Languages Used in Teaching and Learning English Composition Writing among Learners with Hearing Impairments in Nyanza Province, Kenya

Abstract

The main objective for teaching English composition is to enable the learner to acquire writing skills to be able to express own ideas meaningfully and communicate effectively in English. The Kenya Certificate of Primary Education results over the years show that learners with hearing impairment perform poorer in English compared to their hearing counterparts. In Nyanza Province, the highest mean score in English in the period2005-2007 was 47.72. The purpose of this study was to establish the languages used in teaching and learning English composition writing among learners with hearing impairment. A descriptive survey design was used in this study. The study was carried out in Nyanza Province, Kenya. The target population comprised 71 class seven pupils and 5 class seven teachers of English. Saturated sampling technique was used to come up with a sample of 64 pupils and 4 teachers of English. Data was collected by use of lesson observation schedules, document analysis guides and questionnaires. To establish reliability, a pilot study was carried out with 10% of the population who did not form part of the study. Research instruments were presented to three experts in the Faculty of Education, Maseno University for face validity judgment. Descriptive statistics such as percentages and graphs were used to analyze quantitative data. Qualitative data was transcribed, organized into emerging themes and reported. Results revealed that languages used in teaching and learning English composition included; English, Kiswahili, Kenyan Sign Language and signed modes such as signed English. The recommendations of the study include; teachers of learners with hearing impairment should spoken English and signed modes such as signed English and signed exact English and that both teachers and learners should make a deliberate effort towards enhancing English vocabulary acquisition. The outcome of this study may be useful to educators in the choice of languages used teaching and learning composition.