CHALLENGES AFFECTING TEACHING AND LEARNING OF ORAL

NARRATIVES IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN BUTERE SUB-COUNTY

KAKAMEGA COUNTY

NAME: FLORA AYIERA ANJIRA

MATRICULATION NO: B. Ed /d246/10/11

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

MARIST INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

A Constituent College of the Catholic University of Eastern

Africa

NAIROBI – KENYA

AUGUST 2015

DECLARATION

This is my original work and has not been presented for a degree in any other university

_______________________________ _______________________________

FLORA AYIERA ANJIRA DATE

This research project has been submitted for examination with my approval as university

supervisor.

_______________________________ ________________________________

MS. ANNA KULA DATE

This research project has been approved by the head of department

_______________________________ _______________________________

Dr. Everlyn Oluoch Suleh DATE

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DEDICATION

This work is dedicated to my dear aunt Margret Aleke who stood by me from the beginning of

my studies till the end. She made sure that my school fees is paid in good time. I am happy

because through her my uncles, aunties and cousins were able to come in and assist. This whole

work is dedicated to them because without them it would not have been possible.

iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First I thank the Almighty God for the life and good health and for giving me this opportunity to

pursue my studies. I also thank god because it’s only through love that he enabled my sponsors’

good health and a heart to give that has made me reach this far. I also want to acknowledge the

help I received from various people in the course of development of my research project and final

report.

Iam grateful to my supervisor Ms Ann Kula for her guidance through the entire process that has

made me come up with this final peace.it would not have been possible without her guidance

support and encouragement. Iam grateful.

Finally, I acknowledge my friends for their encouragement and moral support they gave me when

I was doing the project. The time they spared to correct me and even work together during field

work The guidance and the sharing of ideas meant a lot to my studies and to my personality as

well. Iam grateful.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents Page

DECLARATION.............................................................................................................................ii

DEDICATION...............................................................................................................................iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................................iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS...............................................................................................................vi

LIST OF TABLES...........................................................................................................................x

LIST OF FIGURES........................................................................................................................xi

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.......................................................................................................xii

THE ABSTRACT..........................................................................................................................xv

CHAPTER ONE..............................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY..............................................................................................1

Background of the Study.................................................................................................................1

1.8 Definition of Key Terms............................................................................................................8

CHAPTER TWO.............................................................................................................................9

LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................9

2.1 Introduction................................................................................................................................9

2.2 Attitude of Learners towards Oral Narrative.............................................................................9

2.3 Effectiveness of Methods Used to Teach Oral Narratives.......................................................11

2.4 Adequacy and Status of Teaching and Learning Resources for Oral Narratives....................14

2.5 Possible Solutions to the Challenges of Teaching Oral Narratives.........................................15

2.6 Summary of Literature Review...............................................................................................16

v

CHAPTER THREE.......................................................................................................................18

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY.........................................................................18

3.0 Introduction..............................................................................................................................18

3.1 Research Design......................................................................................................................18

3.4 The Sample and Sampling Procedure......................................................................................19

3.5 Research Instruments...............................................................................................................20

3.5.1 Questionnaires for Students..................................................................................................20

3.5.2 Questionnaire for Teachers...................................................................................................21

3.7 Reliability of the Research Instruments...................................................................................21

3.8 Data Collection Procedure.......................................................................................................22

3.9 Data Analysis and Interpretation.............................................................................................22

3.10 Ethical Considerations...........................................................................................................22

CHAPTER FOUR.........................................................................................................................24

DATA ANALYSIS, PRESENTATIONS, INTERPRETATION AND DISCUSSION OF

FINDINGS.....................................................................................................................................24

4.0 Introduction..............................................................................................................................24

4.1 Distribution of Questionnaires and the Return Rate....................................................................24

4.2 Demographic Details of the Respondents................................................................................25

4.2.1 Gender Distribution of Students and Teachers..........................................................................25

4.2.2 Age Distribution of Students and Teachers...............................................................................25

4.2.3 Class Distribution of Students....................................................................................................26

4.2.4 Teachers’ Academic Qualification..............................................................................................27

4.2.4 Teaching Experience..................................................................................................................28

4.3 Attitude of Learners towards Oral Narratives.........................................................................28

4.3.1 Enjoyment Learning Oral Narratives..........................................................................................28

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4.3.2 Attitude of Learners towards Oral Narratives............................................................................29

4.3.3 Teachers enjoyment in teaching Oral Narratives.......................................................................30

4.3.4 Importance of Oral Narratives in Students’ Future Career........................................................31

4.3.5 Comparison of Oral Narratives with other Subjects..................................................................32

4.3.6 Teachers Views on Comparison between Oral Narratives and Other Subjects.........................33

4.3.7 Difficulty Teaching and Learning Oral Narratives.......................................................................34

4.4 Effectiveness of Methods Used to Teach Oral Narratives.......................................................35

4.4.1 Description of Methods Used to Teach Oral Narratives............................................................35

4.4.3 Competency of Teachers of Oral Narratives..............................................................................36

4.4.4 Teachers Creativity and Innovativeness while Teaching Oral Narratives...................................37

4.5 Adequacy and Status of Resources for Teaching and Learning Oral Narratives....................38

4.5.1 Adequacy of Oral Narratives Teaching and Learning Resources........................................................38

4.5.2 Up-to-date Oral Narrative Teaching and Learning Resources.............................................38

4.6 Possible Solutions to the Challenges of Teaching Oral Narratives.........................................40

CHAPTER FIVE...........................................................................................................................44

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS........................44

5.1 Introduction..............................................................................................................................44

5.2 Summary of Findings..............................................................................................................44

5.2.1 The Attitude of Learners towards Oral Narratives...............................................................44

5.2.2 The Effectiveness of Methods used to teach Oral Narratives...............................................45

5.2.3 The Adequacy and Status of Teaching and Learning Resources for Oral Narratives..........45

5.2.4 Possible Solutions to the Challenges of Teaching Oral N....................................................45

5.3 Conclusions..............................................................................................................................46

5.4 Recommendations....................................................................................................................47

5.5 Suggestions for Further Research............................................................................................48

REFERENCE................................................................................................................................49

vii

APPENDIX I: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS.................................................................53

APPENDIX II: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS...............................................................56

APPENDIX III: LETTER OF AUTHORIZATION......................................................................61

viii

LIST OF TABLES

Table 3.1: Distribution of the sample size......................................................................................19

Table 4.1: Questionnaire Distribution and Return Rate................................................................24

Table 4.2: Gender Distribution.....................................................................................................25

Table 4.3: Age Distribution of Respondents...................................................................................26

Table 4.4: Students’ Class Distribution.........................................................................................27

Table 4.5: Teachers’ Academic Qualification................................................................................27

Table 4.6: Teaching Experience.....................................................................................................28

Table 4.7: Whether Students Enjoy Learning Oral Narratives......................................................29

Table 4.8: Importance of Oral Narratives to Students' Future Career..........................................32

Table 4.9: Difficulty in Teaching and Learning Oral Narratives..................................................35

Table 4.10: Methods of Teaching Oral Narratives........................................................................36

Table 4.11: Competency of Oral Literature Teachers...................................................................36

Table 4.12: Creativity and Innovativeness of Oral Narrative Teachers........................................37

Table 4.13: Adequacy of Oral Narratives Teaching and Learning Resources..............................38

Table 4.14: Up-to-datedness of Oral Narrative Teaching and Learning Resources.....................39

Table 4.15: Students’ Responses on Possible Solutions.................................................................40

Table 4.16: Teacher’ Responses on Possible Solutions.................................................................41

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1.1: Conceptual Framework.................................................................................................8

Figure 4.1: Attitude of learners towards oral narratives...............................................................30

Figure 4.2: Teachers’ Joy in Teaching Oral Narratives................................................................31

Figure 4.4: Place of Oral Narratives among other Subjects.........................................................33

Figure 4.5: Teachers opinion on comparison between oral narratives and other subjects...........34

x

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

EN The Elimu Network

MIUC Marist International University College

OR Oral Narratives

SPSS Statistical Package for Social Science

xi

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges facing teaching of oral narratives in Butere Sub-county, Kakamega County. The study was based on the following objectives: To find out the attitude of learners towards oral narratives; To examine the effectiveness of methods used to teach oral narratives; To find out the adequacy and status of teaching and learning resources for oral narratives and to establish the possible solutions to the challenges of teaching oral narratives. The study adopted mixed research design that involved mixing of quantitative and qualitative research. It also applied the survey method that was ideal for collecting data that is intended to describe a population’s characteristics that is too large to observe directly. The study enlisted 76 participants comprising 20 teachers and 56 students. The study concluded that teaching and learning of oral narratives has encountered a myriad of challenges from various stakeholders such as learners, teachers, schools and the government. Learners were found to have a negative attitude towards oral narratives, while teachers use poor methods that are not effective. The schools do not provide adequate and up to date oral narratives teaching and learning resources, while the government integrated English and literature, thereby minimizing the time, scope and depth of the subject coverage. Some of the recommendations given were that students should strive to have a positive attitude; teachers should improve their teaching methods; schools should provide adequate and up to date resources while the government should come up with policies that promote teaching and learning of oral narratives.

xii

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY

Background of the Study

A narrative is basically a prose of account of people, events and places, among others that may be

factual or fictional. These accounts are principally handed down from person to person and

generation to generation through word of mouth (Miruka, 1994). Oral narrative is one of the

genres of oral literature that is further divided into small categories or sub-genres (Sunkuli &

Miruka, 1990).

There are two main categories of narratives namely; real narratives and imaginary narratives or

fiction. Real narratives are about something that actually happened while fiction is an account on

imaginary things. Both narratives are meant to educate or entertain. However, there are seven

kinds of narratives: folktales, fables, myths, legends, autobiographies, biographies and travels

(Mbarwa, 1989).

A folk tale is a popular traditional story handed down orally through generations. Folktales are

mostly fictional and they contain people’s popular narratives that are handed down, usually orally

from past generations. They express the mind of the people. Fables are purely fictional and

consist of short tales. They give moral teachings (Sunkuli & Miruka, 1990).

Myths are narratives about the past handed down from old time and may explain natural

phenomena such as creation, birth and death (Kirmani & Kirmani, 2002). According to Mbarwa

(1989), myths enable a society to keep certain traditions.

1

Legend is a story about the memorable events and heroic deeds of people in a community’s

history. Legends are narratives handed down from societies to societies. They talk of fame or

superior quality of certain individuals. The common subjects of legend are war and conquest,

migrations, famine, lineages and dynasties. Although sometimes they are regarded by the parent

communities as true, legends combines facts and fantasies (Sunkuli & Miruka, 1990).

Autobiographies are narratives about someone’s life told or written by himself or herself.

Autobiographies educate and entertain at the same time. Biographies are a person’s life history

told or written by another person (Mbarwa, 1989). Travel is a narrative accounting one’s

travelling experiences. These may include his encounters, failures and successful adventures or

endeavours in travelling (Mbarwa, 1989).

The history of study of oral narratives can be traced from the European travelers who wrote

descriptions of the culture and essence of African kingdoms they encountered in their wanderings

in 1550. The earliest collections of verbal arts, South of Sahara, is 231 aphorism published by J.

Dard in 1826 followed by 43 Wolof fables collected by Roger, a French in 1828. In Nigeria, a

monograph on Nigerian folktale appeared in London in 1854 when Rev. S. Koelle, a German

missionary and linguist, published hi African Native Literatures of Proverbs, Tales, Fables and

Historical Fragments in the Kanuri or Borno language.

In 1877, a collection of Malagasy narratives were published by a Norwegian missionary Lars

Dahe. This was followed by another collection of Malagasy narratives known as Contes

Populairs Malasqachies. In South Africa, George McCall Theal published a collection of 21 tales

2

in 1882. Of worth noting is the fact that African literary study was at this time dominated by

missionaries and colonial civil servants (Ighile, 2014).

Africans started to appear in the picture in 1950s and 1960s when the field of oral literary

research started gaining impetus. Many Africans started becoming part of the whole essence of

African Oral Literature. The works of oral narratives started getting recognition and appreciation

as they contained historical, mythological, legendary and epical significance. Currently, a

significant proportion of the existing materials on oral narratives is written and taught by

Africans (Ighile, 2014).

Oral narratives are taught within English language or integrated English to be specific.

Integration means merging two autonomous but related entities in order to strengthen and enrich

both. The expectations are that through exposure to literature the learners are expected to improve

their language skills. They will not only enrich their vocabulary but also learn to use language in

a variety of ways. Similarly, an improved knowledge of the language will enhance the learner’s

appreciation of literary material. On yet another scale, integration means that no language skill

should be taught in isolation. Listening, speaking, reading and writing skills should complement

each other (The Elimu Network, 2014).

Whereas there have been misgivings about the integration of language and literature, the

proponents of this arrangement argues that it is important to realize that literature provides

genuine and expressive samples of language in context. Students are also said to gain familiarity

with many different linguistic uses, forms and conventions of the written mode. Reading of

literary works also is claimed to provide a rich context in which learners can acquire new

vocabulary and knowledge of the rich possibilities of language use. To some extent it has been

3

established that teaching language structures in isolation is not only boring, but it also tends to

produce learners who lack communicative competence. Literary works also help to develop the

learner’s critical thinking, which is a crucial element in intellectual development of the students.

Literature is also said to be about life (values, conflicts, human nature) and it is a good avenue to

providing suggestions on how to resolve some of the challenges people face (The Elimu

Network, 2014).

Several studies have identified that since the integration of English with Literature, teaching of

oral narratives has suffered immensely from various challenges ranging from inadequate time, to

poor teaching methods to lack of adequate resources to lack of interest among learners (Masinjila

and Kombo, 1994; KNEC, 2003).

According to Mwashigandi (2013), teachers of oral narratives use limited approaches and

strategies when teaching oral narratives. Miruka (2003) puts the blame squarely on teachers,

students and learning resources. Students’ level of intelligence and abilities and lack of interest in

the subject negatively affects the performance of the subject. A need assessment survey carried

out by K.I.E. (2004) found out that most learners complained that oral literature is difficult and

was perceived it as so primarily due to the poor teaching approach adopted by the teachers.

Teachers’ professional competence was also found to affect learner’s academic performance in

the subject. Specifically, oral narratives as a genre of literature is mostly ignored or avoided at the

expense of English language or other genres such as written literature. The major problem is that

a number of teachers are not confident enough to handle oral narratives because they were not

taught how to teach them while on college

4

Teaching and learning resources plays an important role in ensuring effective teaching and

learning of oral narratives. Provision of learning resources for oral narratives is a major problem

as very little is being churned out by publishers in terms of textbooks. The cost sharing policy by

the government in secondary schools has not helped the situation. The requirement that parents

and the community provide physical facilities while the government provides the teachers and

tuition facilities has seen very few materials trickle down to schools (Masinjila & Kombo, 1994).

This implies that many secondary schools are handicapped when it come to teaching and learning

resources.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

This study seeks to find out the challenges facing teaching and learning of oral narratives in

secondary schools in Butere sub-county. This study was necessitated by constant poor

performance in oral narratives in the area. The study therefore intends to find out the reasons

behind this phenomenon.

Adagala and Kavira (1985) observed that teaching of oral narratives creates a lot of challenges.

They argued that teaching and learning of oral narratives is involving and tasking and therefore

requires adequate time to prepare and teach. For students, it also requires ample time to practice

and especially when data has to be collected from the field. The modernization of the society has

created new challenges that this study intends to unearth.

Most of the studies that have been undertaken have not narrowed down to the problem of

teaching and learning oral narratives. Such studies such as that of Mugo (2011) was concerned

with implementation of integrated approach in teaching and learning English while that of

Mwashighadi (2013) was on oral literature. It is therefore the wish of the researcher to look at the

5

challenges facing teaching of oral narratives in Butere Division, Kakamega County.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

a) To find out the attitude of learners towards oral narratives

b) To examine the effectiveness of methods used to teach oral narratives

c) To find out the adequacy and status of teaching and learning resources for oral narratives

d) To establish the possible solutions to the challenges of teaching oral narratives

1.4 Research Questions

i. What is the attitude of learners towards oral narratives?

ii. Are the methods of teaching oral narratives effective?

iii. What are the status and adequacy of teaching and learning resources for oral narratives?

iv. What are the possible solutions to the problem of teaching and learning oral narratives?

1.5 Scope and Delimitations of the Study

The coverage of this study is limited to public secondary schools in Butere Division in Kakamega

County. The study only addressed issues of challenges facing teaching and learning oral

narratives. It targeted both teachers who are teaching oral narratives and students who are

learning oral narratives. The students were targeted as they are the ones learning oral narratives

while teachers are the ones teaching oral narratives.

1.6 Significance of the Study

According to Mugenda and Mugenda (2003), the main reason for carrying out a research is to

discover new knowledge. Therefore, this study’s sole aim is to break new ground by generating

new knowledge in the area of teaching and learning oral narratives. The new findings will help

various stakeholders in the education sector to handle issues related to challenges of teaching and

learning oral literature and provide answers to those challenges.

6

Availability of Teaching & Learning Resources Inadequate resourcesOutdated materials

Attitude of Learners towards Oral NarrativesNegative attitudeIntelligence levels preparation

Teaching MethodsPoor methodsProfessional incompetenceInadequate preparation

Independent Variables

Dependent Variables

Teaching & Learning Oral Narratives

The schools that teach oral narratives will have a reference tool that can aid in providing

information about the best methods of handling teaching and learning of oral narratives. The

study will also benefit policy makers in the ministry of Education as they can refer to it when

making policies relating to teaching and learning of oral narratives.

1.7 Conceptual Framework

This study is based on the understanding that several factors must combine to bring about

changes in teaching and learning of oral narratives. The study uses independent variables and

dependent variables to demonstrate the combination. Independent variables influence the

dependent variables either positively or negatively.

Figure 1.1: Conceptual Framework

7

From Figure 1 above, the independent variables are the attitude of learners towards oral

narratives, teaching methods and availability of teaching and learning resources. When the

attitude of learners towards oral narratives is positive then they will be ready, receptive and

interested in learning oral narratives. When teaching methods are good then there will be

effective teaching of oral narratives. When teaching and learning resources are up to date,

adequate and available, then teaching and learning of oral narratives becomes effective. However,

when these independent variables are negative, the end result is ineffective learning of oral

narratives.

1.8 Definition of Key Terms

Falk Tale: A popular traditional story handed down orally through generations

Narrative: A story, or an account of people or events.

Oral Literature: Prose and poetry marked by artistry and communicated by word of mouth

Orator: An eloquent public speaker

Oral Tradition: Also referred to as folklore implies to all the rules and conventions observed in a

performance

Integrated English :These are two subjects that is English language and Literature that are taught

as one subject.

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CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction

This chapter reviews literature written about Challenges Affecting Teaching and Learning of Oral

Narratives in Secondary Schools in Kakamega County. The review is conducted from a variety of

information sources such as books, journals, e-resources, published and unpublished documents.

2.2 Attitude of Learners towards Oral Narrative

An attitude is a mental or neural state of readiness, organized through experience, exerting a

directive or dynamic influence upon the individual’s response to all objects and situations with

which it is related. Attitudes prepare people for action, are learned from experience and exert a

motivating force on behavior (Aardweg &Aardweg, 1993). Attitudes therefore can be attributed

to the feelings that students have about themselves, their school, their teachers, and their subjects.

Students’ attitude may be influenced by factors such as their level of intelligence, abilities and

interest in the subject. In this respect, learner’s attitudes towards oral literature can either be

positive or negative.

According to Elliott, Kratochwill, Cook & Travers (2000), the teacher as the communicator bears

the greatest responsibility for student attitude towards a subject. It has been observed that oral

literature in general is a fairly problematic subject that a large number of teachers refer to it

derogatively as the ‘beast’. The teaching of the subject has been worsened by integrating it with

English in the 8-4-4 system of education. In the old school curriculum, it was easier for teachers

to teach oral literature than in the present system. As a component of literature, oral narratives

had more time on the curriculum and this gave teachers more ingenious in their method of

teaching as a way of making it more meaningful to learners. Most learners have complained that 9

oral literature is difficult and is perceived as so due to poor teaching approach adopted by

teachers (K.I.E., 2004). In this kind of scenario, the attitude of both teachers and students can

only be negative towards the subject which is referred to as a beast (Nandwa, 1994).

Students also have a role on working towards their attitude on oral literature. For instance,

Kadhara (2014) observed that students are supposed inculcate a positive interest in a subject by

being attentive in class in order to grasp the content. Therefore, students can actually change their

negative attitude towards a positive one if they take the appropriate measures as noted by Mutheu

(2014) citing Gajalakshmi(2013) who observes that attitudes are determined by an individual’s

belief in the outcome of performing a given task. Hence, a person who holds a strong belief that

positively valued outcomes will result from performing a task will have a positive attitude toward

that task.

Negative attitude towards studies has been identified by several studies as contributing to poor

performance in a subject in many schools. It is therefore upon students to put more effort and

commitment towards oral narratives in order to perform well. The studies noted that many

students are not committed to their studies and instead exhibited negative attitude towards

teachers, subjects and schools. Many students were also found to prefer the easy life such as

watching television or play computer games rather than do reading. The influence of the modern

technology and the modern way of life has also been blamed for the laxity. The media especially

the television, the Internet and the social media have been of great influence to the youth who

tend to ape the western culture to the detriment of their studies. Peer pressure has also taken its

toll on them leading to indiscipline cases and poor academic performance (Mwali, 2014;

Okutachi, 2014 and Nabwoba, 2014). Despite the fact that several studies have been carried out

10

regarding the attitude of students, none has been carried out on oral narratives and especially in

Butere sub-county, Kakamega. Therefore, there is still a gap that needs to be filled by this study.

Oral narratives, as any other humanity subject requires intensive reading. However, Kenyan

students are regarded as people with a poor reading culture. They are known to only study when

examinations are around the corner. Many schools also encourage students to memorize notes so

as to produce them during the examinations. Hence, many students do not like reading and would

rather watch television or play computer games. Therefore, a lot of time is wasted on non-

academic issues, which impacts negatively on their academic performance (Mwaniki, 2014). This

study strives to confirm and reject such findings especially in regards to students in Butere sub-

county, Kakamega where such studies have not yet been carried out.

2.3 Effectiveness of Methods Used to Teach Oral Narratives

Nandwa (1994) observes that teaching oral narratives in a classroom require a teacher’s

ingenuity, inventiveness and a certain amount of sophistication. However, teaching oral literature

that is composed of African languages in English language class needs even greater skill and

ingenuity.

Integration of literature into English has resulted in oral narratives being treated casually. For

instance, very little time is allocated for storytelling in class where speaking skills would be

enhanced. There is little time to translate materials from mother tongue to English. Students

rarely have time to dramatize oral narratives through mime and improvisation, among others

(Nandwa, 2004). This study embarks on a journey to establish whether these facts also apply to

secondary schools in Butere Division in Kakamega County.

According to Mwashigandi (2013), teachers of oral narratives use limited approaches and

strategies when teaching oral narratives. Teachers’ professional competence has also been found 11

to affect learner’s academic performance in the subject. Oral narratives as a genre of literature is

mostly ignored or avoided at the expense of English language or other genres such as written

literature. A substantial number of teachers have been found not to have enough confident to

handle oral narratives because they were not taught how to teach them while in college. However,

these findings have to be proved right or wrong as regarding the situation in Butere Division,

where such research has not been carried out.

Tayu (2013) citing Kabaji (2013 & 2012) explains that the teaching and learning of literature

should elicit creativity in the learner. As graduates come out without knowing the Soyinkas and

the Dostoyevskys in the Literature canon; so too certain literature genres are not well known by

the students. Teachers should shun the mechanical process, and traditional approaches; style up

and prepare teaching and learning resources that treat literature as a living subject, so that the

methods can instill critical thinking skills and creativity in learners. The implication here is that

the current teaching methods have killed creativity and we are now very busy celebrating

mediocrity.This is because we do not teach them in such a way that they develop creativity

(Tayu, 2013). However, Tayu’s research was carried out in Nairobi and such findings cannot be

generalized in a situation where the geographical dynamics are different. Therefore, this study

intends to indulge the oral narrative teachers within Butere Division with the aim of establishing

whether they apply creativity in their teaching methodologies.

Teachers have been described as the most important factor in determining the quality of

education that a student receives. Therefore, quality of teaching in oral narratives is essential in

ensuring that students enjoy and appreciate the subject(Debbie, 2007).

12

Teachers are also supposed to attend classes and give adequate time to teaching of oral narratives.

However, the Kenyan teachers especially those in public secondary schools are lethargic, rude,

inefficient, corrupt and inept. Teachers’ absenteeism is a chronic problem bedeviling public

schools in Kenya. A study reported that a fifth of the schools surveyed have a school absence rate

of between 20 to 40 per cent, while a tenth of the schools, it is 40 per cent. Similarly, the new

Service Delivery Indicators for Kenya shows that there is even a bigger concern where teachers

report to schools but do not attend classes. For every 100 public school teachers, only 55 were

present in class teaching and 27 were at school but not teaching. This translates to an average

teaching time of only two hours and 40 minutes out of five hours and 40 minutes official teaching

in a day (Mutheu, 2014). Mutheu’s study was carried out in Mwala, Machakos County and hence,

this study will be conducted to establish whether the situation is different in Butere sub-county.

Teaching can never be effective when the number of teachers is inadequate. The Kenyan

education sector has a problem of distribution and utilization of teachers. This has resulted to

unbalanced distribution of teachers, teacher shortages, teacher surplus and inefficient utilization

of teachers. Most teachers also prefer to work in home areas, urban, peri-urban and high potential

areas where social amenities are available. This situation leads to uneven distribution of teachers,

making teaching workload heavier for the few teachers to carry. Attrition due to death from

Human Immune Deficiency Virus / Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) keeps

aggravating the problem. The spread of HIV/AIDS has devastating effects on teachers. The

pandemic greatly reduces the capacity of the system by increasing teacher attrition and

absenteeism (Odoyo, 2014). Odoyo’s study was carried out in Kasipul Division in Homabay

County and therefore there could still be some gap that this study could fill.

13

Poor methods of teaching oral narratives have been blamed for effective teaching of oral

narratives. Teachers’ teaching experience and their professional qualification is important in

effective teaching of oral narratives. A study done by Mwali (2014) has shown that teachers who

had many years of teaching experience realize better results in a given subject. The implication is

that the government should encourage teachers to stay in one school for some time in order to

retain the experienced teachers. However, Mwali’s study was a case study conducted at Highway

Secondary school in Nairobi County. Therefore, this study is legitimate as it is to be carried out in

a different county where such a study has not been carried out.

2.4 Adequacy and Status of Teaching and Learning Resources for Oral Narratives

Teaching and learning of oral narratives requires a variety of resources. Resources are materials

used in any teaching and learning exercise to promote greater understanding of the learning

experience. Examples of teaching and learning resources in a school set may include books,

periodicals, magazines, maps and charts, good boards, colored chalks and crayons, teaching aids,

computers, projectors, electronic databases, playgrounds, sports equipment among many others.

Teaching resources are therefore meant to make teaching and learning effective and interesting

(Mwali, 2014).

For effective teaching and learning of oral narratives, adequate teaching and learning resources

need to be provided to both learners and teachers. Provision of learning resources for oral

narratives is a major problem as very little is being churned out by publishers in terms of

textbooks. Few people appreciate oral narratives and therefore there are few publications in the

market. The cost sharing policy by the government in secondary schools has not helped the

situation. The requirement that parents and the community provide physical facilities while the

government provides the teachers and tuition facilities has seen very few materials trickle down

14

to schools (Masinjila & Kombo, 1994). The implication here is that many secondary schools are

handicapped when it come to availability of teaching and learning resources for oral narratives.

Moreover, several studies that have been carried out in Kenya on availability of resources in

secondary schools have found out that there are inadequate teaching and learning resources which

also applies to oral literature (Kiilu, 2013). Similarly, this study will try to find out to affirm or

refute the above findings as such a study has not been carried out in Butere Division especially

when it comes to oral narrative resources.

2.5 Possible Solutions to the Challenges of Teaching Oral Narratives

According to Adhiambo-Oduol (1994), oral narratives lessons would be more effective and

successful if students participated more actively in the narration, description and discussion of

genres from their respective communities.

The oral narratives teacher should motivate students to appreciate the cultural values of different

communities. The teacher should strive to enable students to understand how different Kenyan

communities have expressed the way they see the world, their values and aspirations over

time(Adhiambo-Oduol, 1994).

A study carried out by Mutheu (2014) on how to improve academic performance recommended

that the government should provide adequate and up to date teaching and learning resources. It

should also construct more classrooms to cater for the ever increasing number of students. The

school heads and the ministry of education should increase teacher supervision to make sure that

teachers attend classes and teach as required. The government should employ more teachers to

match the increased enrollments brought about by high transition due to Free Primary Education

policy. It should put up libraries and equip them with up to date learning resources. The school

15

administrations should introduce library hours to allow students do independent studies and class

assignments. Teachers should strive to attend classes on time and teach as is required. They

should also try to improve their teaching methods to make learning more interesting.

Mutheu observes that teachers should take personal attention to students and especially the

academically weak ones. Teachers should also allocate adequate time for consultations after

class. Parents were also found to be important stakeholders in the education sector and therefore

should not abandon their roles such as supporting their children in school by paying school fees

on time. They should also follow up on their children’s academic affairs to know how they are

fairing and sort out any issues that may be impeding their progress. Students, on their part should

refrain from absenteeism from school and class and maintain high discipline standards in and out

of school. They should also create interest in their studies, work hard and inculcate a reading

culture by reading widely (Mutheu, 2014).

2.6 Summary of Literature Review

From the reviewed literature, it has been shown that positive attitude of learners towards oral

narratives is an important ingredient in ensuring the success of teaching and learning oral

narratives. This attitude can either be attributed to the learners or the teachers. Teaching and

learning of oral narratives has also been perceived as hard.

From the reviewed literature, the bulk of the studies done are on other genres of literature and

none of them have addressed the challenges affecting teaching and learning of oral narratives

especially in Butere, Kakamega County. This study therefore intends to fill that knowledge gap

by looking for answers to those challenges

16

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

3.0 Introduction

The research design is meant to provide a clear plan that will be used to generate answers

required for the research. This chapter highlights the methodology used in collecting, interpreting

and presenting data. It focuses on the following aspects of the research: the research design,

target population, location of the study, sample size, sampling procedure, and description of the

instruments for data collection, data analysis, validation, reliability and ethical considerations.

3.1 Research Design

Research design is a scheme or an outline or a plan used to generate answers to the research

problem (Orodho, 2003). In this case, this study adopted the mixed research design that involves

mixing of quantitative and qualitative research. The quantitative research approach enabled the

researcher collect data in order to answer the research questions while qualitative approach

provided the researcher with in depth information concerning the topic of research (Ogula, 2005).

Similarly, the researcher appled survey method.

According to Mugenda and Mugenda (2003), survey design is ideal for collecting data that is

intended to describe a population’s characteristics that is too large to observe directly. Oso (2009)

further observes that survey design involves seeking information using questionnaires or

interviewing to a sample of individuals and usually information about people’s attitudes, opinions

and habits. It would be very difficult to study the challenges affecting teaching and learning of

oral narratives in the entire country, and hence the decision to narrow down to a few institutions

and in one region. The study was therefore designed to investigate the challenges affecting

17

teaching and learning of oral narratives in secondary schools in Butere Sub-county ,Kakamega

County.

3.3 Target Population

The target population for this study is the secondary schools in Butere Sub-county, Kakamega

County. The population comprised all students doing integrated English and teachers of the

subject in Butere Division. The researcher opted for this composition of respondents because they

were directly involved in the process of teaching and learning of oral narratives and they were the

ones who experiences the challenges that were being investigated.

3.4 The Sample and Sampling Procedure

A sample is a set of respondents selected from a large population for the purpose of survey

(Mugenda & Mugenda, 2003). The sample for this study was120 respondents randomly sampled

to represent the target population. They comprised of 100 students and 20 teachers as shown in

the table below.

Table 3.1: Distribution of the sample size

Secondary

Schools

Total

population of

students

20% Sample

Size

No of teachers

(purposive

sampling)

Total

Sample

size

A 140 48 10 58

B 150 52 10 62

Total 290 100 20 120

The student sample was arrived at by adopting probability-sampling procedures in order to ensure

an equal, known and non-zero chance in selecting the participants. Non-probability sampling

procedures were used to select teachers teaching oral narratives as they were key informants.

18

Sampling therefore involved both stratified and simple random sampling to come up with the

target population. Students’ sample was arrived at using probability sampling and this was done

using random sampling to ensure that each unit in the population had an equal chance of being

selected. Before distributing the questionnaires, the researcher divided boys and girls into

stratums according to their classes. Students in each stratum were numbered and the numbers

written in small pieces of paper and put in different containers. Using simple random sampling,

the required number of students was picked from each stratum by picking even numbers only.

3.5 Research Instruments

The study used questionnaires to collect data. Two separate questionnaires were prepared. One

was for students and the other for teachers.

3.5.1 Questionnaires for Students

The questionnaire for students was subdivided into five sections. Part one contained questions

about their demographic information. Part two was on attitude of learners towards oral narratives.

Part three was on the effectiveness of methods used to teach oral narratives. Part four was on

adequacy and status of teaching and learning resources for oral narratives. Part five was on

possible solutions to the challenges of teaching oral narratives. Mixtures of closed and open-

ended questions was used in order to create room for free expressions.

3.5.2 Questionnaire for Teachers

Similarly, the researcher administered questionnaires to teachers. The questionnaire for teachers

was subdivided into five sections. Part one contained questions about their demographic

information. Part two was on attitude of learners towards oral narratives. Part three was on the

effectiveness of methods used to teach oral narratives. Part four was on adequacy and status of

teaching and learning resources for oral narratives. Part five was on possible solutions to the 19

challenges of teaching oral narratives. Mixtures of closed and open-ended questions were used in

order to create room for free expressions.

3.6 Validation of the Research Instruments

Validity refers to whether or not something actually measures what it claims to measure (Robson,

2012). One of the most important elements to be considered is the content validity of the data

collection tools. Therefore, the questionnaires were drafted with suitable questions that enabled

the researcher collect only the desirable data. To ensure that the data collection instruments were

valid, the researcher piloted them among fellow college mates who were not part of the study to

see whether they could actually collect the required data. Anomalies noted in the queries were

rectified before commencing the actual data collection exercise.

3.7 Reliability of the Research Instruments

Reliability refers to the extent to which a test or procedure produces the similar results under

constant conditions on all occasions (Bell, 2010). To ensure that the questionnaires are reliable,

the researcher piloted the questionnaires among the college mates to test whether they are able to

effectively collect the required data. Errors identified were corrected before commencement of

the actual data collection exercise.

3.8 Data Collection Procedure

The researcher strived to follow all the required procedures in carrying out a research. To begin

with, the letter of authorization was obtained from the Deputy Principal Academics of Marist

International University College. This was done in ample time before the actual date of data

collection. The letter was submitted to the principals of the secondary schools under study. It is

upon being granted permission that the researcher commenced data collection exercise in the next

20

3 days. The researcher personally visited the secondary schools to meet the respondents and

briefed them about the exercise and guaranteed them of confidentiality of the information they

provided. Then the researcher administered the questionnaires and collected them on the same

day as a way of maximizing the questionnaires return rate.

3.9 Data Analysis and Interpretation

Data analysis refers to examining the collected data in a survey in order to make deduction and an

inference (Kombo & Tromp, 2006). Therefore, quantitative data was analyzed using IBM

Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) while qualitative data was grouped into related

themes and analyzed using Microsoft Excel. Data was then presented using charts, tables and

texts.

3.10 Ethical Considerations

Ethics is branch of philosophy which deals with one’s conduct and serves as a guide to one’s

behavior (Mugenda &Mugenda, 2003). The researcher ensured that the study was carried out in

an ethical manner, right from the beginning to the end. For instance, the researcher had to seek

permission from the college to go and carry out the research. Permission was also sought from

the principals of secondary schools under study. The respondents’ information and their privacy

was also be safeguarded. As much as possible, the researcher has acknowledged all sources of

information to that was consulted while the integrity of the information gathered has also been

ensured and the research findings will only be used for academic purposes only.

21

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA ANALYSIS, PRESENTATIONS, INTERPRETATION AND DISCUSSION OF

FINDINGS

4.0 Introduction

This chapter addresses issues such as data analysis, presentation and interpretation of data

findings. The study sought to establish the Challenges Affecting Teaching and Learning of Oral

Narratives in Secondary Schools in Butere Division, Kakamega County. The data collected from

the field were presented and analyzed using frequency tables, bar graphs and pie charts.

4.1 Distribution of Questionnaires and the Return RateThe Table 4.1 below shows the number of respondents who participated in the study.

Table 4.2: Questionnaire Distribution and Return Rate

Respondent Type Targeted Questionnaires Returned Questionnaires

F % f %

Teachers 20 17 20 26

Students 100 83 56 74

Total 120 100 76 100

(Source: Field study, 2015)

The 4.1 above, indicates that the study had initially distributed 120 questionnaires comprising 20

for teachers and 100 for students. However, 76 questionnaires were filled and returned. They

comprised of 20 teachers and 56 students. This shows a decline in participation as envisaged.

However, this decline did not interfere significantly with the findings of the study.

22

4.2 Demographic Details of the Respondents

Respondents were requested to provide their demographic details to enable categorization of the

participants. The attributes sought were gender, age, class, academic qualification and teaching

experience.

4.2.1 Gender Distribution of Students and TeachersThe study sought to establish the gender of the respondents. The results are presented in Table

4.2 below.

Table 4.3: Gender Distribution

Respondents Male % Female %

Students 24 75 32 73

Teachers 8 25 12 27

Total 32 100 44 100

(Source: Field study, 2015)

From Table 4.2 above, female participants outnumbered their male counterparts. There were 58%

(44) females against 42% (32) males. However, this gender disparity did not affect the findings of

the study in any major way.

4.2.2 Age Distribution of Students and TeachersThe study sought to establish the age of the respondents. Table 4.3 below represents the findings.

Table 4.4: Age Distribution of Respondents

23

Students Teachers

Age F % Age f %

15-20 56 100 20 30 2 10

21-25 0 0 31 40 12 60

26-30 0 0 41 50 6 30

31 & above 0 0 51 and above 0 0

Total 56 100 20 100

(Source: Field study, 2015)

Table 4.3 above shows that all students were in the age bracket of 15-20 years. Majority (60%) of

teachers are in the age bracket of 31-40 years at 30% and 20-30 years at 10%. The observation is

that the age of the students is normal for secondary school learners while most teachers were

found to be young.

4.2.3 Class Distribution of StudentsPupil respondents were asked to indicate their classes. Their responses are represented in Table

4.4 below.

Table 4.5: Students’ Class Distribution

Form F %

2 29 52

24

3 27 48

Total 56 100

(Source: Field study, 2015)

From Table 4.4 above, majority of student respondents were from Form 2 at 52% and the rest

from Form 3 at 48%. The study deliberately avoided Form ones as they were not likely to fully

comprehend the items in the questionnaires owing to their little experience in the school. The

study also avoided involving students in Form Four as they were busy preparing for their main

examinations.

4.2.4 Teachers’ Academic QualificationTeacher participants were asked to indicate their level of academic qualifications. Their responses

are represented in Table 4.5 below:

Table 4.6: Teachers’ Academic Qualification

Certification F %

Diploma 2 10

Degree 18 90

Total 20 100

(Source: Field study, 2015)

From Table 4.5 above, majority of teachers at 90% are degree holders and the remaining 10% are

diploma holders. This is an indication that majority of teachers have adequate qualification to

teach at secondary school level.

4.2.4 Teaching ExperienceTeachers were asked to indicate the number of years they have taught. Their responses are

represented in Table 4.6 below:

25

Table 4.7: Teaching Experience

No. of Years F %

1-5 12 60

6-10 6 30

11 and above 2 10

Total 20 100

(Source: Field study, 2015)

Table 4.6 above, majority of teachers at 60% have taught for between 1-5 years followed by

those who have taught for 6-10 years at 30%, while the remaining 10% have taught for 11 and

above years. These findings confirm that majority of teachers are young as observed in Table 4.3

and hence, they have little teaching experience.

4.3 Attitude of Learners towards Oral Narratives

4.3.1 Enjoyment of Learning Oral NarrativesStudents were asked whether they enjoy learning oral narratives. Their responses are represented

on Table 4.7 below.

Table 4.8: Whether Students Enjoy Learning Oral Narratives

Students Responses

Responses F %

Yes 6 11

No 50 89

Total 56 100

(Source: Field study, 2015)

26

From Table 4.7 above, majority of students at 89% indicated that they do not enjoy learning oral

narratives while 11% were of the contrary opinion. Those who said they do not enjoy learning

oral narratives explained that the topic is difficult to understand while others blamed poor

teaching methods and little time allocated to cover the topics. From the findings, it seems

majority of students do not enjoy learning oral narratives.

4.3.2Attitude of Learners towards Oral Narratives

Teachers were asked to describe the attitude of learners towards oral narratives. Their responses

are presented in the Figure 4.1 below:

Figure 4.2: Attitude of learners towards oral narratives

27

Positive10%

Nagative90%

Attitude towards Oral narratives

(Source: Field study, 2015)

From Figure 4.1 above, majority (90%) of the teacher respondents consider the attitude of

learners towards oral narratives to be negative while 10% consider their attitude to be positive.

These findings corroborate those in Table 4.7 that found that majority of students finds learning

of oral narratives difficult. These findings corresponds to those of Mwali (2014), Okutachi (2014)

and Nabwoba (2014) that had found out that many students have negative attitudes towards some

subjects, teachers and even the schools.

4.3.3 Teachers enjoyment in teaching Oral NarrativesTeacher respondents were asked whether they enjoy teaching oral narratives. Their responses are

presented in Figure 4.2 below:

Figure 4.3: Teachers’ Joy in Teaching Oral Narratives

28

Yes10%

No90%

Teachers' enjoyment in teaching oral narratives

(Source: Field study, 2015)

Based on Figure 4.3 above, majority of teachers at 90% do not enjoy teaching oral narratives

while 10% enjoy. Those who do not enjoy reported to face challenges finding adequate and

appropriate resources for teaching and learning oral narratives, lack of adequate time to cover the

topic and negative attitude of learners. From the findings of the study, it seems majority of

teachers do not enjoy teaching oral narratives. These findings validate those of K.I.E.(2004) that

observed that oral literature is difficult and is perceived as so due to poor teaching approach

adopted by teachers.

4.3.4 Importance of Oral Narratives in Students’ Future CareerBoth teachers and students were asked whether learning of oral narratives has any importance in

students’ future career. They responded as shown in Table 4.8 below:

Table 4.9: Importance of Oral Narratives to Students' Future Career

29

Students Teachers

Responses f % F %

Yes 54 96 20 100

No 2 4 0 0

Total 56 100 20 100

(Source: Field study, 2015)

From Table 4.8 above, majority (96%) of students believe that oral narratives are important to

their future careers while 100% of teachers are of similar opinion. However, 4% of students are

of contrary opinion. From these findings, it is right to say that learning oral narratives is

important to the future careers of students.

4.3.5Comparison of Oral Narratives with other SubjectsStudents were asked to compare oral narratives with other subjects. Their responses are shown in

Figure 4.3 below.

Figure 4.4: Place of Oral Narratives among other Subjects

30

Equal86%

Super-ior

11%Inferior

4%

Students opinion on Comparison of Oral Narratives with other Sub-jects

(Source: Field study, 2015)

From Figure 4.4 above, 82% of students are of the opinion that oral literature is a subject which is

equal with others, while 13% consider it superior to other subjects. Nevertheless, 5% of students

consider oral narratives inferior to other subjects. From these findings, the study observes that

oral narrative as a subject is equal in importance to other subjects taught in secondary schools.

4.3.6 Teachers Views on Comparison between Oral Narratives and Other SubjectsTeachers’ opinion was sought on the comparison between oral narratives and other subjects.

They responded as shown in Figure 4.5 below:

Figure 4.5: Teachers opinion on comparison between oral narratives and other subjects

31

(Source: Field study, 2015)

From Figure 4.5 above, 85% of the teacher respondents consider oral narratives as equal to any

other subject in terms of importance. Another 10% consider it superior to other subjects and 5%

consider it inferior. Based on these figures, it is safe to say that oral narratives as a subject is

equal in importance with other subjects. Teachers’ opinion on importance of oral literature

among other subjects is shared with those of students as shown in Figure 4.4.

4.3.7 Difficulty Teaching and Learning Oral NarrativesStudents were asked whether they find learning of oral narratives difficult while teachers were

asked whether they find teaching of the same difficult. They responded as shown on Table 4.9

below:

Table 4.10: Difficulty in Teaching and Learning Oral Narratives

32

Equal85%

Super-ior

10%Inferior

5%

Teachers' Opinion on Comparison of Oral Narratives with other Sub-jects

Students Teachers

Responses F % f %

Yes 35 62 18 90

No 21 38 2 10

Total 56 100 20 100

(Source: Field study, 2015)

From Table 4.9 above, majority of students at 62% consider learning oral narratives difficult.

However, 38% of students are of contrary opinion. For teachers, 90% find it difficult teaching

oral narratives while 10% find it easy. From these findings, it is correct to say that teaching and

learning of oral narratives is difficult. These findings validates those of Nandwa (1994) who

observed that teachers and students refer to oral narratives as a beast meaning that the subject is

difficult.

4.4 Effectiveness of Methods Used to Teach Oral Narratives

4.4.1 Description of Methods Used to Teach Oral NarrativesBoth teacher and student respondents were asked to describe the effectiveness of the methods

used to teach oral narratives. They responded as shown in Table 4.10 below:

Table 4.11: Methods of Teaching Oral Narratives

Students Teachers

33

Responses F % f %

Effective 4 7 6 30

Ineffective 52 93 14 70

Total 56 100 20 100

(Source: Field study, 2015)

From Figure 4.10 above, on one hand, 93% of students indicated that the methods used to teach

oral narratives are ineffective while 7% indicated that they are effective. On the other hand,

70% of teachers said they are ineffective and 30% said they are effective. From these findings,

an overwhelming majority of the respondents consider the methods of teaching oral narratives

ineffective. These findings agree with those of Mwashigandi (2013) who also found the

teaching methods to be ineffective.

4.4.3 Competency of Teachers of Oral Narratives

Table 4.12: Competency of Oral Literature Teachers

Students Teachers

Responses F % f %

Competent 10 18 4 20

Incompetent 46 82 16 80

Total 56 100 20 100

From table 4.11 above, on one hand, 82% of students consider their oral narrative teachers

incompetent while 18% consider them competent. On the other hand, 80% of teachers consider

oral literature teachers as incompetent while 20% consider them competent. Hence, majority are

of the opinion that oral narrative teachers are incompetent. These findings also corresponds to

those of Mwashigandi (2013) who found oral narrative teachers to be incompetent.

34

4.4.4 Teachers Creativity and Innovativeness while Teaching Oral NarrativesRespondents were asked whether teachers of oral narratives are creative and innovative while

teaching. They responded as shown in Table 4.12

Table 4.13: Creativity and Innovativeness of Oral Narrative Teachers

Students Teachers

Responses F % f %

Yes 4 7 6 30

No 52 93 14 70

Total 56 100 20 100

From Table 4.12 above, 93% of students do not find their oral narrative teachers creative or

innovative while 7% find them to be so. Similarly, 70% of teachers do not find teachers of oral

narratives creative and innovative while 30% find them to be creative and innovative.

Therefore, majority of students and teachers do not consider oral narrative teachers to be

creative or innovative. These findings are validated by findings in Table 4.10 where methods of

teaching were found to be ineffective, in Table 4.11 teachers were found not to enjoy teaching

oral narratives and were also found to be incompetent in Table 4.11.

4.5 Adequacy and Status of Resources for Teaching and Learning Oral Narratives

4.5.1 Adequacy of Oral Narratives Teaching and Learning ResourcesRespondents were asked to indicate whether there are adequate oral narratives teaching and

learning resources. They responded as shown in Table 4.13 below:

Table 4.14: Adequacy of Oral Narratives Teaching and Learning Resources

Students Teachers

35

Responses F % f %

Adequate 3 5 1 5

Inadequate 53 95 19 95

Total 56 100 20 100

(Source: Field study, 2015)

From Table 4.13 above, 95% of students indicated that oral narrative learning and teaching

resources are inadequate while 5% indicated that the resources are adequate. Likewise, 95% of

teachers indicated that the resources were inadequate and 5% indicated that they were adequate.

From these findings, it is safe to say that the resources for teaching and learning oral narratives

are inadequate.

4.5.2 Up-to-date Oral Narrative Teaching and Learning Resources

Respondents were asked whether oral narratives teaching and learning resources are adequate or

not. Their answers are presented in Table below:

Table4.15: Up-to-datedness of Oral Narrative Teaching and Learning Resources

Students Teachers

Responses F % F %

Up-to-date 1 2 1 5

Outdated 55 98 19 95

Total 56 100 20 100

(Source: Field study, 2015)

36

Based on Table 4.14 above, 98% of students indicated that the resources for teaching and

learning oral narratives are outdated while 2% indicated that they are up to date. Similarly, 95%

of teachers felt that the materials are outdated, while 5% felt that they were up to date. Going by

the majority, it is clear that most of the materials for teaching oral narratives are not up to date.

4.6 Possible Solutions to the Challenges of Teaching Oral Narratives

Table 4.16: Students’ Responses on Possible SolutionsSTATEMENTS SA % A % U % D % SD %

Teachers should involve students more in the narration, description and discussion of genres from their respective

56 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

37

communities

Students are not motivated enough to appreciate their cultural values

10 18 46 82 0 0 0 0 0

Most teachers are creative and innovative when teaching oral narratives

0 0 0 0 0 0 20 36 36 64

English and literature should be separated to widen scope and depth when learning oral narrative

47 84 9 16 0 0 0 0 0 0

(Source: Field study, 2015)

Table 4.17: Teacher’ Responses on Possible SolutionsSTATEMENTS SA % A % U % D % SD %

Teachers should involve students more in the narration, description and discussion of genres from their respective communities

20 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

38

Students are not motivated enough to appreciate their cultural values

17 85 3 15 0 0 0 0 0

Most teachers are creative and innovative when teaching oral narratives

0 0 0 0 1 5 16 80 3 15

English and literature should be separated to widen scope and depth when learning oral narrative

18 90 2 10 0 0 0 0 0 0

(Source: Field study, 2015)

When the statement that ‘teachers should involve students more in the narration, description and

discussion of genres from their respective communities’ was put to students, 100% strongly

agreed. Similarly, when the same statement was put to teachers, 100% also strongly agreed.

Hence, an overwhelming majority are of the opinion that teachers should involve students more

in the narration, description and discussion of genres from their respective communities.

When the respondents were asked to rate the statement that ‘students are not motivated enough to

appreciate their cultural values, 82% of students agreed and 10% strongly agreed. Likewise, 85%

of teachers strongly agreed and 15% agreed. Therefore, an overwhelming majority are of the

opinion that there is need to motivate students to appreciate their cultural values as one way of

creating interest in learning oral narratives.

When asked whether most teachers are creative and innovative when teaching oral narratives,

64% of students strongly disagreed and 36% disagreed. On the same question, 80% of teachers

39

disagreed while 15% strongly disagreed and 5% were undecided. Hence, most teachers are not

creative and innovative when teaching oral narratives.

On whether English and literature should be separated to widen scope and depth when learning

oral narratives, 84% of the students strongly agreed and 16% agreed. Likewise, 90% of the

teachers strongly agreed and 10% simply agreed. Therefore, there is strong preference among

students and teachers that English and literature should be separated to widen scope and depth

when learning oral narratives.

Several opinions were advanced by both students and teachers on what should be done to

improve teaching and learning of oral narratives. They included improvement and innovativeness

of methods of teaching oral narratives, provision of up to date teaching and learning resources,

inclusion of Information Communication Technology (ICT) to make classes lively, going to the

field to learn firsthand and that adequate time should be allocated to the subject.

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Introduction

This chapter discusses summary of findings, draws conclusions, and gives recommendations and

suggestions for further research.

5.2 Summary of Findings

The summary of the study was hinged on the objectives of the study, which were as follows:

a. To find out the attitude of learners towards oral narratives

b. To examine the effectiveness of methods used to teach oral narratives

40

c. To find out the adequacy and status of teaching and learning resources for oral narratives

d. To establish the possible solutions to the challenges of teaching oral narratives

5.2.1 The Attitude of Learners towards Oral Narratives

The attitude of learners towards oral narratives was found to be negative. The study established

that majority of students do not enjoy learning oral narratives. The reasons advanced by the

students for not being able to enjoy learning oral narratives were that the topic is difficult to

understand, the methods of teaching the subject are poor, and there were inadequate resources

and time to cover the subject.

However, the study has established that learning oral narratives is important to the future careers

of students where the subject has equal ratings in terms of importance with other subjects taught

in secondary schools.

5.2.2 The Effectiveness of Methods used to teach Oral Narratives

The study has come up with overwhelming evidence that the methods used to teach oral

narratives are ineffective. First, the teachers were found to be incompetent to teach oral

narratives. Second, the teachers are not creative or innovative and they also do not enjoy teaching

oral narratives. Third, the study also established that the resources being used for teaching oral

narratives are inadequate and outdated.

The study has established that most teachers do not enjoy teaching oral narratives. The study

found out that teaching and learning of oral narratives is difficult. Some of the reasons given for

this state of affairs were that most teachers do not find adequate and appropriate resources for

41

teaching and learning oral narratives, they lack adequate time to cover the topic and they also

face the challenge of teaching students with a negative attitude.

5.2.3 The Adequacy and Status of Teaching and Learning Resources for Oral Narratives

The study established that the oral narrative teaching and learning resources were found to be

inadequate and outdated and therefore inappropriate to effectively have an impact the learners.

5.2.4 Possible Solutions to the Challenges of Teaching Oral Narratives

The study has established that teachers should involve students more in the narration, description

and discussion of genres from their respective communities. There is also need to motivate

students to appreciate their cultural values as one way of creating interest in learning oral

narratives. Teachers should be flexible enough to so as to come up with creative and innovative

methods of teaching oral narratives.

There is also strong opinion among both students and teachers that English and literature be

separated to widen scope and depth when learning oral narratives. Other opinions advanced by

both students and teachers on what should be done to improve teaching and learning of oral

narratives includes provision of up to date teaching and learning resources, inclusion of

Information Communication Technology (ICT) to make oral narrative classes lively, going to the

field to learn first-hand from community members and allocating adequate time to the subject to

allow proper coverage.

5.3 Conclusions

The study concludes that teaching and learning of oral narratives has encountered a myriad of

challenges. Some of these challenges emanates from learners, others from teachers and schools

while others can be blamed on the education policy makers.42

The learners have been blamed for their negative attitude towards oral narratives. The poor

attitude of learners towards oral narratives has negatively affected learning and teaching of the

subject. As has been observed, most students do not enjoy learning oral narratives. Despite that,

the subject itself is important to the future careers of students and it has equal ratings in terms of

importance with other subjects taught in secondary schools.

Teachers have their share of blame. It has been found out that the teaching methods used to teach

oral narratives are ineffective. Teachers are incompetent and they do not try to be creative or

innovative and they also do not enjoy teaching oral narratives. The resources being used to teach

oral narratives are inadequate and outdated.

The schools concerned have not been able to provide adequate and up to date oral narratives

teaching and learning resources, while the government integrated English and literature, thereby

minimizing the time, scope and depth of the subject coverage.

Despite all the above challenges, a number of possible solutions have been advanced. They range

from improving the methods of teaching to providing adequate, up to date and relevant resources

to improving the attitude of learners to separating English from literature among others.

5.4 Recommendations

The study recommends that different stakeholders in the education sector have a role to play in

order to minimize the challenges facing teaching and learning of oral narratives. The stakeholders

include learners, teachers, schools and the government.

The students43

The students should strive to cultivate a positive attitude towards teaching and learning of oral

narratives. They should appreciate the subject and try to read widely. The subject has been found

to be important to the future careers of students and has equal ratings in terms of importance with

other subjects taught in secondary schools as well. Therefore, students should give it equal

interest.

Teachers

Teachers should strive to improve their teaching methods to make them effective for teaching

oral narratives. Creativity and innovativeness are required in order to make the subject lively and

interesting to the learners. Teachers should involve students more in the narration, description

and discussion of genres from their respective communities. There is also need to motivate

students to appreciate their cultural values as one way of creating interest in learning oral

narratives.

The Schools

The schools should provide adequate and up to date oral narratives teaching and learning

resources. They should also provide ICT tools to enable learning of oral narratives to be more

interesting, modern and more palatable.

The Government

The government should come up with policies that promote teaching and learning of oral

narratives. For instance, it should consider separating English from literature with the purpose of

giving oral narratives ample coverage time in terms of scope and depth.

44

5.5 Suggestions for Further Research

This study was confined to Butere Division, Kakamega County, which may not be representative

enough for a study of this nature. Therefore the researcher therefore would suggest that more

secondary schools countywide be enlisted in such a study to make it more representative.

The study suggests other areas for further research to include:

a) The role of Teachers in performance of Oral narratives.

b) The effect of integration of literature with English on performance of oral narratives.

c) The influence of attitude of learners on performance of oral literature.

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Masinjila & O. Okombo (eds), Teaching oral literature (pp. 2-11). Nairobi: KOLA.

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Nairobi: Nairobi University Press.

Bukenya, A. (1997). Oral literature: A senior course (Forms 3 and 4). Nairobi: Longhorn.

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Company.

Elliott, S. N., Kratochwill, T. R, Cook, J. L. & Travers, J. F. (2000). Educational psychology:

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Effective teaching, effective learning. Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Ekuka, R. (2013). Analysis of factors contributing to pupils’ poor performance in

Primary leaving examination in Offaka-Uganda. Nairobi: Marist International

University College.

The Elimu Network (2014). Kenya Secondary school curriculum.

http://www.elimu.net/Secondary/Kenya/KCSE_Student/English/Intro.htm

Gachukia, E. (ed.) (1978). Teaching of African literature in schools. Vol.1. Nairobi: Kenya

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Gajalakshmi (2013). High school students’ attitude towards learning English language.

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9, September 2013. Retrieved from:

http://www.ijsrp.org/research-paper-0913/ijsrp-p2152.pdf.

Ighile, D. (2014) Challenges and prospects of teaching oral literature in Africa.

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Challenges_and_Prospects_of_Teaching_Oral_Literature_in _Africa

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Kabira, W. M. (1983). The oral artist. Nairobi: East African Educational Publishers.

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Kiilu, L. M. (2013). Factors influencing performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary

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Absenteeism-hurting-classroom-learning

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Ngong Township. Nairobi: Marist International University College.

APPENDIX I: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS

Marist International University College

P. O. Box 24450-00502

Karen – Nairobi

15th October 2014

Dear Respondent,

RE: DATA COLLECTION

I am an undergraduate student at Marist International University College, a constituent college of

the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. I am carrying out a research on “Challenges Affecting

Teaching and Learning of Oral Narratives in Secondary Schools in Butere Division,

Kakamega County.” The research is one of the requirements for completion of a Bachelor of

Education course. I will be grateful if you kindly assist to fill in this questionnaire. Kindly

49

respond to the questions either by ticking [√] or giving a brief explanation in the spaces provided.

All the information you will provide will be treated with confidentiality.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Sign: ……………….

Flora Anjira

Section A: Demographic Information

1. Gender : Male [ ] Female [ ]

2. Age: a. 10-15 [ ] b). 15-20 [ ] c). 21-25 [ ] d). 26-30 [ ] e). 31 and above [ ]

3. Form one [ ] Form two [ ] Form Three [ ] From Four [ ]

Section B: Attitude of Learners towards Oral Narratives

1. Do you enjoy learning oral narratives?Yes [ ] No [ ]

b. Explain your reason for yes or no above:

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

c. Do you think learning of oral narratives has any importance in your future career?

Yes [ ] No [ ]

2. How do you compare oral narratives with other subjects? Superior [ ] Inferior [ ]

Equal [ ]

3. Do you find learning of Oral Narratives difficult? Yes [ ] No [ ]

Section C: Effectiveness of Methods Used to Teach Oral Narratives

4. How would you describe the methods used to teach oral narratives? Effective [ ]

Ineffective [ ]

5. How would you describe the competency of teachers of oral narratives? Competent [ ]

Incompetent [ ]

6. Are teachers creative and innovative while teaching oral narratives? Yes [ ] No [ ]

Section D: Adequacy and Status of Teaching and Learning Resources for Oral Narratives50

7. List the resources that you use in the learning of oral narrative.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

8. Does the school have adequate teaching and learning resources for oral narratives?

Yes [ ] No [ ] I do not know [ ]

9. Are teaching and learning resources for oral narratives up to date? Yes [ ] No [ ]

Explain your answer…

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Section E: Possible Solutions to the Challenges of Teaching Oral Narratives

Put a tick [√] in the most appropriate space to indicate your level of agreement using the scale

given below: Strongly Agree (SA) Agree (A) Undecided (U) Disagree (D)

Strongly Disagree (SD)

STATEMENTS SA A U D SD

10. Teachers should involve students more in the narration, description and discussion of genres from their respective communities

11. Students are not motivated enough to appreciate their cultural values

12. Most teachers are creative and innovative when teaching oral narratives

13. English and literature should be separated to widen scope and depth when learning oral narratives

51

14. In your own opinion, what do you think should be done to improve teaching and learning

of oral narratives?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

\

APPENDIX II: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS

Marist International University College

P. O. Box 24450-00502

Karen – Nairobi

15th October 2014

Dear Respondent,

RE: DATA COLLECTION

I am an undergraduate student at Marist International University College, a constituent college of

the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. I am carrying out a research on “Challenges Affecting

Teaching and Learning of Oral Narratives in Secondary Schools in Butere Division,

Kakamega County.” The research is one of the requirements in our course. I will be grateful if

you kindly assist to fill in this questionnaire. Kindly respond to the questions either by ticking [√]

or giving a brief explanation in the spaces provided. All the information you will provide will be

treated with confidentiality.52

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Sign: ……………….

Flora Anjira

Section A: Demographic Information

1. Gender : Male [ ] Female [ ]

2. Age 20-30 [ ] 31-40 [ ] 41-50 [ ] Over 50 [ ]

3. Teaching experience 1-5 years [ ] 6-10 years [ ] Over 11 years [ ]

4. Academic qualification: a. Untrained Teacher [ ] b. Diploma [ ] c. Degree [ ] d.

Masters e. Others [ ] …………………………………………

Section B: Attitude of Learners towards Oral Narratives

1. How can you describe the attitude of learners towards oral narratives?

Negative [ ] Positive [ ]

2. Do you enjoy teaching oral narratives? Yes [ ] No [ ]

b. Explain your answer above:

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………..…..

3. Do you think learning of oral narratives has any importance in students’ future careers?

Yes [ ] No [ ]

4. How do you compare oral narratives with other subjects? Superior [ ] Inferior [ ]

Equal [ ]

5. Do you find teaching of oral narratives difficult? Yes [ ] No [ ]

53

Section C: Effectiveness of Methods Used to Teach Oral Narratives

6. How would you describe the methods used to teach oral narratives? Effective [ ]

Ineffective [ ]

Why?

7. How would you describe the competency of teachers of oral narratives? Competent [ ]

Incompetent [ ]

Why?

8. Do you think teachers are creative and innovative while teaching oral narratives? Yes [ ]

No [ ]

Explain:

Section D: Adequacy and Status of Teaching and Learning Resources for Oral Narratives

9. List the types of resources you use in the teaching of oral narratives.

10. Does your school have adequate teaching and learning resources for oral narratives?

Yes [ ] No [ ] I do not know [ ]

11. Are teaching and learning resources for oral narratives up to date? Yes [ ] No [ ]

Explain:

Section E: Possible Solutions to the Challenges of Teaching Oral Narratives

Put a tick [√] in the most appropriate space to indicate your level of agreement using the scale

given below: Strongly Agree (SA) Agree (A) Undecided (U) Disagree (D)

Strongly Disagree (SD)

STATEMENTS SA A U D SD

12. Teachers should involve students more in

the narration, description and discussion

of genres from their respective

54

communities

13. Students are not motivated enough to

appreciate their cultural values

14. Most teachers are creative and innovative

when teaching oral narratives

15. English and literature should be separated

to widen scope and depth when learning

oral narratives

16. In your own opinion, what do you think should be done to improve teaching and learning

of oral narratives?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

55

APPENDIX III: LETTER OF AUTHORISATION

56