Effects of a Learning Together Model on Students’ Attitude towards School Poetry

Abstract

The importance of poetry in enhancing the development and growth of students’ intellectual, emotional, social and linguistic aspects is well documented. However, there is poor performance by students in poetry at the KCSE examinations due to the negative attitude students hold towards poetry instruction. This may be alleviated by effective CL models capable of boosting students’ academic achievement, attitudes and liking of school. This study investigated the impact of LTM on students’ attitudes towards poetry. The pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was employed because school authorities do not allow randomization of individual students. 199 Form three students located in six secondary school classes took part. Results revealed higher attitude for students using LTM than those in regular classes. The study concludes that LTM has pedagogical implications for poetry instruction.

Key words: Poetry instruction, attitude, collaborative learning, pedagogy, learning together model, secondary education