Effects of Language of Instruction on Learning of Literacy Skills among Pre-Primary School Children from Low-Income Urban Communities in Kenya

Autor/inn/en	Hungi, Njora; Njagi, Joan; Wekulo, Patricia; Ngware, Moses
Titel	Effects of Language of Instruction on Learning of Literacy Skills among Pre-Primary School Children from Low-Income Urban Communities in Kenya
Quelle	In: Early Childhood Education Journal, 46 (2018) 2, S.187-199 (13 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Hungi, Njora)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1082-3301
DOI	10.1007/s10643-017-0850-1
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Preschool Children; Language of Instruction; Literacy Education; Low Income Students; Urban Areas; Private Schools; Reading Instruction; Alphabets; Phonology; Rhyme; African Languages; English (Second Language); Second Language Instruction; Multilingualism; Bilingual Education; Scores; Multivariate Analysis; Outcomes of Education; Instructional Effectiveness; Kenya (Nairobi) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Pre-school age; Preschool age; Child; Children; Pre-school education; Preschool education; Vorschulalter; Kind; Kinder; Vorschulkind; Vorschulkinder; Vorschulerziehung; Vorschule; Teaching language; Unterrichtssprache; Urban area; Stadtregion; Private school; Privatschule; Leseunterricht; Buchstabenschrift; Fonologie; Reim; Africa; Language; Languages; Afrika; Sprachen; Afrikanische Sprache; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Fremdsprachenunterricht; Mehrsprachigkeit; Multilingualismus; Bilingual teaching; Bilingualer Unterricht; Multivariate Analyse; Lernleistung; Schulerfolg; Unterrichtserfolg
Abstract	This study investigates the relationship between the language of instruction and learning of literacy skills among pre-primary school children in a multilingual environment. The sample consists of 1867 learners from low-income urban households, attending 147 low-cost private pre-primary schools located in low-income areas of Nairobi, Kenya. About one-half (48.4%) of the learners were taught basic aspects of literacy such as letter naming, letters sounds and rhymes using Kiswahili (a local lingua franca) while the other half (51.6%) were taught these aspects using English. The learners involved in this study come from different ethnic backgrounds and hence Kiswahili and English are not their first languages. This study poses the question: In a multilingual environment, is there an advantage in learning literacy skills using a second language (in this case Kiswahili) over a third language (English)? Relationship between literacy scores and language of instruction is examined using descriptive techniques. This relationship is further examined using multivariate techniques controlling for learner sex, classroom resources, class size, teacher pre-service training, and teacher years of experience, among other variables. Results show that learners taught literacy skills using Kiswahili significantly outperformed their counterparts taught using English (at p < 0.05 level) even after adjusting for the effects of other factors in the analyses. The implications of the finding to education policy and practices are discussed. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Springer. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: service-ny@springer.com; Web site: http://www.springerlink.com
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01