of Mathematics and Science in the early grade years to capture the influence the language used had on performance in the two subjects. To achieve the objective of this study, two standard one classes in Kiambu County were purposively sampled. Learners in the experimental class were taught Mathematics and Science using Gĩkũyũ while those in the control class were taught the two subjects using English. A pre-test and a post-test were administered before and after the teaching. Afterwards, the scores recorded in both tests were analyzed quantitatively using the Levene's Test for Equality of Variances and the emerging patterns discussed. The general finding is that teaching Mathematics and Science using Gĩkũyũ is an effective strategy that improves the performance of the two subjects in Kenyan primary schools. The study, therefore, recommends that Gĩkũyũ (and other mother languages) be adopted as a legitimate language of mathematical and scientific communication in areas where the language is spoken in order to facilitate multilingual learners’ participation and success in Mathematics and Science An article published in Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z https://kerd.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1433 Developing Mother Tongues as Academic Languages in Primary Schools in Kenya: Exploring Extent and Indispensability Mose, Peter N.; Kaschula, Russell H. The language in education policy in Kenya recommends mother tongue education in primary school learning. The purpose of this study was to explore the development of mother tongues as academic languages at the lower primary section in which the languages are supposed to be used. The exploration was on the functions they play in classroom instruction and if they are dispensable or otherwise. Ekegusii was used as a case study. Data were obtained through classroom observations and administration of semi-structured interviews with lower primary teachers. The findings indicate that mother tongues play important pedagogical functions in grades 1 up to 3, but not exactly as contemplated in the language policy. Secondly, mother tongues are indispensable in classroom teaching in spite of negative attitude towards their use. The study recommends a stakeholders’ admission that, against all considerations for early English, mother tongues play an irreplaceable role in lower primary teaching and learning. An article published in Journal of Language, Identity & Education 2019-01-01T00:00:00Z