Impact of Interaction between Mother Tongue and Kiswahili: Philosophical Analysis of Performance of Kenya Certificate of Primary Education in Nyakach sub-County of Kisumu County, Kenya

Abstract

Good performance can only be realized when learners understand language. People normally think by use of language. Language is therefore a vehicle that transports learning. Poor performances have been realized in Kiswahili in KCPE in Nyakach Sub – County of Kisumu County. The purpose of this study is to analyze philosophically the causes of poor performance in Kiswahili and recommend how these challenges can be overcome. The study involved 63 teachers drawn from 116 primary schools in Nyakach Sub-County, Kenya. The respondents were selected by purposive and simple random sampling techniques. Data was collected by use of questionnaires and interview schedules. Data was analyzed philosophically using philosophical analysis. The study found that the historical factors that impacted negatively on the acquisition of Kiswahili language was that one of the consequences of trade at the East African coast was that the Muslims intermarried with the local Bantu and gave rise to the Swahili community at the coast. The mind plays a major role in the acquisition of language. The research also found that younger children had retained more accent free pronunciation when compared to adolescents just past puberty. The study recommended that the pupils should speak the language without being mindful of the grammar since people learn a language by speaking it