Reading has always been a challenging task especially for struggling learners of English as a second language (ESL). Readers' theatre has been used as a class instruction approach to enable learners to become innovative and active participants in the reading class. During class instruction, teachers use multiple strategies such as modeling reading…

This paper compares the mixed-methods evaluation findings of the ukuFUNda Virtual School (UVS) with evaluations of three different mobile learning (m-learning) programmes in Africa: the information and communication technologies for rural education (ICT4RED); the Kenya Primary Math and Reading (PRIMR) study and the Nokia Mobile Mathematics…

Readers theatre technique is an interactive learning experience which promotes fluency and comprehension amongst learners. In the same vein, effective reading skills equip learners with requisite competence for a successful academic life. The study explored the effect of Readers theatre technique on learner achievement in reading skills. Lev…

Reading has been identified as one of the most reliable indicators of whether a learner will attain the competence needed to achieve academic success and contribute actively to society. Research findings in Kenyan primary and secondary schools reveal inadequate reading skills among the students. The purpose of this study was to identify approaches…

Reading proficiency has been identified as one of the most reliable indicators of whether a learner will attain the competence needed to achieve academic success and contribute actively to society. Research findings in Kenyan primary and secondary schools reveal inadequate reading skills among the students. There are different approaches in…

The linguistic interdependence hypothesis (Cummins, 1979, 2000) states that children's second-language (L2) proficiency is, to some extent, a function of their first-language (L1) competence. Previous studies have examined this hypothesis with focus on a unidirectional relation from L1 to L2. In the present study, we examined…

Teacher education has an important role in ensuring quality of learning especially for the poorest children. The article draws on a study of teacher preparation for the early primary grades in six African countries--Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda--in reading and mathematics. Initial teacher education had the strongest impact on…

Recent studies have consistently reported low reading achievement levels among primary school children in Kenya. Reading is a very critical component of children's development. Many aspects of learning at school revolve around this skill. Being the media via which other subjects are taught and learnt, reading is very significant and could…

We report on a study that used observations, conversations, and formal interviews to explore literacy instruction in 24 lower-primary classrooms in coastal Kenya. Specifically, we report the ways literacy instruction is delivered and how that delivery aligns with practices understood to promote reading acquisition. We find (1) prioritization of…

In this study, we draw on three interrelated concepts, i.e. placed resources, multiliteracies and the carnivalesque, to understand how information and communication technology (ICT) resources are taken up within the context of a print-based journalism club. Our research participants attend an under-resourced girls' residential secondary school in…

The purpose of this study was to find out the effect of embossed picture technique when used in teaching reading to the pupils with hearing impairment. The study was guided by Piaget's theory of human mental development. The study adopted an experimental design. The study was carried out at Kambui School for the hearing impaired located on…

Kiswahili was declared the national language of Kenya in 1968 and since then has also been established as the language of parliamentary debate. There are, however, inadequate instructional materials in this language, particularly at the primary level of schooling. Since there are almost 20 different languages, or dialects, in Kenya, Kiswahili must…