Teachers’ and Learners’ Attitudes towards the Impact of Availability and Use of Daily Newspapers on Students’ Speaking Competence in English Language in Secondary Schools in Bungoma County, Kenya

Abstract

This paper highlights the results of a research conducted in Bungoma County of Kenya between 2008- 2009.The objective of the study was to investigate the attitudes of teachers and students towards the impact of availability and use of daily newspapers on students’ speaking  competence in English language. The study was based on the Communicative Language Teaching Approach and the theory underlying this approach is Krashen’s Second Language Acquisition, the monitor model. The study used the mixed methods research approach adopting a correlation research design. Stratified, purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used to get the sample. The sample involved 16 teachers of English language and 135 form three students. The questionnaire, students’ focused group discussions, and interview guide were used to collect data from the students and teachers respectively. The data collected was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The hypotheses were tested using non –parametric inferential statistics-Mann-Whitney U-test. From the analysis and interpretation of data, it was deduced that students who used daily newspapers showed better speaking competence in English language than those  who did not  use them. Consequently, it is recommended that the use of the daily newspapers as an instructional resource in teaching speaking skills in English language should be encouraged and improved in secondary schools in Kenya.

Keywords: Attitudes, daily newspapers, English language, teachers, students.